[sunday_girl]

Hi guys and girls.
I know this topic has been done to death, but I havent seen the answer to my problem.
I am currently using a Freshman Electro Acoustic, its got a lovely sound but one problem.
the action from the 5th fret is too high for my tastes. I've sanded the saddle down in the past
but its still to high for me.
Others can play my guitar with no problems and everyone says the action is fine, but me being
a lot smaller and less strong, find it difficult.

Can a guitar be set up especially for me. maybe others couldnt play it as it would cause buzzing
but I would be fine?

Would a shop be able to set it up right for me?

sunday

[dadfad]

Hi Rachel. It might possibly be able to be done. Lowering the action more would of course be the same for anyone playing your guitar. A guitar's action can be lowered closer than "normal" but it can get to be a bit more tedious to set up than a regular set-up. As the saddle gets lower and lower the stings of course get closer and closer to the frets. You finally get to the point where they start to buzz. By lowering the action incrementally and at the same time making a truss-rod adjustment you might be able to lower it more than it is now. As it's lowered, when the strings start to buzz (often on mid-neck frets) the truss-rod can be loosened very slightly (allowing mid-neck frets to move away from the strings farther, in a relative sense). The truss-rod is actually put in to adjust the "bow" of the neck to accomodate the eliptical pattern of vibrating strings, but can be used many times to "fine tune" mid-neck action a bit as well. Also, as the strings get lower and lower, very slight previously un-noticed irregularities in fret-height become more apparent. For example one fret might start to buzz before the others, yet if that single fret was lowered slightly there might still be a little more room to bring the action down still a little closer before the others begin to buzz. It can be tedious, the back and forth adjustments being made as you go, but a good luthier can (should be able to anyway) lower the action to the absolute lowest possible. It's hard to say exactly what that is on any given guitar as they can vary on the construction, neck-set, etc (even on supposedly identical guitars). I wouldn't advise trying to do it yourself (although with a lot of patience and care anyone can do it) because experience makes the job much easier. Ask around and try to find the best luthier you can and talk with him (Don't just drop it off at a shop for them to send out.) Explain to him what your problem is and what you think might help and if he thinks it would too. He should be able to tell you what he can do, if anything, and about how much difference he can achieve on your guitar.

[jones991]

you might be better off going with a smaller set of strings also, they should be easier to fret notes and bend. I don't kow what guage you are using now, but maybe lighter (smaller) would be better. Also, one of my friends has very small hands and he uses the E A and D strings from a set of 9's and uses the G B and E strings from a set of 10's- he swears by it, I've never tried it myself. I would guess it allows him to use smaller bass-side strings, while still getting better volume from the treble-side strings.

[sunday_girl]

thanks Dadfad,
Cant believe you still remember my name lol. Yes I feel a bit like a spoilt child over this. everyone else can play it fine
except me. I just need it a little lower than normal. I will look around for a good luthier.
I took it into a shop over a year ago about the pickup. its broke and they tested it and i mentioned the action then and he looked at me as if I was mad saying its too high. but personal preferences.
thanks again.
rachel

[dadfad]

Of course I remember!

Yes, everyone has their own needs as far as action and other things on a set up. What's "regular" isn't necessarily right for everyone. That's why I usually recommend to guitarists that they get familiar with working on their own guitar. A tech-guy's "perfect set-up" isn't necessarily perfect for everyone. In this case, you could do it yourself, but because it might be so tedious it might be easier to have it done. I also, whenever possible, recommend that a guitarist try to watch the tech-guy do the work so he or she can learn for the next time (because there will always be a "next time!")

Jones991's suggestion is a good one too. Experimenting with strings until you find the combination that's perfect for you is always a good idea (whether you're looking for a particular sound-balance or a particular "feel" when playing). Several of my guitars have mix-matched strings on them, for different reasons. My most commonly used set now on most of my acoustics is a hybrid-set (D'Addario "Bluegrass Guage" which is a mixed set with thicker bass-strings and thinner trebles, which I like for a more powerful bass). I used to mix-match sets to get that combination until D'Addario came out with it pre-packaged a few years back.) That's the opposite of what you might be looking for though and what Jones suggested. If it's not all the strings that give you the problem, experiment with slightly lighter ones instead of the ones that normally come in a packaged set.

[sunday_girl]

HI both,
I currently have earnie ball strings on my guitar I think they are 10's. I will check out '9's prehaps building a hybrid set of my own might help. I am finding any barr chord past the 5 frett impossible to maintain. Down on the first position I am fine.
thanks for the suggestions
rachel

[muchoguitaro]

its a bit late, but just as an added extra: rotosound make their acoustic strings with stripped down ends so that they rest lower on the bridge - it will not fix the problem completely but will give you a bit of added help.

[jones991]

Of course I remember!

Yes, everyone has their own needs as far as action and other things on a set up. What's "regular" isn't necessarily right for everyone. That's why I usually recommend to guitarists that they get familiar with working on their own guitar. A tech-guy's "perfect set-up" isn't necessarily perfect for everyone. In this case, you could do it yourself, but because it might be so tedious it might be easier to have it done. I also, whenever possible, recommend that a guitarist try to watch the tech-guy do the work so he or she can learn for the next time (because there will always be a "next time!")

Jones991's suggestion is a good one too. Experimenting with strings until you find the combination that's perfect for you is always a good idea (whether you're looking for a particular sound-balance or a particular "feel" when playing). Several of my guitars have mix-matched strings on them, for different reasons. My most commonly used set now on most of my acoustics is a hybrid-set (D'Addario "Bluegrass Guage" which is a mixed set with thicker bass-strings and thinner trebles, which I like for a more powerful bass). I used to mix-match sets to get that combination until D'Addario came out with it pre-packaged a few years back.) That's the opposite of what you might be looking for though and what Jones suggested. If it's not all the strings that give you the problem, experiment with slightly lighter ones instead of the ones that normally come in a packaged set.

really? i had no idea they sell those, i'll have to let my friend know about em.

This post has been edited by jones991: 14 June 2007 - 08:36 PM

[dadfad]

Of course I remember!

Yes, everyone has their own needs as far as action and other things on a set up. What's "regular" isn't necessarily right for everyone. That's why I usually recommend to guitarists that they get familiar with working on their own guitar. A tech-guy's "perfect set-up" isn't necessarily perfect for everyone. In this case, you could do it yourself, but because it might be so tedious it might be easier to have it done. I also, whenever possible, recommend that a guitarist try to watch the tech-guy do the work so he or she can learn for the next time (because there will always be a "next time!")

Jones991's suggestion is a good one too. Experimenting with strings until you find the combination that's perfect for you is always a good idea (whether you're looking for a particular sound-balance or a particular "feel" when playing). Several of my guitars have mix-matched strings on them, for different reasons. My most commonly used set now on most of my acoustics is a hybrid-set (D'Addario "Bluegrass Guage" which is a mixed set with thicker bass-strings and thinner trebles, which I like for a more powerful bass). I used to mix-match sets to get that combination until D'Addario came out with it pre-packaged a few years back.) That's the opposite of what you might be looking for though and what Jones suggested. If it's not all the strings that give you the problem, experiment with slightly lighter ones instead of the ones that normally come in a packaged set.

really? i had no idea they sell those, i'll have to let my friend know about em.

Yes. They aren't hard to find, but then again it isn't always easy. A good guitar shop probably has them (which usually excludes Guitar Center, etc). This is what they look like...

D'ADDARIO EJ19 PHOSPHOR BRONZE ACOUSTIC BLUEGRASS GAUGE
Roundwound phosphor bronze, long-lasting bright tone, a top choice for stage and studio professionals, bluegrass gauge, 012 016 025W 035W 045W 056W
EJ19 .. list $13.19 ours $4.95

The on-line company webstrings.com also sells an equivelent set that's pretty good too.