n00b guitar question

[Special K]

I have a squier acoustic guitar and I was wondering if I could alter the distance from the strings to the fretboard myself, or do I have to take it to a music shop and have it done? I see that there is a bolt inside the guitar protruding from the neck that looks like it would take an allen wrench. Would that adjust the distance between the neck and the strings? The reason I ask is that when I hold the guitar up and look down the length of the neck from the side, the distance from the strings to the fretboard increases as I move up the frets. Is that normal for a guitar, or can/should the distance be the same everywhere? I find it difficult to play barre chords on the 1st fret because the strings are so close to the fretboard, but they are much easier on the higher frets. Can I make it so I have more space between the strings and the fretboard on the 1st fret, or am I SOL on this and just need to practice more?

 

[thomsbrain]

more space makes it HARDER to hold down chords, not easier. the reason it is harder to do it at the 1st fret is because you are forcing the strings to bend at a sharper angle between the nut (end of the neck) and your finger. if you raise the action, things will just get even harder.

basically, you just need to practice more. but if you want the action lower (which will make it easier to play), I suggest taking the guitar to your local shop and asking them if they can do it. Basically, with guitar adjustments, if you have to ask, you better let someone else do it.

 

[silverpig]

Ask at a guitar store. Usually the neck side is fine and you adjust the bridge up and down (on electrics anyways), but that's easy as there are screws and what not. What you want would require some work.

 

[Special K]

So do I always want the action to be as low as possible? Is there an ideal height or is it all personal preference? If it's easier to play with it lower, then wouldn't you always want it as low as possible?

 

[vshah]

Originally posted by: SpecialK
So do I always want the action to be as low as possible? Is there an ideal height or is it all personal preference?

its personal preference, but lower is definately less work. i prefer 2mm max.

-Vivan

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: SpecialK
So do I always want the action to be as low as possible? Is there an ideal height or is it all personal preference?

You don't want to go too low. You'll start getting a hum from the string hitting the frets.

 

[silverpig]

You usually want a lower action unless you play a lot of slide guitar. Having a higher action for the slide is better as you're less likely to hit the frets.

 

[Rob9874]

OK, guitar expert here with 17 years experience. Take it to a guitar shop. You're talking about the "action" of the guitar. It's one of the most important aspects of a guitar. Yes, the action rises as you travel up the fretboard, because the action is set by the bridge at the bottom of the guitar. So the string essentially "ramp up" from the headstock to the bridge. Usually, guitarists want to lower the action as much as possible, without "fretting out" (when the strings are so low, they buzz on frets they're not supposed to). I can't understand why lower action would make it harder to play barre chords. If you raise it at all, you won't be able to solo well at the higher frets. I'd take it to a shop, but they're most likely going to lower the action, which is what I look for in a guitar. Why make it harder on your fingers to play the strings?

Edit: It takes me so long to type a message, that by the time I post it, most of my points have been addressed.

 

[Special K]

Thanks everyone, I think I'll just leave the action alone then. I remember now back when I first got the guitar that some strings would buzz against frets they werent supposed to be hitting, so I took it into the shop. I didn't see what the guy did to it, but it fixed the problem and I can assume from what I'm reading here that he already raised the action. I guess if I could mess around with it myself I could find the lowest action for which I don't get buzzing, but I don't know how to adjust it myself. Is it difficult? Then again the guy might have already done that for me.

 

[Rob9874]

No, it's not difficult. I do it myself all the time, but I'm not sure how comfortable you would be, since you're a noob. It's just a matter of adjusting the height of your bridge (where the strings attach at the bottom of your guitar). Do not try to adjust the neck. I leave that to the pros. Some bridges have hand screws that you can turn. Others, like mine (Floyd Rose), have holes for allen wrenches to adjust it. It just takes some messing around with to get the height you like, without fretting out.

 

[Rob9874]

I googled it and found this (there are hundreds of other sites about it):

http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/action.htm

 

[NesuD]

Practice will do more for you than messing with adjustments you don't yet understand. tightening the torque rod in the neck changes the curve of the neck and shouldn't really be messed with unless you understand what you are doing. Here is a link to a links page with tons of info about adjusting and setting up your guitar if you feel like doing some reading. Frets.com The guy at the shop probably shimmed up the bridge saddle a little to quiet the fret buzzing.

 

[RagingBITCH]

The bolt in the guitar changes the curvature of the neck.