How To Properly Set Up An Acoustic Guitar
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2017
- Setting up an acoustic guitar from start to finish, with a few tips and in fairly great detail. Should be detailed enough to answer basic questions.
If you run into problems not explained here, I highly recommend taking the guitar to a tech in your area. There are honestly too many things a specific problem COULD be... without holding a guitar in my hands and seeing it myself it's almost impossible to diagnose the problem.
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Attention!
You are responsible for your own actions, and any video on this channel is intended for entertainment purposes only. I, or the DaveyDacusGuitars channel are not responsible for any damage done to instruments, or any harm done to you using a technique that use. Using any power tool is inherently dangerous and you are responsible for knowing and understanding how to safely operate them. This channel and myself assume absolutely no responsibility for actions you take.
I'll never leave my guitars with this guy for adjustments and regulations. But thanks, anyway. He's doing his best, and sharing what he knows.
There's a thousand videos for setting up electrics, but not that many for acoustic. Great job. Thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic master class action setup, thanks for sharing with us.
Great Video....re- watched it and refreshed my memory....I picked up a used acoustic and the strings at 12th fret are really high...will be a challenge, but I may try it....suppose the most I can do is have to buy a new saddle if I screw it up..lol......I used your method about a year ago and it helped with another guitar....in any event, at my age of 68, my hands are not what they used to be and any reduction in height only helps......thanks!!!
Hey, thank you for taking the time to make this video. Great job, I learned a lot. I’m installing a piezo pickup on my hummingbird and I’m going to have to take the saddle down. After watching this I feel much more comfortable.
Thank you for watching!
Great detailed explanation, thank you for taking the time to write this!
Count me in on your uploads...
Thanks! Touched my inner luthier.
thanks ....this is evergreen ....i just noticed and leaned something ....just bought guitar yesteday and got some setup work to do
Phenomenal craftsmanship, thanks from Scotland
Thanks for your educational video
Great video, thanks for sharing, I am learning
Thank you for an extremely informative and complete set up video! :)
Thank you for watching!
Great video!!! Very informative. Thank you.
Very good.
Thank you for pro advice~🎸
Helpful, thank you for the video. All stuff I have been curious about.
You are very welcome! Thank you for watching!
best video I have seen. Great job.
Fantastic video! Very Informative!
thank you so much great video.
I learned several things. Thanks!
Very good guidance. Thanks.
Really well done and informative video. Thanks for posting it!
Much respect my friend. I have an LG3 but mine is beat to hell. 1959.
Thanks. Makes sense to me. Appreciate the reply!
As for the capo on the first fret, I believe some luthiers do this so they can do everything at the bridge at one time. It eliminates the nut height from the equation, allowing them to set the bridge where they want it first. They then come back and do the nut separately.
I don't find it to be much of a time saver, just another way of doing it.
So as I say, to each thier own.
EXCELLANT ~ !!! I learned more from this vid about set-ups than any single other resource before this 'un. All 29:37 kept my interest, I even replayed several parts to focus on choice details. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights!
I'm working now on salvaging a basically decent solid hard-used old Korean Carlos 240 that fell into my lap, raising it from the closet dead-zone. It has some to-be-expected issues from being too-long neglected, doing a truss-rod adjustment and cutting new bone bridge and nut, maybe adding brass pins, and likely a soundhole PU, maybe a piezo bridge PU too.
I was looking for something more 'off' to make into a ruff-and-tumble N'Orleans slide gittar, but this ol' girl has good clean bones, looks like she might still rock-and-sing in standard EBGDAE. Mucho thanX, compadre! Regards.
~ : )
Excellent not excellant...
Grammar Nazi in da houz~
@@danielmconnolly7 man I was gonna say lol
GREAT JOB!!!
brrriiliant video and work. thankkss ever so much
Great video! Instead of my finger I like to use a capo on the 1st fret that way when I depress the 12th fret I still have a free hand to slide a string gauge or a small ruler under each string individually to get a more precise measurement on each string and write it down. that helps later if I have to replace the saddle and or nut to adjust the action :) Thanks for the video! You now have another subscriber :)
That's a great idea. I feel like I should have thought of that at some point Haha I'm not a capo player and actually don't even own one.
Thanks for the good nugget
@@daveydacusguitars9033, Davey, using the "Capo trick" is the correct way!
DaveyDacusGuitars On acoustic guitars you should do your measurements from the 12th fret, not the 17th. Acoustic guitars have “fall away” due to the neck angle at the body that varies on different guitars, and players usually don’t play that high up. Martin recommends about .090”-.110” at the twelfth fret, and for the same reason, you should check relief via straight edge or string fretted at the body joint for the same reason. Also, that nut should have been replaced. That baking soda and CA glue is a short term hack. I would only use that if I had a gig, and didn’t have time to replace the nut, but would replace it ASAP. Building a nut does’t take long, or if time is a factor, a premade nut with adjustments is much better than that.
Thanks so much. This excellent video may save me from having to go with electric. (Hand injury)
I sincerely hope it allows to keep playing the way you want!
Try some extra light strings as well, to make it even easier to play
I learned ALOT from this!!! Meaning...I really didn't know much...all kidding aside..thanks for the time you put into this video...now let me take this "potential" knowledge and make it useful thereby giving knowledge...power
Thanks for watching! Glad you found this useful.
Awesome video! ✌🏻
Very good tutorial, 1st on u-tube 👍
Thanks!
Well done, very informative.
I was trying to sleep but you came up on my tv!!!
Ivan!!!
What did you have to give for the Buck Brothers Plane ? Nice !
I tried to order a Brace pry from stew Macs, the tool was £7.99 the postage was £43.99. Here in the UK we don't have a Stew Macs, you have a wonderful resource in that mans store.
I feel very blessed to have been born here in America. Opportunities are everywhere here.
Yikes! For that amount of $ I would say maybe you could have your instrument taken to a repair shop and have the brave repaired professionally. A lot less trouble for you.
You could also build one on the cheap from hardware store parts probably. Here we would call that main part you need a turnbuckle. But again, easier for you to take it to a shop maybe.
Thanks for commenting!
Best setup video I’ve seen so far. Thinking of doing my own. I’ve got a 95 SJ180 Yamaha. Have had Alvarez,Martin,Gibson. This Yamaha has a sweet sound. Action high at 5th fret up. Where should I start. Wanting bone saddle and nut also. Just don’t to mess it up.
Well if you go the DIY route, or decide to have it done I'd say the first stop would be a local music store. Pick out some strings, a saddle of you need one.
I have these videos up so people can know what they are getting into before starting. A standard set up like this can be done for you for around $50, including parts probably in most areas. Especially is you don't need the nut rebuilt. So it's up to you if you wanna learn to do this, or just have it done at that price with someone who already has all the needed tools.
I'd say weigh that out, if you still decide to go for it, good luck! There is a bit of a learning curve with any skill like this, don't be upset if you mess it up the first time!
Thanks.
Good job you definitely got the experience. I only figured out these tricks by myself after 40 years of guitar playing and took me almost 5-6 years before I master the manual work well. Thanks for your tutorial.
Thanks!
Much of it is borrowed experience. I've worked around guys who've been doing this kind of work since the early 1970's. Thier experience and willingness to teach has been a huge asset for me.
❤😮❤ thanks but I wanted you to check first with guage string heights at first and twelve before and after. And check intonation before and after. Thanks I Am going to buy some saddle to try that I may even get a nut while at the store. ? What are the target string heights? What can be done about the Bridge coming unglued.??❤😮❤
Really enjoyed the video....very thorough and it shows one needs the proper equipment....in replacing the saddle, do you have a preference of brand and material?
Hi george1mac
I have no preference really for brand. As for material, it is hard to beat bone. There are some modern materials that are very good as well. Tusq for example, which I think is a brand name, as well as a material.
The only thing I can really say is to avoid the cheaper plastics out there. They function just fine, and are on numerous instruments, but really provide little in the way of tone.
Thanks for watching!
excellenttttt vid ty
I'm very impressed with this wideo. :)
@Wrdn54 yeah, too much blah blah blah.
thank you
Thanks! I have seen the bridge, just in front of the pin, enlarged with a dremmel, supposedly to increase the angle from pin to saddle. Is this good practice, in your opinion? Cheers
The strings need a certain amount of force downward on the saddle. The only way to get the in some cases is to make a small notch with a dremel tool, or small hand saw to increase that angle as you said.
Is it good practice?? I have had to do it to some instruments. There are circumstances where it's the best solution.
It's needed sometimes because the neck has usually lost some pitch over the years and the saddle has been cut lower in order to bring the action down. The saddle ends up way closer to the top surface of the bridge than the manufacturer ever imagined and the angle is insufficient for the downward force needed. So you then have basically 3 options really. Reset the neck so you can have proper acceptable saddle height above the bridge, make a new bridge that is lower profile (or shave the current bridge to a lower profile), or... make a simple slot for a better break angle over the saddle.
Most people with lesser valuable instruments usually live with the slot in the bridge. It's the cheapest solution by far. It yields a better playing and better functioning instrument for the least amount of effort and money. And if it's done well it doesn't look unattractive. Unless you really looked you probably wouldn't notice by appearance without studying the instrument pretty closely. The string is right in that slot and it's what stands out to the eye against the dark wood anyway.
This was an excellent presentation, thank you
My guitar is the el 00 mahogany , thanks
Can you file the bridge top saddle slots to bring the strings down a bit individually?
+henryssurfshowcase
While it is technically possible, it is typically frowned upon. Most people don't prefer the appearance of a slotted bridge.
And more importantly it increases risk of a few things. I've seen plenty this way especially in the used market with large chips coming out of the face of the saddles. They don't hold up well after they've been slotted. It seems to increase risk of the saddle breaking along the slots as well. It can also be considered uncomfortable on the palm of the picking hand depending on the players technique.
The best solution is changing the top radius of the saddle to match the fingerboard radius, reintroducing a crown or single contact point for the string, and then set the action from the bottom surface like shown. It is even possible to adjust intonation a bit here if needed.
Changing the radius of the top of the saddle is necessary about 50% of the time. Completely missed including that, this guitar didn't need that to happen, the fingerboard and saddle radius matched pretty closely.
Thanks for sharing your methods, but I think it's much better to do the nut before the bridge/saddle.
In general, upon inspection of a guitar if the nut is outrageous, yes, you are correct. More benefit will likely result from cutting the nut closer first. If you mean it in that manner, you are correct. For instance if I have a student with a poorly set up guitar, I might take 5 minutes and knock those nut slots way down free of charge for them, but I would leave room for a full more precise set up to be performed later. Cutting too close when other factors are out of place could force them later to buy a new nut and pay for it's fitting to the instrument as well.
I tend to "ball park" both first. Then fine tune a bit, then a third and final round ending on the nut.
They do affect each other very slightly, and nut height can be in the single digit thousandths of an inch range on the skinny strings. Given that, movement of any degree at the saddle can throw an already close nut slot into the too close range, resulting in an open string sitarish buzz.
Everyone has their own methods and approaches to things though. I was told when I was less experienced to do the nut last. I thought it made no difference until an experience later convinced me otherwise, so I now do it this way.
Appreciate the comment
Thank-You!
No problem thank YOU!
Excellent video, extremely well presented and full of hands-on tips for set-ups. Especially useful for those with guitar collections, where adjustments need to be made periodically, or when one is regularly buying/exchanging guitars.
While highly experienced techs will always be essential for the serious work, I have resorted to attempting tasks shown here because of the expense and having always to wait for in the queue for store set-ups, thus being without a favoured instrument sometime for months.
One question from your video. If what I understood is right, does easing, or opening up nut slots a tad help to make strings feel less stiff and flexible, as well as improving tone? I have specific guitars where all the strings (even 12's/light gauge strings) feel uncomfortably stiff, thereby making the guitar taxing to play, and bending strings almost impossible.
Two requests. Please offer advice on choosing a suitable tool kit for these tasks, and similar, and where best to source them.
Secondly. Advice on making jumbo frets feel less intrusive. Specifically, is there anything that can be done to make jumbo frets (as fitted on various makers of imported acoustic guitars like Faith, Eastman) feel less intrusive like road bumps, other than re-fretting? I'd like these guitars a LOT more if they had Gibson, or Martin style frets.
Thank you so much.
Very glad you enjoyed the video!!
As for the first, opening up the nut slots will usually help improve tuning a bit as the strings will not be as likely to grab in the nut. You can hear this "grabbing" as popping and cracking sounds while tuning a guitar, the string hangs up and releases periodically, sometimes even during bending strings. The nut often isn't always the only place they "grab", but freshly cut slots help with that issue. And of course usually the primary reason for cutting the slots is to get a reasonable action there.
As for sourcing tools for that, I bought my gauged files years ago from stew mac before I was really smart enough to shop around, so they did cost me a decent chunk. I think around $10 a pop or maybe more than that. But they have lasted literally for years amd they are still going.
I personally like the jumbo frets. When fretting or refretting my personally guitars I usually go with the jumbos. I like the tall, nearly scalloped kind of feel they give. I have friends who are very heavy handed on the fretting hand and they can not stand to play the jumbos as they pull the string out of tune too easily with all that space underneath.
To help relieve the railroad tie feel of jumbos when I fret with them I always make sure that the ends or nicely shaped amd rolled. You still feel that but it helps when they are nicely shaped and rounded at the corners and smoothed over and polished up. Also I think the shape of the the crown is important. Some factory frets in cross section are essentially perfectly semi-circular and I think that can leave them a bit uncomfortable to glide over. I will usually try to break the edges of the semicircular shape (or whatever shape they actual are) so that the fingers don't feel them as much when gliding over. I know you were hoping to avoid fret work... I would say try to give them a good polish and see if that helps a bit.
As for playing stiff.... I have yet to discover why some guitars play that way. A friend of mine has a beloved guitar hes been playing for like 30 years now... an extremely heavily modified parts caster in the strat shape... thing plays like a beast. It plays good dont get me wrong but that thing tries to buck you off!! 9s feel like 10s. 10s feel almost like 11s.... he taught me most of what I know about guitar work.... neither of us know what that guitar is that way. It's been refretted, set up is proper, nut is good..... no clue what causes that. And I've encountered others.
Hope that helps a bit!!
@@daveydacusguitars9033 Gosh, such a quick response, thank you very much indeed, much food for thought. One cannot over emphasise how much good advice and cross referencing is such benefit regards maintaining the instruments we love to play and get so attached. You will already know that when dealing with highly discerning musicians and their guitars.
On the subject of crowning jumbo frets, yes I am already considering this. I take it this means drawing something like a concave crowning file over each fret, then getting them level? If so, I would like to see this done. Maybe you could recommend a competent tech seen performing this task on UA-cam, and, do you consider this task within the capabilities of a relative amateur?
Meanwhile, I'm indebted to you.
As for a video for reference, Crimson custom guitars has an older video on leveling and crowning, it's not in line with the more recent content that channel puts out but it is good info. He is dressing the frets on a PRS guitar I believe in the video I'm thinking of. For guitar building in general Fletcher Handcrafted Guitars has very detailed videos for the entire process from rough lumber all the way to set up. He's really super good I think, he has a library of content to look through as well, presents the information very well also.
In general you want to search for "level and crown" or "dressing frets" maybe
So when you finish out new frets, or dress older ones... you start with leveling, this makes the tops of the frets all flat. Then they get crowned afterwards, making them round again. You mark the fret with like a sharpie or something so you can see the flat too better, as you crown you work it to as small a point as possible, not leaving much "shoulder" I guess you could call it on there. So that they are less likely to ever make contact as you glide over them. That's all I mean when I say that. Hard to describe without showing. As I said before a good polish goes a long way also.
I've crowned with flat files, such as a triangular profile file, and with the curved "crowning" files before and I'm okay with either method. Once you see the process you'll unserstand what I'm saying a bit better. If you are a mechanically minded individual you will enjoy the process and the work.
As for if an intermediate or beginner can do this kind of job... well... I think experience is a great teacher. And the experts were all beginners or intermediates at some point in the past. I would not pick a very valuable guitar to be your first, but if you can pull this off the cheap guitar you pick will probably play and feel better afterwards. If you don't, it might be a little on the expensive side to get a pro to fix it back up for you.
I wish you luck with it!
@@daveydacusguitars9033 Once again thank you for your time and trouble passing on this information. I will check it all out, with interest.
Yes, I am semi-mechanically minded, a guitar and banjo player with a lot of experience in the timber industry, plus some silversmithing/jewellery making expertise, so what you say all makes sense. The more I learn about guitar repairs and set-ups, the more fascinating and valuable to a musician it becomes. A keener pair of eyes would help, but one can't have everything! For me, it's important to be able to take on these essential maintenance tasks myself, or on behalf of music students who leave their instruments with me.
Very good, I learnt a lot! Does anyone know how to lower the saddle on a Taylor with the ES2 pickup? I think that piezo acts against the side of the saddle. There are three adjustment screws between the saddle and the bridge pins. Will the pickup need an adjustment after the saddle has been removed and reinstalled?
I personally have not. The design is intriguing. It seems as though set up is performed, then the pickups are adjusted afterwards. But I've never even seen this pickup system in person.
I can tell you that Taylor guitars has a fantastic customer support line. I looked into becoming an authorized repair and warranty center for them once. I should probably do it actually still.
Once a company becomes an authorized repair center, they gain access to tons of videos and instruction courses from Taylor themselves explaining how to properly work on thier stuff. And they have quite a lot of proprietary and unique things that just aren't going to be seen on other guitars.
My advice is call them and explain, give them your location. They will tell you where the nearest authorized repair center is that is capable of handling your needs. They go by a like a tiered system, the more capable the repair shop, and the more courses they've completed, the higher level the shop is. They will point you in the right direction. Even if you're not the original owner of the guitar.
DaveyDacusGuitars Thank you for your extensive answer! I found a video by Rob at Taylor that explains the mechanics of the ES2: ua-cam.com/video/TLzGXaaM1lc/v-deo.html I tried a 1.3 mm hex wrench and it fit perfectly into the three adjustment screws. They are used to bring the three piezos in contact with the backside of the saddle. I think a simple listening test will be enough to obtain the right pressure when remounting the saddle. It is not rocket science. Got an extra saddle to experiment with from my Taylor store yesterday. Next step will be to set up a workplace for the sanding procedure and start practicing. Thanks again for your video, it will be a valuable starting point. I will report the result here eventually.
Nice. Thanks for sharing.
Hello there, for my D18 (2021) I use 13 gauge. Now I mostly play with fingers including the strumming. What in your opinion should be the numbers at the 12th fret. Note: I often downtune ½ or 1 step. Thank you.
I think that's all to taste. But at the 12th a reasonable acoustic action is around .090 to .100 high e and .110 to .125 or so on the low e.
But again it's to taste. Some with a soft touch like to cheat that as low as possible. Some heavy handed bluegrass players like the clarity offered by a higher action.
Ultimately that's the decision. How much clarity vs how easy it is to play. And play style factors in that decision a lot. You playing mostly with fingers would allow for lower action than most I would think.
In the past martin has always shipped guitars with very high action. Flatpickin bluegrass ready. But in recent production years they are shipping with a lower action from the factory from what I've seen.
❤😮❤ what kind of glue and clamp can be used to set & to reglue the Bridge ? What about the under side of bridge all that missing chunks of wood on my guitar that I am trying to get back in shape? ❤😮❤ and the face of the guitar is slightly bowing UP around the base bottom of bridge where it is coming loose leaning tilted slightly toward finger board as it is pulling the glue apart.
Thanks for watching!
So you don't glue saddles in. They should be made so they are a press fit, not too tight and not too loose. The strings hold the saddle on, but also a well made saddle doesn't fall out of the slot without at least a little persuasion.
The nut is a lot more tricky than the saddle and requires a few special tools to make it right. The correct size files etc...
This video is so old I don't remember the missing wood you are talking about. I do things a little differently these days as far as where I measure the action. There is no true "target" measurement though, that varies a little to each player. Some like higher action and a more clear tone. Many like a lower action and sacrifice a little bit of tone to get the strings lower. It's a preference thing from player to player.
Either way I this helps you and gets your guitar playing well again for you!
Thanks again for watching
I like this video
Thank you!
can you do a video of the same technique on a 12 string acoustic, thanks
Well in most cases the procedures are identical. If the saddle is the same as this guitar's it can be adjusted the same way. The nut on a 12 string is a royal pain. Getting access to the truss rod adjustment is typically a pain. Tuning and de-tuning multiple times during set up is typically a pain... Haha you get the idea.
In all seriousness they are essentially the same as a 6 string. Double work at the nut, and extra time and patience should be allowed for the work, but the process is essentially the same.
As a tech, 12 strings are not exactly fun ones to see come across the work bench. They sound cool and have thier place though.
around 27:00 when you are cutting the nut so that the strings sit as close as possible to the first fret, won't they eventually touch it as the string indents into the nut over time?
Could you also help me understand why we are cutting the nut? Is it to make fretting the lower frets easier on the fingers? Doesn't cutting the nut change the action that you so carefully adjusted beforehand?
It is a neccessary step. Typically a nut blank is cut way over size, to the point where the strings can be up to an 8th of an inch off the first fret. That's way too high.
It does wear over time, and it does lower the action at the bridge slightly as you lower the slot. As I say in the video I get all adjustments close first, then finalize them. Truss rod, action, nut, in that order are all brought close to final, then all the way to final adjustment. So it isn't changing the overall action in a noticeable way, because its brought very close to begin with. The final cut is probably removing like .005 -.010 of an inch.
Its one of those things where if you experience having to play a guitar where the nut action is very high, you see very much so why its needed.
Also the wear is insignificant. I usually leave a bit of room to wear as well, and stil function okay. Some players prefer it laying very close here, and understand that the nut will need a shim in a year or two, or recutting, but chose the advantage of playability the close action at the nut offers. One guy I'm thinking of plays 5-6 nights per week at times, he wants the action at the lower frets down WAY close to be like butter back at the low frets. He knows its going to need maintenance more often because of that, but wants things as easy as possible on the job.
I think most people kicking around at home won't play it enough to wear for several years. Is only going to wear during tuning, bending, or anything else that causes the string to move back and forth in the slot.
Thanks for the comment! I'm happy to explain. Hope it helps get your guitar playing better for you.
thank you for this video. i'm having difficulty with that sitar sound on the treble side of acoustic. sometimes fretted, most of the time open. i checked fret level and its good. sometimes the saddle has a groove from the string and the nut could be to straight.
what are the steps you take to fix an acoustic that rings out that sitar sound? Thanks.
Usually this problem is the nut or the saddle. The nut could be too low. That's a good video idea actually showing how to "stuff" a nut slot.
Usually is just the the string needs to ring from a single point at the very edge. If its ringing from the back of the nut the "sitar" sound comes out open, but stops fretted.
Some times the saddle can be worn as well and become slotted. Again, the string needs to ring off the very front edge and it will correct the sitar sound.
If its mutplie strings on the treble side a quick solution might be a shim to under the nut on that side. Ideally I'd use some type of hardwood. Mahogany or maple depending on the neck. I've seen people stiff cardboard under one before! It would stop the sitar sound problem but it can't be good for tone transfer Haha
A guitar pic makes a decent shim as well. Well.. better than cardboard Haha
Hope you get your guitar playing better!
Just subbed and thanks for the reply. After getting a setup from someone and not being happy with it I'm starting to learn how to do my own setups and your vid helps a lot.
Just bought some baking soda and super glue. Just gonna fill em all up and redo the slots again.
I think the slot is to low also.It's a baby taylor and looking at it now, the string from the peg to the nut has very little break angle.
So was thinking to raise the nut slot up enough where the first fret string height is good and if can't, to just add a string tree and force a steeper break angle.
One idea is to leave a bit of extra string on there, then make sure it winds under when you tune up, that will help increase the break angle. Might be preferable to adding string tree.
Sometimes that trick is needed on strats and teles on the thrid string.
You seem to be a nice young man who loves working on guitars. My recommendation would be to watch some Stewmac, Rosa String Works and Randy Shartiger videos on setup and guitar repair. There are measurements to take in lowering a saddle, setting and checking relief and checking string action you might want to check out. String action is done at the 12th fret. I’m sure there are different methods but you didn’t do much measuring anywhere. Sorry to be so critical but it scared me when you tightened the truss rod on a vintage guitar with string tension. There should never be tension on the strings when adjusting that truss rod. You should always loosen a truss rod to be sure it moves before tightening it. You can snap one very easily. Good luck to you.
Thanks for the veiw and comment, I truly appreciate the engagement.
I've never heard of taking tension a neck to adjust the rod.
ua-cam.com/video/SAg6Kvbr_OU/v-deo.html
Apparently neither has Dan Erlewine. I'd only take the tension off if I had to pull the neck to adjust a heel adjust like in an old fender, just like Dan shows in the video here.
I've seen a few truss rods break, and you most definitely know it well before it happens. Never with a good quality guitar. I've seen I think 3 break. They were all super cheap import guitars. Either taken on trade by a music store, or in one situation we actually had the customer present, explained to him that we thought the rod would break if we tried any more. He had little invested in the guitar and it REALLY needed the adjustment to be playable, so he gave the go ahead for us to try and bring the neck into adjustment, and pop. We tuned it open E for him and he bought a slide hahaha
I know it can seem scary, but understanding the limits of the materials involved in guitar neck is important, and only comes with time working with said materials.
If you watch in this video above Dan has a neck heel clamped in a vice and is really exaggerating the movements of the headstock end of the neck for demonstration purposes. That would be way scary to some people seeing a guitar neck bend and bow like that. But they are simply maple, or mahogany in the case of this video, or whatever other wood. It is in their properties and nature to be able to do so. It's partly why these materials are chosen for this purpose.
I do know in this case you are talking about the rod and not the wood, but same principle. Dan knows good and well he can jerk that piece of wood all over and it'll be just fine and that those movements are all well within its limits.
My point I guess is that you get familiar with these kinds of things and at times you can know and perceive the limits without thinking about it all that much.
About the measuring, I personally feel that "feel" is much more important. I did more measuring than is shown in some cases, but in many cases work is simply more efficient if you can eliminate measuring all together. I recently laid ceramic tile in my kitchen and dining room. I used off cuts and such and made small marks to cut out odd corners and around cabinets and such. Everyrhjnf fit like a glove when finished. Ultimtely the number doesn't matter. It's if the end result is what it needs to be, or if it isn't. I can bet that those people could measure this set up, and it would land within thier acceptable specs.
Again thanks for you comment and veiw. If you had any questions about acoustic setup I hope this answered them for you. Its not the end all be all of set up work by any means, but it should help point anyone seeking this knowledge in the right direction.
James Dahl, so you want this kid to get bad advice? I watched a Stewmac video last night that was supposed to show truss adjustments, they started with a Les Paul and did ok, but then fumbled with an old Fender, not explaining the proper way, never showed a modern Fender or a Martin! Shartiger is a hillbilly, and IDK about Rosa, but he seems to be doing all right here.
When removing material from the bass side only on the saddle, could you not cover the section NOT to be removed with a piece on thin steel.? A piece from a food can perhaps or an old feeler gauge
I have never had the need to find an alternate method. It works quite effectively and quickly to just adjust the pressure.
Frets can also be leveled with sandpaper as well. Regular nickel/silver frets, or even much harder stainless steel feet wire. So I believe rather quickly, that the metal would simple wear away, especially like a soft aluminum food can.
I'm sure it would work as you suggest with some harder metal like a feeler gauge, but doing many many set ups you'd go through many sacrificial pieces of metal over and over. Your logic is sound. But like I say it's very effective to simply adjust pressure so... I've never needed an alternative method for this.
as I've come to understand from PRECISION custom guitar makers , THE SADDLE is very important as to how tightly it fits and how it transfers vibration to the top....it should be CONTOURED to match the fingerboard radius and brought down to the proper height by taking material off the bottom smoothly to maximize contact when seated....no spacers
Hi, my 12 string yairi dy72 is in very high action, is this video also compatible with this kind of guitars (12 string)?
I have .140" at E Bass strings
Yairi guitars are great!
I personally own a wy-1 in a kind of oddball purple color with a quilted maple top!
I Googled that model to look at pictures. It looks like it would be the same process. But I've never held one of that specific model in my hands.
Some yairi pickup systems are different and material may have to be removed from the top of the saddle rather than the bottom.
I always tell people to have a local tech check it out. Setups are not as expensive as most would think and for the skill, tools, and labor required, simply paying to have it done may be a good fit for your situation.
Best of luck with that guitar!
Truss rod adjustment can be a big factor in 12 strings too, that is a relatively easy fix and can throw you by as much as .010"-.020". But never over tighten!
Thank you for you response, Yes my yairi guitar is great , all started when I changed the strings,the action never was the same again, I take it to a local place here with many years on the trade. they glue the bridge and supposedly to fix action and buzz in a string but they didn't in the action only, the buzz was fixed.
now I am trying to do my self but the truss rod is too hard to tighten and I am afraid of something.
I guess I need to find a better luthier here.
When you put new strings it started?
Hmm..
Maybe making sure to use light, or even extralight strings will help.
Another alternative, is tuning down a half step to make it easier to play, and reduce pull on the neck.
Then to play in standard, you can capo the first fret, you'd have to adjust your mind a bit to everything being a fret higher while playing, but it'll be easier to play that way.
The 12 strings and a capo would make tuning a little bit more irritating though for sure... You'd probably have to do a final tune with the capo in place. But if you intend to leave it that way it shouldn't be too inconvenient.
Just some ideas, hope that helps!
I can see where a disc or belt sander would be a big help for this.
Nice to have power tools, but bone dust is toxic. So either a NICE dust collector is recommended, of a respirator if using power tools.
Some recommend respirators even if using hand tools.
Definitely should have mentioned that if I didn't..
Thank you sir. Great video.
Maton EBG808a, can anybody help with the buzzing on B string at the first 4 frets ? Open string is OK. Guitar action at 12.fret is 1,6 and 1,2 mm...The saddle was little bit sanded. Nothing more.
First I would rule out bad or old strings. Fresh strings will eliminate that possibility. Especially if this issues is on just the one string.
Not every instrument is perfect. To get the buzzing out on some instruments you may have to leave the action a little higher than you'd like, put a little more relief in the neck than you'd like, or worst case scenario possibly the instrument needs work done to the frets.
I recommend these 3 things. 1. Make sure the string is not the problem.
Then either 2 or 3, or possibly both
2. a small shim to raise the action back up just a little.
3. Add just a little more relief to see if the problem goes away
Good luck!
I just got my guitar back from an experienced luthier and I noticed that the groove he cut in the bone nut is not very wide and definitely not as wide as the low E string,it’s staying put and all seems well,is there any reason why it’s not as wide? It’s very narrow and the low E string is basically just resting on it.
I wouldn't be able to tell you any details without seeing it.
Typically the nut slots should seat about half the string down inside, and be wide enough to allow a little movement so it doesn't snag during tuning and bending. Its job is to locate the string for spacing, and it should be low enough to allow easy playability near the nut, and high enough to clear the first fret and allow good clean open string tone.
If the instrument is playing well... maybe it is as it needs to be. If the person who worked was perhaps busy or preoccupied maybe they forgot a detail. It's impossible to say really.
Do you always lower the string height at the nut as your last step? I was not sure if that should be down after the slight adjustment on the truss rod. I always put a capo on the 1st fret and hold the string down at the 12 or 14th fret to check the relief then after the relief is set I would remove the capo and work on the nut string height at the 1st fret then do the string height at the 12th fret with saddle adjustment last. Do you have any suggestions? Do you think it better to adjust the saddle 2nd then do the nut height for 1st fret string height adjustment last?
I personally prefer doing the nut height last. Others argue differently and cut the saddle last. Basically every one agrees about having the truss rod correct before the nut. Probably everyone has cut a nut, tightened the truss rod, then realized they are in trouble and the nut is too close after adjusting the truss rod. I know I did while learning.
Another person commented about using a capo for checking the rod. As I commented on his, I agree it's a good idea. I'm not a capo player and don't even own a capo and it never occurred to me to use one. But it's a good idea.
Back to your question...
My theory is the nut is where the most precision is required. I believe it will affect the saddle adjustment less than the saddle adjustment will affect it, therefore I do it last.
BUT .... I get all adjustments pretty close first. Then fine tune all of them. Rod, saddle, nut, loosely correct. Then again, rod, saddle nut, a bit more time and measurement and precision on the last round. I figure by the time I'm doing the final round they aren't affecting each other THAT drastically anyway. A few thousandths maybe.
I know it works for me. Many happy customers. Many good playing guitars. So I'm sticking with it until something convinces me otherwise.
Thanks Davey I have to agree. @@daveydacusguitars9033
Franko S. Best way is to be adaptable. Which adjustment is out the furthest? If the 12th fret height is close, do the nut first. If the nut is close, but the 12th fret is way off, then do the saddle first. Remember that both affect the 12th fret action, although in general you will usually be taking less off the nut unless it’s a new one.
@Capohd28
First I would like to thank you for keeping comments cordial. I've had to bab some user for just blatantly being rude while commenting.
But I think criticism is fine. No one is perfect and there are some flaws in this video.
It's also at least 3 years old and I've changed a few methods now.
I've left the video as I still believe it has helped more people than its hurt, and many have told me now they can actually play thier guitars again because of this video. While some things outlined here are not the text book correct way to do some things, I still feel it helps people out.
My goal here was not really to teach the masses how to be a luthier, but to help the masses get thier guitars playing at least half decent agian. Or showing them the amount of worl goes into it, and they can decide, hey you know I don't to get into all that, I'm going to just take it to someone.
Twoodford is someone I'm watching on UA-cam now, I think he a an awesome luthier.
Thanks for your input.
@@daveydacusguitars9033 I was wondering whether I should comment on a 3 year old video myself. But youtube is still recommending it so I thought I might list some improvements to your methods that are simple and well known, even if you are already doing these yourself. We are all here to learn, and my comments were not meant to be negative, but to improve on the good information you've provided.
Just curious as to why you measure action at the 17th fret instead of the 12th fret like every other luthier I’ve seen does.
No real reason, I found a range of numbers that works good there and I go with those.
I do also feel that it is ever so slightly more precise. When it comes to adjusting the overall feel especially. I am also used to measuring in thousandths of an inch. I'm not sure the exact relationship between the two measurement locations.... but for instance let's say the action reads .110 at the 12th, move it up to 17th and it reads .140. So I cut the saddle, it then reads .100 at the 12th and then .125 at the 17th. The same love is worth .010 at 12th, and worth .015 at he 17th.
As I said either works. But it's hard when dealing with such small numbers to make such small adjustments. So to me reading at the 17th, I see a bigger degree change and can adjust more accurately. I believe anyway.
Buy truly either works just fine. Just showing generalities here in the video and trying to help people enjoy their guitar more.
Thanks for watching!
Nice... Chris Stapleton plays exactly the same guitar ;)
Could the reason for this guitar sounding wired is the bridge being backwards?
I thought the flat part was supposed to go towards the sound hole and curved section at the rear
On guitars I'm convinced everything has at least some small effect.
As for the bridge being backwards, you are correct, but this is how Gibson sold these and a few other models new, they are sort of known for that.
As for the weird sound, that's more likely due to the fact that I shot this entire video, sound and all, with only a cell phone so.. that's probably more to do with it than anything Haha
Thanks for the comment!
DaveyDacusGuitars NP. Just looks weird seeing a backwards bridge.
Nice video, but I have a couple of questions. You're measuring the action at the 17th fret. I have a couple of action gages, like yours, but both say to measure at 12th fret. Why do you measure at the 17th? Also, some videos show measuring the action height with a capo on the 1st fret, others measure the height without a capo. Thoughts? Thanks.
Capo on capo off, 12th fret, 17th fret.... every thing is preference of the tech.
When you set up lots of guitars you find the measurement that you know make guitars play good. So as long as its consistent from one to the next... they will all play well.
It's all preference of the tech I think.
Lets say theoretically someone draws two perfect circles, one clockwise, one counterclockwise... you won't be able to tell which one was drawn which way. See what I mean??
As a tech I just got comfortable doing things this way, so that's the way I do them. The guy who taught me this stuff does it slightly differently. But we can both look over a guitar the other person set up, and it's like... yeah this all checks out.
Just preferences.
Back Woods, I use a capo at the 1st, and measure at the 12th, as most specs assume that. But most specs show having a rather high action, for my taste. This guy is doing what works for him.
DaveyDacusGuitars As per my other post, I disagree. This shows you are most used to setting up electrics with bolt on necks. Fall away makes this method imprecise for acoustics and the reason acoustic guitar manufacturers specify the 12th fret.
@@capohd28 You are absolutely correct, I've worked mostly with electrics. What you're saying makes sense, so I stand corrected. Learn something new every day. Thanks for your feedback.
I got a new D-18 Martin last week, but the strings are buzzing pretty bad. I assume it's the bridge/saddle which appears to be low on the top E string. How do I raise it myself?
The best way to do it is have a new saddle made that is taller.
Alternately, and possibly sacrificing a bit of tone, or possibly not, you could remove the saddle, put a small shim under the area you want raised and place the saddle back in. You can use like a sliced up guitar pick as a shim if you wanted. They come in a variety of thicknesses so they are great for this purpose.
BUT.... I'm going to suggest having it looked over. Most new Martin guitars ship with fairly high bluegrass player style action. I would not think action is the issue being new.
Being brand new, I'm going to suggest checking the truss rod. If your getting a bunch of buzz a simple turn to loosen the rod might solve every issue you have with the guitar.
Being new and probably recently changing environments from a guitar store or online warehouse to your home, I'm fairly sure the neck has moved at least a little bit.
Have it looked over is my suggestion. And take the truss rod wrench that shipped with your guitar. The new Martins require a unique size and they will need the one that shipped with it to adjust the rod.
Hope that helps!
Thanks. I've looked at a number of Martin's before buying and the saddle doesn't look low to me, so it's probably that. The guy at the shop said they set it up for free within 30 days, so I'll just go back.
So I brought the D-18 to the shop I bought it from, they said I was still in the 30 day-free setup, and the Luthier tried to just raise the neck a little, and SNAP, the truss rod broke. Brand new Martin...fortunately, they were able to get me a new guitar after some tense moments. He said he had never seen that happen before. I'm just leaving it alone now...
Holy cow!
That is an exceedingly rare situation. I mean that's basically unheard of! But things happen.
Good thing the guys at the shop did it for you and you are covered under warranty and all that.
Pretty sure all the other guitar needed was a small tweak to the rod to give the neck a bit of relief. But I guess on rare occasion there is a manufacturing flaw or something.
I wish you better luck with this new guitar!
My high E string is vibrating very oddly and producing a crunchy sound when I pick first 8 frets. How I can I repair it?
Crunchy? Hmmm...?
The only sound I would describe as crunchy is poorly polished frets. Generally as you bend a string or move the string across the fret.
Maybe just "fretting out"? This sounds a bit like the note is being choked. Many possible causes of this. Truss rod too tight, a low saddle, a high fret...
I recommend taking it to a tech near you. If you are interested in doing the work yourself, the local tech near you can maybe at least point you in the right direction. Too many possible causes to determine without seeing it.
DaveyDacusGuitars is there any possibility I can sent you a short video of the problem in my guitar. Its a 9 year old acoustic guitar. When i pick the 2nd fret of high E string it vibrates and simultaneously touches the steel division among frets creating not a clean sound.
Many thanks you replied so quickly.
Well I get the idea of your symptoms. But too many things can cause that problem. It's going to be impossible for me to tell without actually holding the guitar.
I highly recommend finding a local music store with a tech to actually hold your guitar in thier hands to tell you its problems and possible solutions.
I really wish you the best of luck with it, but some one needs to be actually be looking at and holding your guitar to be able to tell you accurately its needs. Many places will check it out for free, and give you some pointers if you prefer the diy approach.
DaveyDacusGuitars OK thanks bro. Will look for it
How do i put the saddle back on?
Hnmm... that's not usually an issue. It should just pop in and out easily.
my martin d 28 saddle, right, still sharp intonation, what to do ?
Unfortunately, there was a time period in Martin's production where this was not uncommon at all. I've seen it so bad people define the low E string because it's crazy sharp, even just at third fret for a G chord.
In combination with being made with this error, the typical martin high action of a certain time period makes this even worse, as you are basically "bending" the note just to fret it.
There are a few options
Fill and reroute the saddle slot.
Make a new bridge entirely.
Or do everything you can to live with it... on this route...A lot of people just make a new saddle and file that low E to the very inside edge, and lower the action a bit at the saddle so you aren't "bending" the note to fret the string, and lastly also check the nut action. The nut action being too high has the same effect as high action at the saddle of making the "bend" effect worse as well. The guitar will play easier, but some hard-core bluegrass players don't like slinky playing guitars as they are a bit quieter. On this route, it's a matter of what you want to live with more.
Check out twoodfrd, he's a really really good Canadian luthier who shows the above processes frequently. He can move the saddle slot and you don't even see that it's been moved. I've moved a couple using his method but he does it for a living and this is a hobby for me so his work is at a higher level than mine.
@@daveydacusguitars9033 thank you for answering, how about a compensated headstock nut ?
That is something I have zero experience with.... I'm not sure if it would relieve your issue or not.
I can say that I have never seen it done to a martin acoustic. Only a handful of ibanez electrics that shipped factory that way.
So the only thing i can offer on that is that, it's likely not a popular solution for that issue.
use a capo on fret 1 is simple and secure.... I press also at fret 14 and look for neck relief...
A few people have mentioned that. It works well yes. I don't really play with a capo at all and I don't even own one, so this never occurred to me. But it works great.
You have a point about the 14th fret thing as well. In many acoustic guitars that's all the rod is going to adjust due to how they are built. I do lots of work on both acoustic and electric. I guess from habit I check clear to the end of the fingerboard like I would on an electric.
Thanks for watching!
I have no idea what unit of measurement you are using (I’m not American) but my action is 3.5 mm at the 12th Fret... is that low?
3.5mm is .138 of an inch, or 138 thousandths, according to a quick online conversion.
You, the player, would be the one to say if it's high or not. Some like the strings up a little to get a nice ringing string free of buzzes, some lay the strings very close for easier pressing with the fretting hand.
It's all about the players preference.
I'm not looking at a scale, but that seems a bit high to me based on the average
DaveyDacusGuitars thanks very much for the advice. it seems ok to me, I’ve played guitars with higher action but I might try and take it down a little. Thanks mate.
Dude I got it wrong, I wasn’t measuring from the frets, I was measuring from the fingerboard 😂 it’s about 2.5mm
Haha it happens!
As long as it's nice and comfortable for you, that's all that matters
G string keeps binding at the saddle....should i file it a little?
How you adress it is up to you really.
Binding will make a kinda popping sound while tuning or even sometimes bending. Binding at the nut is more common. Fresh clean strings help with binding issues, as do fresh clean contact surfaces. Filing a bit might help. If it's truly the saddle perhaps taking out and polishing the top of the saddle with like 220 or 320 sandpaper could resolve it, and not risk changing the action significantly or cause more issues like a weak spot on the saddle which could invite a crack to form in the saddle.
Up to you. Hope you get your issue resolved!
Yeah I've changed the strings and even put some of that nut sauce on the saddle but it still pops when i'm bringing the g string up to pitch then it pops and goes past pitch. So annoying.Definitely sounds like it's happening at the saddle.
Yep. With those symptoms, its definitely somewhere. Binding at the nut is more common, but it happens at the saddle also.
DaveyDacusGuitars thanks for the replies : )
Do you have any thoughts on what might be causing this problem? I've been playing my Ibanez acoustic guitar for 7 years without issues. Now, all of a sudden, although each string is in tune, when I play chords they sound terrible! The neck seems to be okay (no extra bow or visa versa). I hear that the nut can cause this problem, but why would it suddenly be way off? Any ideas? It seems to have happened after I inadvertently let my guitar get kind of cold, but everything seems to look okay. But I have no experience regarding what to really look for. (Just a few UA-cam videos.)
Hi!
It's nearly impossible to tell without looking at the guitar.
First thing you can try before taking it to a tech in your area is some fresh strings. As you press the strings against the frets flat areas develop on the string from string/fret contact, these flat areas disrupt the vibration of the string and cause the old worn strings to sound off flat of the target note. This will increase in severity the farther up the neck you travel. Frets wear away as well from string contact and cause divits, strings fail to sound properly off worn frets. If you've been playing the same guitar for 7 years it might be time to have to checked out, I would suspect general wear more than anything.
I recommend trying the simple things first, some fresh strings. Then try to find a good guitar tech in your area if it's not resolved. Ask other players around if they know anyone, or try mom and pop music stores in your area that have been around a while. They usually have a tech on hand with a good bit of experience.
Hope that helps!!!
Why did you check string height at the 17th fret on the fret board extension which may ramp down. 99% of Luthiers and players check/verify string heights at the 12th fret.
This video was about 5 years ago
I do now check at the 12th
It's also easier to adjust action as it's a 1:2 ratio at the bridge.
Need a 1/16 off at the 12? Cut an 1/8 off the bridge.
Much easier that way
I got the same result measuring at the 17th, but it's just easier to hit the mark with a ton less guess work measuring at the 12th
Had to shut my eyes while you were sanding by hand. Imagined your knuckles getting sanded. :D
I just picked up another acoustic (LAG, french-made). Has a compensated graphite nut and bridge. What’s your opinion on graphite vs. bone nut & saddle?
I think a lot of modern materials are really fine materials for nuts and saddles.
In general it is very very hard to beat the tone of bone. Very noticable if replacing say an Ill fit plastic saddle on an acoustic instrument.
I have graphite on a couple of my electrics to try and get better tuning stability with tremolo use. Like a vintage 6 screw strat style tremolo. Graphite is an acceptable material to me
I will say if I had an acoustic guitar with a really well fit nut and saddle made of any of the modern more premium materials it would be hard for me to say it would be worth it to swap them for bone.
Also.. I'm not sure the benefits of bone translate through a pickup super well. Acoustically maybe it would be more noticable. But I'm not sure any electronics would pick up a very noticable difference between the 2 materials.
American makers PRS and Taylor to my knowledge are not using bone. They are using modern man made materials for nuts and saddles. So thier R&D seems to have a positive opinion of modern materials.
I have a guy who keeps all our guitars in great playing condition.
Step one buy bone bridge pins saddle and nut
What about intonation?
So for an acoustic you are limited to the width of the saddle to adjust the intonation. A shorter distance makes the 12th fret ring sharper. Lengthen the distance to flatten the note. You can usually make very small adjustments filing away material leaving either to the back edge or front edge of the saddle which ever is needed for a correction. I will do this sometimes to aid one that is off but not tooooo far off.
Most guitars are very close and most owners and players will not be that picky over a few cents this way or that. Especially if they play mostly in the open position where intonation isn't as badly affected.
If a guitar is WAY off then it's best to fill the bridge slot and route a new slot in the proper position. I do not however consider that part of a standard set up. That would be a different job, correcting a manufacturing flaw really.
I'm sure that's probably the bridge saddle in your hand in the thumbnail photo for your video, however it makes it look as though you need to roll up a fatty before you adjust your guitar LOL
Why didn't you take the material off the top of the bass side of the saddle
Ideally the top of the saddle needs to match the radius of the finger board. If it doesn't guitars just feel kinda funny.
When the saddle and finger board are the same radius, you don't really wanna go messing with the to. And it would mean having to reshape intonation points, making the saddle look good again since it's a very visible surface etc.... ends up being more work than is required.
98% of the time guitars need the action adjusted from the bottom of the saddle.
Good question. No one has asked that yet.
What happens when your strings are too high that it makes too hard to press down for a smooth play
Thanks for watching!
Short answer, almost everything I talk about in this video could contribute to a guitar not playing well and having strings that are too high, and even more factors I don't mention.
It's impossible to say without seeing an instrument. I would recommend taking it to a music shop in your area and telling them about the problems. They should be able to help you out, or at least point you to the repair person they use who can help you out.
Most guitars can be made quite comfortable to play with some adjustments.
But mainly you would want to start by checking the three big areas for the most improvement...
The saddle at the bridge, is it too tall?
The string height at the nut, are they too high?
And the truss rod adjustment, is it too loose?
Thanks again for watching!
Thumbnail: How to roll a joint using a guitar bridge.
It would be a PINNER !!!😂
Does Rusty use his toenails ? He couldn't use a pick because he doesn't have opposable thumbs😂
S. H. A. V. I. N. G
S. A. D. D. L. E. S. 🌞
starring
HEDLEY LAMAR
Banjos! We don't need no stinking banjos! Haha
Ok
One day america might join the modern world and use the metric system
Why baking soda?
Been a while since I made this video. But I'm assuming I mentioned baking soda while messing around with the nut
If you cut too deep and need to fill the nut back up it's a good color matching filler mixed with a bit of super glue. Also something to do with the chemicals mixing, it acts almost like a CA glue accelerator as well and cures the glue more quickly. Will working filling even a cheap plastic nut as well.
You can sand or file bone and use the shavings, this works as well. Sanding bone is literally dangerous though. The bone dust is very unhealthy to breathe. Warning on that.
On high end work, or like if a person brings in a guitar wanting a really high quality nut replacement I won't do such a thing. I'll remake a nut from scratch if I have to.
But there are circumstances that call for filling. Someone brings in a cheapo guitar and says "Please make this guitar work again", they dont want a $50 nut replacement on a $100 guitar. A filler like this is the most cost effective way to get them going. Or like a cheap trade in at the music store that needs this, same thing, $100 guitar can't get your money back from putting a $50 nut replacement in it. So filling is the way to go.
Again, just a good cost effective solution that works and makes good sense in some cases.
A tutorial should not include your "guess" on saddle material removal based on experience. We buckaroos don't know how much to remove and each guitar is unique. An initial reading should have been performed to indicate how high the existing action is and how much material subsequently needs to be removed to lower the action. Otherwise, thanks.
ah caint member last tahm ah broke uh streng
It doesn't seem to me that literally guessing how much to take off the saddle without measurements is the proper way of doing it. Also the way you're filing it down seems very imprecise.
The video is intended as a rough guide the the process, not an exact 100% accurate, or "this is how every guitar on earth should be set up" video. This just shows the kind of work that goes into a set up, and will allow someone to say "Yes, I want to do this myself" or "You know what... I'm just taking my guitar to someone"
Each guitar is different. I can't really put a "measurement" on what feels good from one guitar to the next. Well built guitars, yes you can, the general stock that comes through a repair shop... not really.
Therefore... what you take off varies one guitar to the next, one saddle to the next. I've done many many many guitars. Nothing really tells you this other than experience. It's a guess, but an educated guess. Some necks are better and you can get away with lower action. Some fingerboards are very unlevel and act strange under tension and truss rod adjustment can be... unpredictable until you just try it.
The hand sanding is actually the best way to do it. I've machine sanded the bottoms, filed, tried all sorts of methods. You have maximum control hand sanding with a "shooting board" type set up, which is essentially what I crudely but effectively improvised with the bottom of a hand plane and piece of stock. It ensures a perfect right angle between the bottom of the saddle and the side, ensures you end up with a perfectly flat bottom, and you'd be surprised how much a small change in pressure effects the cutting of the sand paper.
If customers did not like the results I don't think I would have so many repeat customers.
Hope that helps understand where I'm coming from with the video and if you guitar isn't playing well and you are a DIY kind of person, I encourage you to try a few of the techniques. They work great. Any technique that does the job however, will be just as effective. There are tons of ways to approach everything.
Have a good day!!
Mercedes Benz, he made it better, didn't he?
Too bad you don't know any of the preferred/recommended measurements for set up, verification of neck and saddle radius. Instead you admit it's just guesswork back on experience which certainly won't help a novice.
As I've told others the purpose of the video is to show the process and show people the amount of work and tools involved. Once they know that they can then make the decision to try it, or pay someone.
I feel like there is no one standard that every guitar should be set to. It's very dependent upon the player. The play style, the age of the guitar/fingerboard condition, level of fret wear... too many factors.
Been a while since I reviewed the video but I believe I give a few numbers in there somewhere. At this time I was measuring at the 17th, I now measure at the 12th. I have a little cheap string action rule, a good base line on my scale is around .080 to .110 of an inch for the bass side and anywhere from even to that, or as much as 20 or so thousandths less on the treble. Depending the player, the guitar, and condition of wear on the guitar. Too many factors. There is no one number for every guitar and player out there.
Truss rod adjustment is very dependent upon fret wear condition and fingerboard condition. Especially on an older instrument like this one. I'm sure there is a target number but in my experience depending condition this number can vary widely. You can run some necks almost completely flat without buzz, some you literally have to leave too much relief in unless you want to go through the trouble of a refret to correct fingerboard uneveness issues, or compensate for wear that the customer doesn't want to pay to have addressed.
Sometimes you get to work on something cool like this old Gibson here. Sometimes you feel like a professional turd polisher and you just have to do your best and adjust to each instrument. Since most people attempting this are likely novice, they are all more than likely working on low end instruments. Therefore I can almost guarantee that thier guitar is going to need some degree of compensation off the "standard" to help it play as good as possible in it's current condition.
I did neglect to mention matching the fingerboard radius to the saddle here, someone else pointed that out. I prefer an exact match. In this case the saddle I used already matched. If it had not I would have transfered the radius to the saddle with radius blocks, or just traced out a.. in this case any way... a 12 inch circle amd made the saddle match that to show a method without using radius blocks.
Hope the video helped you some. You wanna watch a guy extremely good at luthirie look up twoodford here on youtube. Excellent videos.
Hey Davey, you should stick to just playing the guitar, and perhaps only working on your own personal guitars. Your work in this video is just too haphazard!
Just buy a Martin and you’re good to go.
Купи мозг и все готово, или посмотри как настраивают Мартынов сразу после покупки
Bridge in the thumbnail looks like a doobie. I thought the video was going to be a guy showing us how to roll a pinner on the guitar.
So that thumbnail was a random frame chosen by youtube when the video was originally uploaded.
Pretty sure it's helped the video get more views!! 🤣
@@daveydacusguitars9033 it’s like “alright hey everyone, we’re gonna roast up this bone, and get into some guitar stuff!” 🤪
10/64s 5/32s means nothing to me. It's 2019 and the worlds been metric for quite a while you know
You obviously don't work in the US aerospace industry. That said, I'm fine with metric.
Video could have cut by two thirds. As in most of these how-to's. too much talking