Ever play a guitar with action that’s sky high or buzzes too much? It’s a fact, a guitar with poor action will stifle your playing and quickly rob you of enjoyment.

How do you fix it? And what tools and methods do you use to get it where it should be?

This guide explains how to make critical adjustments for most common types of guitars and the principles behind achieving great guitar action.

Editor’s Note:

This article explains, in a wholistic way, how to adjust the action on your guitar for maximum playability and enjoyment.

In order to keep the details as concise as possible, major points of adjustment are covered in broad terms first, then explained in detail further on.

What this means for you as the reader, is that you may find yourself moving from section to section in order to gain the information that fits your current situation.

I sincerely hope this guide makes sense for you and supplies the information you need to get the most out of your guitar’s action.

Steve B.

What is Guitar Action?

Guitar action refers to how the guitar feels when you play it. A guitar with good action should have the strings set at the optimal height for your instrument, match your playing style and allow you to express yourself freely.

From a physical standpoint, the word “action” also fits the context of how you manipulate the guitar. As you play, your fret hand is literally where most of the action is.

Adjusting the action on a guitar refers to changing the distance between the strings and the fretboard. Moreover, it can be a delicate process as it requires precise measurements and careful handling of the instrument.

Setting Guitar Action: An Overview

By now you should have a good idea of the target measurements you’re aiming for, the tools you need and how to make the adjustments to get you there.

To adjust the action on a guitar, there are three main points you need to focus on:

• The nut
• Neck relief
• The bridge

By raising or lowering each element, you can find the perfect balance of playability for both the instrument and the player.

Why Action Matters

If your guitar’s action is poor, it’s not only annoying, it’s distracting. In other words you’re not getting the most out of your playing time or enjoying the experience as much as you could.

In my experience, well over 90% of guitars suffer from high action. For new guitarists this can be a deal breaker – the struggle is very real. Plus they usually don’t know what good action is supposed to feel like.

Conversely, if the action is too low, the strings may buzz against the frets when played, resulting in poor sound quality.

If your guitar doesn’t play the way you’d like, what follows is the remedy to curing your poor action woes.

The Tools You’ll Need

The tools required to adjust virtually any guitar’s action are really quite modest and certainly won’t break the bank. A few of the most common tools you’ll need include:

• An appropriate truss rod adjuster for your specific guitar
• Screwdrivers and allen keys to make bridge saddle adjustments
• A fine measuring tool to determine string height
• Feeler gauges or similar reference tools
• And ideally, a set of radius gauges

Depending on your instrument you may need additional things like files or sandpaper for trimming things like acoustic saddles.

For a complete list of the essential tools for setting guitar action and further setup adjustments, check out our Guitar Setup Tools Guide.

How to Measure Guitar Action

Start With an Assessment

Assessing the current state of your guitar’s action is your starting point. Sometimes you can easily see with the naked eye that the strings are too high or low to begin with.

Look at where the body meets the neck, do the strings seem excessively high? Or are they too close to the frets?

Now sight down the edge of the neck from just behind the nut looking towards the bridge. Do the strings seem to rise too quickly? Or are they nearly touching the tops of the frets.

Strings that are too high will seem hard to play. Strings that are too close will tend to buzz or even fret out in the upper register when you bend them.

Make some mental notes about what you observe.

As for neck relief, the neck may also look like it has a bit too much “bow”. Too much relief will make the strings in the middle of the neck feel particularly spongey or little too hard to manipulate.

The neck may also look pretty straight or even have a bit of an up-bow or a slightly rounded (humped) curvature. If this is the case, once again you’ll find the strings a little buzzy.

Commit what you’re feeling to memory. It’ll come in handy as we work through the process of adjusting the truss rod and setting the action properly.

Typical Factory Specifications

Here’s a generalized chart of factory setup specs for common brand-name guitars.

Keep in mind these measurements are not absolute and subject to many different variations such as playing style, string gauge, condition of the instrument etc.

All string heights measured in inches at the 12th fret:

Measure String Height

Measure String Height at the Nut

String height at the nut is measured by assessing the air gap at the first fret. This can be done using feeler gauges, or by eye if you have enough experience.

To use feeler gauges, pick a gauge that seems appropriate and measure the air space between the top of the fret and the underside of the string.

Keep in mind that neck relief and bridge height will influence this measurement. Therefor it is essential these factors be within a reasonable range before you commit to cutting any string slots at the nut.

The following measurements can be used a general guide for most guitars to at least get you in the ballpark. You can then tweak them to your own personal preference. Keep in mind that once a string slot is cut, it’s cut.

All string heights measured in inches from the bottom of the string to the top of the 1st fret:

If you think the nut needs attention, here’s an in-depth tutorial on how to cut nut slots to the ideal depth every time:

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Measure String Height at the 12th Fret

Using your preferred fine measuring tool, here’s how to measure your string height:

1. Hold the guitar in the playing position.
2. Starting with the low E string, measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the 12th fret. (Coins work really well as a quick reference).
3. Record the measurement.
4. Next, move to the high E string and repeat the same measurement technique.
5. Record the measurement.

Note: The 12th fret this is a common reference point as it’s the middle of the string between the nut and the bridge.

If you want more precision, use the 8th and 14th frets. This technique will also allow you to account for effects of relief.

Don’t worry about measuring all the strings in between, setting the outer strings will give us a guideline for the remaining strings.

Lastly, move to the end of the neck at the first fret. Does it take a bit too much pressure to push the strings down? Or do they buzz when you play them open?

In either case, it means we’ll have to make one or more adjustments to get the strings to ring out properly and feel right at the same time.

Measure Fretboard Radius

Radius gauges are an indispensable tool for coaxing the maximum playing potential out of a guitar. By matching the radius of the fretboard with the radius of the strings at the bridge, it’s possible to achieve superior guitar playability.

Chances are your fretboard radius is fairly common if your guitar is manufactured by a popular brand. Here’s a table listing some of the most typical radii used by larger manufacturers:

Common Fretboard Radius Measurements

Of course, if you’re unsure or have a more unique model, it’s a pretty quick process to find the factory specs for your particular instrument’s fretboard radius through the manufacturer’s website. Or you can refer to this excellent list of radius measurements organized by manufacturer here.

In practice, ALWAYS measure the fretboard radius of service instruments to verify you have correct information.

Radius gauges come in a variety of styles and price points. In general, they all do the same job and won’t break the bank.

Types of Guitar Radius Gauges

How to Measure Fretboard Radius

To measure neck’s fretboard radius, follow these steps:

1. Pick a notched radius gauge you think is the right one.
2. Make sure it matches the wider spans of fretboard close to or at the body joint (14th – 18th frets) without any gaps.
3. If it doesn’t match, move to the next size up or down and repeat step 2.

To measure string radius at the bridge, follow these steps:

1. Pick a solid curve radius gauge that matches the fretboard.
2. At roughly 1/2″ ahead of the saddle(s), rest the gauge against the strings with as little pressure as possible.
3. Check that all strings contact the gauge by gently picking each string in turn. Each string should buzz slightly if it is contacting the radius gauge.

If any strings do not touch the gauge you’ll have to adjust the saddle(s) to match. Because different instruments require different approaches to making these adjustments, I’ll cover them individually in the section on How to Adjust the Action on Different Types of Guitars.

Measure Neck Relief

There are a number of ways to measure or “read” neck relief. My preferred method involves measuring the gap under the 3rd string around the 7th to 9th frets.

If there isn’t a gap it means the neck is too straight or may have a back bow. We’ll address this later in the article in the section: “How to Adjust the Truss Rod“.

How to quickly and accurately measure neck relief:

1. While holding the guitar in a playing position, press the G string down at the 2nd fret with your fret hand, and at the same time, the 14th or 15th fret with your pick hand.
2. Now look at the G string at the mid-point of this span – around the 7th to 9th frets.
3. Look for a gap of light between the top of the frets and the underside of the string itself. The gap should be somewhere between .006″ and .018″ or .15 mm and .46 mm respectively depending on the instrument.

For quick reference, the gap should look about the same thickness as the diameter of the 1st or 2nd plain strings.

If the gap is more than described, or not there at all, we’ll have to adjust the truss rod.

These initial measurements will give you an excellent idea of where your guitar’s action currently sits. Depending on how you want the guitar to feel as you play, you can increase or decrease these readings to match your style.

Now that you have your reference points, you can begin the most important process of setting your guitar’s action: balancing string height with truss rod relief.

Know Your Truss Rod

Neck relief should be set so that it’s not too straight – which can cause excessive buzzing, or have too much air under the strings – which causes the neck to feel spongey and harder to play.

Depending on the manufacturer, there are basically four different types of truss rod adjusters:

How to Adjust the Truss Rod

Regardless of the type of truss rod adjuster or which end of the neck it’s located at, they all work the same way:

• Tightening the adjuster increases pressure which straightens the neck. This brings the frets and the strings closer together.

• Loosening the adjuster decreases pressure which adds relief. This adds air between the frets and the strings.

To set the relief that’s perfect for your how you like your action, make small incremental bridge height and truss rod adjustments until you’re satisfied with the results.

Make Preliminary Adjustments

Now that we’re armed with the basic knowledge of how to measure action, it’s time to make preliminary adjustments. This step gets us in the ballpark and helps us better determine what the final adjustments should be. It also helps us control problems that can pop up if we commit to a setting prematurely.

For example, if we cut the nut slots to an optimal depth then straighten the neck, the nut slots will be too low causing the strings to buzz. The only remedy then is to repair or replace the nut.

To use an analogy, let’s write a rough draft before we commit to the final copy.

Additionally, try to make preliminary adjustments using the old strings if at all possible – especially if the guitar hasn’t been adjusted for a while.

Why? Because new strings will quickly get trashed from repetitive tensioning during the adjustment process. Save the fresh strings for the last few steps to maintain their full integrity.

To begin setting the guitar’s action, follow this series of preliminary adjustments:

1. If possible, lower or raise the bridge or saddle(s) to get them in the ballpark. It’s ok to be conservative, we want to “creep” the individual adjustments gradually towards the ultimate goal.
2. Read the neck relief and make a quick adjustment if necessary.
3. Make sure the nut is cut properly. If it seems ok, leave it alone. If it has issues and needs to be re-cut, check out the quick tutorial on re-cutting a nut here. If it needs to be repaired, check out this article on nut repair.

Next, we’ll look at the fine adjustments we need to coax the most playability out of your guitar.

Action and Different Types of Guitars

Different types of guitars, electric and acoustic for example, have different types of action adjustments. Nonetheless, they all follow the same basic principle of getting the string height and neck relief to work together.

I must stress that, as we go from instrument to instrument, we’re going to assume the nut is in good shape.

Why? Because regardless of the type of guitar, the nut is a fixed point and shouldn’t need further adjustment once it’s set. For help on setting the nut height, refer to the links in the Preliminary Adjustments section.

Otherwise, the truss rod and bridge are the areas that really need the attention – the vast majority of your work will involve setting the bridge or saddle height and adjusting neck relief.

Author’s Note: Getting the greatest possible action out of a guitar relies heavily on all critical adjustment points being within acceptable limits. If you’re in doubt or think these adjustments are beyond your comfort level, take your guitar to a qualified tech.

Steve B.

Acoustic Guitars

Whether you like your action a little higher or as low as possible, great action on an acoustic guitar, like any other guitar, involves finding the perfect balance between the nut height, neck relief and saddle height.

Most acoustic guitars come with a one-piece saddle made of natural or man-made materials. The most common being bone, plastic or graphite.

As mentioned previously, you should have the neck relief at least in the ballpark to minimize re-adjustments.

In my experience, acoustic action is usually set too high – either from the factory or due to the stresses of aging. Achieving comfortable low action on an acoustic involves trimming an appropriate amount of material from the bottom of the saddle – not the top, to bring the string height down.

During the trimming process, it’s not uncommon to have to reinstall the saddle and strings a couple of times to check the action. This is where keeping the old strings on really comes in handy

How to Adjust the Action on an Acoustic Guitar

To adjust the action on your acoustic follow these steps:

1. Measure neck relief and adjust to within your own acceptable limits.
2. Make sure individual nut slot heights are set properly. Adjust if necessary.
3. Remove the strings.
4. Carefully remove the saddle.
5. Check that the saddle slot is clean and make sure there are no pre-existing shims.
   • If the strings are already too low and you do need to install a shim, use a piece of stiff material with a thickness of roughly .025″ (0.635 mm) cut to the appropriate length and width. An old credit card works perfectly for this.
   • Once you’ve installed the shim, skip to step 8.
   • If you are removing saddle material, continue to step 6.
6. Mark a straight line along the bottom edge of the saddle, roughly .025″ from the bottom is a good start. Note: a little goes a long way. In other words, removing a small amount of material can make a big difference in how the action feels. Plus it’s better to creep towards your target rather than overshooting it.
7. Remove the excess material from the bottom using a sander, file or sandpaper. Aim to “split the line” and at the same time, make sure the bottom of the saddle is perfectly flat.
8. Reinstall the saddle and strings.
9. Tune to pitch.
10. Check neck relief again. Adjust if necessary.
11. Check for playability. Pick a few single notes and strum a few chords up and down the neck in multiple places. The action should feel comfortable and the notes should ring true without the strings buzzing.
12. If necessary, repeat steps 3 through 11.
13. Install new strings and tune to pitch.
14. Check neck relief and playability. Adjust if necessary.
15. Fully stretch the new strings and re-tune to pitch.
16. Play and enjoy!

You’ll notice there’s a lot of reference to checking neck relief. Why? As you remove and reinstall the strings you’re also removing and reapplying pressure. This can cause neck relief to change as compression is redistributed.

You’ll also notice new strings have slightly less tension and are more elastic. This will cause the neck to relax a little. Therefor keeping a constant close eye on neck relief is an important part of the process.

Note: Sometimes the an acoustic’s saddle radius doesn’t match the fretboard radius. whether you decide to adjust it or not requires careful consideration.

On some guitars this mismatch is intentional, the saddle radius will read flatter compared to the fretboard. A common trait with Martin guitars, this is due to either the use of a compound radius (a gradual flattening of the radius along the neck) or extra height added to the bass side to allow room for thicker string vibration.

Conversely, you may find the saddle has an overly rounded radius. This is usually due to overly-standardized production that has neglected the finer points, preferring quantity over quality.

Lastly, all the steps regarding action described above are exactly the same for a twelve string acoustic – the only difference is in the number of strings you get to deal with!

Electric Guitars

For the most part, adjusting the action on an electric guitar follows the same procedures as previously mentioned – but with one significant exception: electric guitars are inherently designed to be more adjustable in order to fine tune string height, radius and intonation length.

Though the goal of adjusting the action at the bridge is the same, the type of bridge your electric guitar has will greatly affect the types of tools and processes you use.

For example, adjusting the bridge on a typical Fender-made product will be very different from adjusting the bridge on a Gibson Les Paul.

Additionally, make sure you keep a close eye on string tension. Making these adjustments will definitely affect string pressure and potentially cause misreads. To maintain accuracy, good practice is to continually check the condition of your strings and keep them as close as possible to normal tension.

That said, let’s have a look at how to adjust the action on some of the most common types of electric guitars:

Fender Style Electric Guitars

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How to the Adjust Action on a Stratocaster

Stratocaster guitar bridges come in two basic forms according to the type of bridge mounting screws: the classic six-point and the modern two-point systems.

Overall bridge height can be adjusted by means of the bridge mounting screws:

Though each type of tailpiece is originally designed to be floating, it can also be “hard-tailed” or set flat to the body.

If the bridge is set to be hard-tailed, the process of setting your action is fairly straight forward.

If the tailpiece (ie: the bridge) is set to be floating, adjusting the amount of rise off the body surface will affect the overall height of the strings.

Therefor, when adjusting the claw-plate springs in the back, be sure to re-check your string height – more spring tension brings the strings closer to the fretboard and vice versa.

Stratocaster bridge systems feature individual saddles that are fully adjustable in three aspects: height, radius and intonation length.

Each saddle has two forward-mounted grub screws that can be used to set the string height, and at the same time, match the radius. The screw at the rear of the bridge plate is used to set intonation length.

Typical US (Imperial spec.) models use a 1/16″ allen key for the grub screws, whereas import and many MIM units use a 1.5 mm allen key driver.

Steps to Adjust a Stratocaster Bridge:

First and foremost, we’re going to assume you have a fresh set of strings on, the nut and neck relief have been adjusted, and you are ready to go!

1. Adjust the bridge mounting screws:
   • Relax string pressure until the back of the bridge plate contacts the body surface.
   • If necessary, adjust all bridge mounting screws to make sure the bridge plate is reasonably flush with the body.
   • Starting with the outermost screws, adjust the bridge mounting screws until the back of the bridge plate just begins to rise off the body surface.
   • Back off each bridge mounting screw equally an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn.
2. Tune the strings up to pitch.
   • If floating, adjust the claw plate spring pressure until the back edge of the bridge measures 1/8″ or 3.18 mm off the body surface at pitch. Note: This height can be adjusted to better match your playing preference.
   • If hard-tailing, continue to step 5.
3. Check neck relief. Adjust if necessary.
4. Adjust the 1st string saddle height to its lowest acceptable limit. Note: individual string heights are set by adjusting the two grub screws at the front of each saddle
5. Adjust the 6th string saddle height to its lowest acceptable limit.
6. Using the appropriate radius gauge, set the remaining string heights to match.
7. Stretch the strings out fully and retune to pitch.
8. Double check for ease of action and playability.
9. Enjoy!

Author’s note: When setting up a Strat to be floating, the bottoms of the saddle plates should ideally be level and in line with the trajectory of the strings when at rest.

How to Adjust the Action on a Telecaster

The beauty of a Telecaster lies in its simplicity. Originally designed to be a working musician’s guitar, the focus was on the balance of utility and performance.

For the most part, achieving great action on a Telecaster is the same as previously mentioned instruments. But once again, the main difference lies in how you deal with the bridge components – namely the saddles.

Adjusting a Telecaster bridge with modern individual saddles is essentially the same process as on a Stratocaster – but without the need to adjust any bridge mounting screws.

Here’s a quick video about setting action on a Vintage 52 Reissue Telecaster:

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Adjusting a vintage style Telecaster bridge with three barrels is slightly different in a couple of aspects. For one, you may need a fine slot screwdriver to adjust the grub screws.

Secondly, it’s important to understand that adjusting one side of the barrel influences the other side slightly. Therefor it’s important to constantly re-check the overall height and radius measurements you’re aiming for.

Steps to Adjust a Telecaster Bridge:

Let’s assume (again) you have a brand new set of strings on, the nut and neck relief have been checked and adjusted to your satisfaction, and you’re ready to go!

1. Tune the strings up to pitch.
2. Check neck relief. Adjust if necessary.
3. Adjust the 1st string saddle height to its lowest acceptable limit.
   • Note: Whether the saddles are individual to the string or the two-string barrel type, string height is set by adjusting the two grub screws at the front of each saddle.
4. Adjust the 6th string saddle height to its lowest acceptable limit.
5. Using the appropriate radius gauge, set the remaining string heights to match.
6. Stretch the strings out fully and retune to pitch.
7. Double check for ease of action and playability.
8. Enjoy!

Gibson Style Electric Guitars

Adjusting the action on Gibson style electric guitars once again follows the same basic process as any other: we want to start by making sure the nut height and neck relief are set according to your preferences using the methods described above.

Next, assuming you have a new set of string on to work with and the appropriate tools, let’s have a look at how to make action adjustments at the bridge.

Gibson tune-o-matic type bridge adjustment points:

Steps to Adjust a Gibson Style Bridge:

1. Make sure the strings are tuned to pitch.
2. Double check neck relief. Adjust if necessary.
3. Using the appropriate tool, adjust the treble side of the bridge to its lowest acceptable limit.
4. Check string tension making sure it’s at least close to being in tune.
5. Adjust the bass side of the bridge to its lowest acceptable limit.
6. Once again check string tension.
7. Double check string height and readjust the bridge if necessary.
8. Stretch the strings out fully and retune to pitch.
9. Double check the action throughout the neck is to your liking.
10. Play away!

You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned anything about using a radius gauge. This is for good reason.

The interesting thing about Gibson tune-o-matic type ABR and Nashville bridge design is in the fact that the bridge unit itself acts as a unified carriage – the individual saddles are not height adjustable themselves.

Because Gibson type saddles are not height adjustable, setting the radius may require cutting the saddle slots. This process is not to be taken lightly as there are significant consequences.

Why? Well for one, older bridges, particularly those found on older and vintage instruments, suffer from what’s called a “collapsed bridge” or “bridge sag”. This is a condition where the bridge loses its original radius over time due to continuous pressure from the strings.

And two, if you cut one saddle slot too low, you have to adjust the others to match. In other words, you must be precise in your measurements and careful in execution – once it’s cut, you can’t undo it.

In this respect, Fender type bridge design has a significant advantage in the ability to fine tune without alteration.

Either way, recutting the saddle slots is a destructive process requiring careful consideration, especially when dealing with an older bridge that’s already compromised.

Tools Required:

If you do decide to refine the radius by cutting the saddle slot depths, you can use the same tools for cutting nut slots.

Additionally, you should cut the saddle slots BEFORE you set string height. If you try to do it afterwards, you’ll have to re-set the bridge height all over again.

Should I Top Wrap or Not?

What does top wrapping a stop tailpiece have to do with action? Well, the answer lies in why it’s adjustable in the first place.

According to original Gibson advertising literature, there was an intentional benefit baked into the design to begin with: the, “Tailpiece can be moved up or down to adjust tension”.

To this day, there is a highly polarized debate as to whether the strings should be oriented one way or the other. One side claims, “If it’s good enough for (insert guitar hero name here), it’s good enough for me.” versus “If it was designed that way, then that’s the way it should be done.”.

It really comes down to a matter of preference. If you do happen to favor one or the other, which side are you on? By all means, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below.

Guitars with Locking Systems

As a group, guitars with locking systems are purpose-built for fast action. When build quality and material components are good, these guitars perform like thoroughbreds being nearly effortless to play.

Due to the nature of the locking system, these guitars also fall into a category all their own. Along with other features, the locking system also affects the process of setting the guitar’s action.

Many players find the process of working on a locking system incredibly frustrating. For good reason: you’re dealing with a host of mechanical points that have to be locked or unlocked while at the same time work with loaded springs under tension.

In reality, the process of adjusting the action on a guitar with a locking system is really not that complicated. You just need the appropriate tools, and follow a logical method to get the guitar’s action where you want it to be.

The Most Common Issue – The Bridge is Too High or Low

One of the most common pain points associated with locking systems is the change in bridge height when you switch string gauges. The bridge will get “decked” – that is, pulled back into the body with lighter strings, or rise sky high when going to a heavier gauge.

To correct a locking bridge height that is too high or low, refer to steps 4 thru 7 below.

Common Locking Bridge Adjustment Points

Adjusting the bridge to level is done by adjusting the claw plate screws located in the spring cavity.

When the spring pressure is equalized with the string pressure, the bridge plate should be relatively flush with the plane of the body.

Similar to Gibson style and modern Fender Strats, locking system bridges use a two-point adjustment system to raise or lower the entire bridge unit.

Locking Nut Shims

Shims of different thicknesses can be used to adjust the height of the locking nut.

Locking Bridge Saddle Shims

Steps to Adjust the Action on a Guitar with a Locking System:

For the sake of popularity, we’re going to use a standard Floyd Rose type locking system for reference.

1. Make sure the bridge is in as level a position as possible. See step 4 below for instructions on how to do this.
2. With the strings at tension, carefully asses neck relief is within tolerance. Adjust if necessary.
3. Check string height at the nut.
   • How to adjust a locking nut if it needs to be raised or lowered:
     • Remove the pressure pad bolts, pads and any nut mounting screws. Note: string tension will keep the nut in place.
     • Place a suitable block such as a tongue depressor under the back of the locking bridge. This will stop it from collapsing into the body.
     • Starting with the first string tuner, carefully back off each string 2 or 3 turns to reduce overall string tension.
     • To further reduce spring load on the guitar, carefully remove 1 spring from the cavity in the back of the body.
       Spring load should now be reduced enough so that you can either add or remove shims from underneath the locking nut.
     • Insert one of the 3mm locking pad machine screws 2 or 3 turns into the center position on top of the nut. Using the screw as a handle, you should now be able to gently pull the nut up vertically to add or remove shim material underneath. If the nut seems to still have too much pressure on it, back off the tuners a bit more and / or remove another spring if necessary.
     • Add or remove shims underneath as required. Note: If, after removing all shims, the locking nut needs to go still lower, the nut seat will have to be re-milled. If this is the case, take it to a pro as this is a highly specialized process and beyond the scope of this guide.
     • Using a stepped approach, carefully bring the strings back up to tension and reinstall any tremolo springs previously removed.
   • Recheck that the nut is at an acceptable height. If necessary, readjust using the method previously described.
   • Recheck that the neck relief and bridge are also within acceptable limits. Readjust if necessary.
   • Reinstall the nut mounting screws. Note: It is not necessary to reinstall the pressure pads just yet.
4. With the strings at tension, check that the bridge plate is level with the plane of the body. Alternatively, the bridge plate can be lined up with the trajectory of the strings.
   • How to level the bridge:
     • If the back end of the bridge plate is too high, tighten both claw-plate screws equally 1/2 to 1 full turn each.
     • If the back end of the bridge plate is too low, loosen both claw-plate screws equally 1/2 to 1 full turn each.
     • Retune the strings to pitch.
     • Check that the bridge plate is level. If not, repeat the above steps according to the condition of the bridge until it is level.
   • Double check the strings are at pitch.
5. Adjust the treble side fulcrum stud up or down until the 1st string height is set to its lowest acceptable limit.
6. Adjust the bass side fulcrum stud up or down until the 6th string height is set to its lowest acceptable limit.
7. Recheck that the bridge is level and that the nut height and neck relief are still within acceptable limits. Make refining adjustments if necessary.
8. Using the appropriate radius gauge, check that the radius of the strings indeed matches the radius of the fretboard.
   Important Note: Whether the saddle radius matches the fretboard radius or not is highly dependant on the quality of manufacture. In my experience, locking system saddles rarely match the fretboard radius and require shims to get a perfect match.
   • How to adjust string radius on a locking system bridge:
     • Remove tension from the string you want to adjust.
     • Record the intonation point for future reference.
     • Loosen and remove the saddle lock down screw attached to the saddle you’re adjusting.
     • Carefully lift up the saddle to expose a gap under the front portion. Pulling the string up vertically usually works well for this.
     • Insert the appropriate size shim under the saddle. This can be anything between .005″ to .015″ or .127 mm to .381 mm depending on the amount of radius gap you need to compensate for.
     • Realign the saddle to its original intonation point.
     • Reinstall and tighten the saddle lock down screw.
     • Tune the string up to pitch.
     • Check that the string height now matches the radius. Readjust if necessary.
   • Check that all strings are at pitch.
9. Recheck that the nut height, neck relief and condition of the bridge are set to your liking.
10. Line up and level the fine tuner adjustment screws making sure there’s enough room for adjustment after lock down.
11. Double check that the saddle lock down screws are secure.
12. Reinstall the nut pressure pads and pad bolts, and lock them down.
13. Recheck that the guitar is tuned to pitch. Fine tune if necessary.
14. Play!

For most systems, the above method works very well. But variations between manufacturers will require adapting some principles to make things work for the particular unit.

Floyd Rose vs Kahler Systems

For example, adjusting the locking nut for a Kahler system works exactly the same as described above, but adjusting the bridge is a very different animal – more like that of a Strat but on steroids. Plus there’s no true locking mechanism for the strings.

Archtops, Jazz Guitars and Semi-Acoustics

Adjusting Action on Archtop, Jazz and Semi-Acoustic Guitars

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Setting the action on archtop, jazz and semi-acoustic instruments is very similar to that of acoustic guitars – with some interesting exceptions.

Many traditional archtop jazz guitars come fitted with a pre-intonated, height adjustable bridge system. The saddle component is a typically a single piece of hardwood or metal set atop of a base plate fitted with adjustable thumbwheels.

With these instruments, adjusting string height for better action is a simple matter of raising or lowering the saddle using the thumbwheels.

Interestingly enough, even a straight metal bar, as used in Gretsch’s 7576 Country Club, can be remarkably effective and musical when adjusting the action on a jazz-box.

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Putting a wedge in the door of the future, more “modernized” instruments make use of tune-o-matic type bridges and are thus, fairly straight forward.

Setting the action on these guitars is essentially the same as with Gibson type instruments.

Classical Guitars

Adjusting Action on a Classical Guitar

For the most part, adjusting the action on a classical guitar follows the same process as steel string acoustics, but with a few very important differences:

• Classical guitars traditionally have a flat fretboard, therefor there’s no need for measuring or adjusting a radius.
• Due to lower string pressure, many classical guitars are not equipped with a truss rod – no adjustment is necessary.
• Action on a classical guitar will be a little higher due to the higher elasticity and tendency of the strings to vibrate more aggressively. This means both the nut and the saddle must be set fractionally higher.
• If you have to remove the saddle to make adjustments more than once, it’s not very practical to un-weave the strings at the bridge. Instead, loosen the string tension and carefully insert a suitably sized wedge just ahead of the saddle. This should allow you enough lea-way to remove the saddle, make an adjustment and reinstall it.

Basses

Adjusting the Action on a Bass Guitar

Adjusting the action on a bass guitar typically follows the same process as electric guitars. Most of the “action” is set using the bridge components.

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Depending on the architecture, the adjustment points and methods are essentially the same, just on a larger scale (no pun intended). For example, larger strings means a little more string height is needed along with a touch more neck relief.

From a player’s point of view, one major consideration is in whether you use a pick, fingers or combination of both. These various techniques have a substantial influence on how the action is set which is heavily dictated by the player’s style.

Should Action Be High or Low?

Whether you like your guitar’s action high or low depends on a number of factors:

• The type of instrument you play
• Your technique or approach to playing
• Your tolerance for string buzz
• Your general taste in music
• Your level of experience – or even age

Considering the range of musical styles and instruments, these factors suggest an incredibly wide range of variations in how action should be set.

How to Set the Lowest Action on a Guitar

Before setting the lowest action your guitar will allow, make sure you have covered the preliminary adjustments and general action adjustments for your specific type of guitar listed above.

Next, you’re going to check the neck in multiple areas. Checking these multiple points magnifies your sense of how the guitar sits. It also lets you determine the limits of your guitar’s action and helps balance it with your playing style.

Here are the specific steps to measure for the lowest action your guitar will allow:

1. Hold the guitar in the playing position.
2. While looking at the Low E string around the 12th to 15th fret area, make a mental note of or take physical distance between the tops of the frets and the underside of the string.
3. On the same low E string, play a few notes up and down the neck in between the 10th and 17th frets. if there’s too much resistance, the strings are too high. If the string buzzes, the string height is already set too low, or one or more frets need attention (which is common where the neck meets the body).
4. Again on the same low E string, move to the third fret area and play a few notes up and down the neck to make sure it doesn’t buzz or feel too spongey. If it does, most likely the neck still needs a truss rod adjustment (or less likely, you may need some fret work).
5. Now move to the high E string. Again, make a mental note of (or measure) the string height above the frets around the 12th to 15th fret area.
6. In that same area, play a few single notes up and down the neck. There should be no buzzing and very little resistance under your fingers. Each note should ring true and clear.
7. Now do at least a full tone bend (more is better) on every fret from the 10th to 17th frets. If you find the string buzzing or fretting out, the action is already set too low or one or more frets need attention.
8. Lastly, using a similar method as the described for the low E, move to the 3rd to 5th fret area on the high E string. Play a few notes in that section and check for any buzzes, sizzles or excess “air” under the string. If there are issues, once again it suggests the truss rod needs adjustment, or a fret or two may need attention.

The best and lowest action you can achieve will be a direct result of following this process. Moreover, this same process can also be used for the vast majority of guitars.

Acoustic Versus Electric Guitar Relief Measurements

Measuring nominal action on an Ovation acoustic and super low action on a Telecaster

You’ll notice nothing is mentioned about the inner strings: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. This is because we’re using the outer strings to determine our lower limits. The remaining strings will fall in line as we make fine adjustments later on.

There are a few other subtle hot spots that will manifest depending on the strings and instrument, but the fret areas mentioned above are those that tend to be extremely consistent.

The reality is, whether you prefer your action high or low or are still trying to figure it out, the best guitar action sticks to a straight forward principle: it should feel right.

The Pros and Cons of High Action vs Low Action

Contrary to most opinions, high action is not necessarily bad. Higher action will allow an instrument to “speak” a little better; it produces more volume, but you have to work for it.

One of my local clients, Ian Crichton of the prog rock group Saga, likes his action a little higher. He wants to hear the notes ring loud and true with a good amount of “ping”. His comment about high action was, “You get used to it.”.

Conversely, a guitar with low action requires less energy to manipulate the strings.

For instance, many metal players prefer their action very low in order to accommodate lightning fast shredding techniques such as sweeps, arpeggios, pivots etc.

Compared to higher action, the trade-off is that the lower you go, the more you sacrifice the instrument’s acoustic value. Notes will become stifled and choked because the strings simply don’t have enough room to vibrate and reach their full potential.

For most of us, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.

Do New Guitars Have Good Action?

Depending on build quality, new guitars may or may not have good action out of the box.

The fact is the vast majority of production instruments are set to factory specs. Though they tend to be within playable limits, they often need to be further refined to fit the player better.

Well known brands such as Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Fender and a host of others set very high standards for their instruments. This minimizes the chances of you getting a new guitar with poor action and playability.

On the other hand, there are an endless number of off-brand instruments that cover every conceivable level of quality.

At one end of the spectrum you’ll find new guitars that are literally unplayable, all the way over to those that play very well with great action, and everything in between.

Generally speaking, the better the grade of the guitar, the better your chances of it playing reasonably well directly from the manufacturer – or at least with minimal adjustments.

Why Does Action Change?

Over long periods, wood moves in ways you can’t see. The effects of time, pressure and humidity change the very nature of the guitar, this is why guitar action changes.

The effects of weather can have a very negative affect on instruments, particularly in extreme environments. Wood, the most common guitar material, expands and contracts with relative humidity which in turn causes structural issues such as cracking and joint separations.

Changing string gauges also changes the amount of compression or pressure on the guitar – which directly affects how the guitar plays.

For instance, going to heavier strings will pull the neck up which raises the strings creating a higher action. The reverse can be true if you change to a lighter gauge as well: the neck relaxes and the strings start to buzz requiring an action adjustment.

What’s the Difference Between Guitar Action and Guitar Setup?

Guitar action is the term used to describe how well a guitar plays, how easy it is to manipulate.

A guitar setup is more of a wholistic approach to the entire instrument. In other words, a setup covers all operational elements of the guitar from the tuners to electronics and everything in between.

For more information on all the elements that go into setting up a guitar, check out this guide.

How Much Does it Cost to Lower the Action on a Guitar?

The price to lower the action on a guitar – no matter what kind of instrument, will depend on how much effort has to go into making it right for the player.

Some guitars, especially better high-end brand name instruments, are fairly easy to get to play with nice low action because they’re just built better with better materials.

Consequently, lowering the action on a cheap guitar will likely cost more because of the extra work involved to get it to be more playable.

That said, a decent guitar setup will cost you somewhere between $50-$100 (USD) depending on your region, the amount of work required and the experience of the person doing the work.

Other Factors That Influence Action

Sensitivity to String Buzz

Along with simply being out of adjustment, other factors that influence guitar action include your own sensitivity to string buzz.

For example, an electric guitar that buzzes when played acoustically may not sound the same when plugged in. In other words, the buzzing doesn’t manifest through the amp.

Whether you can tolerate it or not is up to you.

On the other hand, an acoustic guitar with bad string buzz is outright annoying. For most players, whether acoustic or electric, this is the tipping point for an instrument that needs an action adjustment or complete setup.

Common Problems that Limit Action

Time, age and general build quality have a huge impact on how well a guitar plays. Sometimes, due to these same issues, a guitar’s action can be severely limited.

Moreover, a guitar that has underlying material or structural issues will be aggravated by an overly aggressive playing technique. Does this mean you should lighten up and change your style? Not necessarily.

You can have the guitar looked at or try to adjust it yourself, but best results will definitely be hampered by poor build quality.

Otherwise, common factors that cause a guitar to have compromised action include:

• The condition of the frets
• Distortions in the neck
• Distortions at the body joint or poor neck angle
• Poor quality, maladjusted or no truss rod
• A lifting or cracked bridge on an acoustic guitar
• Seized parts that should otherwise be adjustable
• Mismatched factory parts

I would say the most common culprit would be the neck to body angle, followed closely by a neck condition that’s out of whack.

Luckily, electric guitars with bolt-on necks can have the neck-to-body angle corrected with a simple shim in the neck pocket. Some manufacturers, such as Fender and Peavey, even offer a micro-tilt feature to account for this – a small grub screw adjuster accessible at the base of the neck plate.

Why this feature is even necessary these days is beyond me. Considering the current state of precision manufacturing, surely a neck pocket can be milled to accommodate the compensation offered by an adjustable bridge – yes? (End of rant.)

On the other hand, acoustic and electric guitars with traditional set necks are another story. The only cure for these instruments with compromised neck-to-body angles is a costly neck reset.

Luckily, more forward-thinking manufacturers such as Taylor, Godin and others, design their guitars with this upcoming distortion in mind. They know pressure will eventually take its toll over time and allow for their necks to be relatively easily reset at a minimal cost.

The net effect? Better and more consistent action over the long term.

Mental and Physical Fatigue

Ever find yourself going in circles trying to chase perfection? Like when you’re trying to coax the most out of your guitar, and you wind up second guessing you work asking yourself, “Should it be this?.. or that?..”.

Not a good deal. Too many kicks at the can and you’ll lose sight of the goal.

Take a break, it’s good advice.

What to Do When Parts Don’t Match

Before I close out this section, I’d like to pass a long a curious, yet all too common situation that came across my workbench recently.

A regular client of mine had just purchased an electric guitar he wanted set up – a beautiful new Fender Vintera ’60s Jaguar in stunning Sonic Blue.

As much as he liked the guitar, he said it just didn’t feel right, even after a few well-practiced adjustments.

As soon as I picked it up I knew exactly what the problem was, I could feel it – a severe mismatch between the bridge radius and the fretboard radius.

As soon as I put it on the bench my suspicions were confirmed: the fretboard radius measured 9.5″ whereas the radius of the factory supplied bridge measured 16″!!…

There was no way the action on this guitar was going to be satisfactory by merely adjusting the bridge height. Either the inner strings would always buzz, or the outer strings would always be too high with respect to the middle strings.

Ultimately, the bridge saddles needed some serious tinkering to get things to line up and the action where it needed to be.

After cutting the saddle slots and making the other critical action adjustments, the guitar played ridiculously well.

More importantly, the owner was extremely happy.

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Not to bash Fender, but it would seem even the best of manufacturers have their blind spots. In this case, the negative effects of selecting over-generalized “off-the-shelf” parts is fairly evident.

Sadly, this is not the only time I’ve come across situations where mass production and end usage diverge – a beautiful Japanese-made Gretsch comes to mind.

I guess the point is, regardless of what a manufacturer says, check for yourself and don’t take anything for granted.

Common Items You Can Use for Measuring Action

There’s something to be said for keeping it simple. Not to downplay the importance of proper tools, but using materials at hand in a practical way does offer a certain convenience.

For instance, you probably have some spare change in your pocket or on the dresser, and every guitar player uses strings which come in specific gauges.

Both coins and strings can be used as tools for fine measurements. You just need to know their thicknesses.

Here are a couple of charts you can make use of for handy reference:

Coins: USD sorted by thickness

(Keep that spare change handy!)

	Half Dollar	.085″	2.15 mm
	Nickel	.077″	1.95 mm
	Quarter	.069″	1.75 mm
	Penny	.061″	1.55 mm
	Dime	.035″	1.35 mm

Guitar Strings: Common gauges and types in inches, sorted by thickness

(The next time you change your strings, keep the tag ends!)

Summary of Key points

Regardless of the type of guitar, most instruments will follow the same general procedure to maximize action:

1. Determine the current action of the guitar. This can be done by measuring the distance between the strings and the fretboard at the 12th fret.
2. Decide on the desired action. This will depend on personal preference, as well as the type of music being played and your playing style.
3. Adjust the truss rod to alter neck relief. The action through the middle of the neck will raise or lower depending on the amount of curvature.
4. Check and adjust the nut height. The depth of the string slots will raise or lower the action at the headstock.
5. Adjust the saddle for height and fretboard radius. Saddle height will raise or lower the action at the bridge.
6. Fine-tune the action by making small adjustments to the truss rod, saddle, and nut as needed.
7. Test the action by playing the guitar and observing any issues with comfort or sound quality.

Adjusting the action on a guitar can be a time-consuming process, but for any guitarist, it’s important for achieving the best playability and sound quality.

Personal Thoughts, Notes and Observations

Just as there are many different kinds of people and sensitivities, there are that many interpretations of what “good action” could and should be. The type of guitar you play, the style of music you try to push out, your approach to playing etc.

My point is, there is no one perfect type of action thats serves everyone and every guitar. It’s very much a matter of personal preference. This is why I continually used the phrase “acceptable limits” in the adjustment procedures.

Should Action Look Right, or Feel Right?

From my own experience, and doing considerable additional research for this article, I found an overabundance of reliance on the technical aspects of measuring action.

Don’t get me wrong, you gotta have and make use of good tools. But at the end of the day, the ultimate judge in how well a guitar plays is the feedback that comes through your fingers – either it feels right or it doesn’t.

You don’t play with your eyes, you play with your hands. Think about it, which “sense” makes more sense when it comes to playing? Sight – or touch?

When it comes to setting a guitar’s action, I’ve been fooled by tools. Then I set them aside and let my hands, that tactile sense, tell me what’s really going on.

Feel never fails.

Want to continue to improve your skills?

The purpose of Guitar Niche is to help people exactly like you. Those who share a passion for guitars and want to know how to keep them working perfectly.

Without you, the whole endeavour is pointless.

Come back and check out the site regularly, we’re always adding new articles and how-to’s.

Whether you just want to maintain your gear, or be the best guitar tech in your area, or the world! Guitar Niche will be here to help you along the way.

Thanks For Reading!

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Whether you decide to learn the process for your own interest, or for compensation, or to keep your own sanity, this easy guitar setup guide will help you achieve great results in no time.

Easy Guitar Setup Guide

Introduction: How To Set Up A Guitar

What This Guide Is, and Isn’t

This guide is based on a collection of skills and insights gained from decades of professional technical experience. It covers the most common tasks, presented in a logical progression, that apply to the vast majority of guitars going through the setup process.

You will also benefit from learning fundamental concepts and time-saving techniques gained from years of experience that help you spend less time fiddling, and more time playing.

What it does not cover are topics related to intensive repairs, replacing electronics and personalized guitar modifications. Such tasks are, for the most part, not directly related to the setup procedure and are therefor beyond the scope of this text.

Finally, to say this guide covers everything there is to know about guitar setups would be a gross overstatement. I would also add that the methods described are not necessarily the last word on how to get a particular job done.

To say so would satisfy the ego, but deny the benefits of learning better techniques.

Should You Do Your Own Setups?

In a word – yes. But before you begin buying tools and tackling a job with new found wide-eyed zeal, let’s make a couple of things very clear:

If you are not mechanically inclined, it would be foolish to fight your nature. You may be comfortable changing your strings but find troubleshooting other guitar problems far too intimidating.

If you believe you fall into this category, please feel free to read on. The value of understanding the process will help you communicate better with someone you trust to do the work.

On the other hand, there are those of us who have no problem picking up new mechanical skills and are perfectly willing to learn how to set up our own instruments – we just need a guide to help us along the way.

Still, should you wind up in a situation over your head, it’s a far better decision to get an instrument into the hands of someone with experience.

That being said, let’s reinforce a positive attitude on the subject. With the right mindset and working environment (which can be incredibly modest) you can achieve remarkable results, and that is the true purpose of this guide.

Typical Guitar Problems

Guitars follow the same basic structure whether they’re acoustic, electric or electrified. They all involve the manipulation of stretched strings spanning two nodes – namely, the nut and the bridge.

Because of this similarity, they’re also prone to the same problems.

These problems also extend to orchestral instruments such as violins, violas, cellos, or culturally diverse instruments such as balalaikas, ouds, bouzoukis, banjos and mandolins.

From the point of view as a guitar player, here are a few common problems we all deal with at one time or another:

• Buzzing, rattling
• High action
• Tuning issues
• Breaking strings

And many more of course.

What’s the Difference Between a Guitar Repair and a Guitar Setup?

The difference between a repair task and a setup task is a matter of perception.

For example, the guitar contains so many mysteries for beginners that the replacement of a broken string constitutes a “repair”.

For seasoned players, a “guitar setup” is perceived as more of a technical endeavour related to maintenance.

Although there are some crossover elements which would qualify as repairs, there is a clear difference between heavy duty guitar repair:

… and guitar setups which qualify as general service. Another way to differentiate the two is by job description: a luthier is one who builds or restores instruments, and a technician is one who specializes in the performance of an instrument.

In this guide we focus on dealing with the normal wear and tear conditions that are part of every instrument’s journey through time. They are an absolute inevitability regardless of pedigree, and the primary focus of service tutorials on this website.

The Basic Rules of a Guitar Setup

“You should play so that if your mom hears you on the radio, she knows it’s you.”

– Les Paul

Granted, the reference to radio is dated, but the sentiment is the same: you should be able to express yourself freely through your guitar without the instrument’s condition holding you back.

Taking the ten thousand foot view, there are a few simple rules representing the fundament principles of an organized, educated approach to achieving your ultimate goal – setting up your guitar to its maximum potential.

These fundamental rules are:

1. Use Fresh Strings
2. Use the Right Guitar Setup Tools
3. Follow a Good Setup Process

Those three little phrases work as a team, they depend on one another, if you neglect any one of them I guarantee your final result will be sub par.

Rule number three, using your head, is by far the most important as it leverages knowledge, logic, procedure and technique.

Let’s have a closer look at why these principles are so important:

Use Fresh Strings

While this may seem mundane, I can’t stress how important it is to use fresh strings as the very first step to a perfect setup.

Simply put, if you try to do a setup with old strings you will fail.

Aged strings will give you all kinds of grief as they mask underlying problems and are virtually impossible to calibrate.

So the question is: “How old is new?”

It’s a fact that untreated new strings will start degrading virtually from the moment you put them on. As soon as you touch them, the amino acids of your body chemistry will start reacting with the metal in the strings.

The vast majority of us can make use of a new set of strings for what I would say is a reasonably long time.

But for some others, this chemical reaction happens very quickly turning a fresh set of strings into a rusty mess in a matter of minutes – I’ve seen it first hand. Thankfully, the invention of coated strings makes all the difference in the world in this situation.

Regardless of your physiological impact on strings, it’s easy to justify the expense of a new set in order to guarantee an accurate setup.

Use The Right Tools

There’s a hard cost to obtaining the tools you need to get the job done, but you don’t need to break the bank. Not to mention you probably have some of the more common ones, screwdrivers and such, already kicking around in your toolbox.

Using the right tool for the job will save you time, and potential grief from having damaged a critical guitar part.

Follow a Logical Process and Use Common Sense

Let’s put it in perspective:

You can read a book on sex, but it’s not the same as doing it.

Fair enough, but you have to start somewhere.

Having a guide to follow (such as this one) will help to organize tasks in a logical order. This makes the whole process easier and will ultimately save you time and frustration.

Still, as an individual who needs to test their own capabilities, you’ll need to figure out where your comfort level lies. The only way to do that is get in there and get your hands dirty.

You may make mistakes, I’ve made many – it’s all part of the learning process. But without doing, there is no knowing.

If you find yourself stuck, take a short break, think the problem through, and pierce the fog of indecision.

Understanding Guitar Action

Guitar action can be thought of as the three points of a triangle: the bridge, the nut, and relief. When all three points are in agreement, that is, when they are in harmony and properly working together, we can consider the result comparable to a perfect triangle.

Another way to think of it is like this: when all three elements are aligned to both the instrument and the player, you have a perfect, balanced setup.

If any one point is out of adjustment, it automatically affects the others, creating an imbalance. The result is compromised guitar action, and a frustrated unhappy guitar player.

“How Do You Fix the Action on a Guitar?”

In order to answer that question, let’s try to understand exactly how each point affects the others in a bit more detail:

Fundamental Points of Guitar Action:

The Nut

When the nut is cut properly it becomes essentially a fixed point and won’t need to be dealt with except for issues of wear or damage. In other words, set it and forget it – that’s good. But it’s sweet spot is wholly dependant on how the other two points are set.

The Bridge

Raising or lowering the bridge streamlines the overall action and is directly affected by neck relief. If the bridge is set too high, you’ll have too much “air” under the strings where the neck meets the body – a major contributor to “high action”.

Too low and the strings will buzz – not enough “air” or string height in the same area. Remember, adjusting one point directly influences the others. The aim to achieve balance!

Neck Relief

This is by far the most controlling element of the lot. Setting good relief is a matter of compensating for string compression and accommodating the player’s style – some players like their action higher or lower than factory-set averages.

How well the neck responds to truss rod adjustments is often dependant on how well the instrument is made. Generally speaking, better quality instruments will allow very fine adjustments in relief through their use of better truss rod materials and engineering.

Because strings need room to move, controlling the amount of relief in the neck is absolutely critical to achieving a perfect guitar setup. The nut and the bridge settings will ultimately be limited by how well the truss rod works, or doesn’t.

Relief is also influenced by the general condition of the neck – whether it’s straight and true or has compromising distortions. If these distortions are significant, they must be dealt with first to level the playing field.

If they’re minor, it’s not uncommon to wind up working around them to achieve a point of “least of all evils”.

Through practice, you will be able to tell immediately if a guitar will come around properly, or in the worst case, realize it’s best use is to look pretty hanging on the wall.

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Guitar Setup Tools and Products

What tools do you need to set up a guitar?

Here’s a shortlist of recommended guitar setup tools:

Examples of Setup Tools and Accessories

Dunlop NC65 Maintenance Station Neck Cradle

Grizzly T25450 Nut Files, Set of 3

StewMac Understring Radius Gauges, Set of...

MusicNomad MN103 Guitar ONE All-in-1 Cleaner...

Snark SN5X Clip-On Tuner for Guitar, Bass & Violin...

D'Addario Accessories Pro-Winder Guitar String...

Kyser Quick-Change Guitar Capo for 6-string...

D'Addario Acoustic Guitar Strings, Phosphor...

A much more detailed list of recommended guitar setup tools can be found here.

Overall, the list is pretty modest. By way of contrast, a custom guitar builder’s tools would include jigs for bending, presses, sanders, templates, finishing chemicals, highly specialized tools for a very specific craft.

And yet, even the finest hand made instruments need a setup! – cool.

How to do a Professional Guitar Setup

The guitar setup process can be broken down into nine distinct phases. Use the quick links below to jump to any section you’re interested in:

1. Assessment
2. Teardown
3. Cleaning the Guitar
4. Installing New Strings
5. Preliminary Adjustments
6. Action, Intonation and Fine Adjustments
   6.1 Adjust the Truss Rod
   6.2 Set the Bridge Height and Radius
   6.3 Recut the Nut
   6.4 Adjust the Pickup Height
   6.5 Check and Adjust the Intonation
7. Stretch the Strings
8. Check for Functionality

The setup process follows a logical progression from the assessment phase on through to the final checks with a brand new set of strings.

As you work through each step, you may find the order of some fine detail tasks may work better before, or after others in the sequence. This is absolutely normal and can be dictated by the nature of the instrument itself.

The important thing to remember is, there is a logical hierarchy to the tasks themselves – one naturally leads to the next. For example, once the action is set, then you set the pickup height.

To do so beforehand means you may have to set the pickup height again because the string height has changed.

The less time you spend readjusting your work, the more time you get to spend playing :)

For further insight into some of the finer details, be sure to check out the Authentic Guitar Setup Video Series for the full one-two punch.

A Word on Locking Systems

Because of the uniquely refined nature of locking systems and their departure from traditional guitar setup processes, references to such thoroughbred instruments are kept to a minimum, otherwise this guide would be double its size!

Nonetheless, when it comes to action, string height, cleaning, playability, and general principles of a good setup, they are no different.

Assessment

To know where you want to be, you must know where you are:

• Play the guitar and get a fresh feel for where the problems are. If it’s an instrument you’re intimately familiar with, this is a no-brainer, you’ll already know where the trouble is.
• If you’re going to service someone else’s guitar, make sure you ask the owner about any issues they’re concerned about, And take notes! –  especially about a preferred tuning as this has a huge impact on the end product. Better yet, get them to play their guitar a little bit while you watch. Their approach to playing and body language will speak volumes.
• Check the operation of any controls, output level, scratchiness, check for rattles, buzzes, squishiness in the action (yes, squishiness), stiffness in playability, and any other stuff that just doesn’t seem right.
• Again, and I can’t stress this enough, take notes of owner preferences and any other problems that need attention – the weakest ink is stronger than the best memory.

Typical problem areas or “hot spots”

• Loose tuner keys or bushings
• A worn, damaged or “creaking” nut
• Strings that are too high or too low
• Uneven, loose or worn frets causing buzzing
• Neck distortions of any kind
• A truss rod out of adjustment
• An improperly adjusted bridge
• Loose hardware or small parts such as strap buttons and output jacks
• Dirty electronics
• Most importantly: old strings

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Here’s an example of how uneven frets look when sighting down the fretboard:

Teardown

The teardown is sort of like reverse engineering the guitar. Think of this part of the process like going backwards, that is to say, we have to deconstruct the instrument before we can reconstruct it.

• Remove any cover plates that you need to get under:
  • Truss rod cover
  • Suspended pickguard
  • Backplate
  • Remove the strings
    • Chop all the old strings off in a bunch with one neat snip of the side cutters. Consider it a challenge, see if you can do it in one shot.
    • Toss the old strings in the trash right away, they’re a liability around the guitar. Gather up the dead string scraps and get them into garbage away from your workspace.
  • Remove any loose hardware that might fall off. Tape it down, or use rubber bands to keep things in place.
  • Tighten (do not over-tighten, just snug up) the hardware:
    • Threaded headstock bushings (typically a 10mm wrench)
    • Tuner key buttons
    • Neck bolts
    • Strap buttons
    • Any other loose screws
    • Output jack nut
    • Electronic controls

• NOTE: With the guitar “denuded”, this is the perfect opportunity to address any minor fret issues. But since fret work is highly specialized and can become a repair process very quickly, we’ll leave the intense work for a more involved tutorial. With that in mind, we can still take care of small issues quickly and efficiently – namely high frets:
  • If you do have such minor fret issues, you would have made notes about where they are right? Of course you did! But just in case you forgot, use a small straight edge (or fret rocker) around the fretboard to check for said high spots.
  • Use a lightweight hammer, or even the butt end of a substantial screwdriver, to lightly tap the offending fret down. One or two taps should do, then re-check the high spot.
  • If the fret won’t settle in, it falls into the realm of a loose fret. At this point we’re getting beyond our intended scope as the remedy will require glueing the fret down. The dangers of ruining a finish are too great, thus we’ll leave it for the separate tutorial mentioned previously.

Video: How to Setup a Gibson Les Paul – The Teardown

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Cleaning the Guitar

While most dirt is really just dust and pretty easy to deal with, nasty caked-on stuff can be taken care of with a bit of elbow grease and patience.

Note: There are some who think paper towels are abrasive, and yes, the cheap ones are. Instead, stick with a high quality branded product.

You won’t have to worry about scratching the finish, plus any potential contamination from dirt goes straight in the garbage.

I would also add that I do not recommend the use of steel wool. Though I love it’s convenience in producing good results quickly, and I’ve used it many times, I’ve never been comfortable trying to clean up after it.

Those leftover steel fibres get absolutely everywhere! All it takes is one little piece to destroy a pickup, or contaminate your cleaning cloth leaving hairline scratches in the finish.

Whatever the nature of the grime, feel free to use any of the recommended cleaning products and have at it.

Recommended Guitar Cleaning Products

MusicNomad Premium Pro-Strength Guitar Polish for...

MusicNomad F-ONE Fretboard Oil Cleaner...

MusicNomad MN100 Premium Guitar Cleaner for...

As you work your way around the instrument, keep in mind the fretboard will need special attention. In general, start at the top of the guitar and work your way through these major areas:

• Headstock
• Body area under the strings
• Pickups
• Hardware
• PRO TIP: use an old toothbrush to remove loose surface grime.

• Fretboard and frets

  • Use a few drops of light soapy water or recommended cleaner to lift surface gunk. Be sure to work quickly to keep fluids from soaking into an open pore fretboards.
  • Rub it around the whole board for a few seconds to loosen up surface grime then quickly wipe it off with a paper towel.
  • Repeat if necessary.
  • Polish the frets with extra super fine sandpaper, 2400 grit or finer, then dribble on a couple of drops of lemon oil.
  • Spread the oil around the fretboard for a few seconds then quickly and completely wipe up the excess. There, all shite and briney!
  • NOTE: When polishing the frets, consider masking off coated fretboards with low-tack tape to prevent finish hazing. They still need a clean and polish but you can skip the lemon oil step. Just wipe up any polishing residue with a damp paper towel when finished.

• Body & finish

  • As most finish grime tends to be finger junk, a good quality detailing product will clean the surface just fine – that is unless you like to eat fried chicken and play your guitar at the same time. Heavier deposits will need a little more elbow grease.
  • Apply a small amount of cleaner to a fresh piece of high quality paper towel, just enough to damp it, and start working the finish.

Video: How to Setup a Gibson Les Paul – Cleaning the Guitar

Check out the whole series plus many more video tutorials here.

Installing New Strings

Taking strings off is easy. Installing new strings is just as easy, provided you have a method. Keep in mind, there’s more than one “right” way to instal strings.

In this example, we’ll follow a string installation technique that “traps” the tag end of the string between a top wrap, and successive under-wraps.

When installing fresh strings, work through the strings in order – heaviest to lightest or vice versa. New strings tend to be packaged in order, use this to your advantage to stay organized.

• Start by threading each string one after the other into the bridge or tailpiece.

• Next, install each string into its corresponding tuning post accordingly:
  • Start with the post that’s closest to the nut then work towards the end of the headstock.
  • Run the free end of the string through the post and pull it just snug.
  • Using your other hand, measure off about an inch and a half, then run the string backwards through the post until your fingers butt up against the post.
  • While still holding the tag end, use your other hand to wrap the slack string once around the top of the post in the direction the string will normally travel.
  • Now give the tag end of the string a sharp right angle bend against the post. This results in a nice kink which helps the string from backing out as you start the winding process.
  • Wind the string up keeping the following wraps underneath the tag end.

• The trickiest part of this whole process is controlling the slack in the length of the string. Keep things under control by using your first finger as a downward tensioner, just behind the nut, and draw the remaining slack up with the rest of your fingers.
• Finally, wind each string up so that it’s just snug – not to pitch!, that’s for later.

• Once you have all the strings installed in their respective posts, then give the tags ends a “hair cut”. Grab them all in one hand, so you can toss them in the trash in one shot, and cut each one in turn with side cutters right at the top of the tuner post.

Video: How to Setup a Les Paul – Installing New Strings

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Preliminary Adjustments

This is where the true magic of a good guitar setup starts to become a reality. For easy reference I refer to small measurements using common items such as a dime, nickel or quarter. To remain inclusive, imperial and metric equivalents are provided for extra convenience.

• Snug up the strings

  • Bring the strings up close to tension but not to pitch. This helps to keep their elasticity as we get the ten thousand foot view.
  • Check that the action is in the ballpark. At this point some adjustment points may be way out of whack. What you’re looking for are these key points:
    • Check the general string height. The bass side should be off the frets about the width of two dimes around the twelfth to fifteenth fret area – the gap should measure about .1″ or 2.7mm. Likewise, the treble side should be about the width of a nickel – .077″ or 1.95mm.
    • Check the neck angle. The neck should be in line with the hardware at the bridge. By sighting down the neck from the headstock to the body, the neck angle (the plane of the fretboard) should be such that the top of the saddles are neither too high or too low.
      If the instrument has a bolt-on type neck, this is your opportunity to correct any misalignment issues. Remove the neck and instal a thin shim – sandpaper works great for this – until the neck angle looks correct to you.
      Set neck instruments are of course non-adjustable, but are usually engineered to have enough adjustability at the bridge to compensate for slight offsets.
    • Examine the nut. The nut slots should be even in depth. No individual string should be either too high or too low.
      If the strings are too high, the amount of deflection needed to play at the first couple of frets will be uncomfortable plus it will cause intonation issues. Conversely, if the slots are too low you’ll have string buzz at the nut. In either case the nut will need to be repaired.
    • Check the bridge height. The bridge should be adjusted such that it puts the overall string height in the range of reasonable playability at the twelfth to fifteenth fret area. We’ll fine tune it later.
    • Check general neck relief. Again, neck relief is one of those elements that dramatically affects playability.
      A neck with too much relief will feel spongy through the middle and mask underlying problems. A neck that’s over-straight will be sure to have buzzes and sizzles along it’s length.

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• Begin making preliminary adjustments as necessary

Assuming the nut is in reasonably good condition, start with small bridge height and truss rod adjustments to begin homing in on the perfect triangle of action. If the nut is way out of tolerance, only address the major issues to bring it into an acceptable range.

• Check electrical operations

  • The output jack. One of the most common electrical issues is a simple loose nut at the output jack. Check it and tighten it up if necessary.
    If there’s visible surface corrosion in the input sleeve, remove it by rolling up some fine sandpaper, 360 grit or finer, into a tube and spinning it inside the input sleeve.
  • Volume and tone controls. If they’re scratchy, try spinning them back and forth really quick. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to use an electronics cleaner or replace them.
  • Switches. An intermittent blade switch can be a fairly easy fix. A thin piece of doubled over 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper can be used to clean the contacts.
  • Battery condition. If a battery is questionable at all, just replace it and be sure to write the date on it for future reference.

Action, Intonation and Fine Adjustments

The following sections describe the finer points of adjusting the action on a guitar. Remember, the strings should be just snug enough to apply a little bit of pressure – not up to pitch and certainly not stretched out yet!

• Adjust the truss rod

  

  Which way do you turn the truss rod?

  • Think of the truss rod adjuster like a nut on the end of a bolt. Tightening the adjuster straightens the neck, loosening it induces more relief.
  • Start with a straight neck that agrees with the other two points of the action triangle – the nut and bridge height.
  • Use the 3rd string to get a general idea of where the relief sits for the whole neck. Holding down the string at the third and fifteenth frets, you want to see a gap of light about the thickness of the string itself between the fret top and string at the seventh to ninth fret area.
  • Adjust the truss rod as necessary until the neck feels right to you, maybe a little, maybe a little less.
  • Be patient as adjustments may need a day or two to fully settle in. Don’t be surprised if you have to readjust it later if the neck was really out of joint.

Video: More On How A Truss Rod Works

• Set the Bridge Height and Radius

  Whether your guitar is an acoustic, bass, or electric, the principles described here apply to all of them. The bridge should be slightly higher on the bass side to allow extra room for the heavier strings to move freely.

  • With acoustic instruments, the saddle should be trimmed from the bottom if too high, or have a shim installed underneath if too low. Keep in mind a little goes a long way. That is to say removing or adding a small amount can feel very different once the saddle is back in place
  • At this point in our setup process, it’s perfectly ok to remove the strings at the bridge since we haven’t stressed the strings through stretching yet.
    • Measure the current string height at the 12th fret and determine how much lower or higher you want the strings to be.
    • Loosen the strings completely.
    • Pull the bridge pins and take the strings out of their respective holes.
    • Remove the saddle and draw a pencil line along the side to mark your cutoff point if it sits too high. .020″-.025″ is a good starting point.
    • Sand or grind off the excess material making sure the bottom is absolutely flush – especially if you have a pickup system!
    • Conversely, cut a thin strip of shim material, suitable hardness and thickness, cardboard or plastic, and instal it in the saddle slot.
    • Reinstall the bridge, then the strings and snug them up.
    • Check your work and determine whether you should readjust or carry on.

• • On electric instruments with adjustable bridges, start with the treble side. The first string should be off the frets about the width of a nickel (.077 inches or 1.95 mm) around the fifteenth fret area.

• • The sixth string should follow the same methodology to set the height. Ideally it should measure about the height of two dimes (.1″ or 2.7mm) at the fifteenth fret.

• Set the tailpiece

String Thru vs Top Wrapping Stop Tailpieces

There is constant debate as to which method is better: factory-style string through? or top-wrap string installation.
Is there a difference in sustain? – Yes. The tighter the tailpiece is to the body, the more energy is transferred.
Is there a difference in play-ability? – Yes. The less angle there is across the bridge, the more elastic the strings feel. The other benefit is that the bridge will resist sagging over time due to the decrease in pressure.
Is there a difference in tone? – Absolutely! But it’s subjective.

There is a happy medium for stop tailpieces like those found on Les Pauls

As mentioned, the tailpiece does not necessarily need to be plastered to the body. There’s a sweet spot that produces just the right amount of pressure for virtually any taste. It’s a matter of adjusting the angle of the strings as they pass from the tailpiece over the bridge. The height of the studs should also be set to match the relative height of the bridge posts.
In the image below, you can just make out the knurls of the bridge height thumbwheels. Notice the tailpiece follows the same plane of the bridge from bass side to treble side:

Adjusting the string height of a floating bridge plate

Whether your trem system is fully locking or vintage style floating, there is a delicate balance between the height of the bridge plate and the corresponding height of the individual string saddles.

The optimal bridge plate setting is controlled by the tension of the tremolo springs found in the back of the instrument.

These springs are attached to a claw plate with two adjustment screws which increase or decrease the spring tension by moving the claw plate forwards or backwards within the cavity.

Depending on the type of floating system, the bridge plate should be set level with the plane of the body (modern systems and hardtail setups) or tipped 1/8″ off the body at the rear end of the plate for a vintage style setup.

• • Simply adjust the two claw plate screws in or out equally to achieve your ideal bridge plate setting.

• Set the string saddle radius

Watch How To Setup A Fender Telecaster Part 5 for an idea how to do this.

• • Acoustic saddles can be reshaped to conform to a more ideal radius. Keep in mind the bass side should have a tiny bit more lift.
  • Les Paul type saddle heights are more or less fixed, but, using the right tools, can be re-cut to accommodate an improved radius.
  • Fender style saddles were designed from the get-go to be fully adjustable. This is where your fine allen keys come in handy.
    In every case you want to achieve a graceful curve across the top of the saddles that matches the natural radius of the instrument you’re working with.
  • Some of the most common radius dimensions are:
    • 16″ – Martin
    • 12″ – Gibson and Epiphone
    • 10″ – Off-shore Fender and Squier including knock-offs
    • 9.5″ – Fender USA
    • 7.25″ – Vintage and Reissue Fender USA

• Fine tune the action

Use the principle of the Perfect Triangle Of Action. Throughout the preliminary and fine adjustment phases you should be checking the balance of these three elements regularly:

• • Nut height
  • Bridge height
  • Neck relief

Any one of the above points can shift during the process. Keep a constant eye on them!

• Re-cut the nut

  • Recutting the nut, if necessary, is a highly specialized job I can only cover the most critical elements.
  • Always judge string height with a straight neck.
  • Be mindful of string deflection. Wherever it changes angle, lightly push the string into place to help seat it.
  • Judge the gap of light at the first fret for each string.
    Looking side on at the nut, you want to see a gap of light about the same thickness of the sixth string between the bottom of the string and the top of the first fret.

• • Carefully cut each slot to depth using hobby blades and select needle files.
  • If a slot is already too low it will have to be repaired, or the entire nut may need to be replaced.

• Adjust the Pickup Height

  • Start with setting it 1/8″ or 3.18mm (about the thickness of a nickel and dime together) away from the strings.
  • If possible, carefully adjust the pole-pieces to match the fretboard radius.

• Preliminary string stretch

  • Hold the instrument in your lap either in a playing position or lying flat. Keeping your thumb extended to both control and force pressure into the string, give each string a good yank in sections along its entire length. Remember, batch your processes!
  • Stretch all the strings in turn
  • Bring the guitar up to pitch.
  • DO THIS ONLY ONCE! Otherwise the strings may become compromised if you need to back up a step or two in the process.
  • PS, want to know how much is too much for a given string? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by literally trying to break them. I would suggest using a cheap set of strings and attempting this test on an instrument you don’t mind beating up.

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• Check and Adjust the intonation

  How do you Intonate a guitar?

  Let’s start with the concept first: if a high note registers sharp, the scale has to be longer. The opposite condition will follow suit automatically.
  Luckily, there are predictable patterns saddles fall into depending on the type of instrument and type of strings. These visual cues come in very handy when you want to verify intonation is indeed in the ballpark:

• Acoustics for the most part have a non-adjustable fixed intonation (but they can be modified).
• Electrics, both basses and guitars, have had fine intonation capabilities for decades.

• • • Semi-acoustics still incorporate a somewhat old-school bridge system (sometimes referred to as a floating bridge because it’s not secured to the guitar)
  • The technique:
    • Using moderate finger pressure, start with the fifth fret on the fifth string, a D note, and take note of what the tuner registers. Go up an octave on the same string to the seventeenth fret, a D again, and see what the tuner tells you.
      If the octave note is sharp, lengthen the scale. If it’s flat simply adjust in the other direction.
    • Repeat the process for the other strings.
    • For a a more comprehensive guide on the subject, check out my article: “The Ultimate Guide to Guitar Intonation” at GuitarChalk.com.

Video: How to Setup a Fender Telecaster – Action and Intonation

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• Check for issues

Time to make those fine tuning adjustments and tweak out things like:

• • Fret “hot spots”. Sizzling frets are usually due to the bridge being too low, the neck being too straight, or a combination of both.
  • Neck relief – sponginess or over-straightness. Readjust as necessary.
  • Sympathetic buzzes. Rattles from vibration and loose parts can make themselves annoyingly evident.
  • General operation. The guitar should really be coming together and start to feel like a superior instrument.

Stretch The Strings

Stretching the strings is a key subject because of how important it is to the guitar’s tuning stability.

Speaking of tuning, installing a new set of strings always involves repeated adjustments until the strings settle in. A great way to minimize this type of redundant process is to develop a better sense of pitch – it’ll save you a ton of time!

To help improve this essential skill, you can find an excellent guide on ear training at StringKick here.

With our preliminary string stretch out of the way, we can now get down to the business of getting them fully settled in enough to rely on.

• Perform a secondary string stretch using the same method described previously, give the strings a good going over but be a bit more vigorous.
• “Pinch” the strings to set them in place wherever they pass from one angle to the next. This slack will eventually straighten out causing your strings to fall out of pitch.

• Tune the instrument up to pitch.
• Repeat the stretching process one more time.

The strings should now be pretty much at their tensile limit for their respective pitches.

Check for Functionality

Congratulations on reaching the finish line. Just a few more steps and you’re in guitar nirvana!

• Check mechanical stability

  • Check the tuners for smooth operation.
  • Listen for “tinks” at the nut or bridge. This indicates a point which will need smoothing out or a small tweak to set it right.
    For instance, there may be a hard “v” at the bottom of a nut slot, or a side wall may have a sharp edge. It’s a pretty easy fix with the right size nut slot tool or a small dab of lube.

• Check tuning stability

  • Play a bit to heat up the strings.
    This is a great test to see how stable the instrument is going to be in the real world. Body heat transferred through your hands can be surprisingly problematic.
  • Get aggressive with string bends and chord changes across all strings to make sure their pitches stay true.

• Double check electronics

  • Plug the guitar in, make sure that all controls are doing what they’re supposed to do.

• Check the guitar’s action – sponginess or “feel”

  • Intuition plays a huge part in how you feel about the final product – either it’s right or it’s not. The trick is knowing exactly what the problem is that’s keeping the guitar from being “happy”.

• Tweak again if necessary

  • It’s not uncommon for gremlins to show up at the last minute. Hunt them down and kill them.
    Your goal? A super fine playing guitar that’s a joy to play.

• Reattach any remaining hardware

  • Parts such as floating pickguards and backplates can now be reattached if you’re confident you’ve accomplished all the fine adjustments.

• Finish up with a final polish and detail

  • Wipe the instrument down with a recommended guitar polish or premium finish detailer without abrasives. I’m still a big fan of paper towels – bye bye dirt – forever.
  • PRO TIP: Wrap the tip of a bamboo skewer or similar sized wooden dowel in the paper towel to get into those tight spots and ninety degree angles.

… aaaaand we`re done :)

Time To Play Your Newly Setup Guitar!

In closing…

What can I say?… Only that once you get the hang of it, you’ll find most guitars will need less attention over time because much of the heavy lifting has been done. It may take a few sessions. but you will have the satisfaction of knowing how to maintain your own guitars properly.

Get to it! And enjoy playing your awesomely setup guitar!

Want to continue to improve your skills?

Come back and check out the site regularly, we’re always adding new articles and how-to’s.

The purpose of Guitar Niche is to help people exactly like you. Those who share a passion for guitars and want to know how to keep them working perfectly.

Without you, the whole endeavour is pointless.

Whether you just want to maintain your gear, or be the best guitar tech in your area, or the world! Guitar Niche will be here to help you along the way.

Thanks For Reading!

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