I know there’s loads of guitar heads on here, help me out a bit please?

I’m changing the strings tonight ( broke a D with some mad bending LOL) I’ve been meaning to get it lowered for ages, what’s the best way? Just file the bridge? How much do I take off?

Depends why the action is bad

Take it to a guitar mendist (not a music shop) for a second opinion before doing anything rash

Acoustics can be a bit awkward tha’ knows

Plum

Nah don’t just do that..

Check to see if the neck has a truss rod in it, if so it’ll be located either end of the fretboard (under the top nut (possibly has a cover on it, may be exposed) or under the top body of the guitar where the neck joins to the guitar body (normally an allen key required)
Tighten it and the neck bend up like a banana, loosen it and it’ll drop off like a droopy thing.
Be careful, don’t over tighten nor loosen.
Take enough tension out(loosen) so that the A string on the second fret doesn’t buzz too much.
Look along the neck as you loosen the truss rod a 1/4 or a turn, watch the neck bend off…

Once done you can then attack the bottom nut on the Bridge where either filing down individual string “v”‘s lowers the string or more likely take a little off the back of the nut (bridge) along it’s length thereby keeping it uniform.

Be careful.

Once affected changes taken place it’s impossible to add back material taen away, you can pack it but invariably that dulls the sound.

Plum, thanks.

Actions not bad just high, after about 7th fret it’s maybe 10mm from the neck! Buzzes like a fridge!! ( makes you play carefully, but after 1/2 hour my fingers are achy!!

Thought I could just file a bit off the bridge at bit? You don’t think so?

It’s a long-winded process but a tiny bit at a time (from the bottom), then put back in and tune up to check the action.

You may be lucky and find that it’s already raised with an extra bit of plastic underneath, in which case take that out and see where you are.

Only touch the truss rod if you need to after filing. Shouldn’t be used to change action it’s just for neck relief.

You can buy replacement saddles for the bridge so even if you stuff it up it’s not the end of the world.

Look along the neck as you loosen the truss rod a 1/4 or a turn

Really don’t do this unless you’re wearing protective eye wear 😯

+1 for finding a decent luthier – they won’t charge very much to set your guitar up properly. I do my ‘leccy guitars when they need it, but they have (almost) fool-proof adjusters.

BIkebouy,

I thought the truss rod was for tension? bridge for action? I know the necks straight and its tight.

Lifer, so a bit at a time and restring and tune?

There’s a very good shop in Coventry called NoiseWorks. John there can fix anything.

++1 for finding a decent luthier

Do it yourself and things could go a whole heap of wrong.

emsz – Member

Lifer, so a bit at a time and restring and tune?

Yep, as I say takes a while but is the only way to do it.

I thought the truss rod was for tension? bridge for action? I know the necks straight and its tight.

Bridge for action, truss rod for relief or ‘bow’. If the neck is straight changing the action wouldn’t change anything as tension isn’t changing, only if you were changing strings to a different guage or drastically change the tuning would you need to touch the truss rod.

user-removed – Member

Look along the neck as you loosen the truss rod a 1/4 or a turn

Really don’t do this unless you’re wearing protective eye wear

Why?

Don’t need to go to a luthier for truss rod/action adjustment, just a case of doing a little bit at a time.

I’m confused by the above posts. It’s tighten the truss rod to make the neck more convex which will lower the action. If the problem is along the whole length then the bridges will need filing/changing though. Good guitare shops should be able to sell you bridges to suit. I’ve got my Martin down to 3mm on the 20th fret.

Truss rod shouldn’t be a way of changing the action!

The single most common misconception is that truss rods are for adjusting action or intonation. While adjusting the truss rod does affect the playing action, that’s a side effect and not the purpose for the adjustment. As a general rule, once the nut and truss rod are set, all action adjustment is done at the bridge, by raising or lowering the saddle. Intonation is affected by action, too, so correcting the action may improve intonation, but again, that’s a side effect.

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musician/GenSetup/TrussRods/TrussRodAdj/tradj.html

Its main function is to prevent this by counteracting the pull of the strings, which bends the neck. The most common misconception is that it will adjust your action. To some degree this is true however it changes the action by changing the curvature of the neck not by raising or lowering the strings.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/gear_maintenance/action_neck_bow_and_your_truss-rod.html

Can get many more quotes if needed!

Rather than file the existing saddle get a new one and shape it. Then you can put the old one back if you make an error.

get better technique
your resident snobby classical guitarist.
🙄

In all honesty I dont know but i would get a proper luthier to do this rather than just start cutting stuff assuming it is not a cheap guitar.
I assume you can file the bridge down and the bit at the top.

Only touch the truss rod if you need to after filing. Shouldn’t be used to change action it’s just for neck relief.

I’d have to disagre with that, as changing the neck relief affects the action. Get the truss rod sorted before filing anything. Changes made to the truss rod can be undone (assuming you don’t snap it), if you go too far filing the bridge saddle, you have to get a new one.

Lots of “don’t do that, touch this, get a luther”

Never been to a luther, never needed to. If you take your time, play around a little and do it yourself you’ll be able to adjust it again when it settles, which it invariabley will.

I’ve always used truss rod adjustment to lower/raise action dispite what some say (not bothered) it’s a good place to start cos lots of folk don’t think it needs adjusting when you can actually get a couple of mill lower action if it’s backed off a little.

Guitars need to breath, if they are damp they’ll soak up water and warp, too dry and they’ll crack. Truss rods are for counter acting effects like this, if your neck warps you can simply alter it to suit.

As for wearing eye glasses and/or protection it’s up to you, I’ve never adjusted the truss rod whilst looking down it, sorry but I tend to adjust it with bottom E and A on and top E, that way there is some tension in the neck at almost playing tension and you have some room to slam an allen key in the sound hole and adjust away till it all goes nana shaped.

Been playing guitars for many a year now, only use nylon string flamenco guitars so have nylon strings, all my guitars have had truss rods and all have been adjusted by me to suit my style of play.

Another note: If you get too much “buzz” from one or two frets only and the rest of the action is low enough for you to encourage play rather than put the thing down, then get a small rubbing stone and glance along the top of the frets in that local area where it’s “buzzing” DO NOT GO MAD, take a little off at a time. Frets have high spots and sometimes don’t seat propers like, again it’s all learning and take you time.

Plink Plonk..

lodious – Member

“Only touch the truss rod if you need to after filing. Shouldn’t be used to change action it’s just for neck relief.”

I’d have to disagre with that, as changing the neck relief affects the action. Get the truss rod sorted before filing anything. Changes made to the truss rod can be undone (assuming you don’t snap it), if you go too far filing the bridge saddle, you have to get a new one.

In this case:

emsz – Member
I know the necks straight and its tight

I would adjust action by filing the bridge saddle (around £5 if borked, plus can be shimmed with hi-tech materials like credit cards if you go too far) then double check the relief, which shouldn’t have changed.