HOW TO MAKE GUITAR STRING ACTION BETTER FOR FINGERSTYLE

[eimantan]

My martin 000-16gt guitar action is 1.5mm(4/64in) at high E & 2.0(5/64in)mm at low E, and i play fingerstyle, but i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower without buzzing, how did they do that, my saddle only remain 2mm(5/64in) to limit above the bridge, and i have tried my truss rod, but when i tight the truss rod it comes buzzing, whether it is a way of polishing fret to aviod buzzing, or i should just adjust my saddle lower and lower, thx! if anyone can help me please contact me ,[email protected] ,thx!!very!!much!!

[Toby Walker]

Adjusting the truss rod is definitely not a good idea for bringing down your action. The best way to do that is by shaving the saddle.

I play fingerstyle and my action is 4/64th at both ends.

[Sonics]

Originally Posted by eimantan

My martin 000-16gt guitar action is 1.5mm(4/64in) at high E & 2.0(5/64in)mm at low E, and i play fingerstyle, but i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower without buzzing, how did they do that, my saddle only remain 2mm(5/64in) to limit above the bridge, and i have tried my truss rod, but when i tight the truss rod it comes buzzing, whether it is a way of polishing fret to aviod buzzing, or i should just adjust my saddle lower and lower, thx! if anyone can help me please contact me ,[email protected] ,thx!!very!!much!!

Neck reset...

[fazool]

Originally Posted by eimantan

...i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower...

You saw that? Most?

[Mr. Scott]

Tightening your truss-rod is very likely to increase the chance of buzzing as it introduces back-bow which will lower the action in the middle section of the neck. You do not say whether you are experiencing buzz with your current setup, but I see no reason why you should not be able to play finger style on your guitar as it is. The action on my own guitar is similar and I play both plectrum and finger style on it. If I need more volume when playing with a plectrum, I go up a gauge in string size. That puts more stress on the neck which can increase the neck relief slightly giving a bit more clearance for the extra string excursion.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by eimantan

My martin 000-16gt guitar action is 1.5mm(4/64in) at high E & 2.0(5/64in)mm at low E, and i play fingerstyle, but i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower without buzzing, how did they do that, my saddle only remain 2mm(5/64in) to limit above the bridge, and i have tried my truss rod, but when i tight the truss rod it comes buzzing, whether it is a way of polishing fret to aviod buzzing, or i should just adjust my saddle lower and lower, thx! if anyone can help me please contact me ,[email protected] ,thx!!very!!much!!

There is a range of acceptable string heights for fingerstyle playing and it depends on the music styles/genres being played and the players right hand attack/stroke techniques.

[TBman]

If you put a capo on the first fret and suddenly the guitar is perfect, the nut needs work. But if your saddle is really low too, you may need a neck reset. I'm not an expert on setting up a guitar, but the nut, neck relief and saddle height have to be in unison to get a good setup. If one thing can't be adjusted and it needs it, then something is wrong. If your saddle height is good and there's more room left and the relief is just right, but its difficult to play at the first fret, its the nut I would think.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by eimantan

My martin 000-16gt guitar action is 1.5mm(4/64in) at high E & 2.0(5/64in)mm at low E, and i play fingerstyle, but i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower without buzzing, how did they do that, my saddle only remain 2mm(5/64in) to limit above the bridge, and i have tried my truss rod, but when i tight the truss rod it comes buzzing, whether it is a way of polishing fret to aviod buzzing, or i should just adjust my saddle lower and lower, thx! if anyone can help me please contact me ,[email protected] ,thx!!very!!much!!

Your action is already about as low as it can be while keeping a decent range of dynamics (loudness) in your playing. You were misinformed about how low the "fingerstyle masters" set their action.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by eimantan

My martin 000-16gt guitar action is 1.5mm(4/64in) at high E & 2.0(5/64in)mm at low E, and i play fingerstyle, but i saw that most of fingerstyle masters adjust their action to 1mm(2/64in) at high E & 1.5mm(4/64in) at low E or even more lower without buzzing, how did they do that, my saddle only remain 2mm(5/64in) to limit above the bridge, and i have tried my truss rod, but when i tight the truss rod it comes buzzing, whether it is a way of polishing fret to aviod buzzing, or i should just adjust my saddle lower and lower, thx! if anyone can help me please contact me ,[email protected] ,thx!!very!!much!!

Is there a problem with the action as you have it (before you messed with the truss rod)? Does it prevent you from playing?

As Howard said, the measurements you listed sound fine to me, and I personally wouldn't want it any lower.

[eimantan]

Originally Posted by fazool

You saw that? Most?

Actually I saw a letter who helps Tommy set up his guitar and he said that Tommy's maton action is 4/64 at high e and 3/64 at low e , but it requires extremely accuracy adjustment at fret , and now I think 1.5mm at high e and 2.0mm at low e is good for me but I wanna change a new saddle cause mine is way too low for a new guitar, and my Martin 00016gt neck is straight(when press 1st fret and 12th fret ,I can here a tinking sound from knocking the string ,but cannot see any gap there), very very small relief, I worry about that when I change a new shaved saddle ,I can't make the action back to1.5mm 4/64 at high e and 2.0mm 5/64, do you have any suggestions I will thank you very much!

[eimantan]

now I think 1.5mm at high e and 2.0mm at low e is good for me but I wanna change a new saddle cause mine is way too low for a new guitar, and my Martin 00016gt neck is straight(when press 1st fret and 12th fret ,I can here a tinking sound from knocking the string ,but cannot see any gap there), very very small relief, I worry about that when I change a new shaved saddle ,I can't make the action back to1.5mm 4/64 at high e and 2.0mm 5/64, do you all have any suggestions I will thank you very much!
Thank you all

[eimantan]

Originally Posted by Toby Walker

Adjusting the truss rod is definitely not a good idea for bringing down your action. The best way to do that is by shaving the saddle.

I play fingerstyle and my action is 4/64th at both ends.

How is your guitar's neck ,is that bow or straight~
Do you play special tuning, whether you play different tunings on a same guitar or get another guitar for another tuning, thx !

[Toby Walker]

Originally Posted by eimantan

How is your guitar's neck ,is that bow or straight~
Do you play special tuning, whether you play different tunings on a same guitar or get another guitar for another tuning, thx !

No guitar neck should be completely straight. Having the proper amount of relief (bow) in the neck will eliminate the chance of string buzz.

I use the same guitar, regardless of the tuning. Matter of fact, the previous owner - Mary Chapin Carpenter - used a number of different tunings on it.

[nedray]

I'm surprised your guitar is playable at all at 3/64" string height at the 12th fret. I'm mostly a finger picker and I've never been able to get away with anything lower than about 6/64 on the low side and maybe 4/64" treble. Most Martin guitars come from the factory with 8/64" and 6/64" bass and treble, which is pretty standard across the industry. I usually leave it close to that, with slight relief in the neck. The guitar just sounds better if you leave the action as high as you can stand it. Play it like that for a while and you'll get stronger.

[Turp]

I think quite a few players venture this road and I've made my mistakes. If you're attempting to lower action with truss road adjustment, I encourage you to stop doing anything. Please do some good research on guitar setup and dynamics of how it affects the guitar. At least even if you don't do your own setup, you'll be able to explain your expectations to a good guitar tech and have some idea if the your equipment or tech can meet them.

At times we read what other players specs are and we compare it to ours. Sometimes we can get better results with our equipment, but first we have to know a lot about what works and what doesn't, as well as our limitations and the equipment's. Knowing those boundaries and proficiency with guitar setup allows some tweaking if possible.

The action dimensions on your guitar you listed are good. Some other considerations that can get overlooked is the string breakover angle on the saddle. If you lower the saddle too much it will effect the perceived tone.

Other factors are the guitarist's attack on the strings. Heavy handed? Nails? Finger picks? Light touch? Playing style?

I don't want to be dismissive. Expectations are good when informed and you're self-aware of your playing, but I don't want you chasing a number or specification; I've done that in the past. In my experience, it's a little more complicated than just lowering the action.

Best Regards,
Darryl