Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | Once again, I've pulled out a guitar that I love, but haven't been thrilled with acoustic sound, raised the saddle height, adjusted the neck, and suddenly, the sound comes pouring out of it.
I knew the saddle height of my GC reissue was a bit low, and have always been surprised that the sound coming out of it wasn't as crisp or as strong as I thought it should be. Last night, I pulled the strings, shimmed it up a bit, then tweaked the neck about 3/4's of a turn (to the right to tighten and pull the neck back a bit, bringing the action down), and suddenly, viola, the guitar has more volume and a crisper, brighter tone.
I've found with all my Ovations that the right height of the saddle (for those guitars with electronics and the original saddle) is to the point, where the black frame in which the saddle pieces sit, is just even with the center of the bridge in the front, under the strings. For me, this seems to be the opitmum point. I can then adjust the neck to get good action (not electric guitar action) up the neck and have the best tone and volume.
People on this board talk about lowering the action on their guitars but you've got to have a sufficient break angle over the saddle so that the strings can drive the top (there's got to be enough pressue from that angle). Otherwise, you'll get a muddy sound.
So far this year I've lowered the action on two guitars that came from the factory to the level I've described (rebuilt 87C and 1773LX Custom), and raised the action on two other guitars (30th CL -- going to be raised a bit further -- and the GC RI).
I suspect that if I really knew what I was doing (and most of the time, on any particular subject, I don't) I could put new nuts on my guitars that would allow me to lower the action on my guitars further, but the increase in sound and playability I'm getting from just what I've done is amazing.
Thoughts? |
Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 494
Location: Location Location Location | I recently had fret work on 2 O's. The 6768 came back playing like a dream, but the action was so low that it seemed a bit lifeless. First I went the heavier strings route, Lights to light/meds then to mediums. That didn't do it. I put a shim back in, and the guitar just opened up. I've got light/meds on it now, and it really sings.
The other guitar is an '81 Balladeer. He reshaped the nut and saddle, and also redressed the frets; it's an acoustic only, and that one is perfect. Low enough to play up the neck, but with enough crispness and volume so that you know you can dig it when you need to, and the guitar will deliver. That fine line between low/comfortable action and lifeless tone is easy to cross. |
Saddle height
