Richard Jernigan -> RE: saddle design question (Jul. 11 2019 22:40:29)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: timoteo When a string is plucked, you're effectively increasing the tension of the string, which pulls the top of the saddle forward toward the nut. The whole bridge rotates, pushing the top of the guitar down into the body in front of the bridge and pulling the top up out of the body behind the bridge. That's what makes the sound! It's a little more complicated than that. In fact, it's a lot more complicated than that. There are two more components of force on the bridge beside the force along the length of the string. When the string is plucked it sets in motion a lateral displacement, perpendicular to the length of the string. When the lateral displacement wave reaches the saddle, it exerts a force perpendicular to the string length (and the change in tension) on the saddle. The lateral displacement force can be resolved into two components, one that tries to move the saddle--and hence the soundboard--up and down, the other component which tries to move the saddle sideways. If the break angle at the saddle is acute enough, and the string tension is strong enough, the sideways force never overcomes the static friction, and the string doesn't slip along the bone. This is the case in every successful guitar I have examined in detail. Under the same circumstances, the string never leaves the saddle in the upward direction, so the effect is to move the bridge-and the sound board-up and down. It is this component of force which is most effective in producing sound, though the other two each play a role. More in considerable detail, with a lot of measurements in Al Carruth's great paper, "String Theory": http://www.alcarruthluthier.com/Downloads/stringTheory.pdf RNJ
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