Find the Correct Saddle for Your Larrivee® Acoustic Guitar
Looking for a Larrivee steel-string acoustic guitar saddle? Finding the proper saddle for your guitar can prove difficult as there’s no single saddle size. Although B compensated saddles are the most common, Larrivee has been making guitars for over fifty years and different saddle sizes and compensation patterns have been used.
Although this guide will help, we suggest that you also measure your guitar’s bridge saddle slot for a proper fit. If you are not the guitar’s original owner, someone may have installed a different saddle, adjusted the saddle slot, or even installed a different bridge or neck at some time, thus producing different specs from the factory’s original specs.
B Compensated Saddles
As mentioned previously, B compensated saddles are the most common saddle compensation pattern seen on Larrivee acoustics, starting in the 1990s. These saddles often have a 16 inch top radius, are around 72 mm long and 3.2 mm thick. Maximum height varies for each guitar, but are often around 8 to 9 mm for Larrivees with undersaddle pickup, and around 9 to 11 mm for Larrivees without a pickup.
Wave Compensated Saddles
Larrivee models from the 2000s and 2010s may have a wave compensated saddle. This saddle has more fluid compensation lines that place the treble E about 0.5 mm further back away from the soundhole, and the bass E about 1.5 mm further back away from the soundhole.
If your Larrivee has a B compensated saddle, you might be tempted to replace it with a wave compensated saddle. However, we typically advise against this. First, the wave compensated saddle has a shorter length – 71.2 mm long versus 72.0 mm long for the B compensated saddle. Second, additional saddle compensation is not necessarily an improvement. Guitar builders will angle the saddle slot itself as compensation taking into account saddle compensation pattern, scale length and string gauge. As such, adding more saddle compensation could negatively affect your intonation.
Non-Compensated Saddles
Larrivee models from the 1970s through the 1990s often have center line non-compensated saddles. Please see our Guide to Non-Compensated Saddles for more information. Unless you are having specific intonation issues that a compensated saddle could correct, we advise that you use a non-compensated saddle replacement.
Left-Handed Larrivee Saddles
A large number of Larrivee models are left-handed. Please note that saddles designed for right-handed Larrivee models will not work on left-handed models. Even non-compensated saddles, whether center line, forward line, or diagonal line will be made specifically for right-models in that the bass side is typically one mm higher than the treble side.
Which Saddle Size Does Your Larrivee Need?
If you are still unsure which saddle your Larrivee needs, please contact us with the below information:
- Your Larrivee Guitar’s Year, Model, Fretboard Radius
- Current Saddle Length, Height, Thickness
- Guitar Saddle Slot Length, Thickness (if different from your saddle specs)
- Current Saddle Compensation Pattern (please send a picture if you are not sure what type you have)
We will respond within 48 hours.