Who can set an Acoustic up with low action?

[MrMunky]

I'm one of those eccentric/lazy/whatever you want to call it players who likes to set his acoustic neck perfectly straight and the action low.

I just got a new acoustic that I'm quite smitten with, but I don't know of any local trustworthy techs/luthiers.

Can anyone recommend someone who understands, rather than resists, the idea of setting up an acoustic this way, who can perform the necessary bridge/nut/fretwork?

[Iralovesguitars]

Don't be afraid to work on your guitar. After owning my first Taylor for 6 1/2 years now i finally realized how well built these instruments are and you can do your own setup. If you like where the nut is, work on your saddle. my best recommendation would be to get a $20 set of detail files---about 6 to a package at Home D or Lowes. May pay a little more or a little less at a hobbyist store. I've found that the typical Tusq saddle installed in my Taylor and other guitars is too round....meaning the radius is too high in the middle. I recently figured out that i could work on the top of the saddle without worrying about the bottom. I've even gone so far to make graphite saddles from blanks. Using the detail file set you can round over the top of the saddle a little bit so that the strings contact the saddle on a larger area which reduces your string breakage potential. Round things don't cut, sharp things do. It may even help to fill out the tone of the guitar. I even make my own B compensation. After the graphite saddle was installed in both of my Taylors i found the tone to smooth out, which is good since i'm an acoustic jazz player. You still want a radiused saddle, but instead of an 18" radius it could go as high as 24". 24" radius will be flatter. Give it a shot! You'll may go through a few saddles in the process of finding the ideal setup of your guitar, but after that you'll be able to work on any guitar you get in the future. Good luck and God bless.

[MrMunky]

I hear ya. I have gotten into this kind of work before and I know I could do it myself (all but the fretwork at least) with a decent time investment. Unfortunately I really don't have the time to spend right now and if this is anything like my last acoustic, it'll be 10 years before I get another.

So I'd rather send it to someone who'll take my money to do it - but it's gotta be someone who respects that philosophy of acoustic guitar setups.

[MichaelK]

Why would any tech not respect the philosophy of low action, if that's what you insist on? Not meaning to argue, I just find it surprising that someone would refuse on philosophical grounds.

Sometimes it's a matter of what the guitar can do. The only acoustic I've played that had action as low as an electric was a Rainsong.

Anyway, if anyone can do it, Joe Glaser in Nashville can. If he says he can't, it probably can't be done, period.

[MrMunky]

I don't think there are too many who would refuse to do it. However, in my experience, specialists like doctors, guitar techs, mechanics, etc. are not likely to do a very good job if they think that what you're asking them to do makes no sense and will in any event lead to bad results.

[john3:16]

I ventured from Electric to Acoustic a couple of years ago. In doing so I asked my tech to make the action as low as possible.

On my acoustics I have 12-53 gauge and the (low-action) measurements are as follows:

Treble: 3/64" (1.2mm)
Bass: 5.5/64" (2.2mm)

Compared with my Electric guitars (with 9-46 gauge) I have (at the 12th fret):

Treble: 2/64" (0.8mm)
Bass: 3.5/64" (1.4mm)

Distances are from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string (at 12th fret):

Hope this helps...

Gerry

[TomK]

A second recommendation for Joe Glazer in Nashville. He can also use the "Plek" to recrown the frets which allows much lower action with no grief.

I am also mainly an electric player but I just had a guy in Ft Worth set up my Lowden. He had no problems with going low as I have a pretty light touch and it fits my playing style. Most luthiers don't want to go too low because of potential complaints about buzzing frets, etc.

If you let the peanut gallery know where you are then we can specific recommendations in your locale.

[JamesO]

Usually it isn't about buzzing, it's about sustain. Lowering the action on an acoustic can impair sustain.

Put a capo on the 3rd fret right in front of the second. If you can fit a sheet of paper but not much more between the first fret and the string bottom, the nut is likely set up as good as it will get. Then tighten the truss rodd to take the relief out of the neck. Capo the first fret, finger the last fret, and tighten until you can't slip a .05 feeler gauge between the 7th fret and the string bottom. See how you like the action after that.

If that's not low enough, then slide the bottom of the saddle on some 150 grit sand paper fifteen to twenty passes at a time.

That's all a tech's going to do.

[mlongano]

+1 for Joe Glaser (glaserjoe@aol.com) in Nashville.

Another great tech is Dan Erlewine in Ohio. You can reach Dan via The Les Paul Forum.

Both have an international reputation, and are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

[MichaelK]

Put a capo on the 3rd fret right in front of the second. If you can fit a sheet of paper but not much more...

James, great post! Thank you.

[daddyo]

Low action on an acoustic can be more difficult depending on how the guitar is made. Once you have adjusted the truss rod to bring the neck flat, all you can do is file the bridge saddle. File it too much and the strings coming out of the bridge plate won't have enough of a break angle over the saddle. Re-level the frets and your done. I guess you can plane the bridge plate but that is getting into pretty advanced stuff for most techs and luthiers. My Larrivee L03R has a dead flat neck and 4/64-5/64 string ht. The frets are good and I made sure the nut slots were as low as possible. It plays real nice compared to most acoustics I have played.

[MichaelK]

in my experience, specialists like doctors, guitar techs, mechanics, etc. are not likely to do a very good job if they think that what you're asking them to do makes no sense and will in any event lead to bad results.

Well, any of them probably would just refuse a job that they know - or think - makes no sense. Wouldn't you?

What else could they do, plow ahead knowing - or believing - that they're causing damage?

The only question is, is the specialist right or wrong?

[Boogie92801]

There is a guy in So Cal named C.B. Hill - do a web search. He makes fantastic archtops and runs a guitar repair out of a local shop. He does killer work and is very fast and cheap.

[drfrankencopter]

Honestly, you really should do it yourself... buy a couple spare saddles, and use one to figure out just how low you want your action to be.

Get your neck very straight...take out all the relief (except if you like releif in your neck). Get a set of calipers and measure the practice saddle as you keep filing re-trying the saddle....make notes about the resultant action, and playability. Can you still bend strings easily (or do you even want to)? Is the sustain still there? Does it buzz on hard strumming? file the first one too far (dropped sustain, or excess buzz)...measure the saddle. That's the limit. Write it down...

Now you can rough sand/file the good saddle to almost the same size as the practice saddle, and work it towards the itteration just before it's too far. It only takes about 1 hour to file a saddle to the right point...and most of the time is spent tuning and evaluation, very little time is actually spent filing.

I suggest that YOU be the one to do this because only you know what action feels right, or too high, or too low to you. A tech, no matter how good, can only guess at what you might want....


Cheers

Kris

[MrMunky]

Thanks for the help guys.

I actually have experience doing the kind of work that I want done; I just don't have the time to spend working on it and won't for some time. I don't really expect him to get it as close to what I'm looking for as I would if I did it myself, but the choice is between handing it over for some work or sticking it in my ever-growing pile of "projects" that never get done.