Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,

I need to adjust the action on one of my earlier guitars, however am not sure if I have any options left. It is a classical with spanish heel, and the neck angle is good (I think). Also, the neck is still very straight. The saddle is about as low as it can go. and there isn't much room on the nut before I get a buzz on open strings. Do I have any options to lower the action? The only thing I can think of is a neck reset which I have no idea how to do on a spanish heel. I would like to lower the action about 1mm at the 12th fret.

Thanks!

John

New fretboard and saddle?

John what about a new thicker fretboard? But what do I know I build SS and Lutes! Mind you I'm in the process of building my first classical and have been musing on fretboard thickness.

Colin

Curses, Michael beat me to it!Colin S38777.5012615741

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

If you are out of saddle and your action is too high, your neck angle is probably not good. Though I have not a clue how to reset a spanish heal. So here are some fixes that I can think of.
Thicker fretboard as said before. Maybe higher frets too.
Take material from the top of the bridge.
Lower the saddle and then cut ramps in the back of the bridge so you still have break angle.
Hope that helps. Paul

How about a bridge reset? Take material off the bottom of the bridge.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Here is my thoughts on the repair
1) If the neck angle is good then the problem is the freboard. Proper repair is to replace the fretboard. Not really that hard of a repair.
2) The bridge and saddle should be a standard set for break angle at a general saddle height. So put a standard height saddle back in the bridge and figure out the needed change to the fretboard, and replace it. You will happier in the long run

It is alwasys best to do the right repair. You may want to sell this guitar one day

Try tapering the fretboard going thinner toward the headstock. This would change the apparent neck angle without a reset. Don't forget to remove the frets first. Then deepen the fret slots and refret.

Al

[QUOTE=John Elshaw] The only thing I can think of is a neck reset which
I have no idea how to do on a spanish heel.   

[/QUOTE]

John, resetting the neck will be your last option. You'll have to whack off
the back of the guitar to make an adjustment to the spanish heel.

Cheers Martin

John,

How high is the action at 12th fret with current set up?

Cheers Martin

I'm with Michael on this one. If your bribge is standard height (about 3/8") and your nut is not to low, then you should be able to set it up + or - from the standard, (about .125" at the 1st sting and .15 at the 6th, both at the twelve fret.) I'd lay a straight edge on it and see what the heck is happening. (wrong neck angle? Bridge to high? fret board to low? top raising?)

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Al Peebles nailed it. Remove the frets, and plane down the nut side of the fingerboard a bit. This, or a new fingerboard, is basically the standard remedy in the world of handmade classicals. The last thing I'd want to touch is the bridge.

_________________
Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Hmm, Maybe the action isn't as bad as I thought. There are some very good ideas here about how to attack the problem. When I measured the action at the 12th fret with the first fret pressed down, the 6th string was right at .150". I've been playing SS and electric a lot lately and for some reason that action seemed really high. It seems though that it might be about standard from the sounds of it. Maybe I need to get away from the steel string playing a bit.

John

Yikes! a Spanish Heel...I got a junker guitar to practice on that had a Spanish Heel once that was in dire need of a neck reset, although it was a Dreadnought. I followed Frank Fords (Frets.com) page on: Impossible Neck Reset, cut off the neck, & bolted it back on, and actually got it play within specs. It did however lose some of it bass response. He called upon one of his 'wierdest tools' for one part of the job, an autopsy bone saw! I used a back slicing Marples saw instead, since his tool is a rarity.
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Nec kReset/BCRIchReset/bcrichreset1.html