Guitar “action” simply signifies show high the strings are over the twelfth fret, and a reasonably low action is a must for any acoustic blues guitarists. If you wanted to play several, then a medium action should be aimed for. Too low and the strings will buzz – too high and it will be difficult to hold them down. On the other hand, certain guitarists might prefer a slightly higher action, for example if the guitar is to be used mainly for playing slide.

You can set action by adjusting the height of the saddle, which of course changes the distance between the strings and frets along the length of the fret board. First of all, measure the distance of the low E and treble E strings from the twelfth. For a general purpose playing action well suited to finger picking and strumming, the action at the twelfth should be a little less than 3mm for the bass E, and about two millimeters for the high E. Because the 12th fret is precisely half the distance along the string, you should note the distances by which the action needs to be adjusted higher or lower for both E strings, and raise or lower the saddle by double that amount.

If you need to lower the saddle, you can file away material from the underneath of the saddle. If the saddle needs to be raised, a shim of hardwood of the right thickness can be inserted under the base. You must also make sure that the bottom of the saddle is completely flat, which is very important if the guitar is an electro acoustic model, because an uneven saddle can lead to problems with the pickup response.

Neck Adjustment. Most modern acoustic instruments are fitted with a truss rod, which can be adjusted either at the heel of the neck inside the sound box, or at the headstock. This rod counteracts concave curvature, by generating tension in the neck opposite to that caused by the tension in the strings. The strings tend to pull a curve into the neck. We have to have some curve, so that the strings don’t touch any frets when they vibrate after they are picked. Take off cover of the truss rod end, if your guitar is so equipped, and fit a capo on the 1st fret. Press down the sixth string at the 14th fret with one hand. Using a feeler gauge, measure the distance between the top of the 5th fret and the bottom of the sixth string. There should be a small gap, between 0.15 and 0.05 mm. If you find that your strings buzz, the rod could be adjusted too tight, flattening the neck too much. Release the rod a bit, check the measurement again and play some. If your guitar neck too much curvature, then tighten the rod. On Martin acoustics, use a 5mm allen wrench to rotate the truss rod adjusting nut clockwise to straighten the neck and counter-clockwise to increase the bend.

Medium gauge strings (.013″-.056″) have higher tension, and so require a higher truss rod tension to oppose the tension produced by thicker strings. This results in bigger volume, sustain and more rounded guitar tone. Without doubt, if you meet excessive resistance, or you’re not happy with this adjustment, take your guitar to a dealer.

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