Graph-Tech PS-8000-00 String Saver

First of all, I have Graph-Tech nuts on 3 Warmoth necked guitars and a Graph-Tech saddle on my Alhambra 9-P Classical Guitar.

These Graph-Tech saddles, taking everything into consideration, are really amazing. What a difference! First of all, my ears can hear lots of detail and if you were out of tune, I could tell you which string and how far out you are - sharp or flat (1/4 tone, etc). As I put these saddles on, I set the action and noticed that the strings could be much closer to the neck without buzzing. I didn’t expect that. Then after I got the action set, I started setting the intonation. How amazing! The notes are so clear and so precise that I could set the intonation precisely, so that every part of the neck sounds perfectly in tune. Wow! Next, the tone changed. I wouldn’t say for the better, nor for worse, but it definitely changed and took some getting used to. It’s like the higher end frequencies have gone bye bye, maybe from 10k - 12k, especially on the treble pickup. That’s ok because I’ve got some stainless steel frets that had a hi end ping that I wasn’t fond of. That’s gone. And maybe since the 10-12k hi frequency spectrum is decreased substantially, I can hear a warm mid range “ping” with a quick attack. It seems like note slur and blur is cut, and what’s left is a very clear, nicely defined note with immediate attack. Someone said in another review that it feels like notes are compressed. I agree. It seems to compress the note. The bass notes are similar, but with the neck pickup, there wasn’t that much hi range to begin with. If I’m honest, I probably liked the tone better before I put these on. It was more true to a Strat sound. I have a Trem-V Blade Runner that had some great saddles to begin with. The neck is a Warmoth Modern with a maple fretboard, no finish, stainless steel frets, and my pickups are Vand Zandt blues that I lower pretty far down close to the body to get more of a sweet and sustained sound because I play clean on my Strats a lot.

Now for another surprise - I went to play the lead for Another Brick in the Wall, part 2, and I could actually hold those long, sometimes 2 1/2 note bends, all the way to the end, and they were clear! I could shake them to get that vibrato and it sounded like I was channeling Gilmour! Another wow moment! Let’s say you enjoy playing fast runs, and bends. These saddles are the way to go for sure. What a change. It’s already improving my playing. There is nice dynamic control, too, even though the notes are compressed. If you hit them softer, they still have that quick attack, and that compressed feel, but the compression doesn’t rob, or isn’t overbearing on, the dynamics. The saddles actually seem to assist in retaining the quieter note playing due to the increased sustain and the clearer harmonic content that they provide. Overall, the playing experience is freer, less effort, because there is more control and a clearer tone. You don’t have to pick the guitar hard enough to get the notes to come out. That is nice, people. But you should really like a modern sounding Strat because that’s the direction these saddles will take you. If you’re into that loose, vintage Strat vibe with a bell-tone, percussive chimey thing going (because there is no sustain), then this may not be the way to go. The Graph-Tech saddles seem to have given my Strat a departure from that direction.

And... Because you get more of a mid-range focus, using overdrive works much better with these saddles. It enhances overdriven tones. The notes seem clearer, the sound sits where it should without a spraying of shrill hi end. Overtones from the natural harmonics that are added by the distortion work out better because the high frequencies are suppressed and they are derived more from the mid range. And you can really hear the difference between these saddles and traditional saddles when playing with distortion. They are superb for a warm, lead tone.

Good Stuff:
• Great feel and playability - bends are easier, dynamic playing is smooth, more precision overall
• Stability in tuning and intonation
• Clearer notes
• Increased sustain
• Improved distortion sounds
• A compression to the notes that gives a quick attack to your playing
• Takes the guitar into a modern direction

Downside:
• Seems to pull the Strat away from bell-like tones and the natural start sound