Lesson ID: A0058
When you’re first learning how to play guitar, it can really hurt to press down your guitar strings. The majority of guitars straight out of the box from the factory come with high action which means the strings are far away from the fretboard and tough to press down. To fix this, you can have your guitar set up by a guitar tech — they can lower your guitar strings by lowering your saddle, adjusting guitar neck relief, etc. This can make a cheap starter guitar feel like an expensive high quality guitar.
Thanks again for all the beginner lessons!
I think I’m going to try this. Thanks for the tip!
fortunately for me i have a good friend who is a luthier and has taught me a lot of things. devin is absolutely right about having your guitar(s) properly set up. however you can make a big mistake when purchasing a guitar, especially low end guitars like me. take the time to learn things like humidity, belly up or down, and how to check neck relief. it can save you hundreds of dollars. a neck reset can cost big bucks! even martins will have trouble over time. learn how a guitar is set up!
It’s a good thing to know for sure…over the years I’ve figured out an easy way to lower the action by sanding down the bottom of the saddle..and a couple small adjustments to the nut…it’s pretty simple..all you need is some sand paper and painters tape. The rest is easy and it makes a huge difference on the way your guitar plays. It’ll turn a $200 starter into something that plays amazing. One of these days I’ll throw together a quick video.
i just purchased a tool called a fret guru. its pretty slick. about 30.00 on amazon. it checks the nut, the string height, and the frets. plus its got 64th, and 32nd increments. its a lot better than dealing with feeler gauges, and dial calipers. its also has conversion charts on the back. it also has an optional leather case for it. its laser cut, and etched. very high quality. keep up the good work bud! and thanks again!
Thanks, had my Martin set up and its awesome!
Good advice, thanks Devin!
I watched all the videos Randy made while working on your D-18, man those frets have some miles on them. Like a dirt road! He sure loved your guitar! Thanks for the links! I think I found CGO through Randy’s vids. I can’t remember for sure how I found your site but I’m glad I did. Thanks!
Awesome, glad you found me through Randy! He did a great job on my guitar…love watching his videos on YouTube.
Very helpful Thanks.
what’s the song in the intro? is there a lesson on that one?