setting up an acoustic guitar - how to lower the action

[24242009]

Dear Sir/Mam/Guitar experts

Ive just recieved an acoustic guitar an Ibanez artwood 250, but have no idea on how to lower the action.  It was a gift from a relative, your opinions will help a lot, thanks in advance   

[tsunamic]

you can bring it to a luthier near you. san ka ba nakatira? basically, ang pag baba ng action, depends eh. if the saddle is a bit high, minsan nililiha. or minsan naman, tighten lang ang truss rod. pero mas maganda dalhin sa luthier syempre. gives you peace of mind.

[dirtybluesplayer]

May built in truss rod ba? Check mo muna if meron, kung wala, bring it to your nearest known guitar luthier and watch him to do it, for you to learn too

[24242009]

yes sir, mayroon so loob ng sound hole ( dulo ng fretboard) meron din kasing kasamang wrench ito (allen wrench, i think) Sa south area ako nakatira sir. 

[af_villaruel]

South ka pala eh. Dalhin mo na lang kay Mike Sison sa Sucat. A truss rod is not something you'd wanna mess with if you don't have experience. Just my two cents.

[fretboard]

dalhin mo kay micsis 

[eds1122]

South ka pala eh. Dalhin mo na lang kay Mike Sison sa Sucat. A truss rod is not something you'd wanna mess with if you don't have experience. Just my two cents.

+100

 I also need a set up for my Takamine. Just went to micsis last saturday to have it done. go and visit his shop para ma check nya guitar mo bro.     

[dirtybluesplayer]

Good to know it has a trussrod, meron din kasi ibang acoustic na wala, don't do it yourself if you're not comfortable

[24242009]

thanks for the advices sirs/mesdammes

Yes I will bring it to Mike Sison, but right now I want to play it so Ill try to do it myself. Pero kung hindi ako contento sa nagawa ko, ill pay Mike a visit. Mahal ba maglower ng action / set up ng acoustic? magkano ang inaabot ng ganito?

My tita who gave me this just said to me "turn clockwise to tighten , counter clockwise to loosen". sinubukan kong clockwise pero hindi ko sigurado kung tumaas ba ito o bumaba, mahigpit ang truss rod, needs some force to turn, Im just afraid to mess up, thats why I ask for advices.

sir pag tighten ba? yun yung lower action?

[r_chino18]

^^

You adjust the truss rod (tighten or loosen) to adjust the neck relief or straightness of the neck. If a bowed neck is the culprit for a high action, tightening the truss rod will make the neck straighter. Thus, parang bababa konti yung action along the middle area. Secondary effect lang yung action. Neck relief talaga ang purpose ng truss rod. Adjust it lang kung kailangan.

[John_Marcelo]

+100

 I also need a set up for my Takamine. Just went to micsis last saturday to have it done. go and visit his shop para ma check nya guitar mo bro. 

Ikaw pala yun dude! Ganda ng Takamine mo! 

thanks for the advices sirs/mesdammes

Yes I will bring it to Mike Sison, but right now I want to play it so Ill try to do it myself. Pero kung hindi ako contento sa nagawa ko, ill pay Mike a visit. Mahal ba maglower ng action / set up ng acoustic? magkano ang inaabot ng ganito?

My tita who gave me this just said to me "turn clockwise to tighten , counter clockwise to loosen". sinubukan kong clockwise pero hindi ko sigurado kung tumaas ba ito o bumaba, mahigpit ang truss rod, needs some force to turn, Im just afraid to mess up, thats why I ask for advices.

sir pag tighten ba? yun yung lower action?

Yung pag adjust ng truss rod isn't exactly for lowering the action. It's to straighten the neck. Last time na nagpa setup ako kay Sir Mike, mga 600 lang yata inabot. Pero depende ata yun sa gagawin. You can probably do it yourself, all you need is sandpaper para ishave yung ilalim ng saddle. Kung plastic lang yung saddle, madali lang isand yun. Kung bone or Tusq, sasakit ang kamay mo hehe. Hmmm...kung tama yung specs ng acoustic mo na nababasa ko sa net, bone nga yung saddle niyan. Kung matiyaga ka, just shave the saddle a bit.

Pero kung gusto mo na rin ipa-set up ng maayos, best to go to Sir Mike's.

[24242009]

thanks sir/mam

yes i might pay Mike Sison a visit, but for now Ill try to lower it a bit, so i can play my guitar. Sanding is out of the my league, I cant sand it because I might sand it badly and will probably mess up, might leave it to Mike, i it needs sanding

So if I adjust the truss rod, clockwise to tighten but in what position?  the head of the guitar facing me or the bottom the the guitar?

[tonwins11]

Good to know it has a trussrod, meron din kasi ibang acoustic na wala, don't do it yourself if you're not comfortable

I'm my opinion, most guitars have truss rod. The question lies if it's an adjustable truss rod or not.

Old acoustic guitars have T-bar type truss rod inside but it's fix. Di adjustable. IMHO. 

[dirtybluesplayer]

My only acoustic is a cheap cebu acoustic guitar na pasalubong lang sakin walang truss rod, fixed na kaso masyado mataas  action para sakin kaya bibihira ko gamitin

[ToneChild]

Dear Sir/Mam/Guitar experts

Ive just recieved an acoustic guitar an Ibanez artwood 250, but have no idea on how to lower the action.  It was a gift from a relative, your opinions will help a lot, thanks in advance   

Sir, check mo muna yung bridge saddle mo bago mo galawin yung truss rod. Usually ang Ibanez Artwood Acoustic may shim yan, minsan dalawa pa. Take off the strings and remove the white plastic looking thing dun sa bridge.

Pag wala, try getting a new saddle part na mas mababa. Or sand mo yung saddle sa baba kung matapang ka 

Of course bago mo gawin lahat yan check mo yung neck relief. Additionally check mo rin kung stock pa rin yung string gauges kasi baka napalitan ng ibang gauge at tension kaya tumaas yung action.

[tonwins11]

My only acoustic is a cheap cebu acoustic guitar na pasalubong lang sakin walang truss rod, fixed na kaso masyado mataas  action para sakin kaya bibihira ko gamitin

May truss rod siguro yan sir. Naka embed sa loob ng neck. What brand exactly is that?

[rockophoria]

I have an old Yamaha FG200D na mataas ang action.. what I did was a combination of those that was said here..

hindi ko basta basta ginalaw muna yung truss rod because it will be the easiest way to lower the action.. pero I love to do solos in my acoustic which I wont be able to do pag ginalaw ko yung truss rod because it will result to "fret-buzz" as the strings will be already too close to the fret wires paglampas ng 12th fret..

so what I did is tinanggal ko yung saddle.. at inis-is ko sa sand paper para bumaba.. pero I didnt realize na mababa na pala sya so nung ibinalik ko sa bridge eh tumatama na yung strings sa bridge.. so tinanggal ko ulit at yung bridge naman ang kiniskis ko ng sand paper para bumaba/numipis.. matagal tagal na trabaho pero worth it.. trial and error yun, tiningnan ko yung point kung saan mataas na ulit yung saddle nya at di na tatama yung strings sa bridge..

after that tsaka ko ginalaw yung truss rod tsaka nut..

presto.. low action 

[dirtybluesplayer]

May truss rod siguro yan sir. Naka embed sa loob ng neck. What brand exactly is that?

I didn't check, my guitar has no brand, it is only a pasalubong go to guitar, matagal na siya wala sakin, that was around 2005

[Itsmeepeeetah]

Sir May ibanez din ako na acoustic tapos masyadong mataas yung action kaya sinubukan kong i DIY....nasira ko yung intonation nung inadjust ko yung truss rod tapos nung niliha ko yung saddle nawalang yung brilliance at nabawasan ng resonance yung gitara... I suggest dalin niyo na lang po sa luthier. 

[stringman]

Rule of thumb, don't use the truss rod to lower the action. Only adjust the trauss rod pag hindi straight ang neck, other wise for the acoustic you need to sand off some mass at the saddle.

To properly do this, remove the saddle, use a pencil to mark off the mass you need to remove. If a lot of sanding is needed use 150 grit sandpaper. Try to wet sand it with water and some shampoo.

[tonwins11]

Sir May ibanez din ako na acoustic tapos masyadong mataas yung action kaya sinubukan kong i DIY....nasira ko yung intonation nung inadjust ko yung truss rod tapos nung niliha ko yung saddle nawalang yung brilliance at nabawasan ng resonance yung gitara... I suggest dalin niyo na lang po sa luthier. 

Same happened to my father's friend who has a yamaha acoustic guitar. He sanded off the saddles to lower the action and the overall tone changed. He didn't realized that the it's on the bridge part the acoustic pickups are located. Umiba yung tunog ng acoustic niya plugged and unplugged. He brought it back to the store where he bought where a known guitar tech is working. Ingat lang mga bro. 

[IncX]

i dont know why i am reading a lot of truss rod recommendations here, because that is the last thing you should be touching, and if you do touch it, only do quarter turns and wait ... do not turn it like you are turning a screw with a screw driver.

to lower the action you have to either sand the bridge or the nut, or well, both. i would not do that myself, i will only let a luthier do those things.

or well, you could always try using smaller gauged strings first, and see if it works out. "Acoustic strings" are usually big, which translates to higher action than normal

[24242009]

thanks sirs/ mesdammes for the replies,

so its generally the sanding protion of the bridge that requires to have my guitar's action lowered.

update: 

I called my tita and asked for the receipt of the guitar (newly purchased pa pala 1 day lang) and brought it into the shop where i bought it. overall kakaiba ang tunog ng guitar ko kasi medyo warm "all mahogany body daw" compared sa ibang acoustics na ibanez dun na bright ang sound. Ang ginawa ng salesman dun in-adjust niya ang trus rod turned it clockwise for several times, bumaba ang action at nagiba ng tunog (as in mdeyo dikit na sa frets). kaya pina-tono ko ulit sa kanya ng tinono bumalik ang sound pero tumaas din ulit ang action (dahil sa tuning) pero mas mababa ng konti sa dati pero tumaas gawa ng pagkakatono. tinugtog ko parang ok pa din ang sound pero medyo iba na yata kumpara sa factory settings pero ok padin. 

kung dadalahin ko sa luthier mas magiging ok kaya yung sound? kung DIY ko naman ang sanding di kaya pumangit ang sound? I was thinking of loosening the trus again at ibalik ang original factory setting for the meantime to know and compare if the sound really has changed because of it. 

[free2rock]

Sand the bridge and adjust the nut slots.

[fretboard]

thanks sirs/ mesdammes for the replies,

so its generally the sanding protion of the bridge that requires to have my guitar's action lowered.

update: 

I called my tita and asked for the receipt of the guitar (newly purchased pa pala 1 day lang) and brought it into the shop where i bought it. overall kakaiba ang tunog ng guitar ko kasi medyo warm "all mahogany body daw" compared sa ibang acoustics na ibanez dun na bright ang sound. Ang ginawa ng salesman dun in-adjust niya ang trus rod turned it clockwise for several times, bumaba ang action at nagiba ng tunog (as in mdeyo dikit na sa frets). kaya pina-tono ko ulit sa kanya ng tinono bumalik ang sound pero tumaas din ulit ang action (dahil sa tuning) pero mas mababa ng konti sa dati pero tumaas gawa ng pagkakatono. tinugtog ko parang ok pa din ang sound pero medyo iba na yata kumpara sa factory settings pero ok padin. 

kung dadalahin ko sa luthier mas magiging ok kaya yung sound? kung DIY ko naman ang sanding di kaya pumangit ang sound? I was thinking of loosening the trus again at ibalik ang original factory setting for the meantime to know and compare if the sound really has changed because of it. 

brad di naman mga luthier ang mga salesman sa shop. walang proper training sa pag seset-up (di naman siguro lahat)
pero mga luthier kasi yun na ang ginagawa nila, ang mag set-up.
for best result sa luthier mo na ipa set-up.