[craigyboy]

I have a guitar which is about 3 months old. It is my first guitar a fender acoustic which I bought for £65/$95.

I want to get the action lowered so it is easier to plays because it is high as I get further up the neck. I called a few shops but I am getting quotes for a set up of £35/$57 at least which I feel is too much for such a cheap guitar plus I don't have much money at the moment.

I am wondering whether I should just remove and sand the saddle my self to get the lower action because £35/$57 is too much. I have a spare saddle if I mess up anyway. Everything is good on the guitar except the action.

What do you think could I do it myself or should I get a proper set up?

[Doug]

Generally the first thing to look at is the truss rod which is a metal strip embedded in the neck. There will be an allan key socket usually in the body of the guitar - if you look into the sound hole towards the neck you may see it. Failing that, it may be in the head of guitar at the end of the neck under a small plate (Seagulls do it that way).

So get yourself an allan key that fits (maybe it came with the guitar) and turn it counterclockwise 1/4 to 1/2 turn - no more. It may take a while for the action to drop a bit - it's wood after all. You can coerce it a bit by gently bending the neck back but obviously don't overdo it.
If it needs more, then wait til the next day to do it. Just be gentle - if you start cranking like crazy you can pop the fretboard off of the neck.
If there is no truss rod (nylon string guitars usually don't have them), then the saddle will have to be shaved as you said. Not a big deal - just keep the original in case you go too far.
Good luck.

[eliot-ness]

What a coincidence, I had the same problem on my Esteve classical. The action was much too high for my gnarly old fingers so yesterday I decided to kill or cure it. I slackened off all the strings, then, with a wooden drift I lightly tapped the saddle insert out to the side. Then I marked it with a pencil two millimeters from the bottom. Next, I put it in a vise, bottom side up with the pencil mark exactly level with the vise jaws. I used a very fine hacksaw to cut off the excess, then polished it with medium grade sandpaper before replacing it on the guitar.and retuning. The whole job took about 15 minutes and now the action is slightly higher than on my Telecaster. Near perfect for me, and it cost nothing. As you have a spare saddle I would suggest you work with that one and cut it in stages until you get the right height and no buzzing when you play on the lower frets. A simpler way would be to enquire if lower inserts are availlable, they shouldn't cost much. Have fun. Tony

[SleepySamSlim]

I think if your a bit handy with tools you can do a lot basic stuff on your own via help on the internets.

Last year I upgraded the pickups on my Ibanez and did some shimming on the nut of an acoustic I was setting up for slide.


That said ... finding or knowing a good (honest) local Luthier is something to look into. Here in the States it costs about $45 - $75 for a setup. This is especially true if you've just bought a new or used guitar or made a major string gauge change etc.

People drop several hundred or more on a new axe but can't seem to part with $60 to have play perfectly .... just saying

[joshimax]

Has anyone found a really good guide to setting up a guitar yourself on the net? I've got a Les Paul that i'd like to lower the action on as i took it to a local place for new strings (Free ones too!) and I think they've put a slightly higher guage on it so the actions become a little higher.

I've seen a few guides but they're not really comprehensive and i'm left feeling a bit apprehensive about having a go at it...

[mattz196]

This thread should answer most questions Buzzz! strings too low? Too high? READ THIS!!

[eliot-ness]

Another thing you might try, I got a new Fender accoustic a couple of days ago and had the same problem but came to the conclusion that the strings were causing most of it. I got a set of lightweight D'addario strings and put them on today. An immediate improvement. Although the guitar wasn't particularly cheap, $NZ 850, the original strings were rubbish, maybe due to the fact that the guitar was built in China, nothing wrong with the build though. Tony.

[joshimax]

Ok. So I've read the UGB sticky on setting releif and the one on intonation and still need some advice.

I've got a Les Paul so it's a Tuneomatic bridge and when it was restrung I think the shop (giving away free strings!) put a higher guage on.

So now the action at the higher end is a bit high for my liking. With all the types of adjustments that can be made where should i start?

Does this sound about right:

1. Add some relief
2. Lower the action by dropping the bridge
3. Set the intonation

Checking that it's tuned properly etc all the way through.

I've never done this before and REALLY don't want to stuff my Goldtop ha ha!

[mantablueraider]

Originally Posted by joshimax

Ok. So I've read the UGB sticky on setting releif and the one on intonation and still need some advice.

I've got a Les Paul so it's a Tuneomatic bridge and when it was restrung I think the shop (giving away free strings!) put a higher guage on.

So now the action at the higher end is a bit high for my liking. With all the types of adjustments that can be made where should i start?

Does this sound about right:

1. Add some relief
2. Lower the action by dropping the bridge
3. Set the intonation

Checking that it's tuned properly etc all the way through.

I've never done this before and REALLY don't want to stuff my Goldtop ha ha!

personally i wouldn't attempt neck relief, you can get into a world of trouble. dropping the bridge is fairly easy with the tuneomatic but won't help much up at the nut if thats where your problem is, also may cause fret buzz. my advice is to find the string gauge you like the sound of "not cheap free ones!" generally, lighter gauges suit electrics better but thats a personal preference. then if the action is too high at the nut, take it to a luthier... better safe than sorry for that goldtop

[joshimax]

The action is actually too high at the higher frets. The nut end is pretty good - no buzz etc. The strings are ok too, even though they're free they feel better than the factory ones that were on it before lol!

As the action's high up at the 12 fret + I thought it would be right to add a bit of releif, then drop the bridge to get a more uniform action up and down the neck.

I don't know, maybe i'll leave it for now. haven't played much since i took the top off my ring finger on my left hand with a new set of knives anyway!

[mantablueraider]

Originally Posted by joshimax

The action is actually too high at the higher frets. The nut end is pretty good - no buzz etc. The strings are ok too, even though they're free they feel better than the factory ones that were on it before lol!

As the action's high up at the 12 fret + I thought it would be right to add a bit of releif, then drop the bridge to get a more uniform action up and down the neck.

I don't know, maybe i'll leave it for now. haven't played much since i took the top off my ring finger on my left hand with a new set of knives anyway!

ahh, gotcha... ouch! in that case, lower the bridge and reset intonation. you can always undo if it causes problems you can lower the pickups if they get too close...

[joshimax]

Ahhh... I'm with you now. If I drop the bridge and set the intonation i might solve the problem without:

A: Creating buzz at the Nut end of the neck
B: Having to adjust the truss rod

And all the scary things in-between that come along with such adjustments when you haven't done it before.

EDIT: As an after thought, I've probably got room to move at the nut end anyway. The action was pretty good with the lighter gauge strings at both ends, and i'm pretty sure it was the change in them that raised the action at the 12 + end. Will have a look at how much room i've got and post something when i figure out what i'm going to do.

[mantablueraider]

Originally Posted by joshimax

Ahhh... I'm with you now. If I drop the bridge and set the intonation i might solve the problem without:

A: Creating buzz at the Nut end of the neck
B: Having to adjust the truss rod

And all the scary things in-between that come along with such adjustments when you haven't done it before.

EDIT: As an after thought, I've probably got room to move at the nut end anyway. The action was pretty good with the lighter gauge strings at both ends, and i'm pretty sure it was the change in them that raised the action at the 12 + end. Will have a look at how much room i've got and post something when i figure out what i'm going to do.

yeah do that, would like to know the outcome

[scotty_b]

I would recommend having a pro set it up. It makes such a difference. I can make small adjustments on my gear, but there can be some things that are painful without the right tools (the depth of the grooves on the nut for example).

[karcey]

I don't recommend anyone plays with the nut unless they have the tools and the experience. But check it by all means. The method I use is simple and has worked for me on all my guitars.
Hold a string down onto the second fret (hold it between second and third.) The string should be almost touching the first fret, but not quite. If it touches, the nut is too low and will cause buzzing sometimes. Too big a gap between fret and string makes for harder playing.
Before rushing off to get it fixed, I'd also check the relief in the neck. Hold a string onto the first fret and say the fifteenth fret. There should be a small gap over the middle fret, say credit card thickness. That should give you enough curve to prevent buzzing.
The two checks above should be repeated on each string.
I have found a good technician who I trust with my guitars and I let him do the filing, grinding, welding etc. most of the time. I think I'd be very embarrassed to have to ask him to fix something I'd stuffed up!