Blades for Stradsaws

This has been a favorite blade as of 2019.  The playing length is 27", and the thickness is 0.035".  This super compact blade has a surprising bass end - it goes down to C below middle C, and up four usable octaves!  The blade has a firm, secure feel, and the tone is warm and full, with great sustain for a blade of this size.  This is a great choice for fast playing!  Perfect for people who are used to a handsaw.  Also good for players with limited reach!

The most popular Stradsaw blade! It is named after Tim Martin - one of the world's leading saw players.  Tim needed a special blade that could be played lightning fast - for fiddle tunes, bluegrass and virtuoso classical music.  He found his perfect blade in Stradsaw #7 - one of the very first musical saws that I made! I ended up replicating that blade a year later, at Tim's request.  When I re-measured and re-tested it, I realized that I had hit upon the perfect taper - and I ended up creating my "Universal Taper System"  from it, early in 2019.  I now make all of my different blades from this one master pattern!  Just an inch longer than the 27" blade, this slightly larger blade has a bit more width in the bass end.  It has a very good low range, with rich, full tone - and the upper range is crystal-clear!  There is an unusual degree of articulation possible on this blade, which allows it to be played very fast yet with excellent definition between the notes. The playing range is four complete octaves, starting on a low B an octave and a note below middle C.  With the extra metal and a thickness of 0.035", this blade has great sustain when you need it.  The sound carries quite well, and it holds its own very nicely against background music and other instruments.  It's a terrific solo blade!  With the compact size and quick, even response, this is the perfect choice for any player who wants a lot of versatility in a very easy-reach blade!

At 29", this 4-octave blade crosses over into  bass territory!  The bottom note is Bb an octave and a whole note below middle C, and this blade is especially rich on the low end - it sounds distinctly "bassy".  The upper range is very strong and even, with slightly greater sustain than the shorter blades.  With a thickness of 0.035", the bending feels perfect - not too stiff and not too soft.  This blade is still considered to be in the compact size range, so a player with limited reach can definitely play it - as long as they use a cheat.  This blade projects very well without any amplification - it's perfect for jamming or for very serious solo work.

This is my medium-sized blade.  It can be played by people of average height, but may be a tad long for people who have very limited reach.  The extra length and metal make this a superb, professional-level blade.  I offer it in two different thickness - plus a third ultra-thin option:

• 30" x 0.035": This is the most popular choice.  In terms of bendability, it feels about right - not too stiff and not too "bendy".  Works well with or without a cheat, but you'll need a cheat to get the most of the 4-octave note range.  This thickness offers the best sustain and the strongest tone.  The bottom note is A, an octave and a third below middle C.  Overall, this is a superb blade for either solo or concert performance.  It also does well with other instruments - with or without amplification.
• 30" x 0.032": This is my standard "Easy Bend" blade!  The thinner steel makes it very easy to play with or without a cheat, and it is great for harmonics, double notes and unusual sound effects.  It has an extended note range - as much as an additional half-octave - yielding up to 4.5 octaves.  The bottom note is Ab or even G, up to an octave and a fourth below middle C.  Thinner blades do have some drawbacks, though!  Real finesses is needed to play in good intonation - in other words, you need a very light, steady touch.  There is less "S" bending needed, so it is very easy to over-flex this blade - which can result in double notes or octave jumps when you don't want them!  This blade must be played in a gentle, relaxed way - so it's probably not the best choice for very aggressive players!  When played correctly, the sound is perfectly lovely!  This blade is in considerable demand among players with old injuries!
• 30" x 0.030": My "Super Bend" blade!  No cheat required.  It has all of the characteristics of the 0.032" Easy Bend blade, but the extreme thinness makes it a specialty blade!  Why would someone want a blade this thin?  Well, it can do some pretty amazing things in the hands of a master player,  including a possible yield of five octaves!  It also goes lower in pitch - down to a G or even a forced F#!  Requires hardly any "S" bending - none really, in the bottom octave - just a little flex on the blade tip.  This blade plays best when the least force is used!  Played too aggressively, it can sound and perform as though it is very tortured!  Played gently and with considerable finesse, it plays with a beautiful, clear tone and good sustain.

This is the smaller of my two full-sized blades.  Made with the standard-thickness 0.035" steel, it is very easy to bend.  The tone is  warm and full, with a rich true bass and a powerful upper end.  The 4-octave note range starts on a low Ab, an octave and a major third below middle C.  This blade has excellent physics - the extended length combined with extra bass width give it the best of everything, including very long sustain and even volume and response everywhere.  If you want an ultimate professional blade that plays very easily and with easy bending, then this blade is hard to beat!  The 32" blade is a good choice for players who are fairly tall or who have extra-long arms..  Shorter players will need an extended-reach cheat, and they will need to hold the whole saw in a fairly vertical playing position.

This is a PHENOMENAL blade - but not for the faint of heart!  It's the biggest, most powerful musical saw blade in the world - literally!  The sound is HUGE and the sustain is amazing, because the physics are perfect....If you think that 0.042" steel is too thick and too stiff for a musical saw blade - think again!  At the 34" playing length, this thickness is just right.  It bends with surprising ease - as long as you use any of my saw cheats on the tip.  This blade is 9" wide at the bass end!  The pitch goes down - way down - to at least a low A - some players tell me that they can even squeeze out a low G or a forced F#, an octave and a fourth below middle C!  Due to the extended length, players need to adopt a fairly vertical position when the saw is held in the lap.  This blade is also a very good candidate for a "foot hold", with the handle resting on the floor.  Personally, I prefer the lap hold - but I am 6' tall and have pretty good reach...Out of all of my blades, this Grand blade is definitely my best one - it plays and responds like a dream, and it can easily fill the largest auditorium with rich, full sound - with no amplification.  The sound can also carry for blocks when you play outdoors!  This is the ultimate blade - the one to use for concerts and big events.  But it IS big!

Like the Grand blade, this is a BIG one!  It has many of the characteristics of the thicker blade - including the huge 9" bass width, but this standard-thickness 0.035" blade is easier to bend - possibly a little too easy, because the 34" length is just a tad too long for this thickness!  Still, it is a very unique and wonderful blade, with great versatility and very good sound and sustain.  It is not quite as powerful-sounding as the Grand blade, but it does go a bit lower in pitch - down to a Gb or a forced F, an octave and a fifth below middle C!  It has at least four complete octaves, and some players report getting even more.  If you want a big, strong blade that bends easily, you might like this one!  But be aware of the size - this isn't a blade that every player can manage!  It is fine for players who are close to 6' tall, and shorter players could use a "foot hold" very successfully!