How To Adjust the Action on Your Electric Guitar
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 тра 2024
- Learn how to adjust the action on an electric guitar, in this example using a Gibson Les Paul.
▶ Get all the tools you need to adjust the action on your guitar HERE: bit.ly/3HzCOE0
▶ Grab Your NEW Gibson Les Paul HERE: bit.ly/3u9jvyk
▶ Shop Your Gibson Guitars HERE: bit.ly/3UiuCzv
In this episode of "Gibson's Guide to Guitar Setup and Maintenance," Gibson Master Luthier Jim DeCola demonstrates the correct way to adjust the action on your electric guitar. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, Jim will give you pro tips on action adjustment and how to measure it accurately.
The action on your guitar determines the overall playability of your instrument. In general, if your action is too high, your guitar may feel difficult to play. If your action is too low, it may result in string buzzing. Other factors in setting your action can include the guitar you’re using, your choice of strings and the style of music you’re playing.
Watch as Jim explains exactly what the action on your guitar means, how different guitar strings may affect action and how the genre you play may dictate how high or low your guitar's action should be. In addition, Jim gives you practical advice on how to setup your Les Paul guitar, how to take measurements when setting the action in 64ths of an inch as well as advice on how to adjust a tune-o-matic bridge thumbscrew as well as a tune-o-Matic bridge with hex wrench fixture as found on a Gibson Flying V. It's worth noting, that although Jim is showing you how top adjust the action on a Les Paul, these tips are transferrable to most guitars. Electric guitar action adjustment doesn't need to be complicated, it just takes a little time and some patience, and with Jim DeCola's advice, your guitar will be ready to play in no time!
Get more killer guitar maintenance tips here too: gazette.gibson.com/?s=video
#gibsontv #gibson #actionadjustment
Chapters:
0:00 What is action on a guitar?
0:57 Does changing strings affect action on a guitar?
1:48 Tips before you adjust action on a guitar
2:02 Tools you need
2:51 Taking measurements - 64ths of an inch
3:49 Tool tips
4:54 Adjusting the action
7:32 Raising or lowering the action
8:13 Adjusting hex wrench bridges
📼 Related Videos To Watch Next:
▶ Watch every episode on how to set up your Gibson guitar: • Gibson | Gibson’s Guid...
▶ Learn how to adjust your guitar neck easily: • How To Adjust Your Gui...
▶ Watch Slash talk about his new album "4": • Slash: The Making of "...
Find Your local Gibson Dealer: www.gibson.com/en-US
📩 Get Gibson guitar news before ANYONE else: bit.ly/GetGibsonNEWS
📱Follow Us On Social Media For The latest Guitar Gear!
▶Twitter/X: X.com/gibsonguitar
▶Instagram: / gibsonguitar
▶Facebook: / gibson
🔔 Subscribe To Our Channel: / @gibsonguitar
SHOP GIBSON BRANDS
www.gibson.com/
www.epiphone.com/
www.kramerguitars.com/
www.steinberger.com/
www.krkmusic.com/
www.mesaboogie.com
www.maestroelectronics.com
ABOUT GIBSON BRANDS
Gibson, the leading iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 127 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the leading guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including / @officialepiphone , which has been on every stage since 1873, Kramer, the original MADE TO ROCK HARD guitar brand, MESA/Boogie, the home of tone, and KRK, behind great music for over 30 years, and Maestro, the founder of effect pedals. Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation, and sound excellence so that music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. - Розваги
▶ Get all the tools you need to adjust the action on your guitar HERE: bit.ly/3HzCOE0
▶ Grab Your NEW Gibson Les Paul HERE: bit.ly/3u9jvyk
▶ Shop Your Gibson Guitars HERE: bit.ly/3UiuCzv
Not sure why but I was always worried about messing up something and I don't even know what that something was?
That's the same with me and truss rods 😭
@@tiltedtempo8747bruh same. Been playing for 20 years. I still hate messing with my truss rods
Damn, Gibson is catching up on the UA-cam game
Agreed! They're kind of owning it right now!
The banging you hear in the background at 6:55 is someone trying to tune a guitar with a Floyd Rose.
Gibson techs don't know what a floyd rose is; it is known...
That's Funny!
I hate Floyd's lmao
I cant stop laughing!
Don’t be daft, it was clearly someone repairing a broken headstock..
A year later I still look back on these. Jim is solid GOLD in these videos. Other manufacturers should take note of this as their videos are nothing compared to these! So easy to understand and easy to see everything.
Action measurements at 1st and 12th fret:
1st fret - 1/64" for high E string and 2/64" for low E string from top of fret to bottom of string (use a thin pick for high E string and heavy pic for low E string)
12th fret - 3/64" for high E string and 5/64" for low E string from top of fret to bottom of string (use a dime for high E string and a nickel for low E string)
Thank you Jim! You just saved me a bunch of time. I will eventually get my guitar adjusted from a professional, but for now this should work.
Thanks! In mm:
1/64 = 0.4mm...
1st fret : high E = 0.4mm
1st fret : low E = 0.8mm
12th fret : low E = 1.2mm
12th fret: high E = 2.0 mm
@@car_ventures thanks man , why do people still insist on not using metric
@@MrBarefoot09
Europeans and Canadians use the metric system.
They mock America for using American standard.
They also pretend that the world has converted to metric and we are ignorant to that fact.
BUT, metric conversion appears on anything shipped to the states.
Millions of intermodal shipping containers all have the conversion painted on them.
Football fields are measured in yards.
All bottles of liquid have conversions on them.
When a man brags about his member, does he use centimeters?
NOPE. It's in inches.
If you want to do business with America, you had better convert to our measurement system.
Or you can't make any money.
@@MrBarefoot09 Well, Gibson is American, that's why they do it.
@@wrcz why can't America grow up and use metric ? they use it in their science , medicine , and military .. the rest of the world had this figured out 50 years ago
Great content.
Always a good idea to watch anything a Master Luthier does to a guitar.
Thank You Jim.
Love these videos with Jim! Working on your own guitar is a joy when you know how to do it. It's like folks who work on their classic cars or bikes - it's always a pleasure to drive but maintaining it is part of the fun.
I haven't owned a guitar that I haven't worked on. Usually, it improved with my touches. UA-cam is a god send because back in the day before the internet, it was word of mouth and guess work.
Love this series !
Love my Les Paul's !
Keep these tutorials coming......
Extremely helpful. Clear and concise, and with very useful shortcuts for those of us with less-than-perfect vision!
Thank you Jim for this tricks.
Always so helpful! Thx for all these videos
Great to know this as guitarists, we should know how to fix our own issues
These videos are amazing. Thank you so much Gib!
Jim has a great history with Gibson, I’ve enjoyed every Gibson I’ve owned that he’s been a part of.
Another great guitar maintenance video. I really appreciate this content! I've went through each video while doing maintenance on my Les Paul... truss rod, pickup height, intonation and action. The guitar is playing top notch and I have a much better understanding of the overall mechanics now. Subscribed!
Thank you so much for this info. I have a Gretsch with a Tune-o-matic and after following your guidelines it plays beautifully again!
That was really helpful. Thank you!
Brilliant presentaion. Thanks Gibson!
Thanks Jim, I’ve been learning a lot from you !
Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing the wisdom of Jim DeCola!! I just picked up my very first Gibson Les Paul, a 2005 Les Paul Studio Swamp Ash. These videos have been invaluable as I finally got the neck and action setup properly. Now I understand why people love Gibson Les Paul guitars and why only a Gibson is good enough!! Thank you!!
I always learn a lot from these posts, thank you very much.
love this series of videos!
AWSOME trick with the dime I used to gave an assortment of picks I used
This guy is the real deal I would trust him with my custom 57 Les Paul original. You know this guy knows what he's talking about, and that he's passionate about what he does that's awesome
A true master in action here.
Quality content. This is the type of content you need to be putting out.
I appreciate your clear and informative instructions. Details about Nashville bridge are especially useful and surprising - I didn't know it before. Thank you.
Thank you! Great info!
For us Europeans, could you add the metric conversions, e.g. in subtitles or text balloon overlay? Or make a separate metric vs 64ths of an inch video? I’m not used to measuring in inches, so it’s difficult to understand.
4/64 inch = 1.5875 mm. Metric is actually a clumsier system when it comes to lutherie.
@@toms781 If that were true, why does the entire world except America use it? In this case you'd just say 1.6 mm.
@@YaYousef5 because 1.5875mm does not equal 1.6mm. but use what you like. I am not here to debate measurement conventions of tradition. if 1.6mm is good for you, go for it.
@@toms781 The International System is based on Metric. And considering that the Imperial system is built to measure big things it would make it the not practical or the clumsier system instead. For small measurements the kind of fractions used in the Imperial System make it a greater hassle than the more even measurements used in Metrics, since they don't generally require a ton of fractioning for small stuff unlike Imperial because you're only using inches as your starting point
@@felipeavlopes Fair points, but like I said it is just a weird tradition. Of course use what you like and are comfortable with. I use metric measurements for a lot of other work but my luthier tools are all graduated in imperial.
Certified Gold!!!!!
This was really helpful. Thank you!! :)
Amazing value in those videos. Thank you
Fantastic!! Thanks !!
Thanks for posting this, very helpful. I love my Les Paul!
Thank you! Learned so much :))))
Excellent and very helpfu vid - thank you very much!!!
Thank you very much!! I love my LP
These videos are awesome Gibson! Thanks!
Cheers Jim, I didn’t realize the hex wrench adjustment on the bridge was possible, good tip!👍👍
That's mega info guys.
Great video, very informative. Looking forward to the 'Gibson Acoustic' making process episodes! Cheers
Cheers Jim
Great vid. Love the top and color on that standard.
Good demonstration thanks.
Wow. I can play guitar for hours n hours but this? To have a guitartech is a blessing for sure.
Great Gibson! Love my R7
Have to say my Gibson/Epiphone guitars are the most touchy instruments regarding neck relief in guitar my arsenal. Weather changes, even slight, facilitates tweaking.
A labor of love👍😎❤🖖
Same. My Gibson’s are temperamental. More so than my other guitars. Any humidity or temperature change and they may need adjustment. Oddly, my Les Paul with the richlite fretboard is pretty solid. Same neck material, but I guess the richlite fretboard helps?
@@Wargasm644 Try an Indonesian PRS SE Standard - neck moves 10 minutes after adjusting. Yes its not a $1500 guitar but....
Nicely explained, just would be convenient for you also mentioned or put up on screen the metric equivalent measurement. Just about all my measuring tools are metric.
Love this video
this is so useful guys. just bought a les paul and feel that there is something else that came with it...video instructions!
YEEEES!!! Thanks Jim!! =D
Thanks you Mr Decola for all the advice. It's just like a lutherie course! I have a question. What about the adjustment of stopbar? How I have to adjust its height?
Didn't know about the nickel and dime trick--thanks!
Oh nice! A dark back LP!
Thank you !
Thank you for making so easy! I used centimeters from my Fender tool! 😅
Gracias otra vez y salud desde Galicia
That Les Paul is absolutely beautiful 😎
that is a gorgeous les paul
What more do you need 😊
Nice looking at those guitars.
Wish i knew that business card tip 30 years ago. . .Signs of Love on my 92' LP Custom.
Me too same guitar !
@@cyril8988 mine's a Wine Red. And yours??
@@glaucosouza1971 Mine is a black beauty , my father offered me in 92 , new from Gibson. I kept it all that time and it is still A1 . Nothing plays like a those customs !
Wow thank u so much I've been wanting lower action on my Gibson for so long and didn't know how to do it myself; and seem to always put off taking it into a guitar shop. Funny to find out how easy it was makes me feel pretty stupid. Lol... the dime and nickel worked great..
Great tips! I have coins in my case for pick-up adjustments. Btw...when will the Marshall get switched to a Boogie?
100% correct!
I learned quite a bit from this series, Thank you Gibson, Thank you Jim, I also learned that Has some very cool shirts that I need?
❤❤❤❤❤ eu sou apaixonado pela Gibson ✌
thank you i just used the coin method and my adam jones epiphone feels way better now.
Great vid I have a question, so when adjusting the high and low E string will it also adjust the the following 2 strings either above or below the E string?
Good vid. I learned a few things.
Gibson, I love you.
So since I started playing at 14 til some yrs went by after the hand damage was already done because I had the stiffest bending guitars. You would think someone at the repair shop would say hey you can lower the bridge and use lighter gauge strings but nope. It was we don’t sell thinner strings. Or try this brand strings or truss rod adjustment all day long when the neck was already straight. I like low action. Even when I was a kid my own teacher went for the truss rod. The neck was straight. If you want a slinkier feeling guitar so you can bend your strings and make your hands last lower your bridge, use thinner strings and obviously have a straight neck. This guy I wish showed up yrs ago but well there weren’t smart phones when I started out. I obviously figured it myself but until I did I messed up a few guitars. Took hrs to get them back in shape. Thx repair guys who couldn’t even change my pick ups correctly. Forgot there was a volume knob that split the pick ups and the bridge pick up didn’t work. ???? They didn’t know how to do the wiring? Only place to go around here and they recharged me to fix it. Unbelievable. And I gave them the strings twice.
I think me and a handful of other repair guys on UA-cam have shown this a zillion times. I'm positive if I showed up using needle nose pliers to lower or raise the bridge wheels, I'd have a comment section of people telling me I shouldn't do this for fear of slipping and ruining the guitar top. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with some questionable methods that actually work;-) Love you Gibson.
As long as you know what you're
doing with your pliers there is no problem with that
Agreed, if you're not an clod, it works like a champ.
Thank you so much, Jim. Tonight with the guidance of your videos I've been able to setup my Les Paul so that it plays the way it did before a guitar shop adjusted it during a servicing. Its been two years since I could play that guitar without strings buzzing. With the help of your videos and some proper tools I determined the shop had adjusted the neck perfectly flat and lowered the action to barest minimum height. This did not suit my playing style at all. After introducing a bit of neck relief and adjusting the action height, its back to playing and sounding and feeling like it did in 2019. THANK YOU! I was about ready to sell this guitar and give up on it completely. I'm glad I didn't.
Thanks jim. now i need 15cents. just bought my les paul and im broke, But worth it, love it. Dont think they set up my guitar right. Brand new from the nashville headquarters. Hope adjusting the action is all it is and Not The Fret Raised. 1st string, High E has a lil buzz noise. But thanks for all the videos, If i cant find out what it is, And fix it my self, I'll find a certified Master Luthier like you to help..
I love the tips on this video. I'm not sure if I would take the needle nose pliers to the thumb wheels though. I can see one stripping the teeth off the wheel, and or scratching the finish. That's just my own observation.
Agreed, Music Nomad makes a great spanner wrench that not only adjusts thumbwheel easily, it also lifts control knobs off without damage as well, worth the $10!
@@billlynch9907 Music Nomad makes some great, adorable products. Tha is for the tip brother.
Just wrap some fine cloth around the wheel or the pliers.
It's probably fine if you're careful, but yeah, I also thought they should have added a disclaimer for the "less handy" in order not to damage the steel. It scratches very easily, or even deforms.
Very helpful. How do you decide what to adjust? the bridge or the truss rod?
Did the dime and buckle trick. That’s pretty cool. Feels pretty good. Only complaint I have it my R8 doesn’t seem to sustain much anymore. Could just be me being it picky. I tend to look for things wrong rather than just enjoy it.
I don’t use needle nose. I use my ESP multi spanner tool that came with my Eclipse. Works fine on Gibson’s. They sell them on eBay for a few bucks. The ESP branded one is about 10$. But they work on toggle switches, output jacks, tailpieces, etc. a handy tool to have. The Gibson multi tool also has a string height gauge. 👊🏻
Stew Mac makes a bridge jack that works better than anything else.
@@SDPickups yeah, they should be for the price and shipping. Lol. My ESP came with the tool that gets the job done. My Gibson came with a decent multi tool. Stew Mac has nice stuff. But I’m just a player and not a luthier. So I’m just using items that get the job done with some degree of accuracy and within tolerance. I’m not bad mouthing stew Mac . They have nice tools. I purchase parts from them regularly. But for a DIY player just making common adjustments, there are more economical ways to get the job done. But yeah, Stew Mac had nice stuff.
My LP does not have the "hex" adjustment screws on the bridge...however it does have slots for a straight slot screw driver...so can they be used instead of turning the thumb wheels?
Thanks for the video, I had no idea guitars needed this. Also, whats up with that V guitar? what kind of players use something like that? very interesting shape
Wow! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hi everyone! I have a Gibson J45 and I use 011 gauge strings. What action should I leave on the 12th fret on the 1st and 6th strings and also what is the relief?
Nice guide Jim , I have a question about tailpiece : tailpiece height and level , how we can adjust the tailpiece at the right height ? The studs should stay at the same height ? Thanks
Great presentation! Will try this and report any changes.
Question about playing barre chords on the 12th fret and higher;
Can't get my large fingers to fit in the frets above the 12th fret.
Any ideas? For song Big Bang Baby by STP - Can't fit the quick-chord-change he does.
Is it the space between the frets on my 2022 - 1958 reissue Les Paul Murphy Lab above the 12th fret?
I noticed the action is much higher on this R8 guitar than it is on my other two Gibson LP CS Black Beauty Customs 2012 and 2013 Richlite and Baked Maple. They all have 0.10"s
I have a '94 Epiphone Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, dual humbucker. The action is obscene, I never in my life seen anything like it and I was actually worried something might be wrong lol. At the 12th on the bass side it's about 0.90, 0.75 treble side. But it doesn't buzz, at all. Not even a little bit. And bends don't fret-out. Someone put Gibson solid bridge posts and a Nashville bridge on it so maybe that has something to do with it? I just checked with a nickel and dime too and both E strings are at dime-level @the 12th. Bass side is actually slightly under dime-level.
Thanks for the awesome video though, after I watched it I started using the nickel/dime measurement on all my guitars, saves a lot of time!
A very informative video... would like to see him do one on adjusting a es335. Also maybe how to adjust the neck if you switch over to a different string gauge from the ones that were originally strung (shipped) and set up on the guitar. UPDATE... My bad, just found Jim's video on adjusting the neck... Woo-Hoo
Awesome video , I hope we see more. A simple restringing the guitar would be awesome , I know I’d appreciate it.
It’s on our channel
Shame that we do not have dimes and nickels lying around outside the US. Would appreciate to know what thockness you would consider a thin or a thich pick please.
Hey, what would you guys say is the best way to clean gold plated guitar hardware? I have an '05 LP Custom, the gold guitar hardware looks tarnished and on the brink of corrosion having been left for several years. I don't want to use anything to make it worse. I have the Gibson branded metal cleaner but I even saw on the Gibson forums that a tech said it could damage the gold finish? Is that true? Thanks for any help.
What is the exact name brand of this six inch machinist rule? And, where can I buy it online? I just bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard 60’s in the Bourbon Burst finish just last week. It’s absolutely amazing!
it would be awesome to know the serial numbers of the guitars in this demo series just in case we end up buying them!
Is there any reason you might want to raise or lower the tail piece of a tune-o-matic rather than the bridge? Will that help with action adjustments as well?
Just got my first Gibson, 2016 Les Paul Studio in gloss black. Fucking love it. Watching all of your videos and have pretty much set it up as I like it. Low e was being a pain with intonation which had me really pay attention to the state of the neck, string gauges, my overall goals, etc. Really happy with how it is now, thanks for all your help!
A multi-spanner is what I use for turning thumbwheels. With a pice of cardboard underneath for protecting the finish/body. Of course.
Thanks. Really clear and helpful video (except for the metric units and American coins but I'll manage 😂).
Do I have to readjust the intonation after changing the action?
So I lowered my action until the strings buzzed and brought it up just a bit. Feel great now.
But it did mess up my intonation. I guess that makes sense since the string lengths are changing. Easy enough to fix.
Also decided to lower my pickups too as they were sitting a bit too close to the strings. I've heard you get a better tone when they're further away. I can't hear the difference but may as well.
Are you measuring from the fretboard to the bottom of string or from the fret wire?
Wife bought a Modern that was a mod last week. The low E buzz like mofo on the 12th fret. I checked the nut and bridge saddle. They are perfect. Is my E string wacked? It's a 46.
What is a good action if you play slide?
Any reason why a LP bridge would be set lower on the low strings rather than vice versa? The action seems pretty even but I always thought the higher strings could go a little lower? Cheers
Love the Nickle and Dime trick. I can hear musicians at gigs all across America... "Damn! Hey man, you got a Dime and a Nickle..."