string height

[richard vandyne]

i am having a real problem w/string height. i have three guitars and all of them have excessive height on all strings above the seventh fret. i find it hard to play the chords above the 9th fret without muting some strings. i have thought about knotching out the bridge to lower the strings but am afraid that may not be the proper way to correct this problem. is there any way to raise the nut a tenth or so and lower the bridge to make the strings go to a more even height all along the fretboard. i am obviously an amatuer at what i am talking about but i would appreciate some ideas !!!!!!

[cjm]

Originally Posted by richard vandyne

i am having a real problem w/string height. i have three guitars and all of them have excessive height on all strings above the seventh fret. i find it hard to play the chords above the 9th fret without muting some strings. i have thought about knotching out the bridge to lower the strings but am afraid that may not be the proper way to correct this problem. is there any way to raise the nut a tenth or so and lower the bridge to make the strings go to a more even height all along the fretboard. i am obviously an amatuer at what i am talking about but i would appreciate some ideas !!!!!!

Take the guitars to a luthier/technician and have them looked at. If you're just starting out, the strings may not be too high...they are going to be higher at the 9th fret than they are at the first and it takes practice to deal with that.

And if they actually are too high, there may well be three different problems with three different fixes since there are three different guitars. Somebody who knows how to address the problems will have to physically examine the guitars and you cannot get a solution at a web forum.

BUT: Since you're experiencing the same problem with three different guitars, it does suggest the strings may not be too high and that you just need to get used to playing guitar...or if you're not a total beginner, that you may just need to get used to playing a typically set up jazz box if you're accustomed to playing slabs set up for shredders, for example.

[zigzag]

Get a set-up done by a pro. You won't regret it. Then learn how to do it on your own.

[mr. beaumont]

What kind of guitars are we talking about here?

First step is to make sure the neck is relatively straight. Lowering a bridge like a tune-o-matic or archtop bridge is easy--thumbscrews, a strat or tele requires small allen keys and a little more time, but still easy...a flattop acoustic will likely involve sandpaper, and a little guesswork...

If it truly is the nut that's the culprit, it's not a beginner job...you either fill the nut slots (superglue and baking soda or bone dust) and refile, or cut the nut out and start over...neither one is a job I relish...

[fep]

As a point of reference...

In 1993, Gibson set their electric guitars with a string height at the 12th fret as:

On the bass E string: 5/64"

On the treble E string 3/64"

Source: GuitarPlayer Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine
_______________

My experience has been if the guitar neck and frets are well set up you can get lower than that.

[richard vandyne]

thanks all i really appreciate your input/ i have a new epiphone ac/el a preformer se. i use it acoustically only although it has a set up for an amp. then i have a one year old epi shearton 11/archtop. it needs an amp to play. acousticallt it is bad but again i have this trouble with string height. then i have an old suzuki acoustic that needs a lot. soiunds ok but many problems. i have been playing for about 3 years todal/off and on. i am not brand new to the guitar so i can play reasonably well in the lower frets but when i get above twelve i start to have a lot of problems with clarity of sound. still in all it may very well be my technique??????? right now i am in mexico city and dont know a reliable repairman. and suggestions??? if i mess with it i am afraid of a lot of extraneous noise i may create.

[Pat Clare]

Go to youtube, there are some very good guitar techs who denonstrate what and how to do it. Much easier than looking in a book.

[max chill]

There are more guitar repairmen in Mexico City than anywhere else on the planet. There goes that excuse.

[richard vandyne]

max your destroying my excuses!!!!! i admit i havent looked real hard in mexico. i am going to make an effort to find a good one!!