Fixing my Action

AKMG · #1 07-09-2008, 12:19 AM

So I haven't played my RG3120 in awhile and instead have been playing my Gibson ES-335. However, I want to play my RG3120 again but it feels so weird because the action is so high. I was wondering if anybody could give me some pointers in fixing it.

The string height at the 24th fret is 0.6mm. The string height from the fretboard at the 1st fret is 0.2mm. I'm using .10 strings and my bridge is perfectly level.

Is there anyway to get the 24th fret down to at least 0.3-0.4mm? I'm going to restring this Friday with 9s, so hopefully that'll help fix it, but I'm pretty sure it won't.

wandereruk05 · #2 07-09-2008, 01:41 PM

lower the bridge a touch? there is an action adjustment on the bridge - allan key it down to your desiried level - although that's pretty low as it is - for me anyway!

AKMG · #3 07-09-2008, 09:32 PM

Yeah I do that but I get fret buzz on the 1-3 frets. I'll see how messing around with the truss rod and using .9 strings help it.

wandereruk05 · #4 07-10-2008, 08:59 AM

try loosening the truss a touch - a shim MAY help but that's usually for buzz on open strings (so i've been told)

Vim Fuego · #5 07-10-2008, 09:28 AM

Sorry to ask an obvious question, but, do you *really* mean 0.6mm for the 24th fret action? usually the action here would be about 1.5 to 2 mm.
Jim

superhairycamel · #6 07-10-2008, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wandereruk05

try loosening the truss a touch - a shim MAY help but that's usually for buzz on open strings (so i've been told)

a shim below nut will ONLY effect buzz on open strings

waylay00 · #7 07-10-2008, 02:26 PM

It'd be almost impossible for your action to be .6mm at the last fret. That is EXTREMELY low. I'm sure you mean something else.

axemanrio · #8 07-10-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waylay00

It'd be almost impossible for your action to be .6mm at the last fret. That is EXTREMELY low. I'm sure you mean something else.

Maybe 6mm, which would be EXTREMELY high

AKMG · #9 07-10-2008, 10:05 PM

Sorry. I meant that my current action is 0.6", so about 15 mm if I'm correct. So I'm wondering if I could lower to about 4 mm.

waylay00 · #10 07-11-2008, 12:55 AM

15mm?!?!? That's extreme in the other direction!

Lefty Robb · #11 07-11-2008, 02:19 AM

15mm, LOL , are you playing a guitar, or a harp??

AKMG · #12 07-11-2008, 03:31 AM

Oh goodness; my brain is melting. Must be the heat...

My action right now is set @ ~6mm. I was wondering if I could go down to 3-4 mm. I like the strings closer to the fretboard :/

Vim Fuego · #13 07-11-2008, 05:58 AM

OK, still a bit of confusion over the measurements, but if you lower the action by screwing the bridge studs in (unlocking the set screws if necessary) and this gives you buzz on the first few frets (fretted not open strings) but still a high action on the last few, then the neck is bowed backwards. The solution to this is to loosen the truss rod. This should be fairly safe to do but it will take some time for the neck to straighten, in fact leaving the 10s on should help. It may be that the neck won't straighten enough even with the rod loose in which case you'll definitely need it looked at!
If you are talking about the open strings buzzing then you may need to raise the nut with a shim.
Any chance of some pictures to aid diagnosis? (perhaps with a ruler included to help with the measurements).
Jim

scotteggshell · #14 01-02-2009, 04:05 PM

Maybe the springs got tired and the trem angle changed ? I had a 7 string in storage for a long while and that's what happened to it. Most trems should be parallel with the body or just up a bit. As the trem angle increases, so does the action, and it will throw off the radius of the bridge (slightly) as well. Ibanez has a guide somewhere as to how the trem angle should be set

Scott