does this look right

phil_b

I bout a used MIM strat from ebay and I love it. but one thing is really bugging me.

the saddles don't seem to fit. to me the seem too wide. it is not really affecting anything but (does not show up well in the photo) the outer saddles are being pushed outwards so don't line up straight.

guitargeek62

Hard to tell from that angle, but measure up the spacing between each string vs the spacing between the saddle adjustment screws at the back of the trem. If they’re different then there’s a good chance it’s had the wrong saddles fitted at some point!

Kittyfrisk

You have a Roland fitted you lucky chap, so don't worry about the little stuff 

TINMAN82

Might want to check intonation too...

phil_b

guitargeek62 said:

Hard to tell from that angle, but measure up the spacing between each string vs the spacing between the saddle adjustment screws at the back of the trem. If they’re different then there’s a good chance it’s had the wrong saddles fitted at some point!

the outer 4 strings don't sit in the middle of the saddles so I am not sure measuring the string spacing is a good reference

ICBM

There’s actually a gap between the G and D... that will be pushing the outer saddles outwards a bit.

Apart from that it looks fine to me, but they probably need adjusting for height and definitely for intonation.

The saddles should each be set flat, parallel to the baseplate, not following the string radius.

phil_b

Kittyfrisk said:

You have a Roland fitted you lucky chap, so don't worry about the little stuff 

I have not even tried the roland pick up as I don't have a syth to plug it into. I got the guitar at a good price as the roland was untested

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/165035/is-this-a-good-buy-and-is-it-genuine#latest

phil_b

ICBM said:

There’s actually a gap between the G and D... that will be pushing the outer saddles outwards a bit.

Apart from that it looks fine to me, but they probably need adjusting for height and definitely for intonation.

The saddles should each be set flat, parallel to the baseplate, not following the string radius.

there is a gap at the top but they are touching at the base and that is what made me think they could be the wrong size. I did try squeezing them in together.

everything looks original on the guitar and I cant think of a reason why you would change the saddles unless you changed the style of saddle. I may be just looking for fault where there is none

ICBM

phil_b said:

there is a gap at the top but they are touching at the base and that is what made me think they could be the wrong size. I did try squeezing them in together.

That’s what I meant - the saddles need to be set flat, not tilted outwards.

phil_b

ICBM said:

phil_b said:

there is a gap at the top but they are touching at the base and that is what made me think they could be the wrong size. I did try squeezing them in together.

That’s what I meant - the saddles need to be set flat, not tilted outwards.

it seems the grub screws have worn indents into the plate over time and they want to sit in the position they are in. I loosened thing off and got things lined up a little straight but they want to pop back into their old position when the tension in put back on

ICBM

phil_b said:

it seems the grub screws have worn indents into the plate over time and they want to sit in the position they are in. I loosened thing off and got things lined up a little straight but they want to pop back into their old position when the tension in put back on 

That will probably fix itself when you adjust the intonation, since most of the saddles are going to be in a different position front-to-back as well.

Start with them set like this, it won’t be too far out -

PhilKing

I seem to remember that the Roland GK Strats had die-cast saddles, so it is possible that someone has replaced them with a slightly wider one.   However the bent steel are the way to go.  Usually though when that happens, it looks much worse that what you have there.

ICBM

PhilKing said:

Usually though when that happens, it looks much worse that what you have there.

Exactly - I don't see any evidence of them being the wrong size, just set a bit crooked.

ADP

PhilKing said:

I seem to remember that the Roland GK Strats had die-cast saddles, so it is possible that someone has replaced them with a slightly wider one.   However the bent steel are the way to go.  Usually though when that happens, it looks much worse that what you have there.

The US version had die-cast saddles and a two-point bridge. This is the Mexican version, so those are the original saddles.

phil_b

ICBM said:

PhilKing said:

Usually though when that happens, it looks much worse that what you have there.

Exactly - I don't see any evidence of them being the wrong size, just set a bit crooked.

I tend to agree now. I think this guitar had been stored for a couple of years unplayed so probably would benefit from a full set up. The trem block is a thin type and not a full size one so I am tempted to fit a new bridge

phil_b

I finally solved the riddle. The saddles were indeed the wrong size. They are 10.8mm and that is the spacing for most USA strats. The correct size for a Mex strat is 10.5mm

Funkfingers

Did you ever get something to connect to the Roland GK electronics? I have a Roland GR-20 floor unit synthesizer going spare. 

phil_b

Funkfingers said:

Did you ever get something to connect to the Roland GK electronics? I have a Roland GR-20 floor unit synthesizer going spare. 

I did buy a GR20. Lots of fun but I need to learn to play a bit better first so I'm just consentrating on playing through the normal pickups for now

ICBM

phil_b said:

I finally solved the riddle. The saddles were indeed the wrong size. They are 10.8mm and that is the spacing for most USA strats. The correct size for a Mex strat is 10.5mm

Interesting. The only time I've seen that done they didn't fit properly at all, which is why I didn't think yours were the wrong size. It appears there must be slight variations.

Funkfingers

Much depends on how slack the fit is of the intonation screws through the holes in the lip of the vibrato baseplate.