EASY Acoustic Guitar Action Improvement - string height Adjustment - simple tools
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2015
- No Special Tools Required
basic action adjust on acoustic guitar with simple tools .. very easy... Do it yourself Action adjustment for acoustic guitar. Neck adjust, Truss rod adjust, Nut adjusts, String height adjust, Saddle adjust
I have been playing guitars for over 50 years and have been building and repairing them for over 48.... my dad was a master machinist, gun smith, mechanical engineer and electronics guy so I grew up in a true DIY environment
I think most repair guys want to make it seem hard ..ITS NOT .. a few tools and a bit of understanding and you are good to go .. hope this little vid helps you on your way
you had me at "hi"
There are too many negative comments here. So let me set the record straight. I followed your instructions on a brand new Seagull Artist Studio. And I've got the action down perfect. Didn't need to adjust the truss rod or the nut, only cut the saddle one string at a time. No buzzing and it plays great.Thanks
Best video I've seen on the subject. Straight talking, no nonsense, everything you need to know explained really well.
Exceptionally well explained! I follow your outlined procedure almost to the "T". I too have played for over 50 years, 38+ years as a full-time professional, and have been repairing guitars for about 45 years as well. MY dad was also an electronics guy and a very crafty, meticulous builder of many things all the way up from model planes to ultra light planes and gyro-copters. Seems you and I have a lot in common. Now subscribed!
Great logical sequence with excellent explanation of each step-by-step action - Thanks
Been doing something like this for 45 years. Thanks for teaching me the right way, outstanding.
I have set up a few electric guitars,and recently my son came home with a cheapie Dean acoustic with a very high action and slightly bowed neck.. Having never worked on an acoustic..I first adjusted the truss rod getting the bow out of the neck I removed all the strings and removed the bridge discovered 2 plastic shims I removed both ,restrung and tuned up. It was better BUT I thought if I sanded a bit off the bottom of bridge it would be playable. It worked well ! I figured if I screwed up the bridge I would simply order another one and start again... after all it would only be $10.00 or $15.00 to get hold of a new one. Your technique works for you and that is fine.. each to his own I say Thanks for the video showing another way to work out a solution !
What a great, straightforward explanation, I think I’ve been overthinking and winging it all these years
Thanks. Watched a few vids on this and found your instructions were really nice and clear. Appreciate the guidance.
Excellent tutorial. Finally a method that makes sense, without all the rocket science. Thank you
Great instructional video Roger. Enjoyed the simplicity of it. Am so thankful !
I enjoyed this. You're a good teacher. I've been adjusting my electric guitars for years. But I never messed with acoustics. This was very helpful. Thank you!
This is an excellent tutorial. Your approach is so clear and methodical. Many thanks for posting.
Great video. I was concerned about the sequence of neck/strings adjustments and he cleared that up right away. Thanks.
Mine was consistantly high across the bridge. Took the piece out and filed the bottom keeping it perfectly straight, but took off about 1/8th inch. Worked perfectly.
Fabtastic! Thank you so much i was not sure if i could do this type of work myself, but thanks to your excellent video i now have to confidence to go ahead. Venuss - London UK x
Thank you so much for this video. I had this guitar forever with such a high action. It increatble to driffrent it made shaving down the bridges. It never been touch in like 15 years. This guitar so easy to play now. Thank you so much
Best video on the subject that I've seen. Well done.
Awesome video Roger. Thank you for this. Been struggling a bit with setup on my Charvel 12-string and thanks to you it is once again fun to play.
Great tutorial, been playing for 55 years and I learned some new stuff!
Thank you Mr Roger Brainard. I understand and comprehend everything you said but you blew my mind with sharing and demonstrating with the most common tools that any guitar player has. I'm speaking Acoustic setups. You simplified it perfectly. Thanks again 5 Star rating 5 equals 110%
thank you for posting .. i have never found an acoustic that the action and string height impressed me ..i did play a d-45 martin that was unbelievable.. i like extremely low strings no buzz..that is a beautiful guitar you have in this video.....
Good insight and good presentation. Articulate and patient tutorial. I'm not going to toot my own horn but I am a GIT/AIM grad, (89). I've played since 12, over 30 years. I'd have to roll this video 4 stars! I'd give it 5 except there are no contingencies to show how to correct the fret buzz and heaven forbid a severe buzz.
Still a fine demonstration! !!
Roderick Patterson I agree, as some who has been in the training environment for years it was a solid presentation.
This helped me adjust my action with no issues. Thanks for the nice video!
What a great video, so informative. Thanks for sharing your expertise, it's really appreciated. I always wondered how to lower the action on an acoustic...now I know!!
Excellent tutorial, clearly demonstrated - thanks. Everyone I've come across take the saddle out and sand the bottom edge so the radius stays the same. However, that only works if it has the original saddle, properly radiused. NB: I wish all manufacturers had truss rod access from the sound hole instead of having to take off a cover at the head. Great job.
Fantastic dude 👏
I setup all my guitars as you showed and very satisfied of results. Much easier to play.
Thanks Bro be blessed !!
thank you for taking the time to comment .. sooo glad for you
great video!!! some of this I knew but the rest of it a bit Fuzzy but you brought it all into focus with just the right amount of detail and explanation. awesome.
A very well done video. The instructions and explanations are clear and easy to understand. Thanks.
Thank you Roger, this was well done and very helpful. I learned a few things that I"ve been doing kinda wrong. Best.
Oh my God, you are a hero! Man, i just got a second hand Takamine, and the action was far higher than my old one. I was regretting the purchase until this.
Wow cool
Loved your very clear explanation! One thing which I don't think you mentioned, but a lot of people are confused by this - it doesn't matter if the truss rod adjusts at the headstock or body end: it's always righty tighty lefty loosey!
I like it! Makes sense and I’m looking forward to some lower action and not going back and forth-nut-saddle-truss rod over and over. Thanks- a ton.
hey excellent explanations and instructions for u s luthier-challenged bums out here! i made a vast improvement in playability and intonation by simply following your methods.thank you very much! i am telling my buddies to watch and learn also! rock on brother!
Thank you so much! I can finally make my mom's old acoustic Yamaha play nice again!!!
Brilliantly explained and executed. 10/10 would adjust again.
Every othe tutorial has people set the nut height first. Your way of doing the saddle first with the capo on the first fret makes way more sense to me. Takes one part out of the equation. Thank you sir.
Great video. Well explained, to the point, useful information. Thank you.
Thank you! Roger. Its good folks like you who make guitar playing interesting. Love your passion and care you put into the video and answering questions. God Bless You! Keep up the good work!🙏
I appreciate that!
I am impressed with this comprehensive and well explained tutorial. Thank you sir!
thanks for the kind words .. power to the people
Wow great advice. I got low Acton now and I can really strum hard. I got my low e at 9/64 and high e at 7/64 at the 12th fret. No buzzing anymore plus I can play slide really good with my lower action.
thank you for the video, very straight forward, and easily explained
by far the best video I have seen on this subject you totally broke it down so easy to understand great video brother
Great video! I just installed a preamp and pick up under my saddle. Now I need the lower it a bit as the pickup raised it a cm or so
Great video! Every very guitar player should know this 👍
Extremely well explained. No B.S. and to the point.
WOW! Thanks for this video! I have never attempted to do a setup on a guitar. To hear some people's opinion on this, you'd think a guitar set up is comparable to rocket science! Someone gave me a vintage Aria guitar that had sat in a closet for years and was in dire need of help. After watching this video I went ahead and and did everything as you instructed. Sidenote: The action was way high, and the neck had a slight bow before. Now the action is considerably lower and more playable without loss of intonation, and no fret buzz! I think, like you said. "Take it slow" is key in the process here. Thanks again! This is a concise, and straightforward video.
Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to respond. Glad this helped you out!!
Lots of great technique here!!. Thanks. I got it!!🎵🎶🎵
Very Good right to the point for DIY people. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
You are very welcome
Man your voice is relaxing lol. I literally was watching this and fell asleep, just woke up 30 min later and had to rewatch the vid 😂. Not saying your boring or nothing ,I love the vid just exhausted today from work and your voice is just soothing
lol Thats my anti hubba hubba voice :)
Great tutorial! Thanks
I actually just picked up a Seagull in a trade. Beautiful guitar, just needs a decent setup. Its my first acoustic since I was a kid, but I generally do all the work on my electrics so I figured I'd give it a go.
great information and well demonstrated thank you for sharing it.
Great video man. Everything was explained really well. Thanks!
Very very helpful. will be trying this today. Thanks!
Great stuff! Sounds like you know what your doing!! In easy steps I will TRY my 12 string adjustment. Wish me luck!
you are awesome! I wish we had you tube and some guys like you when we were young bloods don't you ? you are right again when you say a lot of guitar repair guys want everyone to think it's hard to set up a guitar or intonation etc etc .
thanks so much FG or the strait forward advice you are a gentleman and a scholar sir.
God bless
T.C
Excellent! And I thought it was just about the truss rod! Many thanks for educating me with your excellent video!
thank you for the kind words sooooo glad it helps
One thing of note is that some guitars actually have a shim or two under the bridge saddle. Most guitars are set with medium action height. You might be lucky and just remove one of the shims which will lower the action without filing or sanding. Found this in a book on acoustic guitar making a few years back.
Only cheap Chinese ,Korean guitars use shims. If a guitar has shims. The guitar is being robbed of sound and most likely has a plastic saddle bone in it. Med strings are the best strings for sound. Light strings has no volume. In a jam session using lights . You will never be heard unless you have a mic. As far light and med strings, if you take lights off and replace with meds, and you get buzz. Your action is set way to low from the start. Most of the time shims are used to stop buzz. Or it's a cheap new guitar from China or Korea. With a plastic saddle and neck has never been set.
Great video very very useful and easy to follow. Thanks so much.
Thank you, I have an old beat up Yamaha I bought for 25 bucks and it needs exactly what you are doing removing buzzes. Playing long acoustic sessions with a high action is murder on fingers.
Great video. Badazz guitar! Nice und simple as it should be explained.
Thanks for this. Very informative. I have an old 12 string that I'll have a tinker with. Cheers.
Thanks Roger. Way easier than using special gauges. Very practical and effective.
+Todd Hudson thanks for the kind words Todd... much appreciated
Nice video with common sense techniques to improve your action on an acoustic. I have 2 that need just a small tweek and other videos I have watched don't feel as concerned with using a finer touch, like you have shown here.
Your solution for getting the nut just right, is as good as I have ever seen and your instruction has probably saved many, many nuts from the dreaded "over sanding" through the years.
thank you for the kind words .. I really did try to make this easy and effective
thank you. great video, especially for someone like me who is just learning to do this.
I watched alot of videos on string height i followed you instruction my norman (sea gull) is setup better than ever nice and low 13 to 56 strings i like to flat pick nice and loud no buzz of any type thanks a lot for the awesome video !!
Great to hear!
Before you start filing down the saddle notch, check to see if there are slims under the it; some guitars like the Ovations have a couple of shims under the bridge for easy adjustments
That is definitely a feature of Ovation guitars, But others do it also, so it's always worth at least a look see, under the saddle to see what's what.
Roger's technique of filing down the notches instead of sanding the bottom of the saddle makes more sense to me as you can ruin your saddle by sanding unevenly and causing it to make improper contact with your pick up if you have one there.
Hi Roger..
Good job dude..👌😊Thanks so much for a very useful and well demonstrated tips in adjustment of a good action on Acoustic guitar..👏Warm cheers..😊
Thanks for the video ! You have a good voice for these kinda things :D
Very informative, with clear precise instructions
Good tips for a quick setup, providing the frets are level...
Great tutorial video Roger.
wow i understood all that ! you made it sound very simple and easy to do ! but my guitars all need fret replacements as well .
Great vid! The only thing I'd add, is that a notched straight-edge is invaluable. The notches allow it to sit flat on the neck, over the strings. To check frets, it can be set on the neck so that it isn't touching the fretboard, just the frets. Well worth fifteen bucks for a Chinese cheapie on E bay.
Great video Roger. Thanks.
Really helpful video, thanks Roger.
Glad it was helpful!
Best string setup video "EVER" ♫♫♫ Thank You ♫♫♫
i know how..but been looking for some new approaches or to learn things i dont know..i like your simple and basic yet direct approach to the way you present your lesson man 👍👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for your good practices.
Love Seagull Artists, especially the older ones from the Nineties. great sound and quality.
some great info.and a great video,,and as roger says,take your time,,ive found sanding the bottom of the saddle can get messed up if even pressure is not applied across the saddle..so i think using a file like this is a great idea,, and keeping the same angle as the head stock,,,
thanks this helped me adjust my ovation and its perfect
Thanks...👍
Good to see you using non-specialist tools (I do too), although I don't use the same methods as you. For instance, I'd remove material from the bottom of the saddle rather than filing the top.
Hey, excellent video. I've messed up a few bridges over the years doing it the wrong way, but this just makes sense. Thank you!
not sure there is a 'wrong' way ....but me too ... this works for me
roger brainard ... Well, the way I used to try and do was to just file down the whole piece from the bottom side and then shim it up if I took off too much. Invariably, some strings were good but others were not.
and there you have it .. that's one of a couple reasons for this method
Thank You very much. You are a big help.
excellent video - clear explanations.
I actually do two steps at the saddle (1) grooving at the top part to figure out the action height (2) replace a new saddle and sand down the saddle height from the bottom.
advanced technique :)
Thanks man! Excellent video.
Very informative. Thanks.
Nice job explaining this procedure. In my opinion, it was really good. I just don't agree with notching the saddle. The saddle is already shaped to the contour of the neck and if too high, it should be removed and sanded at the bottom to keep the correct contour shape. If one string is high near the bridge, chances are, they all are going to be too high, which is why most people would say to remove material from the bottom of the saddle. Again, nicely done.
Thank you for sharing.
I just went to guitar class... thank you sir!!!!
Great tutorial. Thanks Rodger.
The Columbus egg to lower the action of an acoustic or classic guitar! Thank you sooo much!
really good tutorial. Thanks.
I don't know if this is the right way to file the saddle down but it probably works. It look like the easy cheat method. The way i've seen it done is they take measurements and sand down the bottom of the saddle.
I think i explain my rational for doing it this way ... it is easy to file the saddle down to the notches and articulate it after you get the height right .. and this is under the EASY category :)
Your a Rock Star Roger, thank you. This helps so much, cheers
thank you for the kind words and the watch .. glad this helped!!!
Nice presentation. Good info. Thanks!
thanks for the kind words and taking the time to respond
Very good lesson on guitar repair, thanks!!!!!
This gentleman knows his stuff
Kyle Keller !
Great video,, thanks for sharing.
I like your guitar ... I love the ship drawn on the body of the guitar 💓
thanks.. its a woodburning done by a good friend .. I have a few others on other wooden things ...sort of tattoo