Diy string action gauge pdf

A good rule of thumb is that you can get away with about 164 of an inch lower action on the highestpitched string than what youve set your lowest pitched string to. A heavier gauge of string will put more pressure on the neck of the guitar while a lighter gauge will put less stress on the neck. But setting it up correctly can be a challenge, even for experienced players. The spacing between the strings needs to be uniform, which varies with the string gauge you use. Verify proper scale by measuring the one inch calibration bar at right. Setup and adjustment made easy to adjust the truss. Unfinished lp style electric guitar diy kit topsolid mahogany body neck gift. Its used for bridge types that adjusts every string independently like fender strat tremolos.

Measure the string height with a string action gauge. Set the relief capo the first fret and press the 15th fret with your finger, then use your feeler gauge on the 8th fret to measure the height. Selecting an optimal string action depends on your playing style, string gauge, hard vs. High action strings allow aggressive strumming without buzzing, but its more difficult to play fast solos. Tighten it, and the neck bends backwardthis is call backbowagainst the natural curve the string tension imparts, moving the strings closer to the fretboard. Homemade string action gauge discussion in teletechnical started by sha4096, sep 17, 2010.

Nut rule string spacing in pdf telecaster guitar forum. This is because the smaller the string gauge, the tighter the vibrational. This is a tool used for evening the string heights with the curve radius of your fretboard. Use a straightedge for added assurance pictured remove the truss rod cover. With the feeler gauge, check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret figure c. But most important is how much fret buzz can you live with. Change strings, set intonation, adjust action, check string height and more 4. The string action gauge is made of durable stainless steel with precisionetched markings, and fits right in your pocket. With medium to high tension strings the action is measured at the first fret by fretting the string at the 3rd. Guitar setup printable action gauge guitar, guitar. Use a string action gauge to measure the height of the strings. This temporarily removes the nut from the action equation. The 1214 low electric of the electric guitar is the lower.

The back of the gauge has a timesaving fractionaldecimalmetric conversion chart. Using a string action gauge measure the string height. Includes everything for string changes and setups, perfect for maintaining and keeping your instrument in perfect playing condition. Here, ace nashville repairman john levan walks you stepbystep through the setup process and shows you how to make your strat play like a dream and ring like a bell. September 17, 2010 as a guitarist, i often have to adjust strings height action and other kind of settings on my guitars.

The actual nut width will vary from guitar to guitar. When raising or lowering the action make slow and small increments to the bolts as usual. The 12step guide to electric and acoustic guitar setup. You can use a stewmac string action gauge, feeler gauges or a little ruler to measure the string height. Youll want to repeat these steps for the rest of your strings and the treble side of the bridge. How to adjust the string height on acoustic guitar. Does anyone know where i can get a printout of a string height action gauge. Arguably the worlds most popular electric guitar, the fender stratocaster is a marvel of sonic and mechanical engineering. I also put a quick description of what youre trying to do and you can also look up videos on youtube for more assistance or leave me questions in the comments below.

Guitar fret crowning luthier file leveling grinding tool kits guitar repair tool. Convenient guitar setup inch gauge can be used to setup guitar or bass string action, spacing, pickup height, saddle height and slot depth. The string can tend to get in the way and make it difficult to work on the vehicle. For acoustic guitars depress the e string at the 14th fret. I have a michael kelly patrio special lp copy guitar 24 34 scale i had it setup with a 1052 gauge strings with. Tuning six string guitars tuning 12 string guitars changing strings. The margin between the end of the nut and the outside edges of the 1st and 6th strings varies dependent on the bevel angle of the frets. If you mark all of the positions of your string jig and dont move the vehicle, you can put the string jig back into place and not have to go through the entire setup procedure again, although you should do a quick check just to. Because of the high tension involved in steel strings, if you change the gauge of the strings you are using you may need to have some adjustments made to the guitar, including adjusting the neck, bridge or nut. Or, if you live in a drier, lowhumidity climate hot or.

Now i put back the necks relief to 0,30 mm measured the gap from 8th fret with feeler gauge, when e string depressed from 1st and last fret and the strings e and a are up as 2,60 mm from the top of the 17th fret to the bottom of the strings. High action strings usually deliver better tone and longer sustain. The guitar string action gauge can also be used in conjunction with feeler gauges and a capo to set the neck relief. If you are using a low g then the same goes for it as the c string. Metric string action gauge pdf download conwayligh. Look down the neck of the guitar, at eye level, and check to see if the neck is bowed. When the bottom of a mark aligns with the bottom of the string, that measurement is the string height at that point. Im also looking for a printable string spacing gauge. Move the third saddle back from the second saddle using the gauge of the third string as a measurement. Setting the string action bridge height adjustment screw height adjustment screws for each strings height adjustment screw string tuning height 1st e 1. If youre getting a lot of fret buzz near the first and last frets, you may want to raise the action. String action ruler gauge tool could be uesd on both side. For most of my customers, i have found that fifty thousandths 0.

Loosen it and the strings pull the neck into a concave bow, resulting in higher action i. Measure string action the height of the string above the fret at any point by placing the gauge behind the string. Homemade string action gauge telecaster guitar forum. Using a string action gauge to measure the action at the 12th fret. I made a nut centerline calculator in excel as pictured below. And asking for donations for gofundme and such are generally frowned upon here no matter how dire the need. On this strat, the distance from the 1st string to the 12th fret was 664, and the 6th string gap was also 664. Us pro designed guitar neck notched straight edge and fret rocker luthier tools. Guitar files are in various shape, equaling flat, round, half round.

The fourth string saddle should be set parallel with the second string saddle. Before measuring action and neck relief, clamp a capo over the 1st fret. Heres a project for you printable string action gauge. The problem was that i needed to setup this guitar and bass right away but i would have had to order it online and wait for them to ship it to me before i can set it up correctly. Neck radius gauge instructions 1 print out on a card stock check the 1 block for accuracy. For best results, the following order of adjustment is recommended. In standard 12 string tuning, the second string in each pair is tuned to standard pitch e a d g b e just. You need to check action regularly bimonthly by ear together with inspecting the neck curve and adjusting truss rod. Hi all, just wanted to share with you a trick if you are running into trouble when adjusting the action on your guitars. Tune the guitar to desired pitch sight the neck please read the beginning of this article for thorough instruction on sighting your guitars neck tip. If you wish to use it on your own site, please contact guitarhack and we will try to assist you. This can change the natural bow of the neck causing a change in string length.

If you change the gauge of strings that you use this can have an adverse effect on your intonation. There should be the width of a cigarette paper between the top of the first fret and the bottom edge of the string on the g, e and a strings. Laminate optional and cut out gauges with an xacto knife or sharp scissors, being sure to closely follow contours. Looking from the tuning pegs down to the bridge of the guitar. Once you think the string is at a reasonable height to your standards, play the string on each fret to make sure there are no dead spots on that string.