Keeping action low


Drew77
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Drew77
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01/28/2007 6:13 pm
Does anybody have the problem with their action getting higher over time? I had my guitar setup about two months ago and it seems like it is already out of whack. The action seems to get progressively higher and it just doesn't play as well as it does right after I get it setup. Yesterday I tuned it down to D Standard and it went back to good low action (almost too low). However now the strings are all at super low tension, but i expected that. I am just wondering if there is a way to prevent this deterioration or if I am just gonna have to put up with it.

Maybe putting a third spring in the back? I have floyd rose btw. Which is probably the root of all my problems. Anyway. If anybody has some input I would be more than happy to hear it thanks.
# 1
ren
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ren
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01/29/2007 11:20 am
What gauge strings do you use?

If you're using 9's, you'll need 3 springs in the back of your floyd. If you're using 10's you'll need 4. Do you only have 2 at the moment? :eek:

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# 2
aschleman
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aschleman
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01/29/2007 1:34 pm
Floyds are a lot more sensitive to string tension than other guitars like the Strat trems and of course hardtail guitars like Les Pauls and such...

Basically you were right by assuming that it's being caused by going back and forth between drop D and standard tuning. You may not think there is a huge difference in string tension between D and stanrard but in terms of ft/lbs it's quite a lot... I can't remember the original number... But I wrote a mechanical documentation of one of my guitars for my Technical Writing for Engineers class last year and I had to include all the measurements for any stored energy... blah. blah... boring............

Anyway... Another common problem with Floyd Rose style guitars is the locking nut.... Most guitars have the force of the string pull dispersed through 6 different tuners.... With a Floyd Rose, a small amount of string pull is located at the tuners... the rest of it is focused at the locking nut... Giving the strings much more leverage to cause a bit more bow in the neck... They say that Strats are the hardest instruments to set up becuase they're so finicky... but I say that any guitar with a Floyd Rose is the hardest because the set-up could be right today.... and completely wrong tomorrow after everything settles in. It's hard for me to say exactly what is causing it because I can't physically inspect the guitar... But I'm guessing it's just from going between D and standard tunings... Maybe check out getting a Trem Setter or something similar to help balance the trem....

One thing that I do is set my guitars up for specific tunings... I have a few guitars setup for standard and a few setup for drop d... and in no cicumstances do I tune one to the other... This ensures that my guitars always play the way I set them up to play... I understand that not everyone has multiple guitars... and that's fine... Tuning between drop D and standard is really common and isn't going to hurt your guitar... It will, however as you've seen, cause you to have to get use to different playing conditions.

Might want to take it in for another setup and let the tech know what's going on.
# 3
Drew77
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Drew77
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01/30/2007 2:00 am
actually I don;t go back and forth. i have had it in E standard since I got it setup. The strings are getting kinda annoying though, but when I went to change them I realized I don't have the right allen wrench at school since I forgot it. So I was retuning (I had tried to take off the high e) and I decided to bring it down to a D standard just for fun. I have brought it back up now though and it seems a little better.

anyway I was just wondering. It needs to be setup again actually becasue the guy who did it was obviously a moron and I won't be going back there. my first couple frets on my three high strings are hitting higher up frets and they have never done that before. anyway thanks for the info. btw I use 10s and I have four springs.

Would five stabilize it more or would it just mess it up? thanks.
# 4
ren
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ren
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01/30/2007 9:11 am
Nah, you're not going to need 5 springs. If your lower frets are fretting out higher, it's going to need more attention..... :(

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# 5
PRSplaya
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PRSplaya
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01/30/2007 2:54 pm

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# 6
aschleman
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aschleman
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01/30/2007 3:02 pm
Originally Posted by: renNah, you're not going to need 5 springs. If your lower frets are fretting out higher, it's going to need more attention..... :(


Normally the rule is "If it's fretting out/buzzing high (frets 1-5) it's remedied with a truss rod adjustment... If it's fretting out/buzzing low (12-21) it's remedied by a bridge adjustment."

As for high action it goes the same way... if it's high up top adjust it up top... If it's high down low... adjust it down low.

Very, very, very seldom do you see it but it is possible for the truss rod to break and relieve all tension on the neck... allowing the string tension to have free reign over the neck... causing the neck to bow toward the bridge and cause high action.... but I HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that's the case... I've only seen it once and it was on an olllllld 1930-something Martin acoustic...
# 7

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