FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Guitar Maintenance Repair Setup

Question:
, I need some help... Is it just my acoustic guitar, or do all of them have their strings gradually get further from the fretboard as you go towards the soundhole? I mean, next to the nut they're really close to the fretboard, but as you go towards the hole, the action gets higher and higher... Is this how it's supposed to be? If not, can it be fixed?

Answer:
.the bass side strings are typically higher than the treble to accomodate the wider vibration arc of the bass strings. If this was not the case, your treble strings would ring and your bass strings would buzz. Having said this, you would have to be pretty sensitive to notice it...we are talking about a difference of 1/64th here...if you are noticing this difference in height, you should likely take your guitar in for a setup. The problem would likely be in the nut and/or saddle area...a badly seated saddle in an overly tight saddle slot can have such an effect. If it is the nut, you can tell by putting on a capo...if the comparative string height seems more reasonable with the capo on, then you can rest assured that the solution is a simple deepening of the bass side nut slots...Simle, yes, but unless you have the correct tools, I would take it in for a setup. This next part is not related to your question in other than an ancillary fashion, and I'm not directing this to you directly, so please do not take offence. The trouble is, I keep giving and keep hearing from many experience participant, the same advice and I am curious in knowing the answer to this simple question: Why do people avoid a setup? Trust me, this avoidance issue is not limited to the beginners...many experienced players have the same problem...but why? It isn't that expensive (maybe $40). You only need it sporadically. Heck, if your car started to act up, would you not take it to a mechanic? Do you think you have the diagnostic and mechanical abilities needed to handle a wheel alignment problem with the same confidence as an experienced mechanic in a fully equipped shop? For crying out loud folks, you don't need to set up your guitar that often. IMHO, you should only NEED to setup your axe under one of the following circumstances: 1) You just bought a new guitar (Yes, setup are PERSONAL...and if it is new to you, it is not to someone else...past owner or factory) 2) You just changed string gauge (Yes, tension and string width does make a difference!) 3) You have changed playing style (Fingerstyle players NEED higher action than straight strummers...and don't get me started on shredders) 4) Your instrument has structurally changed (top bellied, top dipped, neck angle changed, frets worn, frets lifted, etc...if it don't feel right...fix it before it gets worse!) To me, the solution to many of the instrument related problems I see here and in other NGs are obvious...unless you have the experience AND/OR feel *confident* about doing a particular operation on a particular guitar AND, you know how to use and can get a hold of the proper tools for the job AND you can tell the difference between a bad result and a good one...take it in to a guitar tech...'cuz frankly, if you had any one of these attributes, you wouldn't need to ask here...you'd just read a book on it and do it. I don't mean to sound bitchy...I'm frankly curious to know why people avoid a setup when they first get a guitar, or when their own senses (hearing and touch) tell them that a problem exists. It baffles me...as a guitar techinician, I have to say that these discussion make me feel a little like a freakin' dentist. Anyway, thanks for reading this far down in my diatribe and as a consolation prize, I offer a reading list for all those who are truly interested and have access to a library or bookstore: A great little book on guitar setup is by Pieter J. Filler called D.Y.I Guitar Repair...it even has some interesting jig plans in this tiny tome. I've heard some mention in this NG of Dan Erlewine's book (Guitar Player Repair Guide) and whatever you think of some of Dan's techniques, it is a great book and everyone who owns a guitar should read it...his aren't the only way, but they all work. Dave Burrluck has another excellent maintenance book (The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance)...brief and to the point. Even though I'm not crazy about using epoxy on a refret or sawing through your fingerboard for a neck rest, Don Teeter's The Acoustic Guitar: Adjustment, Care, Maintenance and Repair is a very useful read. If you need some good structural advice, try The Complete Guitar Repair by Hideo Kamimoto, or, if you really want the nitty-gritty, try reading through Cumpiano and Natelson's seminal book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology (or for my electric friends (if I have any left), get a copy of Melvyn Hiscock's Make your own Electric Guitar). Finally, if you like to spend hours and hours on the computer, you should go to Frank Ford's www.frets.com and read every article and every tip...click on all the links...this is, without a doubt, the best repair guide on the net!