Always a tricky thing. This blog is for guitar nurds only and also to help Anders Sterner who seems to have the solution. He just fixed my Martin and anything that makes music sound better is a good thing. I also happen to know that some of you reading this are guitar nurds.
Anders fitted a new bridge saddle and nut for me, they are sculpted to fit not just the guitar but also the action hight and string guages I use. Take a look at the pictures, the release point is different for each string at both ends, the strange shapes show just how ‘off’ a regular bridge and nut are. The relationship between the two is the really tricky part. There are more parameters too, such as the curvature of the saddle and the stiffness of the string core, (are you bored yet?).
The result is the guitar plays really well in tune, even in first position, furthermore, when you put on a capo you don’t need to re-tune.
I don’t often endorse people but this guy deserves wider recognition.
All I need to do now is to learn to play the damn thing, at least now it’s more fun.
He lives near Stockholm Arlanda airport.
Check out his website (it’s in English).