Tune-o-matic bridge too high Advice Please!!!!

[BigK]

Hi I want to lower the action on the maverick species seven string i just bought (its perfectly playable at the mo but it could go a bit lower on the treble side) but ive run out of adjustment as the thumbscrews are now resting on the anchor in the body.

Would I be able to lower this by using a punch and lightly tapping it down a bit? or will i just damage it? (the body is basswood BTW)

Anyboy have any other advice on how i could do this? i dont have the money to get it done professionally at the moment, plus id rather spend the money on getting a miracle man for the bridge for it.

thanks Kieran

[Will]

well in what area do you want to lower the action

my local guitar tech said :

to get a better action, adjust truss rod (+ the nut to be cut right)

adjust the bridge for your picking strength

I presume this is when the action is mediocre already.

so i would advise truss rod adjustment - If you do, be slow with it

[WezV]

you never adjust the truss rod to lower action - although it might be what the guitar needs  :P

you adjust the truss rod to straighten (or bow) the neck.

Fret the first and last fret on the guitar and look around the 7th fret.  If there is a big gap between the string and fret your neck is bowed too far forwards and the the truss rod needs tightening slightly.  Dont turn it more than a little bit at a time and never force it.  It should ideally be adjusted so a bit of paper fits through the gap.

And dont whatever you do hammer the posts

[BigK]

The truss rod is adjusted perfectly and the nut is cut pretty well too (thanks for the advice tho). its the bridge that needs to be lowered on the treble side as at the top-end of the fretboard (bridge end) the strings are a bit high.

If I cant hammer the posts what do you suggest i do to remedy the situation?

Im not bad at woodwork and i dont mind getting my hands dirty. so how would you approach it wez?

[WezV]

oh, and just incase...

...it makes more sense to adjust the truss rod with the strings slackened off and spend the time re-tuning - checking again and mabe doing it all over again!!

i know some people will say you will be fine adjusting while the guitar is tuned up but i have seen enough broken truss-rods to make me always take the tension off the neck first first!!!

Also before you tighten the truss rod - loosen it first to check its not seized!!!

If your guitar has a bolt-on neck there may be a shim in the neck pocket that can be removed for lower actions

[WezV]

The truss rod is adjusted perfectly and the nut is cut pretty well too. its the bridge that needs to be lowered on the treble side as at the top-end of the fretboard (bridge end) the strings are a bit high.

well guitars are normally built so that at the bridges lowest setting the strings rattle on the fretboard - so if it is not the truss-rod or a shim in a neck pocket and the bridge really is at its lowest setting you are screwed.

the solution would be to remove the tune-o-matic posts from the guitar and, at worst -  route a slot into the body so the bridge can go lower. Not a job to attempt if you are not familiar with the tools and techniques - and obviously it would need a finish touch-up

[BigK]

Yeah its definitely not the truss rod that is set to perfection. The guitar is a set neck so there arent any shims.

[WezV]

the bridge is definately as low as it will go isnt it!!

The other option is to deepen the grooves in the saddle to lower it that way. But remember that the strings should follow the radius of the fretboard and if you start messing with that you might need to play with them all to get it playing right

[BigK]

well on the species the bridge is actually sunk into the body a bit (to the point were you can actually see the tumbscrews when the are completely down. the treble strings are about 3.5mm off the 24th fret with the bridge all the way down with all the rest of my guitars its about 1.5-2mm so i only need a little more movement.

[BigK]

the bridge is completely down, so the bottom of the thumbscrews are touching the posts which are in the body.

[WezV]

filing the string grooves will give you a little extra but obviously dont lower them more than seems safe - ther is a screw directly below the groove and you dont want to weaken the saddle too much

[BigK]

heres a picture of the way the bridge is on the species.

if i route a little bit from under the post on the treble side would that be ok?

[BigK]

Thanks for your help Wez. Im going to have a think about routing out the slot that's already there a little more. i dont really want to start messing with the saddles. any advice on getting the posts out of the body?

[WezV]

lots of potential for screw ups here!!!  condsider yourself warned


to remove the bushing you can try this little trick - unscrew the post completely and put something solid into the hole - a little dowel or something.  As you screw the post back in it should hit on the dowel and not go further - so as you tighten it it should pull the bushing upwards.  Only works if the bushing has a hole in the bottom though- and if its not working dont force it

the nasty way to do it is unscrew the post slightly then get a claw hammer under the thumbwheel and pull it up.  You need to make sure you protect the body well if you do this

sometimes heating the bushing with a soldering iron helps it slide out a little easier

[BigK]

Ok thanks for those tips. I'll have a think about it. Just out of interest do you have any ideas how much a guitar tech would charge for this? and can you recommend me any?