Quote:
Originally Posted by LeDave
If I were to install a shorter-in-height saddle onto the guitar that already plays good, chances are I'll need to do a truss rod adjustment of lefty loosy rather than a righty tighty, right? My action is a bit too high, I fear for more stress and wear on the bridge than needed.
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No.
The adjustable truss rod is there to adjust the bow in the neck - "relief". It is not there to raise and lower action. The bow in the neck should be set appropriately, then the string height set at the nut and saddle. It often happens that excessive string height is the result of too much bow and is "fixed" by adjusting it to a suitable amount. Typical amounts of relief are between about .005" and .01".
If the action is too high, look to lowering the strings at the nut and/or saddle.
The action is largely unrelated to the "stress and wear" on the bridge. If the angle the strings break over the saddle is very large, that increases the tipping force on the saddle, which can lead to cracking of the ends of the saddle slot at the sound hole side of the slot. "Very large" is having more than about 3/16" of saddle projecting from the top of the bridge.
The greater the vertical distance - from the surface of the guitar top to the bottom of the strings - of the strings at the bridge, the greater the moment/torque on the bridge. For many guitars, the target vertical distance is about 1/2". Unless you have significantly more than that, it isn't an issue to be concerned with.