How to Lower the Action on your Donner HUSH-I
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- I've bought a Donner HUSH-I travel guitar and this is how I lowered the string action. The Donner guitar comes setup from the factory with a high string action and if you prefer a low action like me then watch this video to see how this is done.
Thank you for the instructional video. Mine arrived yesterday with a really high action (maybe over 4mm at the 12th fret or more) which makes it unplayable. I'm going to try lightly sanding the existing saddle and ordering a new one in the meantime as suggested. I hope I don't have to return it because I like the concept and the design. Thanks and greetings from Italy.
Might be worth waiting for the replacement saddle. If you don’t like the action after sanding down the new saddle, you can replace the original saddle and send the guitar back.
Did the sanding work for you? 4 mm seems high and makes me wonder if you actually need to file the nut and tighten the truss rod in addition to working on the saddle.
Beautiful song at the end. Thanks for sharing. Been thinking of getting one
i took a similar approach, but i'm too lazy to file down a bridge and instead replicated the bridge in CAD and 3d printed it at a lower setting, which gave me the ability to do it multiple times with adjustments until i got the action where i wanted it. that was the only way i could record my cowboys from hell solo on this thing. 😅
Did you share your 3D print files anywhere ? Would be useful to others. Thanks.
Yes can u please share
i too would like the cad file if possible please
@kaylakent can I buy one from you?
No comparte nada porque no hizo eso
I keep coming across reviews that complain about needing to lower the action on these guitars. Problem is, this is an ACOUSTIC-electric guitar, where "acoustic is defined by the warmth of the tone, the width of the neck and nut, (avoiding the finger crowding on an electric). Acoustic guitars have a higher action to allow for more sustain (and again warmth). I'm not saying there is anything "wrong" with lowering the action if that is what your playing style desires. But lowering the action on an acoustic-electric will make it more "shredable" but it will also affect the tone of what was designed as an acoustic guitar. Acoustic is not limited to being hollow and having a sound hole. Cheers.
Thank you for making this comment. I’m a noob, so I’ve read the action on acoustic guitars is higher for a variety of reasons, including the more aggressive playing that may apply to some volume/ tonal effects.
Are persons lowering the action on these Donners to turn them into a sort of electric guitar?
Donner just solved this issue...they launched am electric version, the Hush X...😉
@@barmarcelo *******I have one. Love it...HOWEVER it has WAY to much relief (forward bow). I get No assistance on what PROPER size the hex key is for the Truss Rod. None of my Stew Mac, my Music Nomad nor my shop Allen/Hex keys Snug fit the Truss nut located under logo plate on the body near the neck end heel. This was a Gift from my brother and I have multiple mods including expanding the hex hole entry closer to the logo plates screw hole. This HAD to be done to even be able to access head of the hex nut. Further inspection under magnification shows alot of glued paper like material attached around the length of the nut to which I had to Surgically Remove and Oil around it's perimeter. Story is I need this Truss Loose and manageable before I can use light heat bed and neck straighteng apparatus. IF ANYONE, INCLUDING DONNER could tell me What Hex key Will PROPERLY Fit would be Appreciated. I build, mod, fret dress and setup guitars but, this one has me worried of stripping that God awful Hex Nut. May even have to take it to someone professional that will assume the liability and replace that nut with a better more functional Truss Nut!!!*******
It's got me in a pissy mindset!
This is not an ACOUSTIC guitar, it’s a travel guitar. My preference is a low action to make the guitar playable. Check out Tommy Emmanuel’s preference on acoustic guitar action, he likes a very low action too!!
@@martinjazzwebster Actually, both the HUSH-I and HUSH-X are both 'travel/practice' guitars. The HUSH-I is classed as an steel strung Acoustic-Electric guitar because of the fixed bridge/saddle and no visible pick-ups. It has a more acoustic sound when played 'clean' (I have one). The HUSH-X is an electric 'travel' guitar with adjustable bridge and visible pickups and pick-up selection switch (like a full size electric guitar) and sounds like an electric guitar. That's the way they are both classed on the Donnor website.
Superb playing, made me think about the old days
Many thanks.
Hi Martin. Can you paste a link of where you bought the replacement saddle?
Mine arrived today - same as yours - I am planning to travel with it.
Appreciate the effort and insight on this, sub 13!
I just turned the truss rod to the right 3x, which lowered the action to 2mm low E, 1.5mm high E @ 12th fret.
Just got my Donner Hush today. Thanks for the tip. Worked a treat, now my fingers don't need to take a taxi from the strings to the fretboard. 👍
How do u like so far? Is it worth it ?
@@muhammedalzoubi I do like it. I bot mine refurbished on E...so yes , very much worth the price I paid.
@@flppr1 the refurb price is outrageous. I bought one yesterday...
It came with a 2-yr extended warranty. It was worth it. I upgraded to a hush -x electric recently.
Martin where did you purchase your new saddle from
Hi, I have a Hush-1 and I like it, in most respects, but acttion is high.
Where did you find a saddle of correct length? Hush saddle is only about 65mm and all the saddles I find are much longer. I could shorten one but then the compensation would be incorrect for the string spacing, wouldn't it?
I changed the strings, and now the G string sounds dull. What about the string trees, should they be loose or tight?
the ending
That’s a little bit extreme for me😂😂 I just took off the bridge and sanded the bottom part for 1.8mm and i have 2.5 low and 1.85 on the high (if i remember correctly😂). Left the stock strings and rocking!!
Hi Martin, I've tried ordering new saddles off of amazon and they don't seem to fit. They're all way too wide. Are there any particular ones you recommend?
The amount you need to sand off the saddle = the height you want the action lowered (NOT the final result you want, but the difference between current and desired) * 2
On the other note, I have this guitar.
When it arrived low E action was just over 1.7 mm, but ATM it's up to over 3 mm.
Seems the wood was not dried properly and is moving A LOT in my current climate conditions (a lot of heating, very low humidity)
Thanks for the heads-up!
What's the size of the saddle? How about adjusting the truss rod, will that brong down the action? How does it sound with electric strings? Wny issues? Thx for posting your video!
Good morning Thank you for the video. Where did you purchase the replacement saddle? I would like to try to this too.
Thanks for this. What width of saddle do you need ? Standard Length: 73.15mm (2-7/8") ?
Anyone know what material the fretboard is made of? Seems synthetic.
Are you having intonation issues with your hush?
Could you tell us the name and model of the saddle and string gauge you used? Also, it seems they sell this guitar with a choice of maple or mahogany wood. (Black colour only in maple) The only two things I can think of is mahogany is heavier and darker sounding than maple? and can that possibly mean anything on a guitar fit for a Hobbit? Lovely playing, Cheers.
I bought a cheap no-name acoustic guitar compensated saddle from eBay and put a set of 009 electric guitar strings on my Hush-1. I don't think the choice of wood will make much difference to the sound of the Hush-1 but I agree with you that mahogany usually has a darker sound. Thanks for watching the video.
Here's the ebay description of the saddle: Compensated acoustic guitar saddles - cream ABS
Size: 71.7mm x 9.2mm x 2.98mm
@@martinjazzwebster I thought saddles were sized also by radius of the neck. Maybe I am over thinking this lol. Thank you.
@@blueeyedsoulman My eBay generic saddle cost only £1.47 and the radius was the same as the factory fitted one. I think most acoustic saddles have a similar radius (unlike electric guitar bridges) but I could be wrong. Also buying a cheap saddle means you have little to loose if it is not suitable. I would recommend buying a saddle that is the correct thickness of 2.98mm, the depth and width can be modified by sanding down.
@@martinjazzwebster 71.7 is too long. Did you have to shorten the length?
Hi, just a few quick questions, where did you get your bridge saddle? Is it original Donner or aftermarket ? My Donner saddle is 64 mm long, and I am having a hard time finding one that length. Thanks for any help you can give me.
I bought mine on eBay and I had to sand it’s length and height to fit the guitar. You could just sand down the height of the original saddle but I’d recommend sanding a replacement saddle that is longer than 64mm. The saddle material is easily sanded just take your time and follow the instructions in the video.
Thanks for the instructions, very helpful. I just got my guitar last week and I would love to lower the action with a different saddle as you did. Can you please tell me where you got the saddle that you've replaced yours with? The ones I'm seeing online are too wide. Thanks.
Same question
I purchased 2 saddles and tried sanding one of them down to lower the action, but the new saddle was way too wide, so I also had to sand down the sides as well. Once I did that, I was able to remove the saddle the guitar came with and put in the one I sanded, but the B string was way louder that the rest and I wasn't happy with that, so, I replaced the original saddle back in for now. I'm hoping that there's another way to fix this problem. I already contacted Donner to see if they could sell me a saddle that was lower but they don't have that option available. @@timothycarter6140
You need to reduce the width by cutting and sanding the saddle. The nylon saddles are easy to sand.
@@martinjazzwebsterThanks, I tried cutting and sanding a new saddle but it didn’t make much difference, maybe I should have sanded it down a bit more. I actually was able to adjust the truss rod which did make the action lower. I’m going with that fix for now, if I try a new saddle again, it might work even better. Also, I might change the strings to electric ones. Thanks again!
@@martinjazzwebster Thanks, I'll definitely give it another try. Appreciate your help.
Thanks for the video. I receive my Donner and the action is really high so I plan to do the same. How are the electric strings? and how do they effect the sound? does it still sound like an acoustic? (it still sounds good in the video!). do you have any buzzing at the new string height? what gauge strings did you fit? (sorry for all the questions!). Cheers
The electric strings make the guitar sound and feel more like an electric to me although the piezo pickup still gives it an acoustic type sound. I don’t get any buzzing at the new string height and I did not need to adjust the truss rod. I used 9’s on my guitar.
@@martinjazzwebster I bit the bullet and fitted Elexir electric 10s and it has transformed the guitar. Whilst the acoustic sound doesnt quite sound as good its still good but I can now play solos and bend the strings much better. I love it now! Cheers
@@bigalfrompenfolddid you adjust the saddle as well or only changed the strings?
Hi, Can you tell me where you purchased the saddle from (or even better send me a link please)? I can't seem to find one anyway (I have tried Amazon and Ebay but its a strange size! Thanks
I'm in the UK and here's the ebay link. I choose the 71.7mm x 9.2mm x 2.98mm size. Please note you will need to alter the saddle size to fit correctly.
www.ebay.com/itm/185750286277?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=yAquxsn7TUi&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=H0UGT-vYQCC&var=693689377925&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
How does it need to be altered?
@@flppr1 Buy a replacement saddle and sand the bottom of the saddle to reduce the saddle height. The video describes how this is done.
@@martinjazzwebster Thanks! By how much did you lower the saddle height? I'm planning to modify mine with the same action height and replace the acoustic strings with electrics just as you did.
@@flppr1 I can’t give you an exact amount because each guitar is different and the process involves repeatedly sanding and refitting the saddle until you get the action you want. I’d suggest sanding the new saddle to be identical to the original and then mark a line on the new saddle with roughly the desired reduction in height and go from there. Hope this helps.
Have you tried travelling with it yet? I'm curious how it fares travelling through air. I've always checked in my guitar but hoping to buy this and carry it on but worried it doesn't fit carry-on dimensions. Wonder if they will make a big deal.
My long haul trip is not until next year so I haven't had a chance to travel with it yet. The HUSH-1 case is well padded and very sturdy, much better than a regular gig bag. It measures 85cm x 17cm x 9cm. My understanding of most of the airlines is that you can take 1 piece of hand luggage onboard the aircraft. I intend to take the HUSH-1 as my hand luggage (which will fit in the overhead luggage). I have heard that some airlines allow musical instruments to be taken on board in addition to the 1 piece of hand luggage. Anyone know if this is true?
This is true in my experience traveling a few times with my Les Paul. I was able to bring it in addation to a personal item. That was traveling with Air Canada so you may want to check with your airline for musical instrument polices. I just purchased one of these to really reduce the concern of it being an issue for my travel tomorrow. Now to adjust the action in just a few short hours 😬😅
How does it sound with electric guitar strings? Any issues? I'm planning to do the same.
@@flppr1 The guitar sounds great with electric strings. No issues.
Is this guitar really silent with the headphones on? Will this disturb the neighbors?
The guitar is not silent because you can hear the sound of the metal strings which is the same as any unplugged electric guitar. However it is very quiet and your neighbours won’t hear you playing it.
Wow.
That guitar has an auxiliary input
do you reckon I could use nylon strings on it ?
I don't think this would work. The nut end of the neck is designed to use metal strings with a ball end, although putting a knot in the nylon string might work. Secondly the tuner posts are small. Perhaps someone else has tried fitting nylon strings and will let us know in a comment?
It works! I used ball-end Martin strings and they went on without any issues. I DID tweak the truss rod to get the right relief, but nothing major.
Does it come in nylon strings?
No it comes with metal acoustic guitar strings.
nice guitar how does it sound?
It's very good but does have the acoustic piezo sound.
I think the sound is really nice. I'd consider playing gigs with it. I'd probably leave it assembled and drop it into another gig bag. Don't think I'd want to be assembling it with the Allen wrench and small bolts in the dark in a crowded bar, etc. Love the small light weight idea. I would also hope the tuners wouldn't be a hassle dealing with the Allen wrench on a gig. My thoughts.
….ma si può sapere con cosa è stato cambiato il tasto al ponte….si parla di “Mine”…cosa è?
…links dove acquistarlo?
….io non ho proprio capito….GRAZIE!!! 🤗
was ist mit der Halskrümmung, die muss doch angepasst werden.