Melita bridge saddle replacements: do they exist?

[Pemberton]

What can anyone tell me about vintage Melita bridge saddle replacements? Are there such a thing? Where they ever available? Are they currently available? What are they made out of? Plastic? Is this even possible?

Why I ask: I dropped off my ‘57 Streamliner today at a highly skilled and trusted luthier for a nut replacement. I mentioned in another thread that the current nut is cut slightly too wide and the two outside E strings roll off the fret ends much too easily if I’m not careful fretting chords up and down the neck.

He said the string spacing is also slightly too wide at the bridge (and that’s just the way the original bridge was designed), and that’s part of the issue.

But I would really prefer to keep the original Melita bridge, and not replace it with something else. So he suggested maybe replacing and recutting the string slots in the saddles slightly narrower, that is if they’re available. Neither of us knew.

He said he has some connections and would call around and see what, if any, are available.

But I thought I would also ask the Gretsch vintage community here on GT if anyone has any experience with this. If not, that’s okay, I’ll just leave the bridge the way it is, and having a new nut cut correctly will at least help improve playability.

Thank so much for any info.

~Pemberton

 

[nielDa]

My search a few months ago came up with nothing, so I started making my own using Tusq. (Started, need to get back to that project.) My thought however was not to adjust the width but to more closely match the 12” fretboard radius. Maybe others here have a source for the saddles?

 

[Chmason85]

You could try looking for Embie saddles. The company went under and didn’t fulfill orders which is real strange since the owner was very communicative and I had gotten two bridges and three sets of saddles from him. Maybe ask @TV the Wired Turtle

 

[Pemberton]

Well, after much internet searching (and reading old GT posts), I think the answer to my question is that replacement Melita bridge saddles are just not available. It might have been possible when Embie Concepts was still in business (they were making Melita-style "Embie-Matic" bridges) but they went radio silent about 3 years ago. Gretsch has new Synchro-Sonic bridges (a Melita reissue), but that doesn't help with finding uncut replacement bridge saddles.

Currently, I think the only option would be to find someone (a luthier?) to fabricate new uncut saddles, probably from some sort of plastic or other bridge saddle material.

Or, I just leave my current vintage Melita bridge the way it is and don't do anything. It works well enough and I like it.

~Pemberton

 

[mbkri]

It was sad about Embie going under and it wasnt pretty how they let some of us down with the website operating and processing order payments after they had gone under.. What they offered was such a great niche product. And no, noone seems to have stepped in to fill the gap.

 

[ForTheLoveOfIvy]

They were available because I let some vintage replacement saddles slip through my fingers on Reverb recently.