The 5 Best Strat Saddles – Reviews 2023

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The saddles on your Strat are an overlooked component when trying to enhance your guitar’s performance. Most beginner guitar players are too focused on guitar’s tonewoods, body shape, or the aesthetics while hardware is put on the wayside of the scope. The truth of the matter is that the tuning pegs, the nut, and the saddle are just as important.

Today, we are going to talk about the importance of guitar saddles and why you should upgrade the one on your Stratocaster. We’ll go into a lot more detail in the conclusion as to what a saddle does and what you should look for in them. First, however, you obviously want to ogle what we think are some great saddles. So, without much ado . . .

Here are our recommendations for the 5 best Strat saddles on the market:

GraphTech PS 8000 00 Electric Guitar String Saver Saddle

The GraphTech’s String Saver is arguably the best-performing saddle upgrade for any Stratocaster. It was named as such due to the fact that it was designed in such a way so as to enhance the longevity of the strings while keeping the guitar in tune for extended periods of time.

The saddle is made of premium-quality steel and boasts a huge level of durability. This package contains six saddle pieces and a complimentary Allen key that you can use to make adjustments on the fly.

Furthermore, this guitar saddle offers unparalleled durability. Even though this saddle can be pricey (though price fluctuations do happen), chances are that you will not need to replace it in years, if not decades, given proper use and maintenance.

Pros:

  • Made of premium-quality materials
  • Comes with a complimentary Allen key
  • Incredibly sturdy
  • Easy to install

Cons:

  • Expensive
Graphtech String Saver Saddles

Honbay 6pcs Replacement Roller Bridge Tremolo Saddle for Strat/Tele

Another solid choice is the Honbay’s Roller Bridge tremolo saddle. In short, this is one of the best-performing budget Stratocaster saddles available as it is both extremely durable and easy to set up.

This package contains six pieces of roller bridge saddles that can be equipped on virtually any Stratocaster or Telecaster guitar model (with the exception of certain custom models), and you’ll also receive a complimentary Allen wrench as a gift feature.

The roller bridge design is meant to significantly improve the longevity of strings while also bringing improved sustain and a warmer tone to the table. Intonation-wise, this saddle keeps the guitar locked in tune for extended periods of time, and you’ll also find it fairly sturdy.

Lastly, Honbay’s Roller Bridge tremolo saddle is available at a dirt-cheap price. In a nutshell, this model looks great, feels great, and doesn’t cost a fortune like some of the other choices today.

Pros:

  • Quite affordable
  • Easy setup
  • Improves sustain
  • Enhances string longevity

Cons:

  • Not as versatile as most boutique saddles

Fender American Vintage Stratocaster Bridge Saddle

Fender is one of the biggest names in the guitar world, and it’s all too obvious that the brand that manufactures Stratocasters makes the best Strat saddles too. This particular model is a set of 6 nickel-plated guitar saddles, intonation screws & springs, as well as height-adjustment screws.

Basically, it looks absolutely wonderful and offers top-tier performance while being considerably cheaper than some of the models on our list.

However, there’s a bit of a downside in terms of compatibility. Essentially, this particular Stratocaster saddle model can only fit guitar models from the AVS series, which excludes vintage guitars manufactured prior to the year of 1986.

Even so, this authentic saddle is one of the best-looking, best-performing and most eclectic models around and is an excellent choice for modern-day guitars.

Pros:

  • Equipped with height-adjustment and intonation springs & screws
  • Cheaper than most boutique Strat saddles
  • Reliable brand
  • Exceptionally durable

Cons:

  • Slightly more difficult to install than average
  • Incompatible with Stratocasters made before 1986
1964 Vintage vs. Callaham vs. Raw Vintage Stratocaster Bridge Saddles

Dopro Stainless Steel Guitar Saddles

If you’re a gigging musician looking for a sturdy Stratocaster saddle, look no further than Dopro’s Strat bridge saddle. Even though it’s cheap, this saddle offers remarkable durability at a very attractive price.

The package contains mounting screws & springs, but you’ll still need some basic tools to install it on your Strat. Even though Dorpo’s guitar saddle may not look as attractive as Fender’s or GrapTech’s models, it offers roughly the same level of performance at a substantially more approachable price tag.

In a nutshell, this saddle is a road- and gig-worthy upgrade, and as a matter of fact, its robustness affords it unparalleled reliability. When combined with simplified installation, these benefits are actually all you need if you value performance above flashiness.

Pros:

  • Superb durability
  • Equipped with mounting screws & springs
  • Inexpensive

Cons:

  • Doesn’t feature installation tools

Wanby 6-Pieces Brass Gold Saddle

If you’re cash-strapped and are looking for quality, you may want to check out Wanby’s stainless steel model, which is among the best Strat saddles for the money.

This guitar saddle is made of top-shelf brass and offers excellent adjustability that yields superior intonation. It’s remarkably sturdy and durable, and you can expect to use it for years or even decades given proper use and maintenance.

The only downfall of this Strat saddle pack is that it only features saddle pieces. You’ll need to buy installation tools and height-adjustment screws on your own dime.

Pros:

  • Fairly cheap
  • Can fit all Stratocaster models
  • Durable and resilient

Cons:

  • Harder to install than average
  • Doesn’t feature any installation tools

Conclusion

Guitar saddles along with machine heads hold the strings on the guitar. Apart from keeping the strings on the instrument, they are also responsible for guitar’s intonation and the longevity of strings.

Whenever you notice that your strings tend to break all too often, if the action doesn’t offer consistency or if your intonation seems to shift every day or two, it’s time to change your guitar’s saddle.

Saddles typically come in kits, and the versatility of these bundles is the most important factor for you to consider. For instance, cheaper saddle packages are typically outfitted with a pre-assembled saddle alone while better models normally contain intonation screws and complimentary saddle installation tools.

Another crucial factor is the durability of the saddle. Nickel and steel are obviously substantially sturdier in comparison to plastic, for example.

Don’t feel afraid to experiment with different saddles before you find the model that fits your guitar the most. Even though the process of installing a new saddle in your instrument is a bit time consuming, reliability and consistency you will be able to get out of the best Strat saddle are more than rewarding enough to compensate for the time spent.

Finally, the price is usually the most definitive factor for any type of product, and guitar saddles are not an exception.

The difference in price between the cheapest budget models and boutique ones is, however, not that great, so it’s usually better to save up some cash and invest in a pricier saddle rather than purchasing replacements every month or so. We hope that you’ve liked our selection of the best Strat saddles and wish you good luck with finding the model that best caters to your needs.

Steel vs Brass Guitar Saddles - Tone Comparison!

  • Micah Johnson started playing music in high school, when he taught himself the bass to join his friend’s band. He added guitar and drums during his twenties playing in local clubs, and along the way, he picked up unique, hands-on experience from hand drums to studio mixers. On Song Simian, he aims to share this knowledge from 20+ years playing and recording music. When not in gearhead mode, he enjoys photography and travel.

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