Fingerprints, smudges, and other dirt may respond well to a trace of moisture. To change your action height at the 12th fret a certain distance, you must multiply that number by two to find the height to raise it at the saddle. Should I be concerned about this? Guitar Guru: What can Torrefaction Do for Your Instrument? Assuming the saddle slot depth is correct. If you have a vintage-style through-cut saddle, changing the height is best left to a pro. The subject of this thread (1/16" saddle showing) is the very reason I said 45 degrees for the string break angle. If your guitar could use a tune-up, there are several things you can do at home to get it playing, sounding, and looking its best. Here we give primers on acoustic guitar maintenance, including adjusting the truss rod (neck relief), saddle height (action), fixing loose tuners, and properly (and thoroughly) cleaning the instrument. Video lessons week by week, Chord by Chord. There is a lot to bridge design. String height at the nut should be as low as possible without causing open string buzz. It’s important that the neck and nut are set right first before doing anything with the saddle. Ask the Expert: Why Isn’t My Acoustic Guitar Intonating Well, and What Can I Do About It? Here are some notes on commercial guitar polishes and cleaners. Here we give primers on acoustic guitar maintenance, including adjusting the truss rod (neck relief), saddle height (action), fixing loose tuners, and properly (and thoroughly) cleaning the instrument.. How to Adjust an Acoustic Guitar Truss Rod Hardwood veneer strips work great, but cutting up an old credit card into strips as wide as your saddle slot works nicely as well. Charles: Not sure if you are an engineer or not, I'm not for sure,but I think it's a question for the engineers. (If you have vintage-style press-in bushings, make sure they are seated all the way down against the peghead. Inspecting your tuning machines is not only an important part of regular maintenance, but it may just solve that mystery buzz or rattle you’ve been wondering about. There’s a noticeable change in the action; the height of the strings over the frets has become either too high or too low. The distance between the string and … After playing, wipe your instrument clean (using a damp, soft cloth) of any body oils, sweat, or other nasty stuff it may have come in contact with. Ask the Expert: Can I Use Medium Strings on My Prewar Martin? Ask the Expert: All About Slotted Headstocks and Dead G Strings, Ask the Expert: How to Shop for a Used Guitar, Acoustic Guitar Review: Gretsch G9520E Gin Rickey Is a Secret Tone Weapon, 5 Ways to Play C Augmented | Chord by Chord, How to Play E Diminished Voicings | Chord by Chord. Possibly a hair more, maybe a total of 5/16". Remember to check the action first. Then no. Should you be worried? If you need a bit more cleaning power, try moistening the wiping cloth with a little mild detergent in water. Tightening or loosening the adjustment nut adds or lessens pressure on the rod and neck. The numbers John provides are typical for most steel string acoustic guitars. One has to think arch top and strings attached at the tail and then work up to standard glued bridge with increasingly taller saddles. A change in string gauges, climate (especially a change in humidity), or simply the player’s taste may require a truss rod adjustment, even on a new guitar. The saddle sits directly in front of the bridge pins on an acoustic guitar. Both nut height and the straightness of the neck of the guitar will affect the action at the saddle (note that when I say “action at the saddle” that this is usually measured at the 12th fret). A soft cloth is the best thing to use to polish and clean guitars (don’t use paper towels). Guitar Guru: What Happens When Your Flattop Loses Its Flat Top? (The average string action of the guitars I set up is 3/32 inches on the bass side and 1/16 inches on the treble side.). Just to clarify; you mean the angle formed between the side of the saddle and the strings, right? “Huff” some warm breath on the surface the way you would if you were about to wipe the inside of your car’s windshield. An adjustable truss rod is a slim steel rod embedded in the neck. General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion. It depends. Buzzing strings are a serious bummer and often difficult to diagnose. Use a drop of thin superglue to affix the outside of the insert to the inside of the button hole, but try not to get any glue down inside the insert, For open vintage-style or classical gears, a drop of three-in-one or Tri-Flow oil where the worm and gear meet will help keep them running smoothly. The other end is anchored to give the adjusting end something to tighten against. [Note: If you have a vintage-style through-cut saddle, changing the height is best left to a pro.]. To make sure the bottom of the saddle is truly flat, you can run it back and forth over some 120-grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Download our FREE guide on identifying and fixing 10 common causes of string buzz. First, take some action measurements at the 12th fret on the two outermost strings while your guitar is strung up to pitch, from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string in 1/64-inch increments. Some strings buzz on the frets between the nut and the fifth fret. Here are the steps to do it yourself. And a lot going on under the hood that goes with those designs. This indicates that the neck is either too straight or it is backbowed from the truss rod’s slow, constant pressure over time. Most modern guitars have a drop-in saddle that can be removed when the strings are off. This step is especially important for maintaining string balance if you have an undersaddle pickup. Raising or lowering the saddle on acoustic guitars requires careful, precision craftsmanship and, while many players may be able to complete this job themselves, taking your guitar into a shop and having a professional handle the saddle height adjustment will almost always be worth the usually nominal cost, especially where high-end vintage guitars are concerned. I imagine he would not want to have something out there that didn't represent his best efforts. I just acquired a hand built guitar from the original owner, who had it only a few months. As a general rule, tightening the nut moves the neck away from the string pull and removes upbow; loosening the nut allows the neck to relax into an upbow again (especially when helped by the strings’ pull). Guitar Wall Mounts, Floor Stands, & More—How to Keep Your Instrument Safe at Home. Types of Saddles Consider that your saddle must fit deep and snug in the slot without wiggle room, that the saddle top radius should match that of your fingerboard, and that the desired saddle height should probably not average less than 1/32 inch or more than 3/16 inches above the bridge, Check the bushings and washers with a nut driver (usually 10 mm) or small adjustable wrench to make sure they are snug but not too tight. Pledge your support and get bonus lessons! I could probably contact the builder if it really should have the neck angle corrected. if(!window.AdButler){(function(){var s=document.createElement("script");s.async=!0;s.type="text/javascript";s.src='https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n.parentNode.insertBefore(s,n)}())} var AdButler=AdButler||{};AdButler.ads=AdButler.ads||[];var abkw=window.abkw||'';var plc208206=window.plc208206||0;document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208206_'+plc208206+'">');AdButler.ads.push({handler:function(opt){AdButler.register(168183,208206,[300,600],'placement_208206_'+opt.place,opt)},opt:{place:plc208206++,keywords:abkw,domain:'servedbyadbutler.com',click:'CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER'}})if(!window.AdButler){(function(){var s=document.createElement("script");s.async=!0;s.type="text/javascript";s.src='https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n.parentNode.insertBefore(s,n)}())} var AdButler=AdButler||{};AdButler.ads=AdButler.ads||[];var abkw=window.abkw||'';var plc208209=window.plc208209||0;document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208209_'+plc208209+'">');AdButler.ads.push({handler:function(opt){AdButler.register(168183,208209,[300,250],'placement_208209_'+opt.place,opt)},opt:{place:plc208209++,keywords:abkw,domain:'servedbyadbutler.com',click:'CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER'}}) if(!window.AdButler){(function(){var s=document.createElement("script");s.async=!0;s.type="text/javascript";s.src='https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n.parentNode.insertBefore(s,n)}())} var AdButler=AdButler||{};AdButler.ads=AdButler.ads||[];var abkw=window.abkw||'';var plc208209=window.plc208209||0;document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208209_'+plc208209+'">');AdButler.ads.push({handler:function(opt){AdButler.register(168183,208209,[300,250],'placement_208209_'+opt.place,opt)},opt:{place:plc208209++,keywords:abkw,domain:'servedbyadbutler.com',click:'CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER'}}). If you do a traditional Martin style bridge (pins close to the saddle) and have a saddle height of 0.140" on a new guitar or one that is newly reset, that is a ballpark figure for the break angle.