Haywire Custom Guitars #1 Guitar Players Blog: How Do You Assist Customers Who Are Having Issues ...

Haywire Custom Guitars #1 Guitar Players Blog: How Do You Assist Customers Who Are Having Issues ...: How Do You Assist Customers Who Are Having Issues With Guitar Strings High Off The Neck? That is a very good question.  The short answer ...

How Do You Assist Customers Who Are Having Issues With Guitar Strings High Off The Neck?

How Do You Assist Customers Who Are Having Issues With Guitar Strings High Off The Neck?

That is a very good question.  The short answer is, we fix it.  The height of the strings from the neck is called,"action". Raising the action or lifting the strings higher off the face of the fret board is quite easy and makes everyone an expert.  Most noteworthy, lowering the "action" is one of the most operations performed on a guitars. So, why if raising is easy, as a result, it should be easy to lower too.  Sorry, it's a one way street here. That's not how it works-so the short answer gets longer. Lowering action to a customers specs is a very difficult, multi-operational process and skill.  This takes training and practice to accomplish properly.

Low Action Speaks Louder Than Words

In our article, Action Speaks Louder Than Words, I quote, "  Action or feel and guitar string height is most commonly thought of as how high the strings are from the frets.Therefore, it is called string height.  Action is a term used to describe how a guitar is adjusted according to how high or low the strings are on the neck which affects how well it plays.  A guitar player needs to know how to set action. Furthermore, Finally, if the action is how a guitar plays, specifically the distance of the strings to the fingerboard. The strings can’t sit too high because they’re hard to fret. However, if they’re too low, buzzing occurs. The farther a string must travel pushed down by a players fingertip. Most noteworthy, the higher the action, the sharper the string gets. High action=Sharper notes."

standard terminology used by luthiers for a thin wedge under a bolt-on neck is a shim

If a guitar player cannot set the action low enough then it's certainly not a life altering issue.  Because we can do it, it's not necessary for the player to do it.  Problems arise when the strings sit too high, they’re hard to fret. If they’re too low, buzzing occurs. If string buzz is not an issue then play on!  Most guitarists object to "string buzz".  It's when the fretted note rattles on the next fret in front of it. It generally does not translate through an amp but players notice it when they play and usually complain about it.  Guitar strings high off of the fret board make playing difficult.

 One way to achieve lower action; neck truss rod adjustment for strings too high. Consequently, the search for low action begins in the guitar repair shop. In the Haywire Custom Guitar shop we first set the truss rod. A truss rod is an adjustable rod running the length of the guitar neck. It both strengthens the neck and facilitates adjustment of a bowed or humped neck. (see illustration). 

 

Here we begin the search for lower guitar action.

Lowering action to the customers specs is a very difficult, multi-operational process

Being the first step adjusting the truss rod may work.  If it doesn't and the strings are still not low enough, we go down the list.  The next step in the search is to cut the top off of every fret to ensure no obstacles for the strings. This step is called fret leveling.  In addition to cutting off the tops there are inherently two more steps to that process.
Fret leveling therefore is a three step process with guitar strings high. After the tops of the frets are leveled, they need to be re-crowned.  What is re-crowning?  It simply brings the roundness back to the top of the frets from the flatness leveling causes. This step causes the need to invoke the last step of polishing the frets. The re-crowning process causes the fret to become rough and not smooth like a great feeling guitar needs to be.  Hence, polishing to bring the fret back to it's original luster is required. Therefore, "a very difficult, multi-operational process" becomes more valid.

adjust the angle or pitch of the neck

If the following steps fail to make a meaningful change if issues with guitar strings too high, we need to look elsewhere.  We need to go to another technique for lowering action.  Let's look at shim placement to adjust the angle or pitch of the neck.  Guitarists erroneously believe that all guitar necks are interchangeable. This is the part of our job that takes up most of our time. It's called: debunking myths believed by all guitar players. Especially relevant is the fact that guitarists hold onto these like a dog grabs a bone.  They are quite content believing what they read on a guitar forum because it must be true.  Now, that I have lost 75% of my readers here let's move on.  Now that we who are left are all on the same page the next step will get us closer to lower action.

guitar strings high

If after installing the neck and adjusting the truss rod you see better action is necessary, use a shim. You can set your action string height better and lower when you use a shim. Most likely, will need one, because the likelihood of a new bolt-on neck fitting exactly right just doesn’t happen.  It’s up to you or us at the custom shop to “make it happen”.  We'll reduce the height when guitar strings high off the neck are problematic.

Why are guitar neck shims needed for new neck installations?

What is the purpose of a guitar neck shim?  To adjust the angle or pitch of the guitar neck. Why would you need to adjust the angle or pitch of the neck? Remember.... all guitar necks are not interchangeable. Sure they may fit, but not properly. It is crucial to get the exact neck angle right so that the strings lay in extreme parallel all the way down the neck.  Failing the above steps.  This is the only remaining way low action can be achieved. Need low action?-call us. You can watch while we do it if you'd like. We'll get it as low as you want it!

Featherlight Swamp Ash Natural Body Guitars For Women

Featherlight Swamp Ash Natural Body Guitars From The Haywire Custom Guitars Custom Shop

Let's address guitars for women.....

Featherlight guitars for women from Haywire Custom shop are much easier to hold and play. At Haywire Custom Guitars we take the classic look of the double and single cutaway guitar and lighten it.  We drop the weight by up to 30 percent.  As a result, each of our lightweight guitars are six pounds or less. Can you handle it? Many of our Custom Shop featherlight guitars are specifically designed for female players. Women need and want lightweight guitars. Why does no one address their playing needs?

well-crafted instrument with design and electronic features and lighter materials

If you are under the assumption that a heavy guitar will sound better than a lighter one, you would be mistaken. Because a guitar lacks weight and heft, it doesn't have to lack tone. Is it possible to find some light woods which provide some great sounding guitars? Can you find a well-crafted instrument with design and electronic features and lighter materials that rival much expensive guitars made from quality materials at a reasonable price?
Feather light body from Haywire Custom Guitars

You'd like a guitar to be beautiful, of course.

Where can you get a light weight guitar that is a dream to hold and play … for long periods of time. Do you play long gigs? Is your guitar heavy?  Would you like to stop taking your shoulder pain medication? These are just some of the question that finally have been addressed in our custom shop. For the last 10 years we have been focused and able to assist female musicians in the quest for a lighter guitar. You'd like a guitar that is beautiful, of course, right ladies?

Please remember our female players

Guitars for women need to be very easy, light weight and enjoyable to play. Also, it needs to hold the tuning really well. Because, if you are looking for something to play a variety of different styles without issues maybe you need to look here. Great tones, good looks for someone with back and neck issues or for younger and older players with smaller body frames, the lightness is definitely a huge plus. Have I mentioned women here at all? Yes, let's not forget the ladies. Please remember our female players are smaller and lighter than male counterparts. They especially need something light to play.