I had mid 90s USA Peavey Reactor (Telecaster copy) lying around and decided to make some upgrades because the neck just feels so good to play. I’ll cover some of the other upgrades in other posts, but here I am going to focus on a change that was fairly minor and cost-effective, yet resulted in a big return on tone – adding Graph Tech String Saver™ saddles.I was somewhat doubtful about the Graph Tech claims (reduces string breakage, increases sustain, improves midrange depth) and was really more interested in the fact that these were black in color, which would fit the theme of my black and white “Tuxedo Tele.” So when I saw a set come up on eBay for $25 I took the plunge.
Once installed, I was pleasantly surprised. The new saddles brought a somewhat dead sounding Tele to life with a big boost in tone and responsiveness. The guitar really sings now – it is extremely vibrant and sustain is much improved. Graph Tech claims an increase in sustain by up to 25% over brass saddles and 15% over steel and that’s probably about right.
I think the company could do a better job marketing these because they focus heavily on the fact that because each saddle is impregnated with Teflon, friction and string breakage is dramatically reduced. I think they would be better off focusing on how these saddles improve tone. But that's just me.
If your guitar sounds somewhat flat and lifeless I would definitely check these out as they do deliver a nice tone upgrade for relatively little cost. I’m thinking I might also install them on my FrankenStrat, which would take better advantage of the Teflon coating.
You can find more info on this product here:
http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=3
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