Replacing the Saddles on a Fly Mojo

[Fox]

(I've no idea if this is the right place for this topic, so if there's a place it fits better, please feel free to move it there )

So I got a 2010 Fly Mojo recently, and I'm very much pleased with it, except... the saddles. The saddles were starting to show signs of corrosion, but worse, 14 years of gigging left deep grooves in them (alas, these aren't the stainless steel saddles from Ken Parker's days).

I originally posted a message asking about saddles and some forum members were really kind to say they had some spare ones if I wanted. I also tried contacting someone on Reverb who supposedly has a lot of Parker stuffs, but the negotiations there failed. I started out wanting to avoid the GraphTech saddles, but when an acquaintance of mine said he had some and I could have them for free, I couldn't pass on that.

So here is my short journey replacing those pesky saddles.


See? They looked awful!

First things first, I removed the strings, of course. And if at all possible, I never work with energized circuits, so, I removed the battery before starting!

Next, remove the spring, then 'rise' the bridge until it comes free.

#PiezoIssues
#SaddleIssues

[Fox]

Once my cat let me have the saddles back, I had to modify them a bit.

The GraphTech saddles have a live and a ground wire in them.

The material is non-conductive, so you need to make sure your strings will be grounding at the bridge. Years of stringing a guitar like this will likely wear off the paint enough that they will contact metal, but I've seen some people recommend sanding a bit the inside of the hole the strings go through. Mine was worn out enough that no modifications were needed.

The OEM saddles have only one wire that will need to be unsoldered from the PCB under the bridge.

[Fox]

I've seen some interesting modifications some people made to the GraphTech saddles but I opted for the simplest way to do it: Bundle all the ground wires right there and solder it to the piezo ground at the bridge.
Stripping all those delicate thin wires took a lot more time than I anticipated, but oh well, in the end it all worked out.

It doesn't look pretty, but everything is properly soldered and will not come undone.

Then it was just a matter of putting everything back together, and adjusting the intonation.

I'm quite pleased with the results! No more buzzing at the bridge!
I want to say the guitar feels a bit more resonant, but it's hard to tell how much of it is wishful thinking.
But I didn't notice any loss of anything. I read some comments somewhere (I think it was a review) that complained of buzzing and dampening and uneven tone across the strings, but mine is at least as good as it was before, with the added benefit of no buzz. The lack of buzzing is always a good thing!
These little saddles are a hassle, though! Hopefully these will last a very long time, I don't want to have to replace anything like this again anytime soon.

[mmmguitar]

Beautiful! Thanks for documenting this, @Fox. Though some may be uncomfortable with the prospect of cutting and stripping the Ghost saddle wires to replace the Fishman saddles in this way, it is a far less invasive method of retrofitting them on the guitar than the "official" guide from Parker/Graph Tech (it also doesn't help that Graph Tech has changed their wire color codes and insulation in the meantime).

[Fox]

Beautiful! Thanks for documenting this, @Fox. Though some may be uncomfortable with the prospect of cutting and stripping the Ghost saddle wires to replace the Fishman saddles in this way, it is a far less invasive method of retrofitting them on the guitar than the "official" guide from Parker/Graph Tech (it also doesn't help that Graph Tech has changed their wire color codes and insulation in the meantime).

Thanks!

...there was an official guide?
I can't make head or tails of it.

[mmmguitar]

I can't make head or tails of it.

You're in good company, there!

[Mr Fingers]

Though only long-haul time will tell, my Mojo has the originals replaced (professionally) with Graph Tech saddles, and they work and sound fine. I like the appearance -- satin black -- way better than the silvery originals, given the mahogany body and mostly black components and hardware. The fine handwiring does not inspire confidence, but hopefully the placement in a protected spot will preserve the circuitry effectively. I had a lot of concern about this aspect of the Fly design, but it seems to be robust and effective!

[Nefarius]

Replacing saddles requires cat assistance. *writes note*
Good to know, thank you!

Greetings...
Nef

[Fox]

Replacing saddles requires cat assistance. *writes note*
Good to know, thank you!

It can be done without the cat, but results may vary.

[vjmanzo]

Excellent thread!!! Thanks!!