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Thread started 07/21/04 8:32am

richierich

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Guitar Action

Hi I was wanting any advice on lowering the action on my guitar ,so Ive read books and websites on the internet about it but dont really come up with straight answers.
The guitar I'm wanting to lower the action on is a Squire Telecaster ,so I can play faster runs etc. I know a Tele aint really made for Metal style music,so should I leave alone or would lowering it a bit be ok.
Theres an appox 2mm space off the fret at the 15th fret ,I would like it lowering to about 1mm off,will it knack the sound and start buzzing or will it be fine and just improve the playability. confuse
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Reply #1 posted 07/21/04 11:49am

andyman91

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I don't think there's any way to know unless you try it. It's easy to do, and it won't hurt anything to lower it and raise it again if you need to.

But 2mm seems like a pretty small space (you mean between the strings and frets, right?), and 1mm sounds super small. I imagine with only 1mm of space you would definitely be buzzing.
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Reply #2 posted 07/21/04 1:13pm

richierich

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Ye the low E is about 2mm off fret wire at 15th. Ive tried a few Ibanez etc and the action seemed lower, though these guitars probablys had a proper set up.
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Reply #3 posted 07/21/04 2:13pm

andyman91

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I think that you should be able to get the same action on a tele as on the ibanez (assuming you don't have problems with the neck).

I hate this kind of answer, but you should just mess around with it until you find the setting you like. As long as you're doing it right and only messing with the bridge (and not messing with the truss rod or something) you won't screw anything up too bad.
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Reply #4 posted 07/21/04 4:12pm

Kevlar

Make sure the neck is properly adjusted , I would start with the neck first and go from there. Squier's ( which I like the standard line) are notorius for fretboards and frets that ain't quite perfect, part of bargain pricing. So often you have to reach a bit of a compromise with set up esp if you have a 7.5 neck radius. Fender's of late have all sorts of different radiuses going on so it kinda depends on when that guitar was made. The flatter the neck the easier time you will have. If the neck is set properly then you can mess with the action, even if it is a bit off you can mess with a bit but expect recurring issues if this is the case. I usually have to tweak the neck with season changes here in MN. A pro set up usually runs 25 to 40 bucks. so if there are questions it may be worthwhile to have a shop do it. Just be extremely specific about what you want the guitar to do. Also lowering string gauge can be a big help, use what your hands can handle and what feels comfortable.
Turn that damn gitarr down!! http://www.soundclick.com/kevinschafer
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Reply #5 posted 07/22/04 1:34am

hectim

I second the "pro" option. After playing for 18 years, I'm finally getting around to having my guitars set up and checked by a pro luthier. I pay 40 euros for each guitar, and the results are amazing. So much better than what I can do myself. So I'd visit a luthier, bring your guitar and ask him: will the action and sound improve significantly if you set it up for me? Most good ones will give you an honest answer. If he says yes, go with it. Especially on a less expensive guitar, it will be worth the money. Remember that setting up the guitar is often where they save money!
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Reply #6 posted 07/22/04 2:46am

richierich

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Thanks for the advice guys. I will look into seeing a pro, as I have no real knowledege of setting guitars up only playing really.
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