Find the Correct Saddle for Your Gibson® Acoustic Guitar

Need a Gibson acoustic guitar saddle? Gibson began making guitars well over a century ago, and so finding the right saddle for your Gibson can be difficult as there’s no single saddle size.

This article will provide some tips on finding the right saddle for your Gibson flat top steel string acoustic guitar, but we advise that you measure your guitar’s saddle slot for a proper fit. If you are not the guitar’s original owner, at some point someone may have installed a different saddle or have adjusted the saddle slot, resulting in different specs from the factory’s.

Please Note: Epiphone guitars use different saddle sizes from those used on Gibson models, even models with the same names. Please see our article on Epiphone guitar saddles.

Step One: Determine Fretboard and Saddle Radius

Gibson acoustic guitars often come from the factory with a saddle radius that differs from the fretboard’s. For example, the Gibson style Tusq forward line B compensated saddle has a 10 inch radius, noted by the R-10 below the Length, Thickness, Height specs on the Tusq page. 

Gibson acoustic guitars often have a 12 inch fretboard radius, but please note that some Gibsons have a 16 inch radius fretboard. If you have recent model, you can check fretboard radius specs on the Gibson website. If you have an older model, find your guitar’s serial number and contact Gibson and ask what the fretboard radius is for your year/model.

Please note that if you are not the original owner, another neck may have been installed at some point. You may want to check the fretboard radius with a gauge.

In our experience, customers prefer the playability of a saddle and fretboard with match radii, and so our Gibson style saddles are typically made with either a 12 or 16 inch radius. However, if you would like a different radius, please contact us.

Step Two: Determine Saddle Type

Gibson acoustics often have one of the below saddle types, but please note that other saddle types may have appeared during Gibson’s long history.

Through Saddle

If your Gibson flat top steel string guitar was built prior to the 1950s, then chances are it has a through saddle, which goes all the way through the bridge and may be glued in. Through saddles are also used on several of Gibson’s current Custom Shop Historic Collection models. These saddles are often non-compensated with a 12 inch radius, but height, length, and thickness vary.

This type of saddle requires much more skill and knowledge to do the replacement and we advise that you hire a professional guitar technician do the work.

Non-Compensated Drop In Saddle

From some time in the 1950s to the present, Gibson has often used center line non-compensated drop in saddles with a 12 inch radius, although since 2000, Gibson has more often used a B compensated saddle – more on this later. Length/height/thickness will vary, so please measure your current saddle and bridge saddle slot.

Gibson twelve string guitars often use a non-compensated saddle. These saddles are often similar to other Gibson saddles as far as height, thickness, radius, but will often be about 4 mm longer than six string saddles are.

Please note that a drop in saddle means that the saddle is not glued in, but still may require adjustment to a specific guitar’s saddle slot. Similar to through saddles, these drop in saddles also typically had a 12 inch radius, but length and thickness varies.

For post-2000 Gibson models with a 12 inch fretboard radius that use a non-compensated saddle, you will need to measure your current saddle first as these will vary between 70 and 71.5 mm in length, and between 3.1 and 3.3 mm thickness. Once you have the measurements please see our 70 mm non-compensated saddle and our 71.5 mm non-compensated saddle.