Tele saddles and a wound third

[joshnorman]

Anyone here use heavy strings with a wound third on a vintage style telecaster bridge, with three compensated saddles? can you just flip the middle one? are the six barrel vintage style like the one pictured here: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar,_non-trem_bridges/Traditional_Bridges_For_Tele.html worth trying?

[Space Hammer]

It'll be fine with the vintage bridge - they came stock with wound 3rd's back in the day

[joshnorman]

you mean the uncompensated one? you're probably right, I played an uncompensated saddle on an archtop for years and my head didn't explode, but I guess now that it's an option to have compensated tele saddles I start to feel I need them (effective marketing?), the vintage style with six barrel saddles seems like the best option but nobody seems to like those.

[Boris Bubbanov]

Some of the compensated sets can be flipped (Stew Mac # 5167s) and many (Callaham, Barden, Wilkinson Sung Il, RS, Rutters ) cannot.

Find a fellow still using straight barrels and playing a plain G string and switch with him. I find a straight saddle works fine usually with a wound G. You'll both benefit. I am seeing guitars (7.25 radius, certain string sets) that once they have a compensated DG saddle with a plain G string, the straight outboard saddles are fine.

[TaylorPlayer]

My Tele has a Wilkenson Compensated with 3 barrels.

I use DiAdderio 12's with a wound G on all my electrics. (Too many years of playing acoustic guitars primarily with 12's). No problems at all with setting intonation on the Tele.

[joshnorman]

yeah, same here, I started on a Fender flat top, used 13's because I was told to, and didn't know that 1/2 inch at the twelfth fret was higher than usual for a couple of years. When I started playing electric, I couldn't get used to 10's or 11's, and somehow I've ended up playing .014's on a tele. I guess I should probably get used to lighter strings some time. Anyway, how do you like the Wilkinson? does it sound the same as a regular 3 barrel bridge? how much of a pain is it to set the intonation with those pivoting saddles?

[joshnorman]

Some of the compensated sets can be flipped (Stew Mac # 5167s) and many (Callaham, Barden, Wilkinson Sung Il, RS, Rutters ) cannot.

Find a fellow still using straight barrels and playing a plain G string and switch with him. I find a straight saddle works fine usually with a wound G. You'll both benefit. I am seeing guitars (7.25 radius, certain string sets) that once they have a compensated DG saddle with a plain G string, the straight outboard saddles are fine.

So, if I'm reading that last sentence right, I could probably get away with all three straight?

now just to confound the issue even further, I do like the idea of being able to use a plain G at times, so those adjustable wilkinson jobs, or a flippable saddle has some appeal. The reality is the plain 3rd strings I've tried have always sounded funny and I'll probably just keep with wound 3rds. I don't know if I'm just not used to the way plain 3rds sound or if it has something to with gauges, but they just always sound funny to me (although it's real nice being able to bend the G string without busting up the windings in short order).

[Boris Bubbanov]

So, if I'm reading that last sentence right, I could probably get away with all three straight?

now just to confound the issue even further, I do like the idea of being able to use a plain G at times, so those adjustable wilkinson jobs, or a flippable saddle has some appeal. The reality is the plain 3rd strings I've tried have always sounded funny and I'll probably just keep with wound 3rds. I don't know if I'm just not used to the way plain 3rds sound or if it has something to with gauges, but they just always sound funny to me (although it's real nice being able to bend the G string without busting up the windings in short order).

Yeah, you could get away, for instance, with 11-49s and a wound G.

To me, the plain G gives me trouble with straight barrels before anything else does.

[walterw]

So, if I'm reading that last sentence right, I could probably get away with all three straight?

The reality is the plain 3rd strings I've tried have always sounded funny and I'll probably just keep with wound 3rds. I don't know if I'm just not used to the way plain 3rds sound or if it has something to with gauges, but they just always sound funny to me...
yep, the big issue with the 3-saddle is between the plain G and the wound D on the same saddle. with two wound strings on one saddle, the offset is much less.

as for Gs in general, they've always been a problem on guitar. (you could've heard that from a classical player 200 years ago).

that pitch at that scale length is just too tight with wound strings (break easily, won't really bend) and too loose with plain strings (don't sound as good as the rest of the strings.)

acoustic players typically compromise one way, electric players the other.