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Post by greggome on Mar 5, 2015 19:39:18 GMT -6
I bought this guitar used years ago and it has a very low action. Once I get past the 13 th fret the strings seem to rub on the frets 14 and higher which is hurting sustain. It has a fixed bridge.. Familiar with fenders. how do you adjust string height with this bridge? the attached picture with the bridge with the knurled nut and screw on each end is similar to mine.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2015 0:10:49 GMT -6
I like to loosen up the strings a little, then raise or lower the string saddles,By turning the thumb screws, then re tune the strings and see if you are still getting fret buzz. The stop piece you don't really need to mess with.
Here is one of my trade secrets.HA! Take a quarter and place it under the low "E" string. If it goes in tight then the action is too low. If there is a lot of space between the string and the quarter then the action is too high. I like to get the action as low as I can to the quarter. Most of my guitars are right on the quarter all the way across the fret board at the 12th fret.
But after adjusting the action and you are still getting fret buzz, you may need the frets leveled.But try raising the action and keep raising until the buzz goes away. Look to see where the action is at. If it's really high then you need some fret work and or a truss rod adjustment.
OH, and welcome to the forum!
EB
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Post by dnic on Mar 6, 2015 8:48:09 GMT -6
The first thing to look at would be the neck. Bridges don't adjust themselves up or down but the neck will move with seasonal changes and a life time of string tension. So check to see how straight the neck is. You can do this by holding the fat e down at the nut and the 17th fret checking the distance from the bottom of the string to the 8 or 9th fret. I like a neck as flat as possible but you may need some relief to keep it from buzzing but to much relief will make it buzz up where you're talking about. I loosen the strings or pre bend the neck by hand when adjusting the rod to help it along. It's a very small screw for a very big job. Once you know your neck is in the ball park you can assess bridge height and fret level needs. The quarter gauge is a good idea that should put you at about4 to 5/64s which is a nice string height.
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Post by greggome on Mar 6, 2015 11:42:24 GMT -6
not really getting a buzz. the note just dosent sustain well especially during a bend tends to decay very quickly or just go dead.Looking closely at eg. the 3rd string on a 14th fret whole step bend the string appears to be touching the 15th and 16th frets which I figure is killing the sustain. As for the quarter idea my quarter just slides in at the 12th on low string with string just touching it not overly tight and not loose.
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Post by dnic on Mar 6, 2015 12:24:00 GMT -6
Try raising the bridge just a fuzz. As Eddie suggests loosen the strings and turn the thumb wheel up. It's possible you have two neck relief or might need a little fret work. But raise the bridge till you get a clean note and see if you can live with the action.
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Post by greggome on Mar 6, 2015 13:11:22 GMT -6
by the thumb screws I guess you mean the 2 ridged screws on either sides of the bridge? Thats the part I'm not sure about. They are very tight, do I just turn them ( clkwse or cnt clkws) or do I need to loosen the 2 top slotted screws first. Should be duh easy but have never worked on this type of bridge before and dont want to screw anything up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2015 13:33:50 GMT -6
by the thumb screws I guess you mean the 2 ridged screws on either sides of the bridge? Thats the part I'm not sure about. They are very tight, do I just turn them ( clkwse or cnt clkws) or do I need to loosen the 2 top slotted screws first. Should be duh easy but have never worked on this type of bridge before and dont want to screw anything up. Just loosen up the strings to get the pressure off. turn the ridged thumb screw counter clock wise. If it does not move Use a cloth and needle nose pliers or a small screw drive the fits the slot on top.That thumb screw and the slotted part on top are all one piece and will move together. I would adjust the side that is giving you the problem. But move it a little at a time until you get it to stop doing what it's doing. But it does sound like the frets need to be leveled to me. But raising the bridge a little is not going to hurt it. EB
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