Setup Question: Action

[ChopTart]

My project guitar, an RG350, has been through a bunch of mods including one where i took the neck off. Since i put it on, the action has been much worse. I tried lowering the studs that the trem sits on as a quick fix, but that makes the trem pretty much unusable. The action is pretty low at the first couple frets (about what i usually like) but it gets higher and higher and anything above 12 starts to get a little ridiculous.

I have been considering adjusting the truss-rod as the solution for this, am I right in thinking so? If so, how would i go about making the action on the higher frets playable? Are there any other adjustments i can make?

[buddroyce]

Sounds like your neck is bowing. Check to make sure your guitar neck is straight. You can sight the guitar neck or just get a relatively long straight edge and just place it on the fretboard. If there's a big gap in the middle your neck is bowing foward which would explain why your action is all Fudged up. If it is, just tighten the truss rod until your neck is straight.

[ChopTart]

I checked a bit and it seems like there's a good amount of relief on the neck so I'm not going to fool around with that. The thing is, i want to raise the trem, but set the still have the strings low to the body if that makes sense. It seems like the bridge is still sitting low in the body, even though the action is pretty high (2.5 mm at the 12th fret unfretted)

[lyconxero]

The action on my S470DX is as you describe it to be (relatively low starting off but gets really high as you go towards the bridge). I'm still waiting for my tech to get some time available to adjust it, but most likely 3 things will need to be done in order to correct the action: The trem will have to be set perfectly level, the trem will have to be slightly raised on one side and lowered on another, and the neck will have to be straightened. If you don't know enough about correcting issues like this on your own then you'd probably be better off taking the guitar to a tech and watching him adjust it for you. It's a tricky business adjusting guitars perfectly and I still can't do it very well myself but my tech set my RG370DX up so perfectly that its action is as low as a JEMs but it sounds even better for the type of music I generally play.

[amanvai]

A well setup guitar is really great. Even a Jem thats not well setup won't be.

[ChopTart]

I figured I would have to take her to a shop for a professional setup, I just wanted to see if there were any changes i could make myself to postpone it. I still have some modifications i have to wrap up (refinish with a clearcoat and possibly give it a new trem) beforehand so I guess i'll just set it up after that.

Though, I must say, pretty much ANYTHING would feel better than my friends gibson sg. That thing needs a setup BAD. The action on its 5th fret is higher than my rg's 12th! And with 11's on it, it was a real pain for me to play

[amanvai]

Remember standard action should be about 2mm at low E and 1.5 at high E on tbe 14th fret.

[TheToneZone]

There wasn't a shim in the neck pocket originally was there?

Just a thought.

Mike

[ChopTart]

No, I don't believe there was a shim, but I'm considering doing one. On the tech section it says shimming is an advanced mod, so I'm a bit leary about trying this. Is it easy to undo if done poorly?