Ernie Ball/Gotoh Floyd worn saddles

[Big Jazzer]

Picked up a Music Man EVH to add to my other pair.
It appeared in perfect nick, with no fret wear but over time I have realised it has 3 or 4 saddles that are grooved causing buzz, which is fine for a sitar impression but not so good for sustain. That is odd with it having no fret wear. The previous owner couldn't play and just practised dive-bombs? Who knows.
So, I'm looking for a solution.
Anyone ever filed the groove of a Floyd saddle? I imagine the chrome coating won't allow that and think the wear is the chrome being worn down to the base metal.
I have an OEM Gotoh Floyd on another guitar and the saddles look the same, so perhaps I can just buy some replacements. I can't find this issue in a forum search and there are no parts available on the various sites.

Any one any ideas?

 

[steevo]

Post a picture up. Best bet is to replace them as filing them down might mean the strings sits lower in the saddle and could cause intonation problems. Could it have had a re fret? The floyds normally take a lot to wear but normally its the base plate that wears where it pivots against the bridge posts.

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[Craiguitar]

I always use saddle singers inserts in the saddles, to prevent wear, string breakage, and to help sustain. I swear by them. You could try that, and then the saddles won't need any work doing to them.

 

[Big Jazzer]

A pic is not possible as it would take a good macro lens, which I don't have to hand.
There is a groove where the string crosses the saddle high point. When the string is pulled up or down, it clicks out of the groove.

I had not seen the saddle singer idea before, so thanks Craiguitar. It may offer a solution.
I've not had this issue with any guitar that I've had from new.

 

[Craiguitar]

A pic is not possible as it would take a good macro lens, which I don't have to hand.
There is a groove where the string crosses the saddle high point. When the string is pulled up or down, it clicks out of the groove.

I had not seen the saddle singer idea before, so thanks Craiguitar. It may offer a solution.
I've not had this issue with any guitar that I've had from new.

The additional good news about Saddle Singers is, they last for ages. I've had the same set on my Luke for about 2 years, and they're still fine. I have a couple of packs of Saddle Singers in my spares box, they'll get used eventually...but how great is that?

 

[Big Jazzer]

I've ordered a set of the saddle singers.

It would be useful if a replacement part was made available as there are more than a few of the Ernie Ball/Gotoh Floyds out there after 20+ years of production. Perhaps there will be a demand in time to come.

 

[Craiguitar]

I've ordered a set of the saddle singers.

It would be useful if a replacement part was made available as there are more than a few of the Ernie Ball/Gotoh Floyds out there after 20+ years of production. Perhaps there will be a demand in time to come.

Going back a few years, a couple of the saddles on my EBMM Gotoh Floyd had gone bad, the black saddle blocks got stuck/broken. Plus, the knife edges on the base had gone very blunt. So, I decided to buy a new Gotoh Floyd unit. The new one, a standard Gotoh 1996t as it turned out, didn't fit! The base didn't align properly to the posts. I ended up swapping the new saddles onto the original base plate, and using some files to sharpen the knife edges. This sorted out the issues but it was an expensive exercise.

 

[Big Jazzer]

What a nightmare. They look the same, so you did what I would have done.
I was just warned that the mounting screws are offset on the EBMM version, making the Gotoh saddles incompatible replacements.
Also that the chrome has grooved, causing the issue and it can be filed to the base metal.
I'll try the saddle singers first as I like not having to attack the chrome right away.