Lower my action

We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Lower my action
Topic Started: Jun 7 2009, 05:57 PM (471 Views)
Rampant	Jun 7 2009, 05:57 PM Post #1
Immortal (well, ...so far!) Posts: 403 Group: Top Contributor! Member #8,896 Joined: October 7, 2008	The action on my Yam acoustic is quite high, but that's probably the way it's meant to be??? I was looking to lower the action by buying a new bridge saddle and sanding a sliver off the bottom, but I can't find anywhere to get a new saddle. I don't want to modify the one on the guitar because I might mess it up Any advice or comments on this? Cheerz
	NEW - Scarlet red PRS Custom 24 (25th anniversary birds) Black/white Yamaha Pacifica 112V Translucent red Ibanez Artcore AFS-75T semi-acoustic Vox Valvetronix VT30 Roland Micro Cube travel amp Sensei called Johnny Oriental red sunburst Yamaha APX700 electro-acoustic


voodoorider	Jun 7 2009, 10:24 PM Post #2
Garry Posts: 673 Group: Members Member #8,964 Joined: November 3, 2008	Mmm... most decent guitar shops should be able to supply a new bridge matey, even if they have to order one in. Failing that it's no biggie to get your one shaved a little as it should only play better for it! Might be worth taking it into a shop too and asking if there would be much to gain, gotta remember adjusting one thing will always be detremental to something else and they might say, na it's about as low as it will go without fret buzz, choking etc
	Guitars: PRS CU 22 R/W neck \| Organic Classic \| Heritage H-150 \| Fender Eric Clapton Strat \| Fender Deluxe Ash strat, scalloped \| 2001 USA std Telecaster \| 2008 USA std Telecaster \| 1996 Gibson Les Paul standard \| PRS Santana SE \| Maverick X1 \| Epiphone SG \| Freshman FA400J Amps: Orange Rockerverb 50 \| Mesa Boogie Electradyne \| Traynor YCV40T \| VOX AD60VT \| Fender Pro 185 \| Zoom Fire 15


Rampant	Jun 8 2009, 08:57 AM Post #3
Immortal (well, ...so far!) Posts: 403 Group: Top Contributor! Member #8,896 Joined: October 7, 2008	What's choking??? I mean when referring to a guitar, hehe
	NEW - Scarlet red PRS Custom 24 (25th anniversary birds) Black/white Yamaha Pacifica 112V Translucent red Ibanez Artcore AFS-75T semi-acoustic Vox Valvetronix VT30 Roland Micro Cube travel amp Sensei called Johnny Oriental red sunburst Yamaha APX700 electro-acoustic


voodoorider	Jun 8 2009, 06:30 PM Post #4
Garry Posts: 673 Group: Members Member #8,964 Joined: November 3, 2008	ha well it's more common on electrics to be honest when you bend.. if you think the pivot point is the saddle that the string you want to bend sits on.. now a fretboard 9 times out of 10 will have a radius too it, just a slight curve across the fingerboard (not the slight curve in the neck that a truss rod adjusts, you with me? Ok.. so if you take said string.. fret it at say the 14th fret, and bend it up a tone.. that string will bend in a straight line from the saddle to the point to which you bend it, now if you have a small radius on your board as you bend up, you push the string INTO the frets in front of it effectively as the mid point of the radius is higher, therefore the string will catch the frets in front of it and choke.. which practically mutes that note then It can happen fretting normally but you tend to get lots of fret buzz along with it and a guitar is generally unplayable if you get choking without bending
	Guitars: PRS CU 22 R/W neck \| Organic Classic \| Heritage H-150 \| Fender Eric Clapton Strat \| Fender Deluxe Ash strat, scalloped \| 2001 USA std Telecaster \| 2008 USA std Telecaster \| 1996 Gibson Les Paul standard \| PRS Santana SE \| Maverick X1 \| Epiphone SG \| Freshman FA400J Amps: Orange Rockerverb 50 \| Mesa Boogie Electradyne \| Traynor YCV40T \| VOX AD60VT \| Fender Pro 185 \| Zoom Fire 15


areyouthefarmer	Aug 27 2009, 02:12 PM Post #5
Newbie Posts: 19 Group: Members Member #8,698 Joined: July 31, 2008	If the action is high then check the harmonics. Depending on your guitar it could very well be supposed to be very high. Many acoustics are. Personally I prefer a high action but I understand that it is not to everyones taste. There's not much you can do about it other than trade in your guitar. If you start messing with the bridge it just won't sound as it supposed to. It's really not worth it.



voodoorider	Aug 28 2009, 01:17 PM Post #6
Garry Posts: 673 Group: Members Member #8,964 Joined: November 3, 2008	I'm afraid i disagree, if you sand the bottom edge of the saddle down (as is the procedure for lowering an acoustics action along with nut adjustment) it will sit lower, leaving the bridge intact, i don't see how that will mess with the guitars sound?
	Guitars: PRS CU 22 R/W neck \| Organic Classic \| Heritage H-150 \| Fender Eric Clapton Strat \| Fender Deluxe Ash strat, scalloped \| 2001 USA std Telecaster \| 2008 USA std Telecaster \| 1996 Gibson Les Paul standard \| PRS Santana SE \| Maverick X1 \| Epiphone SG \| Freshman FA400J Amps: Orange Rockerverb 50 \| Mesa Boogie Electradyne \| Traynor YCV40T \| VOX AD60VT \| Fender Pro 185 \| Zoom Fire 15


areyouthefarmer	Sep 2 2009, 02:51 AM Post #7
Newbie Posts: 19 Group: Members Member #8,698 Joined: July 31, 2008	If the poster only wants a slight adjustment then of course what I said doesn't apply, but I have seen and heard acoustics with the action lowered too much causing excessive fret buzz and messed up intonation, so it is just a matter of degree. My point was just that some acoustics sit better with a lower action than others. (edited for the embarrassing misspelling of acoustic in the acoustic forum) Edited by areyouthefarmer, Sep 2 2009, 09:01 AM.



Rampant	Sep 2 2009, 10:57 AM Post #8
Immortal (well, ...so far!) Posts: 403 Group: Top Contributor! Member #8,896 Joined: October 7, 2008	Yes, matey.. Just thinking about a slight lowering (...like my car ). It's a Yamaha APX 700 - the action feels very high at the moment... but I'd need a spare bridge saddle to move this forward. There is a piezo electric pickup under the saddle, I don't want to mess up the electro-acoustic signal with a badly modified saddle if it's my only one.... Cheerz
	NEW - Scarlet red PRS Custom 24 (25th anniversary birds) Black/white Yamaha Pacifica 112V Translucent red Ibanez Artcore AFS-75T semi-acoustic Vox Valvetronix VT30 Roland Micro Cube travel amp Sensei called Johnny Oriental red sunburst Yamaha APX700 electro-acoustic


areyouthefarmer	Sep 2 2009, 12:47 PM Post #9
Newbie Posts: 19 Group: Members Member #8,698 Joined: July 31, 2008	If you aren't entirely sure what you are doing then don't attempt it because you have to be very careful not to damage the contacts in the pickup under the saddle. If you haven't done it before then I would seriously recommend taking it to a professional.



Rampant	Sep 2 2009, 01:26 PM Post #10
Immortal (well, ...so far!) Posts: 403 Group: Top Contributor! Member #8,896 Joined: October 7, 2008	Thanks for the concern, matey That's the reason I'd only begin after sourcing a second bridge piece. I'm not going to touch the guitar, just shorten the saddle blade a tiny amount... If the mod fails, then I'll just stick the original blade back in the saddle and no harm done (BTW, I've already slipped the blade out once, last time I changed the strings) Cheerz Mark H
	NEW - Scarlet red PRS Custom 24 (25th anniversary birds) Black/white Yamaha Pacifica 112V Translucent red Ibanez Artcore AFS-75T semi-acoustic Vox Valvetronix VT30 Roland Micro Cube travel amp Sensei called Johnny Oriental red sunburst Yamaha APX700 electro-acoustic


« Previous Topic · Acoustic Guitar · Next Topic »