There are many ways and reasons to upgrade any quality guitar. Reasons can be to improve the feel, play, or look of the instrument. Common upgrades include replacing plastic nut and saddle with a custom bone nut and saddle, replacing tuning machine heads, replacing bridge pins, adding a pick-up system, and changing pick-ups.
Custom Bone Nut & Saddle
Perhaps the most common and effective upgrade for an acoustic guitar is to replace plastic or composite nuts and saddles with a bone nut and saddle. Bone is extremely stable and durable, and more importantly, it is one of the best transmitters of energy (vibration) from the strings to the bridge and subsequently to the guitar’s soundboard. The usual comment after upgrading to a bone nut and saddle is that the guitar sound is slightly louder but with greater clarity and resonance to the strings.
- A custom bone saddle with ideal string “break” angle.
