Graph Tech Supercharger

A number of acoustic and electric kits are available, but in this review we’re looking at the most common two electric guitar variants: the Strat and those Gibson instruments that use a Tune-o-matic bridge. Acoustic kits generally comprise TUSQ saddles and bridge pins — TUSQ can be thought of as being like a synthetic ivory designed for low friction and high sustain. The electric kits can be used on many of the electric models out there inspired by Fender and Gibson, and there’s a dedicated set for Telecasters.

While the benefits of low-friction saddles and nuts are easy to understand, the ResoMax bridge is a little less obvious in its remit, as rather than being a high-mass affair, it is actually made from a very light, stiff alloy. The idea is to transmit more energy from the string into the wood, thus increasing the harmonic content of the sound and also the sustain. These are fitted with String Saver saddles and are said to increase sustain by up to 25 percent over brass strings and 15 percent over steel, but for me their real benefits are their low friction and a considerable reduction in string breakage at the bridge. This can be particularly significant for players who have sweaty hands, as sweat promotes electrolytic activity between the string and bridge saddle metals, which can quickly weaken the string. Stainless-steel bridge saddles can be very problematic in this respect.

According to Graph Tech, metal saddles have a pronounced 2kHz treble spike that colours the sound, whereas String Savers result in a more balanced tone. Similar tonal benefits are claimed for the nuts, though the lack of string friction and hence greater tuning stability is the primary reason I use them on my own stage guitars. You still need to have the nut slots dressed correctly after fitting, but any guitar tech should be able to do this for you at a reasonable cost.

Unfortunately, the bridge height adjustment on my SG was already close to its lowest point, so with the new bridge fitted and the height set to minimum, the action was still three or four millimetres too high. Apparently, this issue affects very few instruments, but I solved it by filing away a little metal from the underside of the bridge where it sits on the adjusters. This could be handled by any guitar tech, and unless you’re skilled at setting up guitars and have the necessary nut slotting files, you’ll probably need the services of a tech anyway to set up the action for you once the new nut and bridge are in the place.

It’s difficult to estimate the effect on sustain with a Gibson SG, because the things sustain for weeks anyway, but the acoustic sound seemed noticeably more lively and brighter than before. What was clear, though, is that once I’d filed and dressed the nut slots to get the action back the way it should be, the tuning stability when bending notes was noticeably improved. This is impressive, because whatever the good points of Gibson guitars, the lack of a straight string pull through the nut towards the tuners is not one of them!

I didn’t need to install the Strat kit for this review, as I’d already upgraded an existing instrument (actually several) using the same parts but bought separately. The saddles make only a subtle change to the tone, but they are great for stopping string breakage, and in conjunction with the low-friction nut and trees, the tuning stability is vastly improved, which is something you’ll appreciate if you’re a heavy trem user. Of course, you still need to fit your strings correctly and give them a good stretching before use, but once that’s done the guitar should hold its tuning rather better than before. If you don’t like the look of the black saddles, consider paying a bit more for Graph Tech String Saver metal saddles with low-friction inserts underneath the part where the string passes over. These are available in both centre and offset mounting for all Strat incarnations and look outwardly like the modern Fender stainless-steel saddle blocks.