I recently purchased a Martin guitar GPC-PA2 from City Music as they were having a Founders Day Sale, one of their most significant sales in the year.

This guitar comes with a solid spruce top, as well as mahogany sides and back. It is also preloaded with the Fishman F 1 plus pickup system, an old but powerful pickup system that delivers realistic, mic sounding acoustic tones when plugged in, rather than the typical zingy, piezo sounding vibe that you get with standard acoustic guitar pickups

This guitar is exceptionally built, and it is the first time I’m actually able to vibe with a guitar that has mahogany sides and back. I enjoyed the overall sound, and she’s amazingly light, compared to my other acoustic guitar (The Yamaha A3R – Amazing value for money, that one, by the way.)

Yet, There Was Something Lacking…

With all that said, there was something about the sound that didn’t seem clear enough. While the overall sound was great, there was a slight hint of overtones that you might associate with cheap guitars, which clouds the overall articulation when strumming chords. Also, as with all factory set-up guitars, the action was pretty high.

That’s when I figured – perhaps it’s time to find my trusty guitar tech! He was able to do a setup, and could replace the stock plastic (or more specifically, corian) saddle with one made from Fossilized Mammoth Ivory (FMI).

As this was not the first time I had done such an upgrade, I went straight for that with confidence. I actually performed this upgrade before on my Yamaha A3R, and I felt it improved the overall tone of the guitar! But back then, I hadn’t recorded a video to compare against before the upgrade was done. So I had no proof that it was just a placebo effect.

This time, I wasn’t making that mistake.

It’s A Work Of Art

The process of setting up a guitar well in itself, is something I consider a work of art. Having tried and failed a few times when I felt adventurous, it is a tricky blend of adjusting the truss rod, and optimizing the guitar nut and saddle to a perfect balance that allows the guitar to be easy to play, without fret buzz.

The work that my guitar tech did was on another level. The FMI saddle was handcrafted from blanks. In addition, he had dyed bone pins as well that looked spectacular, so I purchased that from him as well.

As they say, pictures or it didn’t happen, so here’s some before and after comparison photos!

Before: With Stock Martin Tusq Saddles and Pins

After: With FMI Saddle and Dyed Bone Pins

The saddle was solidly crafted from a blank, and the overall action is considerably lower! So much better within just an hour. My guitar tech of choice (Jarvis, who runs The Guitar Spa) did an amazing job. He also helped to optimize the break angle between the guitar strings and the bridge pins to improve sustain as well.

But Most Importantly, How Does It Sound?

One word: Exceptional. But you probably won’t take my word for it. So, here’s a video for comparison!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It’s a subtle upgrade you can probably only appreciate with earphones or good speakers, but the tonal difference is definitely there. I intentionally shot these at roughly the same camera and seating positions, playing the same tune at identical intensities. As you might be able to hear, it almost feels like the guitar went from great sounding to “hi-fi” sounding.

The note to note separation between each string is improved, with less of a mid-range coloration going on that makes the overall sound seem “cheap” or “plasticky”. It in fact, feels louder too!

And better yet, notice how I seemed much more relaxed playing the same instrument. My neck doesn’t look like its in a weird angle because the guitar is now wayyyy easier to press on. I’ve got 11’s strung on the guitar both times, and after the set-up, I enjoyed playing the guitar even more!

To the point, that I actually took the guitar out to play by a nearby garden! Guess I could sum it up saying the guitar is now literally…

My Overall Conclusion? It’s worth it!

So yes, overall, I would highly recommend fitting a Fossilized Mammoth Ivory (FMI) Guitar Saddle on your favorite acoustic guitar. It makes a subtle but noticeable improvement to the tone! Just get a good luthier to do a classy set-up on your favorite guitar, especially if uses a standard plastic (or even tusq like) saddle. You will not regret it!