Members spruce goose Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Sounds pretty straightforward, but I thought I'd bring it up since I never set up a guitar before. Basically I want to increase the action a bit. I take it this will involve bringing the two metal parts pictured below to a higher location. Anything else I should keep in mind, like any particular measurements or such? I mean, I know I'll need to correct the intonation, and that if the neck is bowed, I'd have to turn the truss rod. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members surfcat Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Raising it's easy, it's when you want to lower it that it can get tricky. Just turn the knurled adjusters on the bridge only-not the tailpiece. No screwdriver needed. If you're holding a screwdriver, you're about to adjust the tailpiece, which shouldn't be needed. If you know how to check the intonation with a tuner, do it-it might change a little, but not much. Are you raising it because the strings are buzzing or you just like higher action? If you're trying to get rid of buzz, then you need to check for relief in the neck by sighting down from the top-it should be almost straight-just a tiny bit of concave curvature or perfectly straight, never a convex curvature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spruce goose Posted February 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 I have three reasons for doing this: 1. To improve the playability/control. The thing is just too low now. 2. To reduce the buzzing (doesn't really bother me that much, but why not..). 3. To learn / to see how this affects the playability, buzzing, and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Digital Dexterity 13 Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Now that we're on this subject, would somebody have a good rule of thumb for adjusting the pickups? The E and A in particular sound fuzzy on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Now that we're on this subject, would somebody have a good rule of thumb for adjusting the pickups? The E and A in particular sound fuzzy on mine. Start with about 2 mm from the strings while fretting at the last fret. I prefer mine a bit lower than that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 I like about .3 mm of relief and an action at about 2mm on the low E and 1.7 or so on the high E. A good straightedge, and some feeler guages will help you take accurate measurements. I like the 18 inch straightedge from stewmac and the cheapest feeler gauges I found were in the automotive section at harbor freight. They were $3 and had more sizes than the ones available at almost 10 x the cost on stewmac. I use both those tools all the time for setups. Before I started doing setups I read tons of stuff online and poked around these here forums, but didn't really know what my ideal setup was until I just started trying stuff. I raised and lowered the action, and tried different amounts of relief for each action till I found what I liked. I think if you are going to go on a similar journey, invest in the tools, and take accurate measurements along the way, and maybe keep a journal or your likes and dislikes for each setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratoSlacker Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Is there a specific height recommended for the tail piece? what effect does raising/lowering it have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Is there a specific height recommended for the tail piece? what effect does raising/lowering it have? Raising the tail piece will make the strings feel a little looser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spruce goose Posted March 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2008 Pretty awesome with the action higher. I actually put it way up there. Nicer to bend, and has a better feel. I'll leave it like this for a while, then decide if I should bring it down a notch. Guitar is pretty bro0tal to0. Feels and sounds pretty good for a 350 git (used). However, one of the tone knobs is a bit loose, and sometimes the sound gets skewed. Should I look into replacing the knob, and if so will that require soldering or some such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted March 3, 2008 Members Share Posted March 3, 2008 I like higher action too. Better string feel, and easier bends. At first slowed me down, but I adapted pretty quick. Take off the knobs and see if your pots have split shafts. If they do, spreading the two halves apart can help the knobs stay on tighter or wrap them with teflon tape. The only reason to solder is if your pots are worn out and you need to swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spruce goose Posted March 3, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2008 I like higher action too. Better string feel, and easier bends. At first slowed me down, but I adapted pretty quick. Take off the knobs and see if your pots have split shafts. If they do, spreading the two halves apart can help the knobs stay on tighter or wrap them with teflon tape. The only reason to solder is if your pots are worn out and you need to swap. How do I take off the knob again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spruce goose Posted March 5, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 How do I take off the knob again? Bump!!! Do I just pluck it off? I don't want to further damage the thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted March 5, 2008 Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 Bump!!! Do I just pluck it off? I don't want to further damage the thing... unless it has a set screw you just have to work it off. Sometimes wrapping a shoe lase undernieth the knob will help you pull it off straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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