Hello. I've recently completed the AG1 and I can't get the action down to where it's needed. Have I missed something like a shim under the neck?
Hello. I've recently completed the AG1 and I can't get the action down to where it's needed. Have I missed something like a shim under the neck?
First thing to do is locate the problem. Action is a product of three parts of the setup. First is set up the truss rod, 2nd is to adjust the action at the bridge, 3rd is to adjust the action at the nut. These things need to be done in that order.
Some time ago I put up a thread about setups to sort of collect what I thought was good info from the web. You can find it here, FWIW:
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=12450
The truss rods come with little or no tension. It could be that when you strung it there was too much bow and it needs adjustment to take some of the bow out. It's the first thing to try if you have not adjusted it.
If that does not work, it may be that you need to lower the bridge...
I haven't heard about this problem with AG-1's but with some other set-neck guitars the angle is a bit too flat for the, and does not provide enough downward adjustment for the bridge. This is a trickier issue to solve, depending on how bad the problem is. You can recess the bridge post ferules to give your downward adjustment a couple of extra mm's. You could file down the slot in the saddles a bit. Hopefully one of these will do it. I am assuming that this is a set neck guitar...if so, yes, you can shim but you will have to unglue the neck (probably with heat and steam) to get it off so that you can shim it. If it is one of the bolt on SG type guitars, then it is much easier to shim...and you should probably do that rather than mess with the bridge.
If you have set the truss rod, and can get the (bridge) action right at the 17th fret using a capo on the first fret, then the problem has to be at the nut. You'll need to file the slots.
If none of that works...it could be that you have one or more high frets, and you may need to level them. Most kit necks require at least some leveling, particularly if you want the action very low.
These are the things I can think of...
Cheers for the info. So far I've straightened the neck. The bridge is as low as it can go. I'll continue messing around with the neck I think. And yes it's a set neck unfortunately.
+1 for this.Originally Posted by fender3x
How far do the strings need to come down for a good action?
PitBull Builds: FVB-4, LP-1SS, FBM-1, AG-2, TB-4, SSCM-1, TLA-1,TL-1TB, STA-1HT, DSCM-1 Truckster, ST-1, STA-1, MBM-1, MBM custom, GHR-1 (Resonator), FH-5V (Acoustic).
Scratch Builds: Pine Explorer, Axe Bass, Mr Scary, Scratchy Tele's.
The little voices in my head keep telling me "build more guitars"
I recall that Simon B had this problem with an ES-1 kit.
Check it out at: https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...l=1#post225399
The important part is:
..." My optimism for the neck angle being right on this ES-1 was unfounded, and the neck angle was too shallow. Had Mark chosen chrome hardware, I would have fitted a Lowrider bridge, which would have got around the problem, but they don't do them in gold, so it was a case of trying to modify the kit bridge to make it work.
I filed the undersides of the bridge ends so that it sat just very slightly off the body, and then used my nut files slot the saddles, by between 2-3mm. As I took over 1mm off the base of the bridge, the bridge would have been over 4mm too high without remedial action". ...
This may also help you to lower the action!
PitBull Builds: FVB-4, LP-1SS, FBM-1, AG-2, TB-4, SSCM-1, TLA-1,TL-1TB, STA-1HT, DSCM-1 Truckster, ST-1, STA-1, MBM-1, MBM custom, GHR-1 (Resonator), FH-5V (Acoustic).
Scratch Builds: Pine Explorer, Axe Bass, Mr Scary, Scratchy Tele's.
The little voices in my head keep telling me "build more guitars"
1+ on Simon's post. Also good that TD brought up the low profile bridges:
If you can find a lower bridge that could work, that might be best. Particularly one that will not break the bank.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ridge&_sacat=0
If you can find a mustang bridge that might be ideal. I think they go about as low as anyone can with a TOM bridge, and they can be had relatively economically. A Gibson or Kluson "harmonica" bridge would also probably do the job...but represents a much more significant investment.
One thing I discovered (to my chagrin) on a bass project is that there are different post hole widths. If you buy a new bridge, you'll want to get something where you are pretty sure of the dimensions.
That said, even if you had to plug and re-drill, the new bridge will most likely cover your work so that it won't show. Both the Harmonica and the mustang bridges are wider than Gibson-style TOMs.
One other thing to consider is whether you can get your stop tailpiece low enough... I noticed that a place in Australia sells some low profile tailpices... https://luthiersupplies.com.au/eds-s...tar-tailpieces. Of course your plugs would show if you used one of these.
Hey thankyou for your help. In he past week my friend bought his Epiphone over and straight away I've noticed the angle on the neck. My AG1 doesn't have that angle. Its dead straight. Now I'm thinking that if i use a shim then ill run into more problems with the pickup cavity.
The neck angle pretty much exists to to accommodate the bridge. The Gibson Bridge is pretty tall, so quite a bit of neck angle.
Fender bridges are pretty low, so not much angle, if any at all, is necessary, so they are pretty flat.
So, if your neck angle won't accommodate your bridge, you need to change either the neck angle or the bridge. You can change the angle of the neck, but it's not simple and easy.
http://https://hazeguitars.com/blog/...val-and-repair
A shim might have fixed the problem before glue up, and as in the blog post, even the factories occasionally used shims... But now that it's glued up and not otherwise a problem it would be a pain to fix.*
The alternative is to find a lower bridge. Even if the only thing that will work is a Fender style bridge, that's not really a problem for playability and sound.
*If you do decide to take the neck off, I would recommend really studying how to remove frets and get the right tools to do it. I did not do enough of that when I pulled the frets off a bass neck to make it fretless. I had a fair amount of chip out around the frets as a result. Not as much of a problem on a fretless bass, but it did mean a LOT of sanding to get below the chip out. It would have been more serous if I had the intention of putting the frets back in!
How much more does it need to come down? What have you tried? Did you file down the bridge saddles? Try a lower profile bridge? Removing a neck that has been glued in should be pretty close to the last thing you try.
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