LMI Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge - Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag
In this episode, luthier Robbie O’Brien discusses and demonstrates the proper use of a saddle setup gauge.
Video Transcription
[on-screen text reads: Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag]
Mailbag question: Is there an easy way to remove a small amount of material from the nut or saddle when doing setups?
Robert O'Brien: Today's Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us all the way from Brazil. "Robert, is there an easy way to remove small amounts of material from the nut or saddle to get the best action during setup? Marcos in Brazil."
Well Marcos, I find that removing the material is the easy part. Just use a disc sander or a sanding block and then slowly remove the amount of material that you need. My problem has always been how to measure and accurately mark the small amount of material on the nut or saddle that needs to be removed. Recently I got a jig from LMI called the Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge, and this has made it much easier for me. Let me show it to you.
LMI Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge
So here's the Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge available from LMI. It's got some pre-cut grooves in a block of metal, and the grooves are at 1/32nd, 1/16th, 3/32nd, and 1/8th. And the block itself is 1/4th.
So let's say you need to remove a 16th of an inch from the bottom of your saddle. Just place the saddle in the 16th inch groove slot, draw your line and then sand down to your line. Now, like I said earlier, you can use a disc, sander, or sanding block or whatever you need to do to get it down to that line, but it makes it very easy to measure that. If you need to go only a 32nd, place it in the 32nd slot, draw your line. It can't get much easier than that. Now remember, when lowering the action at the 12th fret, it's a two-to-one ratio. So if you need to lower 1/32nd here, then down here at the saddle, you need to take 1/16th of an inch off the bottom of the saddle. After I use the Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge to get the correct height on the nut or saddle, I then use the LMI String Height Gauge to make sure that I do indeed have the correct action that I want for my guitars.
So Marcos from Brazil, thank you very much for your question. And I think you'll find that if you use the Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge from LMI, that it makes it much easier to accurately measure and mark the correct amount that you need to remove from the nut and saddle.
[on-screen text reads: More Luthier Tips and online courses available at www.obrienguitars.com. Private and small group guitar building and finishing instruction available.]
