Guild D-50 Bluegrass - MotherPlecking Journey

[goodry]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

I prefer low action myself, and so I just checked my dreadnought, which is being used for bluegrass 100% of the time, out of curiosity. The action at the 12th fret (low E) is about 8/64, or ~ 2.8mm.

Anything below that, I don't think would work for bluegrass or any type of "determined" playing style.

So my advice would be, don't worry about plekking and all that jazz and just get used to it.

So my main concern is that in my guitar tech doing exactly what I asked him to do, I've set the action TOO low...

this is what I asked for and presumably he did at 12th fret:
Low E: 2.0mm (0.079”)
High E: 1.5mm (0.059”)

So before I have it plek'd - he said it would take somewhere around 10 days, so going in there yesterday, i doubt he's gotten to it yet...

Maybe I ask him to raise it to medium action.. something like this at the 12th fret:
Low E: 2.5mm (0.098”)
High E: 1.8mm (0.071”)

[merlin666]

To raise action you need a new saddle. Saddles for NH Guilds are not easy to find any more and I was lucky to buy two from a LTG member who had scored possibly the last original ones. Your luthier may be able to cut a new one using the original as a template for compensation.

[goodry]

He mentioned cutting a new one

he mentioned shimming it as well

[Scotso]

Dont shim unless just to see if the buzz stops. Any qualified luthier/tech can make a bone saddle to fit out of a bone blank.

[SpruceTop]

I'd say the listed action in the OP is much too low for bluegrass and it should be more like .094" (6/64" or 3/32") minimum for the low-E string for even a moderately-aggressive player.

[goodry]

I called them back because this was like giving me anxiety - They're going to still plek it, which im fine with - and then they are going to set it to medium action, what they consider medium, so, as the pro's im letting them handle that.

I told him what I considered medium and he said that was what he considered semi high so that made me feel better, that it's not going to be super low but it will come back in between low and my internet based results of 'medium acoustic height'

I play my guitars, I really dont work on them very much (at all) so this is a new world to me.

[Pickcity]

I hope it works out for you. I have an older friend who has a Guild D-50 bluegrass and it's an amazing guitar.

[Scotso]

Hope your lowest fret that the computer adjusts every fret to is not so low that the guitar becomes a struggle to play. Fingers crossed

[goodry]

Originally Posted by Scotso

Hope your lowest fret that the computer adjusts every fret to is not so low that the guitar becomes a struggle to play. Fingers crossed

Can you explain that ?

If the action is low, but does not buzz under any circumstance... what would make the guitar hard to play? or unplayable?

[rwmct]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

I hope it works out for you. I have an older friend who has a Guild D-50 bluegrass and it's an amazing guitar.

This ^ A New Hartford D-50 is a wonderful guitar. And I know 2011 is a great vintage because my F-30 std. was made that year.

[HodgdonExtreme]

Originally Posted by goodry

Can you explain that ?

If the action is low, but does not buzz under any circumstance... what would make the guitar hard to play? or unplayable?

Not sure if this is what he was referring to...

But if frets get too short, you can't properly pin the string down against the fret before your fingertip has the string pinned down to the fretboard, which is awkward feeling, and results in buzzing as the sting vibrates against the fret you're actually trying to use to make your note - NOT the higher up frets.

That said, I wouldn't fret to much about it (pun intended)! If your frets were already low, your tech would've mentioned it - and if not him, the operator of the PLEK machine will. Plus, it's highly unlikely in the first place. Fret not!