Using Five.0 in a 6 string guitalele

[Cain22]

I installed the Five.0 in a 6 string Yamaha Guitalele (GL1). I’m not lovin the hi pass filter. Major string imbalance. The top nylon strings are way louder than the silk bass strings(4th string is very quiet). I wish I could remove the bass roll off from the end pin jack. Is that possible? EZ mod?? Maybe this guitalele needs the classic Element...

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Cain22,
I've installed the Five.O on the Yamaha Guitalele a few times, and the high-pass shouldn't be a problem at all. If you are experiencing a string balance issue, then it's likely related to the saddle/slot and not the HPF. Have you double checked the installation to make sure that the saddle and slot are perfectly flat?

[Cain22]

Great information, I was think about this Caleb... Everything looks good in the slot, but I think I should try to replace the saddle. I have two other 000 style guitars with classic Element pickups in them and replacing the saddle fixed string inbalance.

Any suggestions on the best saddle material for string balance?

if I can remember correctly, it seemed like replacing the bone saddle on my Martin 000 with something synthetic evened out the string volume.

thank you so much for your help.

[Cain22]

One more question. Where can I find replacement saddles for this guitalele? Do standard ukulele saddles fit?

[Caleb_Elling]

If I remember correctly, the stock Yamaha saddle is plastic. If that is the case, then almost anything would probably improve it. I like man-made materials for saddles, just because they are more predictable. So my go-to saddle materials are Tusq and Micarta. Tusq is pretty common, and it should be available in Uke sizes too. If not, you should be able to get a blank and shape it down to the right size.

[Cain22]

You’ve been a huge help Caleb! Thank you. Tusq is what I used for my 2 other Element guitars so I’m gonna try that again.