[nagukush]

Hi friends ! Sorry if i'm irritating you guys here, but i request you to please help me here. I just measured the distance between the fretboard and the strings , at the last fret and its about 0.8 centimetres. Is it too high ??? Or Am i worrying too much???

I read the article of Ultimate-Garage-band on adjusting the truss-rod, and i understood it completely, but i'm still worried because i dont have any prior experience of this, and i hope i dont do any damage to the Guitar as this is of all my savings !!!

Should i be brave and try it or should i just play with this condition ? is it a simple thing ? Please help me friends...

Thanks

kush

[aarona36]

I wouldn't worry about it, just turn it a little at a time 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and you should be fine. I ajusted mine on my first guitar with no help or instruction, just go slowly. Also remember that the truss rod is NOT how to ajust action, it is to make the neck straight, it will lower the action if the neck is bowed at all, but if the neck is straight it shouldnt be touched. You can check this by pressing the 6th string down at the 1st 13th frets, you are using it as a straight edge. Now look for the gap between the string and the 6th fret, there should be almost none, a business card should fit but not much more. Make your truss rod ajustments until the string almost touches at the 6th fret when holding it down at the 1st and 12th. If you still think your action is too high you could consider sanding down your saddle. If you think you might want to do this let me know and ill explain how to. Good luck.

[nagukush]

Hi aarona, thanks for caring

I'll check it the way you suggested and decide. Great info thanks. I would be thankful to you if you could tell me how to do that too.

Hey i just had one more doubt, Even if i decide to adjust the truss rod, I've not been given the necessary allen-wrench to adjust it. How do i determine, which size to buy and which style? I plan to order it online, as i have no other source here.

Thank you so much buddy.

Regds

Kush

[allthumbs]

Don't forget to let your new guitar settle for a week or two before you change the action. Did you read the reviews in the link I posted? There is mention of string buzz when lowering the strings so take it nice and slow.

[aarona36]

Im not sure which size wrench you need, im sure an email to the manufacture could clear that up though. Also, is the neck straight? how high is the string above the 6th fret per the method above? As far as adjustments to the saddle (the peice the stings sit on in the bridge) are concerned first it must be removed but before you do this measure the action(distance from bottom of 6th string to fret) at the 12th fret it should be 3-5mm down to 2mm if your brave, note: the smaller stings will be slightly closer. A properly adjusted saddle will make your guitar much easier to play and is well worth your time. Also i should mention that all ajustments should be made with new or almost new strings. So loosen the stings (you have to loosen them quite a bit) until you think you can get the saddle out, its not glued in but it might be a tight fit. If your fingers cant do it get some plyers and wiggle it gentlly until it comes out. Now you need to take some material off the bottom. To do this you will need a flat surface and some sand paper. First you are going to want to mark the saddle for how much to remove. To do this get a ruler and a SHARP pencil. So based on how high the stings where in the first place decide how much you will want to take off too little is better than too much. Hold your ruler so that it stands straight up now line up your pencil tip with the mark on the ruler for how much you want to take off. Holding the pencil very steady remove the ruler and drag the saddle across it. You should have a staright line continue all the way around. Check with the ruler for accuracy. Now put the sand paper on a flat surface, hold or tape it down. Rub the bottom of the saddle on it in a figure eight pattern untll your line is gone, making sure to hold the saddle evenly and level. Put saddle back, tune up, measure, repeat. A nicely set up guitar with a low action is much easier to play. And since you live so far from a guitar tech i think its a very good idea to learn to do these things yourself. If you sand too much off the saddle you can always make a shim out of some plastic or something. So now if you have your neck and saddle adjusted to where you want them there is one more place to adjust the action which is the nut. this will determine the action around the lower frets more that the saddle, making open position chords easier, this is much harder to do and requires some special files, but can really make a difference. Anyways good luck and all the best, let us know how what you do and how it works.

[joehere1]

i agree with allthumbs kush just take it slow and man i cant believe you dont own an allen wrench there a comon item here, just like a screwdriver , ive worked on printing presses for 10 years and you couldnt make an adjustment anywhere with out some sort of allen wrench
take care buddy and heck il mail one for free if you need it ,just let me know what size
joe

[nagukush]

Hi Joe

I know it must be sounding strange to you, but we really dont use allen-wrenches here. Its all screw-drivers. Can you believe that i didnt know what it was, until i learned about my guitar.

Can you tell me which size of allen wrench is to be used with Yamaha F-310 Guitar? And yes i will not take any hasty decision. I will let the guitar settle for a week or 2 and only then i will decide upon anything. I was just planning to get equipped for future, as i have to order for the right size , online only. Should i buy a set containing different sizes, so that one of them would suit ???

Sorry for all the trouble guys, i know i must be sounding stupid, but i have know one else to depend on, other than you all.


Regds

Kush

[nagukush]

Thank you so much for caring Joe, But i dont know which size ??? how should i find it ???

[joehere1]

yes kush if you buy a set then get a set that contains the size you need, but i wasnt joking i will send you one for your guitar
il see what i can find out cant be that hard lol
if you want one then send your addy to my email addy and il put it in the mail for ya ok
later joe

[joehere1]

il look it up for ya kush ok

[joehere1]

hey kush i couldnt find an owners manual for your guitar on there web site so i sent them an email about the size of that allen key
il let ya know when it comes back to me
joe

[Ultimate Garage Band]

I'd go ahead and get a set because electrics usually use a smaller size than acoustics. However, acosutics typically have a longer end to them because they have to clear the sound hole. Make sure you read my sticky on this and follow it closely. If you need to tighten the trussrod MAKE SURE YOU LOSEN THE STRINGS so that they are slack/zero tension.

[tcliff]

Hi Kush,

On this link, you will find illustrations of how this particular vendor sets up their
new guitars. It may give you an idea of what you're looking at with your guitar.
In reading how they do their set-ups, after the truss rod is adjusted to remove
unwanted bowing, they measure string clearance at the 12th fret. They claim
it should be around 3mm (to the fret, not the wood).
Use this only as a guide. Maybe the pictures will help you access your new guitar
better.

Anyway, hope this helps

Tom C

[tcliff]

Sorry, I forgot to include the link.

http://www.sheehans.com/help/agtrsetup.asp?page=agtr

[nagukush]

Hey tcliff,

Thankyou so much for caring, the link was really great and i think its really helpful for understanding the Guitar better. You are a pal

Regds

Kush