Locking Saddles

[Matthew Seed]

Hi gang. How good are those locking PRS saddles I have seen on some guitars. And are they available to buy at all anywhere.

Thank you
Matthew

 

[Prs Mods too]

Hi gang. How good are those locking PRS saddles I have seen on some guitars?

I too have wondered that. Considering how good the regular saddles are I see no need for the lockers, but perhaps they'll give more slack in the strings for deeper dives... I'd be all for that!

 

[Going Modal]

I'm pretty sure you've seen them on Private Stock guitars, like the original P.S. release of the Modern Eagle V. I've not seen them on anything else.

 

[Matthew Seed]

Hi guys. yeah I think it was on a PS ME V. I have a Wood Library ME V adn i would love to try them though. I can't seem to fins them anywhere...do I assume they are not making them after market ? That is a shame.

Matthew

 

[markd21]

Yeah, those saddles (at this point) are only on the Gen III bridge and reserved for high-end builds (PS/Wood Library from what I've seen).

 

[JasonE]

I have only seen them on Private Stock guitars. I don't think you can buy them. They didn't use them for very long. I honestly have no tuning issues with my PRS trem guitars. I can divebomb them with no issues. The strings bend in a way when they come over the saddles that it seems to hold them in place enough that they reseat just fine when the tension is put back on them.

IMHO, these locking saddles are a solution for a problem I have not had. There are a number of people going on about them for Suhr guitars. I have a few Suhr guitars and I don't have any tuning issues with those either with standard saddles on them.

 

[Birdsofprey]

Easy answer, contact PRS they’ll let ya know.

 

[loocnmad]

Sounds like it’s a big no on getting them through PRS according to this link

Gen III (Locking) Tremolo Aftermarket?

I recently asked the PTC if they'd swap my tremolo for the Private Stock / Locking version of the Gen III trem. They said no. Presumably this means these are only made-to-order for the Private Stock program. I'm posting to gauge interest. Are other people interested in having this part available?

forums.prsguitars.com

There is an alternative if you’re with a non-PRS part. These are the ones that Pete Thorn uses so they’re definitely a quality saddle. You’ll want the /P version.

https://wilkinsondirect.com/collections/saddles/anniversary-series-saddles/

 

[Matthew Seed]

Thanks everyone, Looks like its a no ha ha. Thanks loocnmad for that link. I have seen these before, I am sure they work...but they look awful, that WLS logo right across each one...hmmm. I may well leave it.

Thanks all.
matt

 

[Birdsofprey]

^ Never seen these but op you may be able to remove that logo. Not quite suhr (see what I did there) how they’re manufactured but could be machining or ink that can be taken off. Just a thought. The more I look at them the more I think OOO steel wool will take that logo off.

 

[loocnmad]

I think the logo is laser etched but I’ve seen in other forums where people have used some light sandpaper to take it off without any trouble. If I were in the market for some I would probably do that, too.

And yes, I believe Suhr does have these on some models. Definitely on the PT signature.

 

[JasonE]

They had a version of those saddles that didn't have the WLS logo on them. They didn't last long and it looks like they all have it now.

 

[László]

I have a 2016 20th Anniversary of Private Stock model with the locking saddles. Here's what they do:

1. The guitar stays in tune a bit better. Like, not having to retune at all during a session.

2. More energy is transmitted to the bridge because there's very solid contact with the saddles, and that seems to make the sound tighter and firmer, is the only way I can put it. More of the note's fundamental, as opposed to overtones.

I think it's a worthwhile addition. Maybe John Mann could machine some.

 

[loocnmad]

Forgot to mention Gotoh has a locking saddle but I don’t know much about them. I think they have to be custom ordered through a dealer. They look kinda weird, too.

LS113 - G-GOTOH

Steel, Lockable simple operation

g-gotoh.com

 

[John F]

My 2016 Private Stock Guitar of the Month Paul’s Guitar has them. I severed a 1E string at the saddle by overtightening the locking allen screw during first string change. Didn’t take much force at all. Interesting to note, the ball end fell out of the trem block one day and the string was still in tune and survived trem use. They take some getting used to during string change which takes longer.

 

[László]

My 2016 Private Stock Guitar of the Month Paul’s Guitar has them. I severed a 1E string at the saddle by overtightening the locking allen screw during first string change. Didn’t take much force at all. Interesting to note, the ball end fell out of the trem block one day and the string was still in tune and survived trem use. They take some getting used to during string change which takes longer.

Mine's from 2016 as well.

I love the way the bridge performs musically, but it's kind of a PITA to deal with locking saddles. I've already lost the little Allen wrench it came with. I think the case ate it. Cases do that.

Fortunately, I seem to have the World's Largest Collection Of Allen Wrenches-Of-Unknown-Sizes-That-Came-With-Other-Stuff, so I was able to find another one by trial and error.

Turned out to be the Allen wrench that tightens the set screw on a Pottery Barn toilet paper holder.

Seems to me that's kind of an interesting juxtaposition.

 

[JasonE]

Mine's from 2016 as well.

I love the way the bridge performs musically, but it's kind of a PITA to deal with locking saddles. I've already lost the little Allen wrench it came with. I think the case ate it. Cases do that.

Fortunately, I seem to have the World's Largest Collection Of Allen Wrenches-Of-Unknown-Sizes-That-Came-With-Other-Stuff, so I was able to find another one by trial and error.

Turned out to be the Allen wrench that tightens the set screw on a Pottery Barn toilet paper holder.

Seems to me that's kind of an interesting juxtaposition.

If that Allen wrench is truly in the case somewhere you are going to want to find it. That thing could end up in the main compartment with the guitar and cause all sorts of damage to the guitar. I have seen some pretty disturbing pictures of guitars that had small parts come loose in shipping and created a very bad surprise to the person that opened the case to see their new guitar.

One big offender is the grub screw in the back of the PRS trem. Many people don't notice when those start to come out. I have alerted several people with guitars for sale that their grub screw is working it's way out. You could see it in the pictures. I have been thanked every time with them also saying they never saw that until I pointed it out.

Maybe find a strong magnet and run it around inside the case...

 

[László]

If that Allen wrench is truly in the case somewhere you are going to want to find it. That thing could end up in the main compartment with the guitar and cause all sorts of damage to the guitar. I have seen some pretty disturbing pictures of guitars that had small parts come loose in shipping and created a very bad surprise to the person that opened the case to see their new guitar.

You're right but I was kidding. The case didn't really eat it. I put it in a box with all the PRS documents and tool effluvia that come with the guitars. I routinely do that. It must have fallen out of the box and wound up among the random junk my storage room.

No sensible human being would willingly search my storage room for anything. It's a very large room filled with cardboard shipping boxes, Metal shelves with every piece of china, 35 year old baby gear, like car seats that are so obsolete they're now illegal, and party stuff my wife ever bought, HVAC and dehumidification equipment, unused junk, including my kids' childhood crap they won't let me throw out, trunks and cases full of D-sub cables for my old console, a box of 35 foot MIDI cables, a zillion TT patchbay cables from old studio land, records from my pre-1990 law firm, an old treadmill, the lighting equipment that was here before I put in a new ceiling, boxes of tapes, DATs, DA-88 tapes, CD-Rs with old projects, a few old hard drives, unused ceiling tiles, car mats, luggage, an unused equipment rack from my old studio that none of my friends wanted, etc. Oh, and if anyone needs long Canare SCSI cables, I have a box of those, too.

Oh, and if you need old mops, buckets, and other cleaning supplies, come pick 'em up...

In other words, the room is a hot mess, and that's why I lost a tiny little Allen wrench, somewhere in the great maw of things I'm hiring a company to get rid of come spring.