Acoustic guitar action adjustment?

dolliwood

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I've been messing around with the truss rod for the past couple months, trying to get the neck as straight as possible. Now it's straight, and I again noticed how high the action is. So I measured the distance between the top of the 12th fret and the bottom of the bass E string, and it's 4mm apart. How can I lower the string height? Should I try sanding down the saddle? Or should I just take it to get set up by a professional?
 
The action on a guitar (or ukulele, mandolin, banjo etc) comes from three factors:

the height of a nut slot

the height of a saddle

the neck relief (the curvature of the neck)

Each of these three has to be adjusted, *and* the action is personal. Different players prefer different action settings, although in general people say "lowest without buzz" but it all depends on how hard you strum etc (plus string gauges, tunings)

Setting the neck straight is a part of the procedure but as you noticed, you will have to adjust the saddle as well. For more detailed info, check out Frank Ford's fret.com website.

Good Luck
Chief
 
Get it set up by a professional. First you will have to ascertain whether the neck angle is correct. Take it from there.

This.

A guitar setup is more complicated than a uke setup.

Or, if you're a die-hard DIY person, here's an article by one of our own UU pals!
 
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