Discolored saddle

10thumbs

I just bought a guitar with a badly discolored saddle , its a sort of tan colour ,I've read that it just happens and it has nothing to do with smoking.
I've never seen that before.
 Had to buy a new one , I couldn't live with colour of it ,I believe it to be tusq

https://i.postimg.cc/prX7c2tS/20200409-165657.jpgAnybody else experienced this? 

The top one is the new blank , you can clearly see the colour "tide mark" on the old one.

Edit; I tried cleaning it , even tried some wire wool , no change. 
Maybe I should have tried bleaching it before buying another one ?
I'll try that and post the results, if it works it will be handy to know.

artiebear

It was probably unbleached bone. There is a school of thought that it is actually better than bleached bone.

ICBM

Tusq does that. It's UV light damage, you will see the original colour where it was in the bridge.

You can pay a lot of money for mammoth ivory which looks like that!

10thumbs

Yes there is a very distinct "tide mark" I've just posted a pic .

I'll leave the Mammoth ivory for the hipsters.

10thumbs

Changed the rosewood bridge pins whilst I was at it.

Before and after

 https://i.postimg.cc/151DDVXt/saddles.jpg

much better

https://i.postimg.cc/7ZJQs2D2/20200412.jpg

Jalapeno

Actually quite liked the rosewood pins and sun damage ....

GTC

Yes, the TUSQ saddle is prone to yellowing. The material is a proprietary formula but I've heard it contains urea. I once had someone wanting to return a Taylor guitar I sold on eBay in mint condition complaining about the "nicotine stains" on the nut and I'm a lifelong non-smoker who had the guitar from new.

Is it just me or does the new saddle have the optical illusion of appearing to reduce the saddle angle?

Andy79

You’re right GTC is does now look shallower now. 

I too prefer the original but as always, it’s not about me

ICBM

I prefer the new saddle but the old pins, because I like to be awkward .

(Actually because I like the way the old pins match the dark lines in the body figuring.)

10thumbs

I bought the new pins on a whim with the saddle ,having just bought the rosewood ones a couple of weeks ago , they look better in the strong light in the pic,but mostly they just blend into the bridge and disappear , I don't know why I expected them to be a touch paler.
Having said all that,  I may not be done tinkering yet,so they will probably make another appearance.
Too much time on my hands having been furloughed.
Also the white saddle and pins go nicely with the pearl buttons I put on the tuners, which  I replaced with some  locking grover mini rotomatics I had laying around. 
I agree the shape of the new saddle does look different to the old one ,not sure what that's about,  I got the model number online , and didn't notice until I'd unpacked it.
In practice it seems to make little if any difference though .

proggy

What Jalapeno said.
But it's your guitar and your taste that matters.

malcolmkindness

I was just about to point out politely that you probably have too much time on your hands, but you've done it yourself now! My advice would be just play it, bridge pins and saddle discolouration are very much first world problems.