Archtop guitar action setup

Join Date Feb Posts I can't play a guitar set to mfg's specs for any length of time; I try to keep my guitars at. When you set an action this low neck relief is critical--I set mine so that the E strings barely deflect at the eighth fret when the string is held at the first and fourteenth frets. If I find the action has gotten higher due to our very slight changes of season I usually can just adjust the relief to fix it, so I rarely need to touch the bridge.

I've always had a higher action than that but I'm going to give Patricks method a try my hands aren't as strong as they were, I have an old battered I've had since the 60's it has the best neck of any guitar I've owned I'll try it on that. Just out of interest Danny how do you set your pickups, height etc? Note that proper action is a combination of string height at the nut, proper fretwork, correct neck relief and string height at the end of the fretboard.

The string has to be able vibrate freely for the force you will put into it, without striking frets as it vibrates. I find that flatwounds can be lower than roundwounds and heavier strings can be lower than lighter strings. On my archtop I use Pyramid. The tighter, heavier strings and the exceptionally good fretwork by Warmoth permit this. I also have a fairly light touch. The string vibration is also affected by the magnetic force of the pickup, with a low action strong magnets too close can pull the string down causing fret rattle.

I like 2. An easy trick is to put a nickel under the low E and a penny under the high E at that fret with the action as low as possible, then bring the action up until the coins fall out. No measurement required and easy to do in the green room if humidity is messing with your setup. Join Date Dec Posts Agree with FF and Patrick. Nice, low, fast action with 12 flats on my archtops for fingerstyle playing. I have my flat tops higher as I play a lot of open strings in open tunings and I can get fret buzz when I dig in especially on 5 and 6 10 rounds on the flat tops for Slack Key style for me.

Just about the bare medium. Lower than that it's low. That's the bare minimum to get all the possible dynamic range out of an electric guitar or archtop. Join Date Sep Posts 1, It can vary depending the the guitar and the scale length. It is also effect the the neck angle in relationship the the plane of the body. A shallower neck angle will generally play easier with regards to tension and then a bit higher action can be used or needs to be used.

JGO Navigation. Latest Threads. New Forum Posts. Today, AM. Got this ad from Amazon this morning. Accordion Accessory Today, AM. Diagnosing a buzz or vibration in an archtop? Popular Forum Threads. CST and making it harder to sound like - e. Our belief is that if an electric guitar works well acoustically, this will result in better tone and clarity when amplified. Neck Relief: When a guitar is built properly the fingerboard is shaped dead straight; a perfectly flat plane.

After the frets are installed they should be skimmed slightly to ensure the top surface is still completely flat. When the strings are installed they pull on the neck and bend the flat surface of the fretboard. Neck relief is a measure of this. An example of low relief is. Bridge Saddle: Typically made from bone or plastic or metal for electric guitars , this is point of contact of the strings at the body.

The height is set with after neck has been adjusted to the required relief. This determines the action. The top surface of the bridge should be curved to correspond with the curvature of the fingerboard.

The Nut: This is the piece of plastic or bone where the strings rest at the headstock. It is utterly unpredictable which old guards may suffer: many guard from the '20 are in perfect shape, and we have found corrosive outgas from some guards less than 20 years old.

Susceptibility to rot is most likely due to the specific chemical composition of the original batch of plastic, and the long-term storage history of the instrument.

The outgas emitted from this process will cause serious damage to guitar finishes, metal platings, and case linings, and pickguards need not show any visible signs of deterioration to be producing these corrosive fumes.

At the very first signs of plating or fret corrosion often manifested as a green patina , the guard must be removed from the guitar immediately. Storing an instrument on a hanger or stand may reduce the concentration of nitro outgas, but even midly rotting guards can be so corrosive that even instruments stored outside the case can experience plating damage from simple proximity to a rotting guard.

If a rotting guard is to be stored, it must be secured in an airtight container and kept well outside the guitar case. No effective method for stabilizing or reversing nitro rot has ever been demonstrated. Attempts to coat pickguards with glues or lacquers have no demonstrable impact on the underlying chemical decomposition.

Finish and plating replacement are very expensive and may be detrimental to resale value. A healthy new guard is your cheapest insurance by far. To assist in restoration, we are able to fabricate correct repro pickguards to vintage specs, and use non-corrosive acrylic materials in the original style.

Restoration : Contemporary professional restoration and adjustment will allow virtually any well made instrument to play as well, or often better, than when it left the factory.

We strongly believe that the guitars are first and foremost musical tools which should further the expression and creativity of the players who use them. Just as no vintage car owner would consider driving with bald tires, there's no reason for a vintage guitar owner to struggle with badly worn frets, agonizing string action, stripped tuning gears, or malfunctioning electronics simply because they may be the originals.

Like a good fret job, a proper neck reset will add not only to the playability of a vintage instrument but its value as well. Similarly, it is the job of the binding and finish to protect the soundboard and the structural integrity of the instrument.

Where it may be missing or damaged, we believe that responsible stewardship requires that it be carefully replaced, in a manner as close to the original as possible. Where the original clear lacquer overcoat may no longer be protecting the original wood stain, it is in the interest of the long-term welfare of the instrument to protect it as needed with a light clear overspray of authentic nitrocellulose lacquer.

In examples where the wood itself may be at risk, or a newer finish has been poorly applied, a partial or complete refinish of the affected area s may be essential to ensure the structural integrity of the instrument itself.

When such work is indicated, we will undertake it using only authentic materials and processes in a historically correct fashion. For more information on repairs or restoration on your instrument, please call us at or email [email protected]. We are fortunate to live in an era when technology and communications have advanced the state of the luthier's art dramatically in a very short time.

High-precision techniques for finish restoration have helped debunk many of the old myths beclouding this subject. We have supervised any number of complete finish replacements over the years and can state from experience that such guitars are not only dramatically improved in appearance, but can also retain or even improve their overall tone and volume.

Like many of our customers, we have discovered that in bucking old prejudices we can bring superb instruments back to vibrant new careers, and net a considerable savings in the process as well. Modifications : As a general rule, the fewer modifications your instrument is subjected to, the better.

However, certain minor enhancements, sensitively executed, can improve playability in major ways. Small additions we perform routinely include the installation of strap buttons and endpin jacks, which can greatly enhance playability with negligible impact on original condition.

Likewise the professional installation of removable floating pickups, a common enhancement since the late 's, can greatly enhance the versatility of your guitar. Recent reissues of vintage style tuners mean that players may upgrade to smoother modern gear ratios while still preserving a vintage look, and without modifying mounting holes in the peghead.

Obviously, when replacing any parts except rotting pickguards , always make sure to keep the original parts safely tucked away for posterity in the accessory compartment of the case. Examples of modifications we would strongly discourage would include anything that would alter the soundboard in any significant way. These would include the routing or drilling of any holes the top for the installation of permanently mounted pickups, knobs, switches or jacks of any kind.

Likewise, the addition of a cutaway to a full-bodied instrument is extremely inadvisable. Irreversible, ill-considered operations of this sort will inevitably diminish the acoustic tone and volume of a carefully carved top, and will have a devastating impact on the resale value of the instrument. If you are tempted to alter a guitar in this way, please email or call us at or email [email protected]. Chances are excellent we can find a player who'd love your instrument just he way it is, and will pay far more for it in unvandalized condition.

And chances are equally good we can locate an instrument better suited to your needs, without the need for costly and counterproductive wood butchery. Packing and Shipping : For a detailed, step-by-step pictorial guide to preparing your instrument for secure shipping, consult our Shipping page here. Seasoning : Like trees, cars and us, guitars age. Even unplayed instruments will exhibit inevitable changes over time due to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, oxidation of plating, and chemical changes in plastic materials.

If you are seeking an absolutely pristine instrument we respectfully suggest you look to the many fine modern builders who can deliver you a guitar in factory mint condition.