Raising the action on guitar

[macmanmatty]

Would making a paste out of bone meal and glue and using that to shim the nut and saddle work for raising the action on a martin sigma dreadnought guitar for playing slide?

[merlin666]

Sounds like an awkward process. Why not buy a saddle blank for $5 and just shape a new saddle, that's probably less labour-intensive than mucking around with a paste.

[ManyMartinMan]

New nut and saddle would do the trick easily and more efficiently.

[macmanmatty]

yes but I do not wish to cut a new or saddle. I want do this cheap and easy.

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

yes but I do not wish to cut a new or saddle. I want do this cheap and easy.

Bonemeal and glue is a terrible idea. It's cheap, but not easy, and the results will be predictably awful. But you know you're going to do it no matter what anyone here says. Break the bonds of peer pressure, ignore the obvious, and forge ahead of the pack I say!

[Jabberwocky]

I think a cut up old credit card would make a fine shim to raise your saddle and nut. That is the rotgut way of saving $5 on a new nut and saddle.

I'd be curious to know what you use for strings. Barbed wire? Tetanus, no?

[Frank Ford]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

I think a cut up old credit card would make a fine shim to raise your saddle and nut.

Yes!

Careful taking nut out so's you don't break it. Glue it back with any kind of glue on the end of the fingerboard - none underneath so it can come out easier next time.

[macmanmatty]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

I think a cut up old credit card would make a fine shim to raise your saddle and nut. That is the rotgut way of saving $5 on a new nut and saddle.

I'd be curious to know what you use for strings. Barbed wire? Tetanus, no?

I can get a new cut nut and saddle ?? for 5$??!! My main issue is I really don't want screw up cutting the nut and I'm not willing to pay 30 shipping plus the cost of filing the nut and nut and saddle cost to send my sigma guitar worth about 100 to tech to do it

[Looburst]

If you want to raise the action just a little, just simply cut up an old credit card, one piece for a shim should do it, and place it under the saddle, to see if you like it first before moving on to more changes. This is what I always do first.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

yes but I do not wish to cut a new or saddle. I want do this cheap and easy.

Ahhhhh, cheap and easy. The worst way to make music. Good luck.

[ChalkLitIScream]

The only way to raise action is to use shims. 2 or 3 Business cards may suffice for the saddle, and 1 or 2 for the nut. Sheets of paper is another alternative. Or credit cards as suggested already, though they will make the nut action too high