Members 2732 Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 Anyone have an idea of how much it would cost to get my acoustics's action adjusted down at like Guitar center or Sam Ash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 Go to The Annex, click on "Tech Stuff" and then on "Is My Guitar Sick?" It will explain the measurements you need to take to determine your guitar's action at present, along with any other adjustments you need to make (such as the truss rod). If it's high at the nut, you'll want to take it to a tech. If it's high at the saddle, you can do that yourself. Measure the action at the 12th fret and determine how much too high it is. Remember to measure after you've humidified the guitar and adjusted the truss rod (if necessary in both cases). Then take the saddle out and sand twice that amount off the bottom of the saddle using sandpaper on a flat surface. Reinstall the saddle and put on new strings. You're done. All this is part of what is known as a "setup." Prices vary but $75 is pretty much at the upper end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 Going to either one of those places for a guitar adjustment, could cost you the guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sangemon Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 A setup should cost about $50 in the Northeast. I go to a guy in NYC and he charges me $45 for a setup (nut & saddle, check frets, fretboard cleaning, neck relief, new strings). GW348 has a point. I'd look for a local guitar tech or luthier before going to GC or SMASH. If there is a Mom& Pop music store in your area that sells guitars they'd probably be a better bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DJ in FL Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 10-4 on being careful where you take your git...get some local recommendations from folks you know and trust.SA and GC would not be high on my list of places to take my babies! Down here in FL, the services you mention from a quality luthier about $40 + cost of new strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinchegordo Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 DEW KNOT TAYK TEH GITAR TWO gitar sentar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kimona Posted July 5, 2009 Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 Simple set-up in these parts, $50-60 with new strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 2732 Posted July 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2009 Thanks a lot everyone. Turns out the action's already lowered as much as it can be without buzzing. So any remaining playing problems are simply due to the crapiness of the guitar. Wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted July 6, 2009 Members Share Posted July 6, 2009 Perhaps, perhaps not. Is the guitar properly humidified? Have you checked the relief? Buzzing isn't only caused by the height of the action. For a quick-and-dirty check of the relief, put a capo at the first fret, press down the 6th (low E) string at the neck/body junction (usually the 14th fret or so), and pluck the string in between, say at the 6th or 7th fret. If you get a clear tone, the relief is okay or maybe even a bit excessive (at some point you'll want actually measure it using a feeler gauge; there should be a gap of around .01" between the string and the 7th fret--a standard business card will also do). If you get a buzzy tone, loosen the truss rod a tad (say, 1/8-1/4 turn). Give things a day or so to settle down and try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C70man Posted July 6, 2009 Members Share Posted July 6, 2009 Deep End makes a lot of good points. Don't rule out your guitar that fast....hopefully it doesn't need a neck reset. Buzzing can happen for a lot of reasons, none of which to justify pitching a guitar over. A decent set up guy can look over the guitar and let you know without charging you a dime. If the woods are decent and you liked how it sounded earlier in its life...think about fixing it. Oh, and a few pics of the bridge and such would give us a heads up on what you are dealing with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted July 6, 2009 Members Share Posted July 6, 2009 I would do it myself for free (via the instructions at the Annex) or take it somewhere other than Guitar Center or Sam Ash, FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seagullplayer77 Posted July 6, 2009 Members Share Posted July 6, 2009 Going to either one of those places for a guitar adjustment, could cost you the guitar! My thoughts exactly. I've never bothered asking for guitar repairs at either place because I've always had the suspicion that the quality of work would be less than stellar and that the prices would be high. I'd much sooner go to a local guitar shop or luthier and have them do the work. That being said, I have no idea how much an adjustment like that would cost . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Samilyn Posted July 7, 2009 Members Share Posted July 7, 2009 I would do it myself for free (via the instructions at the Annex) or take it somewhere other than Guitar Center or Sam Ash, FWIW. +1 Read the instructions thoroughly and learn to do your own setups. Your git, fingers and wallet will thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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