Guitar "action" just means the distance of the string over the twelfth fret, and a playable action is a must for any acoustic blues guitar player. If you wanted to play several, then you should aim for a medium action. Too low and the strings will make a buzzing sound - if they are too high it will be difficult to hold them down. On the other side of the coin, some players may prefer a significantly higher action, for example if the guitar is to be used mostly for playing bottleneck.
You can set action by adjusting the height of the saddle, which of course changes the distance between the strings and frets along the length of the fret board. First of all, measure the distance of the low E and treble E strings from the twelfth. For a general purpose playing action well suited to finger picking and strumming, the action at the twelfth should be a little less than 3mm for the bass E, and about two millimeters for the high E. Because the 12th fret is precisely half the distance along the string, you should note the distances by which the action needs to be adjusted higher or lower for both E strings, and raise or lower the saddle by double that amount.
If the saddle needs to be lowered, you can file away material from the underneath of the saddle. If the saddle needs to be raised, a hardwood shim of the required thickness can be attached to the base. You must also ensure that the base of the saddle is completely flat, which is very important if it's an electro acoustic guitar, because an uneven saddle can lead to problems with the pickup response.
Check And Adjust The Neck For Straightness. Most modern acoustic instruments are equipped with a truss rod, which adjusts either at the heel of the neck inside the body, or at the headstock. This truss rod balances concave bend, by generating tension in the neck opposite to that caused by the tension in the strings. The strings attempt to pull the neck into a curve. We want some curve, in order the strings don't touch the frets when they vibrate after they are picked. Remove cover of the truss rod end, if your guitar is so equipped, and fit a capo at the first. Press down the bass E string at the fourteenth with your right hand. Using a feeler gauge, measure the distance between the top of the 5th fret and the underneath of the 6th string. There should be a small gap, between 0.15 and 0.05 mm. If you find that your strings buzz, the rod could be adjusted too tight, flattening the neck too much. Release the rod a bit, check the measurement again and try it out. If the neck has too much curvature, then tighten the truss rod. On Martin guitars, use a 5mm allen wrench to turn the truss rod adjusting nut clockwise to straighten the neck and counter-clockwise to add some bend.
Medium gauge strings (.013"-.056") exert more force, and so require more truss rod tension to oppose the tension produced by thicker strings. This results in more volume, sustain and more rounded guitar tone. Without doubt, if you find that you need a lot of force, or you're not happy with this adjustment, take your guitar to your Service Center.
You can set action by adjusting the height of the saddle, which of course changes the distance between the strings and frets along the length of the fret board. First of all, measure the distance of the low E and treble E strings from the twelfth. For a general purpose playing action well suited to finger picking and strumming, the action at the twelfth should be a little less than 3mm for the bass E, and about two millimeters for the high E. Because the 12th fret is precisely half the distance along the string, you should note the distances by which the action needs to be adjusted higher or lower for both E strings, and raise or lower the saddle by double that amount.
If the saddle needs to be lowered, you can file away material from the underneath of the saddle. If the saddle needs to be raised, a hardwood shim of the required thickness can be attached to the base. You must also ensure that the base of the saddle is completely flat, which is very important if it's an electro acoustic guitar, because an uneven saddle can lead to problems with the pickup response.
Check And Adjust The Neck For Straightness. Most modern acoustic instruments are equipped with a truss rod, which adjusts either at the heel of the neck inside the body, or at the headstock. This truss rod balances concave bend, by generating tension in the neck opposite to that caused by the tension in the strings. The strings attempt to pull the neck into a curve. We want some curve, in order the strings don't touch the frets when they vibrate after they are picked. Remove cover of the truss rod end, if your guitar is so equipped, and fit a capo at the first. Press down the bass E string at the fourteenth with your right hand. Using a feeler gauge, measure the distance between the top of the 5th fret and the underneath of the 6th string. There should be a small gap, between 0.15 and 0.05 mm. If you find that your strings buzz, the rod could be adjusted too tight, flattening the neck too much. Release the rod a bit, check the measurement again and try it out. If the neck has too much curvature, then tighten the truss rod. On Martin guitars, use a 5mm allen wrench to turn the truss rod adjusting nut clockwise to straighten the neck and counter-clockwise to add some bend.
Medium gauge strings (.013"-.056") exert more force, and so require more truss rod tension to oppose the tension produced by thicker strings. This results in more volume, sustain and more rounded guitar tone. Without doubt, if you find that you need a lot of force, or you're not happy with this adjustment, take your guitar to your Service Center.
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Learn more about blues music. Stop by Graham Bailey's site where you can find out all about blues music.
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