String action

[harpon]

I would find the action at that height too uncomfortable-
if I were you, at this point, I would adjust the truss first- but with extra care- work the wrench back and forth and don't force the tightening any at all- just go to where it seems to offer some real resistence and then stop-

like I said earlier, you can probably go back in the future and get more as it settles in

then I'd try the height- and if it still felt too high, I'd file the bridge bone at the bottom-

personally, contrary to a post above, I don't think the Cordoba bone is very tall to begin with

but whatever you shave off of it, a large percentage usually seems to get to the middle range of the strings.

The second nice thing about a truss rod (I'm assuming) beyond the adjustment itself- is that it is then putting an actual rod of steel through the neck- which I imagine is more resistent to neck bending to begin with

Before X-mas I had the chance to see Two C-5 s at Guitar Center- one used and one new-
the used one had no truss, while the new one did
I was surprised when I found the new one actually then felt even slightly LIGHTER than the used one- I thought the rod might add weight-

I may have considered buying the used one at that point- I think it was $189-It was in great shape and sounded as good as the new one
but the action was high and little room for adjustment then- It sat in the store and listed on the net for a couple of months that I was aware of- they may have taken less money for it.
but that's when I started noticing the bones aren't particularly tall at least, and I decided I'd try to get a truss- I even have an old thread here asking when they went to a truss rod.

If you ever get to the point of shaving the wood itself down- the Cordobas also have an unusual pointy top to where the bone sits, so you could probably get the first mm with little effort.

I think I'm cursed by having been a bicycle mechanic and racer......

[scottishrogue]

Christine, your action is way too high, even for a classical guitar, and that can be caused by several different things being out of spec. My advice would be to take it back to where you purchased the guitar and either get your money back (if it's new), or let them do a proper setup, if they have a qualified tech that knows about classical guitars.

I've never encountered a classical guitar with the action that high.

Glen

[Christine1988]

Originally Posted by scottishrogue

Christine, your action is way too high, even for a classical guitar, and that can be caused by several different things being out of spec. My advice would be to take it back to where you purchased the guitar and either get your money back (if it's new), or let them do a proper setup, if they have a qualified tech that knows about classical guitars.

I've never encountered a classical guitar with the action that high.

Glen

Yeah I'll probably take back to Guitar Center and have them set it up. They sold it to me as is so no mony back.

[harpon]

If you want to spend the money, and/or unsure about the adjustments-

but the action isn't really that high- in fact almost normal for Cordoba-
read my measurements above- one guitar is at 3.5 and the other is at 4 mm- and these are rough measurements-

but a millimeter or two isn't that much to lower at the 12th-
you may get it adjusting the truss alone

anyway, that's my two cents- a shame to spend more money when you wanted a deal-

but I'd hate to be the source of advice if you broke the guitar!

[Acoustic Pain]

Yea it is a $60-$70 dollar charge at my Guitar center for that work.

I do understand if you are uncomfortable doing then I would recommend having someone else do it. Same as harpoon I don't want to be the one that gets you in over your head.

I have adjusted truss rods hundreds of times. I taught myself never had a problem. This was before YouTube how to vids.

I had never sanded a saddle on an Acoustic until 4 months ago. I have now done on 3 Acoustics.

If you decide to go ahead I'll try and answer any concern you have. Also YouTube is good to get a visual on the how to.

But if you really are still unsure go to a pro.

[Christine1988]

Originally Posted by harpon

If you want to spend the money, and/or unsure about the adjustments-

but the action isn't really that high- in fact almost normal for Cordoba-
read my measurements above- one guitar is at 3.5 and the other is at 4 mm- and these are rough measurements-

but a millimeter or two isn't that much to lower at the 12th-
you may get it adjusting the truss alone

anyway, that's my two cents- a shame to spend more money when you wanted a deal-

but I'd hate to be the source of advice if you broke the guitar!

To me it's high but that may be because I'm female and my hands are smaller. To a man that action might be just right but men have bigger and stronger hands.

[Christine1988]

Originally Posted by Acoustic Pain

Yea it is a $60-$70 dollar charge at my Guitar center for that work.

I do understand if you are uncomfortable doing then I would recommend having someone else do it. Same as harpoon I don't want to be the one that gets you in over your head.

I have adjusted truss rods hundreds of times. I taught myself never had a problem. This was before YouTube how to vids.

I had never sanded a saddle on an Acoustic until 4 months ago. I have now done on 3 Acoustics.

If you decide to go ahead I'll try and answer any concern you have. Also YouTube is good to get a visual on the how to.

But if you really are still unsure go to a pro.

Thank you.

[harpon]

Here's a tip to everyone here about filing down the saddle bone-

I did it for years with a flat metal file I happen to have because I have a lot of bicycles and motorized bicycles and some tools-

but I've since found it faster and easier to use an electric hand drill or cordless drill, with a small round grinding stone bit- they aren't very expensive

and by just placing the drill on the floor, I have the wheel/stone turning away from me and lightly run the bone back and forth over it-
You have to watch your fingers a bit, but it's not really dangerous

I still usually use the flat file to make sure it's flat before I put it back on the guitar

I've also conquered the guitar nut world recently replacing a couple of bones on some small sized guitars- I've found they usually aren't attached very soildly- and they don't need to be- and usually at most just a tap with a screwdriver blade and hammer- if even that- will pop them off-

you can usually find a nut that will give you another couple of mm of string spacing E to E without getting too far off the frets or fingerboard otherwise.
You can even buy uncut blank bones and notcvh your own custom string spacing.


of course with a full-sized classical guitar you'll probably never need or want to change the size

[scottishrogue]

Adjusting the string action requires some experience, so you don't adjust the wrong thing.

First, it's best to use a fresh set of strings before you begin. With them tuned to concert pitch, you want to check the relief. Most classical guitars don't have a truss rod adjustment, but some do. Your relief should be almost flat, with only a slight upward curve to the fretboard/neck, when you sight down the neck. Check to see if there is a hump in the fretboard at the 12th fret. If you see it, it might mean you need a neck reset. Check the joint between the heal and the body to see if there is any separation. If there is a space, time for a professional tech to check it out. If the joint looks good, the hump could be eliminated with higher tension strings. Check your string height at the nut. I like that to be the same as the width of your low E string...or .050" or the width of a dime.

Once all that is fixed, you can measure the action at the 12th fret. I like 3/32" and every 1/16" you trim off the bottom of your saddle will reduce the action 1/32". I hope that helps.

Glen

[zhunter]

2.5 mm is basically getting down to flamenco action. If you play with any attack at all you will probably buzz. I think of standard classical action as being in the 3 to 4 mm range. That would mean you are still high but not by a great amount. I have flamencos set up just below 3 mm. Depending on the guitar and your style, 2.5 mm may be achievable.

Adjust the truss rod only to get the desired degree of straightness or relief that is appropriate for the guitar. The action will fall where it falls. I tend to like necks pretty flat with basically no relief, especially on nylon string instruments, but a little relief (maybe 0.004" to 0.007") would probably be OK. Once the relief is set, and the nut height is OK, then it is time to work on lowering the saddle.

A high nut can really make a guitar harder to play. Might be a good idea to make sure the nut height is good.

Good luck getting it set up.

hunter

[pkelecy]

Originally Posted by zhunter

2.5 mm is basically getting down to flamenco action...

So how do flamenco guitars handle such low action without buzzing? Do they use high tension strings?

Pat

[rina1504]

A little buzzing seems to be okay for flamenco players.

[zhunter]

Originally Posted by rina1504

A little buzzing seems to be okay for flamenco players.

This.

hunter

[Mickey_C]

My spanish flamenco has very low action, but it doesn't buzz with Hard tension strings (and I prefer those anyway - they sound more percussive).

Anyhow -

I am shocked to hear people saying to adjust the truss rod (which controls neck relief) without checking to see first if there is a neck relief problem.

Neck relief is checked by depressing the string on the 2nd and 14th frets, then measuring the string height at the 6th fret. The standard is .008" - .010". If your guitar's neck falls within that range DO NOT ADJUST YOUR TRUSS ROD. It's the same measurement on steel string acoustic guitars with necks that meet the body at the 14th fret.

Many authentic spanish classicals or flamencos have NO truss rod adjustment, btw. I am always suspicious of the real quality of a classical that does - as the woods naturally bend that amount with correct tension strings - and perhaps only slightly more with hard tension strings.

If the neck relief is off on a classical without a truss rod you see a luthier, or perhaps try different tension strings. Once again, I've not seen real spanish guitars that incorporate a truss rod adjustment.

[Mickey_C]

Shoot - forgot to add one other thing.

Classical necks can be a bit more sensitive to humidity changes, which affects the amount of relief as well. If you're having issues with neck relief on your classical you might loosen the strings and try getting it stabilized humidity wise for a few days before trying again. Dry necks tend to exhibit more relief - as the fingerboard absorbing water expands, pulling the neck backwards (decreasing relief). A dry fingerboard shrinks.. increasing neck relief.

Anyhow, I'd be careful about just manning up the classical/spanish with an adjustment rod. I think that's why most spanish builders won't use them.