How to Measure and Lower Your String Action Height on an Acoustic Guitar with a Fixed Saddle 

I really like the videos with this guy. Not only is he a wizard but he does a great job of breaking everything down and making it easy to understand.

Best overview of how to do this that I have seen. Crystal clear explanation with precision measuring. Thanks

This was spectacular, as was your truss rod adjustment video. Just ordered the guages from on of your dealers. Thanks a bunch

Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Good explanation and using the capo to secure the strings is a really useful tip. I’m confident enough to do this job now, thank you.

Thanks, just ordered the 3 way feeler gauge and the string action gauge ruler. I just received the 5mm truss rod adjustment for my new Martin guitar. Having done all my electric setups by feel and eye, it's a good time to use gauges this time around as to reduce the potential of error...basically set up ALL my guitars properly with measuring tools

Thanks for explaining why we have to double the amount we have to sand down on the saddle.

Very helpful video.

Very precise....the best explanation.........thank you...!!!!

Adjusted my truss rod and took a mm off the saddle on my Martin this weekend. Wow what a difference.

My luthier moved out of state so i bought the musicnomad kit and watched this and your neck relief video. Thank you! After correcting the relief and lowering the action the guitar sounds great and is much more playable. The whole process took me about an hour including a restringing and thorough cleaning.

thank you!!

I've watched a lot of videos on this and yours is probably the most clear, helpful, and concise tutorial. Thank you!

Good, clear instruction. One thing to note IMO is this instruction applies only to a saddle that already has the correct radius on top.

Always check your bridge to make sure the previous owner hasn't stacked a bunch of shims in there, could be the reason the action was so high.

What would you think about getting a new saddle to lower the action and switching back to the original for change of seasons.

This Taylor doesn’t have NT neck, which means that if yes, probably the best way to reduce the string action is changing the pair of shims and consequently changing the neck angle. Otherwise the instrument lost its braking angle on the bridge and loose tone and volume as consequence. But anyway, the video quality is top and very easy to follow. Cheers.

What belt/disc sander do you guys recommend? I have a 4x36” from harbor freight but I want to upgrade.

I assume the reason why the treble side was lower than expected is because the saddle is already angled down slightly at the treble side to account for this difference

Great lesson. Just one question please, how do you get the saddle flat if you are taking different amounts off each end? Thanks

thanks for the good video. If you shave more on one side of the saddle than the other, how does the saddle stay balanced/flat when put it back in?

How do you keep the bottom of the saddle flat if you need to shave off different amounts for the low E vs the high E?

Thank you! Very helpful. Why do you fret the 1st fret when measuring the action height on 12th? Would that cause the measurement to be smaller than the actual height?

Thank you for the informative video. What does the pick capo do that a normal capo wouldn't do in terms of bringing the string down to the top of the first fret?

Before measuring the string action, do you need to hold the string at the 1st fret? Because I saw other luthier just measure it directly at 12th in open string position. Which one is the correct method? Thank you

Would you suggest keeping the saddle against right angled block of wood to keep the saddle perfectly perpendicular to the sand paper or is such a step unnecessary? Thanks

question instead of a flat pick to hold down string at nut area could i just capo across the strings at the nut ?

How about a Taylor T5z? What are the factory recommended limits?

So if you follow the KISS procedure to completion and then you adjust the string height at the nut won’t this nut height adjustment change the action at the 12th fret? Because if you determine that you need to file the nut to make the low Estring lower then common sense would dictate that the overall string height would be lower from the nut all the way to the saddle.

could have missed it, but why use a pick to fret the strings instead of using capo when measuring the string height?

This is so informative. I feel confident to setup a six string. I'm going to need to set up a Fender 12 string acoustic which for sure will have high action. Do I just do the same steps but in pairs? The nut will be cut different for the pairs?

👍👍

What advice do you have if the measurement setup is currently correct but it’s still a micro measure to high. In this instance it’s a classical guitar 4 and 3 at the 12th which is standard but simply is too high on some hand made guitars

What is the minimum projection of the saddle above the bridge ? On my guitar, I calculated that there would be about 1/32 " left after adjustment. Another question is how much projection should be on a new guitar. Mine was pretty low when I bought it .

Are you adjusting the relief in the neck first? Nice video, btw.

Does anyone know the string action measurement on Al Dimeola's acoustic guitars ? Also, why don't we remove material from the nut as well when adjusting action? I would think that would help equalize things. Thank you!

Hello thank you for the video but I have a question. When you sanded the saddle you were holding it flat against the sand paper but how did you take off more material on the bass than the treble side if you were holding the saddle flat? Thank you so much

I have heard that you need 1/2" from the bottom of the strings to the top of sound board measured just in front of bridge. Lowering the action can, as it has on mine, lower that distancebelow 1/2". How does that effect the tone? I have a 2020 Taylor so changing neck angle and height can be done with shims, not too difficult. But to have the straightedge laying on the frets just above the bridge, base of the saddle, is perfect. Yet my strings are too close to the sound board. Can a neck angle fix that so the straight edge lines up and the distance between the strings and sound board are 1/2"? What does the strings being lower than a 1/2" do to the tone? I know that I hit the pick guard more with my pick and am having to learn to be more precise with that, but am mainly interested in the tonal issues, if any, and if it can be fixed or do I need to except that I have to have higher action than I like making being able to play much harder. I am not a hard hitter. Medium usually. Yet I can hit them pretty hard with no buzz anywhere and my action at the 12th is between 50 and 60 thousandths. My frets are leveled perfectly with precision tools which allows me to have lower action with no buzz. Just curious how important and what exactly happens when the strings are too close to the board. And again if it is possible to have that low of action and all the measurements line up. If I raise the neck, I have to raise the saddle and will have the same action, but the straightedge on the frets will sit the same distance off the bridge, or above the base of the saddle. I hope that all makes sense. Lol. Thanks in advance.

why is it then TAYLOR TECH SUPPORT told me never touch the saddle on a taylor he said for action only use a shim kit from Taylor and problem with that is ONLY a certified Taylor tech can order shim kit ! that why i went back to martin guitars ! he said the expression system piezo are on the side not underneath , he said sanding down the saddle takes away from the wall height which can effect the tone ! before i knew that , all the Taylors acoustics i did that to developed an annoying squelching kind of sound on my G string on both my 214E Deluxe and my 254 E 12 string ! can you clarify for me ?

Do you have any videos for how to setup an acoustic bass? Or is it just the same measurements as an electric bass (relief, string height)?

Is it normal for a new acoustic guitar to have a saddle filed down to almost no break on the high e string? Did the set up guy do it wrong? The guitar is a Gibson J45 Custom. Very informative video

I must say this is the first time I've ever seen 12 fret action height taken while pressing down at the 1st fret. Industry standard measurements (as far as I know - and I've been playing for 34 years) are taken from open/unfretted strings, following truss rod and nut slot adjustments (in that order, and if needed). Using your method, the resulting normal/open-string action will obviously be higher as soon as the pick/capo is removed, and therefore not coincide with those numbers (0.090 & 0.075), which I more or less agree with to be proper height, but again, on opened and not fretted strings.

with this done you are changing break angle of the strings coming on a saddle, as a result of that is less downward pressure from string through saddle on a bridge, and as a result of that is a weaker sound

HI i have a yamaha acoustic guitar but the tone it provides is aufle i have tried different sets of strings but cant get a good sound from it can you help thank you Rone.

I'm not understanding how you remove different amounts of material from the bass and treble side without a slant, and yet keep it level if there is a piazzo element under the saddle....Thank you

Most channels and guitar forums say you’re not supposed to put a capo on the 1st Fret when measuring string height. Is this unique to your gauge? What’s the right way to do it?

My acoustic guitar is a Yamaha LJ6 Placing a pick wedged at the first fret of G, B, e strings my high e string at the 12th fret measures .8 inches and 2.0 millimeters Placing a pick wedged at the first fret of low E, A, D strings my low E string at the 12th fret measures 1.30 inches and 2.75 millimeters I have fret buzz on my low E, A, and D strings. The low E string being the worse buzz and the A and D lesser. I have loosened the truss rod by turning it counter clockwise. This hasn't had any affect regarding the fret buzz. Playing the string open there isn't fret buzz. When I tune my guitar with an electronic tuner the low E string fretted at the first fret the tuner indicates an F at the third fret the G is sharp and up to and including the 12th fret the notes are sharp. The same for the 5th (A) string. Any thoughts on correcting low strings fret buzz? Yamaha acoustic guitar specifications Solid Tops, FG, L series, APX/CPX700/900 1st String: 1.8mm / .07087 inches (4/64th) 6th String: 2.6mm / .10236 inches (6/64th)

you didn't explain the pick you placed at the nut before measuring the actioned once the saddle was adjusted.

How do your tools and gauges cost and where can I buy them

Hello, can you tell me the distance in milimeters? Guess you said 90/1000 and 75/1000 of an inch, should I just calculate how many milimeters is that, or is there any other thing to know? Thanks!

Does the saddle need to be just flat or level as well? If level, How is it possible to take more material off one side of the saddle than the other and maintain a perfectly flat/level saddle?

With a zero fret guitar I don't need the pick capo do I?

Why wouldnt you change the neck shims in a Taylor and keep your saddle height. Maybe this was just for demonstration, or maybe you can enlighten me, also wondered about neck releif and the importance of that in all this

This method doesn't work for Ovation CP-100 piezo for acoustic electric guitars. You'll end up ruining the piezo pickup. The approach is more like filing a nut slot for the compensated saddle. The CP-100 has a steel tray that holds a plastic retainer that spaces the ceramic piezo pieces for the contact necessary for the pickup to work properly. The compensated saddle has a shaped area that the steel tray fits. Taking material off the bottom and the steel tray spreads wider and doesn't work properly. The plastic retainer will become damaged and possibly damage the ceramic pieces, chipping them under the load of the strings.

Why are you fretting the 6th string at the 1st fret? Don't you want to read the string height at the 12 fret with the 6th string resting in its nut slot? Won't this give you a reading .010-.020 lower than actual (the height of the 6th string off the 1st fret?

With a Taylor guitar to change the action height, shouldn't you start with shimming the removable neck and then alter the saddle if needed?

if the bottom of the saddle is straight why not just shave the bottom of saddle equally? if anyone could answer this question it would be much appreciated.

I've never seen anyone use a pick to hold down the string at the first fret. Doesn't that change the measurement?

Need a camera view of the before height. Maybe some math on the screen.

Confused.. If you have 60 thow to take off on the bass side and 50 thow on the treble.. those are obviously different amounts. If you sand the saddle square one of these is still going to be off..??

Can’t u just shave it without marking it? I already shaved a little bit but it’s not my desired height. I don’t have any tools to measure so I’ll shave little by little.

removing material from a saddle bottom is NOT the same as lowering the 2 wooden uprights that the saddle itself slips in snugly. The 2 wooden pieces can have their height lowered as long as the saddle has enough support and has its bottom removed to make a lower saddle height for 6 strings to pass over. How tall must the 2 uprights be on a classical guitar to ensure the saddle itself is supported well and tall enough ?

might have been worth mentioning that shaving the saddle on your taylor voids the warranty???

so you missed on the high E , like you've done that before Lol

A Gold Level Taylor Tech told me you don't adjust the action with saddle adjustments, you need a neck reset which is simple, but only techs can get the shims.

Using American system is just so exclusive. Like 99% of us are the rest of the world. America is not the whole world. Please use the intuitive metric system. Don't you want outside America to learn too? It's like we need a college degree to understand your measurement language.

No mention of mm measures. I dislike