If you’ve invested in a high-quality electric guitar and amp, the next step is to ensure it’s set up correctly for you. One of the most overlooked aspects of electric guitars is the bridge, more commonly known as the guitar’s saddle. This part of the guitar is often overlooked, but it can make or break your playing experience.
Electric guitars have bridges with different saddle shapes, sizes, and materials. As a result, it’s important to understand what you’re looking for before you start shopping. If you’re shopping for an acoustic guitar, we’ve got you covered with our guide to the best acoustic guitar saddles.
Read on to learn more about the different types of electric guitar saddles and which ones will work best for you.
Our Editor’s Best Electric Guitar Saddles Reviews
- ♫ Fits Strat or Tele style guitar
- ♫ String spacing: 52.5mm (2-1/16");Material: Zinc alloy
- ♫ Improving tone and sustain and keeping your guitar in tone
- ♫ Come with accessories, full set, ready to use
- ♫ Package Includes: 6 Pcs Bridge Saddles
- Fits Strat or tele style Electric guitar, can be used on for tremolo and fixed bridges with 2-1/16" (52.5mm) string spacing
- Individual saddle width: 10.5mm(13/32 inch), total string spacing: 52.5mm(2-1/16 inch)
- The saddles help prevent string breakage, improve tone and sustain and keep your guitar in tune
- Made of zinc alloy, stable and durable
- Package included: 6 Pcs Guitar Bridge Saddles
- These rectangle style saddles make a great upgrade for anyone who likes to use a lot of whammies, they can be used on hardtail bridge, Tele or Strat bridge.
- The saddles help prevent string breakage, improve tone and sustain and keep your guitar in tune.
- Hard metal alloy material, with a gorgeous finish, and extremely durable. Quality saddles hold your strings firmly.
- Each saddle and set are complete with screws and springs.
- Package includes 6 saddles and 1 wrench, great replacement parts.
- Applicable objects: The guitar saddles are suitable for 6 - string Electric Guitars in Fender Strat (St) and Tele (Telecaster) styles
- String spacing: Each guitar saddle is 10.5 mm (0.41 inches) wide and 20 mm (0.79 inches) long. The distance between the E - e strings is 52.5 mm (2.07 inches)
- Stainless - steel saddles: They are sturdy and durable, produce clear, bright, and penetrating sounds, and have stable timbre. They are suitable for playing music with strong styles such as rock and metal
- No Fading: The color of the chrome electric guitar saddle is processed by vacuum electroplating technology, which is bright and lustrous, scratch - resistant and wear - resistant
- Packaging: Pack of 6 electric guitar tremolo bridge saddles, with a hex wrench given as a gift
- Application: It fits for 6 string Tele style and Strat style electric guitar.
- Hardtail Guitar Bridge : Made of zinc alloy; String Spread is 2.11" / 53.7mm and baseplate size is 2.55" x 1.65" / 65 x 42mm (L x W).
- Easy to Use: Top loading saddle design to be easy to install and easy to use, and can be adjusted horizontally for intonation and height.
- Standard from E-e: String Spacing is the standard 0.41" / 10.5mm from E-e.
- Package Content: 1 x guitar hardtail bridge with mounting screws, 1 x L wrench.
- Applicable objects: The electric guitar saddles are suitable for 6 - string electric guitars in Fender Strat (St) and Tele (Telecaster) styles
- String spacing: Each guitar bridge saddle is 10.5 mm (0.41 inches) wide and 20 mm (0.79 inches) long. The distance between the E - e strings is 52.5 mm (2.07 inches)
- Excellent performance: The bridge saddle is made of high-quality zinc alloy, producing clear and bright sounds with stable timbre and pitch
- Screw breakage prevention: The adjustment screws of the 10.5mm bridge saddle are hardened to prevent breakage when being tightened
- Bright color: The chrome electric guitar bridge saddle undergoes an additional vacuum electroplating technology on top of the regular electroplating, resulting in a bright finish that is scratch - resistant and wear - resistant
- Applicable objects: The guitar saddles are suitable for 6 - string Electric Guitars in Fender Strat (Stratocaster) and Tele (Telecaster) styles
- String spacing: Each guitar saddle is 10.5 mm (0.41 inches) wide and 20 mm (0.79 inches) long. The distance between the E - e strings is 52.5 mm (2.07 inches)
- Brass saddles: They are sturdy and durable, with a warm and rich timbre, suitable for playing music in styles such as blues, jazz, rock, and folk
- No Fading: The color of the brass electric guitar saddle is processed by vacuum electroplating technology, which is bright and lustrous, scratch - resistant and wear - resistant
- Packaging: Pack of 6 electric guitar tremolo bridge saddles, with a hex wrench given as a gift
- A great gift: This product is suitable for electric guitars and can be used for hardtail bridges and other bridges.
- High-quality material: This product uses high-quality metal alloy material with greater hardness, and the rollers help prevent strings from breaking, improve tone and sustain and keep your guitar in tune.
- Each saddle includes screws and springs, and each saddle and screw and spring settings are complete. Very cheap and cost-effective.
- Separate Saddle Dimensions: Length: 20mm (25/32"); Width: 10.5mm (13/32"); Height: 5.5mm (7/32"). Includes height screw, tone screw and spring.
- This product includes 6 high quality guitar bridge saddles and 1 wrench.
- String spacing: 10.5mm (0.41 inch). Size(Length x Thick): 20mm x 6mm(0.79 x 0.24 inch).
- These rectangle style roller saddles make a great upgrade for anyone who likes to use a lot of whammies, they can be used on TL Strat TL ST bridge.
- The roller saddles help prevent string breakage, improve tone and sustain and keep your guitar in tune.
- Material: brass. The roller is made of stainless steel to better protect the strings. Quality saddles hold your strings firmly.
- Package includes 6 Pieces guitar roller bridge saddles with spring and screws, 1 piece Hex wrench.
- Percise Dimension: Each saddle measures 10mm (0.4") in width and 20mm (0.8") to Length, with a 16.5mm screw allowing precise adjustment.
- Enhanced Sound Quality: Carefully crafted with a smooth finish, these tremolo saddles not only elevate your guitar's aesthetics but also significantly improve tone clarity, sustain, and tuning stability.
- Easy Installation: The set includes 6 quality gold tremolo saddles alongside a convenient wrench, ensuring a straightforward replacement process for immediate enhancement to your guitar's performance.
- Universal Compatibility: Made from robust zinc alloy, these saddles are designed for durability and wide applicability, fitting most electric guitar models, suitable for DIY projects.
- Upgrade Your Experience: Say goodbye to string breakage and hello to elevated playing experience. These brass saddles serve as a premium upgrade from standard zinc or steel parts, promising lasting improvement to your instrument.
Best Electric Guitar Saddles Buying Guide
Before choosing the best electric guitar saddles you should consider following options:
1. Material: The material you choose for your electric guitar’s saddle is of utmost importance. You want to find a material that gives the proper amount of sustain.
The right amount of sustain will keep notes ringing on a guitar for a certain amount of time. If a guitar has a bad amount of sustain, notes will cut off very quickly after they are strummed.
Most guitar saddles are made from either bone or plastic. Bone is a popular choice because it gives good sustain. However, bone also costs more than plastic and requires more maintenance.
Plastic is a cheaper option, but you will experience less sustain with a plastic saddle. You can also find guitar saddles made from nylon, steel, and others.
2. String Gauges: A guitar saddle is designed to hold a certain set of strings. Before you buy a new guitar saddle, make sure the saddle is designed for your set of strings.
A guitar saddle is designed for a certain set of strings. For example, a guitar saddle designed for light gauge strings will not work with heavy gauge strings.
This is very important to remember because changing a guitar’s saddle to support the wrong strings will cause the strings to hang over the edge of the fretboard, which is called “string buzzing.”
3. Action: The action of a guitar is how high the strings are over the fretboard. The action can be adjusted by changing the saddle, but this will also affect the sustain.
If the saddle is too low, notes will sustain for too long, causing a “buzzing” sound. If the saddle is too high, notes will cut off too soon.
This is why it is important to adjust the action of a guitar before changing the saddle. To change the action, you can turn the guitar’s truss rod.
The truss rod is a metal bar in the neck of the guitar that is used to give the proper amount of strength to the neck.
By adjusting the truss rod, you can either make the neck thinner or thicker. Thinner necks give a higher action and thicker necks give a lower action.
4. Tone: Changing your guitar’s saddle will have an effect on your guitar’s tone.
If you have a plastic saddle, you will experience less sustain and a brighter tone. If you have a bone saddle, you will have more sustain and a warmer tone.
5. Cost: The cost of a guitar saddle can vary greatly depending on what material it is made from. Bone saddles are generally more expensive than plastic.
However, some plastic saddles are made from higher quality materials and can last longer than bone saddles.
It is important to research saddles before making a final decision. You want to find a saddle that gives you the best tone with the sustain you prefer.
6. Ease of Installation: You want to make sure your new saddle is easy to install. If the saddle is difficult to install, you may end up taking it back to the music store and exchanging it for a different one.
What else you should know about electric guitar saddles
1. What are the best electric guitar saddles for intonation?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the specific guitar and the player’s preferences. However, some popular choices for electric guitar saddles that offer good intonation include the Graph Tech String Saver Saddles, the Gotoh 510UB Wraparound Bridge, and the Schaller Hannes Bridge.
2. What are the best electric guitar saddles for action?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on personal preference. Some guitarists prefer electric guitar saddles that are low for easier action, while others prefer them to be higher for better intonation. Ultimately, it is up to the guitarist to experiment with different saddles to find what works best for them.
3. What are the best electric guitar saddles for tone?
There is no definitive answer, as each guitar and each saddle will produce a slightly different tone. Experiment with different saddles to see which ones produce the sound you prefer.
4. What are the best electric guitar saddles for sustain?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the guitar and the player’s preference. Some players prefer heavier saddles for sustain, while others prefer lighter saddles for better resonance and tone. Ultimately, it is up to the player to experiment with different saddles to see what works best for them.
5. What are the best electric guitar saddles for comfort?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the individual player’s preferences. Some players prefer softer, more padded saddles for comfort while others prefer harder, less padded saddles for better tone. Ultimately, it is up to the player to decide what works best for them.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best electric guitar saddles. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best electric guitar saddles will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.