shaving down my acoustic

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buryher17

New member
I think I've finally got enough courage to try and fix my acoustic so the bridge is aligned better. From what everyone is telling me, i'd just have to shave down my bridge a little bit (there is a plastic/wood grain part where the strings are held in place). This guitar isn't very old at all however once you get to about the 8th fret it's unusable... By the 12th fret there is a good inch between the fret board and string. Considering the price, I can't believe it's action is that terrible (it's a silver creek $400 acoustic). I guess ive learne dmy elssn buying a guitar online neve rplaying it before and being too stubborn to return it....

I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions or do's/dont's when I do this. If anyone has a website I'd really appreciate it as well. I've never fixed an acoustic before, I've only chnaged strings on an acoustic.... I've always dealt more wiht electric.

Thanks! :p
 
buryher17 said:
I think I've finally got enough courage to try and fix my acoustic so the bridge is aligned better. From what everyone is telling me, i'd just have to shave down my bridge a little bit (there is a plastic/wood grain part where the strings are held in place). This guitar isn't very old at all however once you get to about the 8th fret it's unusable... By the 12th fret there is a good inch between the fret board and string. Considering the price, I can't believe it's action is that terrible (it's a silver creek $400 acoustic). I guess ive learne dmy elssn buying a guitar online neve rplaying it before and being too stubborn to return it....

I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions or do's/dont's when I do this. If anyone has a website I'd really appreciate it as well. I've never fixed an acoustic before, I've only chnaged strings on an acoustic.... I've always dealt more wiht electric.

Thanks! :p
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i think that might screw up the intonation :confused::confused:

i dont know much about acoustics though
 
An inch at the 12th..:eek:

That isn't a beginner project get it looked at by some one who knows what they are looking at and get a quote for whatever they suggest and report back..
 
An inch? Seriously?

Take out a ruler and measure it and then get back to me. Give me a precise measurement and I will help you out.
 
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/pagelist.html

Scroll down...just about everything you need to know about what you wanna know about.

ps....when you 'shave' [sand] the BOTTOM of the 'bridge' [saddle], use a glass-faced picture frame with a perpendicular inside frame...place abrasive paper on glass, press the saddle in on the 90 deg. frame-face....to keep the bottom flat, square, and true when moving back and forth over the sandpaper. [one tip not there...important one!]
 
jeffmaher said:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/pagelist.html

Scroll down...just about everything you need to know about what you wanna know about.

ps....when you 'shave' [sand] the BOTTOM of the 'bridge' [saddle], use a glass-faced picture frame with a perpendicular inside frame...place abrasive paper on glass, press the saddle in on the 90 deg. frame-face....to keep the bottom flat, square, and true when moving back and forth over the sandpaper. [one tip not there...important one!]
Click to expand...

Your better off using a solid block of marble or similar. You can get an off cut from most fireplace or headstone cutters for free. Glass is ok but you still need to back it with something flat and true. A thin sheet of glass will move quite a bit.

On the general diagnosis thing here lets wait for the OP to get back with a few moree details before we all wade in.;)
 
Take a picture along the neck from the nut looking toward the bridge, using your camera's smallest aperture. Set the focus at about the 12th fret. Post it here.
 
If you have an inch between the strings and the frets at any point, you have problems which can not be fixed at the bridge/saddle, and the neck bow isn't going to do the trick either. You've almost certainly got a problem with the neck set - as Muttley said, NOT a DIY job.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I guess ive learne dmy elssn buying a guitar online neve rplaying it before and being too stubborn to return it....
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Why on earth would you not send it back?

Man, I would be sending it back so fast it would make their heads swim with neck set issues!

You could probably take the bridge piece slap out of its slot, let the strings rest on the bare wood, and STILL not have close action with 1" at the 12th fret.

A $300 neck set on a $400 guitar (that's now worth probably $200 because it's used) dosen't make sense.

If it's too late to send it back chaulk it up as an expensive "school of hard knocks" lesson and cut your losses ...don't throw good money after bad!
 
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