Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Adjusting the drawbar
• Part 3 of 3: Adjusting the action at the comb

If your guitar is difficult to play, it could be because the action is too high. This means that the distance between the strings and the fingerboard is too great, making it more difficult to press the strings. Lowering the action on an acoustic guitar requires three steps. You need to reduce the curvature of the neck, lower the bridge and adjust the saddle.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Adjusting the drawbar

1. Check the curvature of the guitar neck. To determine if the drawbar needs to be adjusted to lower the action, first look closely at the neck of your guitar to determine if it bends up or down.
   • A neck that curves upward will appear to curve upward slightly when you hold the guitar flat in front of you, as opposed to a neck that curves downward.
   • To check the curvature of the neck, hold it at eye level and look straight down the neck, or lay it flat on a table or bench and look at the neck at eye level.
   • There is another way to check the straightness of your guitar neck, but you will need an assistant. Press down a string at the first and 14th frets. Have the assistant line up a ruler next to the string that you press down at the sixth fret. There should be about 0.25 millimeters of space between the string and the fret.
   EXPERT TIP

   Find the pull rod of your guitar. The pull rod is a slim, steel rod in the neck of your guitar. You can adjust the nut you use to make the adjustment either on the headstock or through the sound hole, depending on how your guitar is designed.

   • An adjustable drawbar is either one-sided or two-sided - also known as single or double acting. A one-way bar will only straighten your guitar's neck against string tension and an upward curve, while a two-way bar can also correct a neck that curves downward.
   • You cannot correct a curved neck with a one-way bar. However, if you have a newer guitar, you usually have a drawbar that does allow this, as it became standard in the 1980s.
2. Adjust your strings. If the drawbar is only accessible through the sound hole, loosen the strings before trying anything with the drawbar. This makes it easier for you to get a tool into the sound hole and turn it. However, do not remove the strings completely.
   • Check the drawbar to see what kind of tools you need for the job. Usually it has a nut or requires an Allen key. If the drawbar is only accessible through the sound hole, you will likely need a longer Allen key or wrench to turn it so you don't have to put your whole hand into the sound hole.
   • If the drawbar is accessible through the headstock, you don't have to worry about the sound hole. You just have to loosen the screws that hold the tie rod cover in place. When adjusting the headstock drawbar, don't loosen your strings - you need to pitch them so you have the correct tension on the neck and can see how far the drawbar needs to be adjusted.
3. Turn the drawbar screw. Use your Allen key or wrench to slowly and gradually turn the tie rod screw. You may need to grease the screw, especially if you have an older guitar or have never turned it.
   • Remember: to the right is fixed, to the left is loose. Turn the tension rod clockwise to correct an upward bend, and counterclockwise to correct a downward bend.
   • Place a mark on the screw so you can see where it started when you started. Do not turn the screw more than 1/8 of a full turn at a time. This will prevent you from adjusting the bar too much.
4. Retune your guitar. After you make your first 1/8 turn, you will need to retune your guitar so you can check the distance between the strings and the frets and see if the problem is resolved.
   • This is not something you can do on sight with loose strings. The neck must have the correct tension to be able to see whether you have straightened it sufficiently or not.
5. Repeat this if necessary. If the first 1/8 turn didn't correct the curvature up or down on your guitar's neck, give the screw another 1/8 turn, re-tune your guitar and check again. Pay attention to the mark you made. Never turn the screw more than one full turn as this can cause major damage to your guitar. EXPERT TIP

   If the action is really bad, you may need to get the neck adjusted by a professional.

   
   

   Gather your basic tools. If you want to lower the action on an acoustic guitar by filing the notches on the bridge, you need a set of bridge files that match the string thickness. Since each string has a different thickness, you will need a set of six bridge files - one for each string.

   • If you don't have a set of bridge files, you can usually get them at a guitar store, as well as many music stores.
   • You also need a feeler gauge so that you can measure the action at each fret and file it accordingly.
6. Tune your guitar. If not already done, make sure all six strings on your guitar are in tune before you start measuring and adjusting the action on the bridge.
7. Use a feeler gauge to measure the action at the first fret. Place your feeler gauge right on top of the first fret so you can determine how much to file off the bridge to improve the action.
   • First, use a ruler to measure. The distance between the string and the first fret should be approximately 7.5 millimeters.
   • If the distance is greater, keep checking the distance using larger feeler gauges until the string moves because the feeler gauge is too big to fit in between. The distance between the string and the fret is the thickness of the largest feeler gauge that stops moving the string.
   • Repeat this with each of the six strings.
8. Loosen the sixth string. Gently loosen the string just enough to release it from the bridge without damaging the bridge. Loosen the string just enough so that you can easily pop it out of the bridge and pull it along the side of the bridge.
9. File the bridge with the correct bridge file. Find the bridge file for the sixth string and put plastic or masonite around the head to protect it so you don't file the head while filing the bridge.
   • Place your bridge file in the notch and file gently, in the direction of the head and at the same angle.
   • Only file a small amount at a time, as you cannot replace the material once you have filed it, and you don't want to file too much.
   • When you think you're done, reinsert the string, tune it and measure it again to see if you need to re-file the bridge or if the problem has been corrected.
   EXPERT TIP

   Repeat this with each of the other strings. Once you've properly filed the notch for your sixth string, repeat the entire process for each of the other five strings to lower the action on your guitar at the bridge.

Part 3 of 3: Adjusting the action at the comb

1. Know where the crest and saddle are. The saddle is basically a long, thin bridge, usually made of bone or a synthetic material, which is inlaid in the crest. To lower the action on an acoustic guitar you don't have to adjust the saddle in any way, just the saddle.
   • The saddle serves the same purpose as the bridge, which is to adjust the height of the guitar strings. If you lower the action on the bridge, you also have to lower the action at the bridge, otherwise the tone of your guitar will no longer be correct.
   • The strings are threaded through the bridge, and their tension keeps the saddle in place. It is not glued.
   • Saddles can be straight or shaped. A shaped saddle is curved to compensate for the tone of the strings and keep the guitar in tune. So if you want to lower the action of the saddle, you always sand the bottom of the saddle towards the side, never the top.
2. Measure the action of your guitar at the comb. Use a ruler to measure the distance between the sixth string and the 12th fret. You will also want to measure the first string at the 12th fret. You don't have to measure the other strings.
   • Most acoustic guitars require approximately 1.5 millimeters of action for the first string and 2.3 millimeters of action for the sixth string. If your action is more than that, you will have to decrease it.
3. Loosen the strings. Because the tension of the strings keeps the saddle in place, you can't take it out without first relaxing the strings of your guitar. You don't have to completely remove them from the tuning pegs, though.
   • Use your string winder to relax and loosen the strings. Don't take your strings off the tuning pegs.
4. Remove the bottom three strings from the saddle. You will have to loosen your strings if you want to take the saddle out, but there is no reason to remove all of your strings. This only gives you extra work and makes it all take a lot longer.
   • The bottom three strings should give you enough room to slide the saddle out, provided the other three strings are really loose and slack.
   • You still don't have to take your strings out of the tuning pegs unless the strings go through the bridge. If it does, this procedure will take a little longer as you will also need to remove the strings from the tuners to get the saddle out.
5. Remove the saddle from the comb. Once you've removed the bottom three strings, you should have enough room to slide the saddle out of the groove in the comb. Do this very carefully. If it is clamped, you may need to get a pair of pliers to grasp and pry the saddle without damaging your guitar.
6. Sand the saddle. Once the saddle is removed, you are ready to lower the action onto the crest. Work evenly even when you're sanding as an uneven saddle will ruin the tone of your guitar.
   • One way to do this is to place a piece of double-sided sandpaper on a flat table or workbench.
   • Take the ruler you used earlier and determine how much you want to sand off the saddle. Make marks on the saddle with a pencil. After that, all you have to do is sand until you reach the pencil line.
   • Keep in mind that if you sand the saddle too much, your strings will be too long. You also don't want to delete more than is necessary. Be careful and just sand off a little. You can always repeat this if it hasn't been enough, but if you sand too much, there's no going back.
7. Replace the saddle. Lift the strings and gently slide the sanded saddle back into the slot. Then replace the bottom three strings you removed and re-tune your guitar.
   • Measure the action again and play your guitar a bit to see if you are satisfied. You may want to repeat the process and sand down a bit more. Keep in mind that industry standards are only a guideline, but each guitarist has their own personal preference for how much action is pleasant to play.