How to Adjust the Action on an Acoustic Guitar Easily

How to Adjust the Action on an Acoustic Guitar Easily

Hey dude, so you wanna know how to adjust the action on your acoustic guitar? Cool beans! First, let me tell you… adjusting action is like giving your guitar a spa day. We’re talking about making it feel good so it plays easier and sounds nice, kinda like giving it a high-five for being awesome. Like, who doesn’t want that!? Grab your favorite snack and let’s dive in.

Step 1: Find Your Tools

Okay, first things first. You need some tools. No fancy stuff here. Just a ruler or tape measure and maybe a screwdriver if you’re fancy. And guess what? If you don’t have those? Uhhh… just call it “artistic” and play through it? But really, get the tools.

Step 2: Know What Action Means

So action is basically how far your strings are from the fretboard. If they’re too high, you gotta work harder than a cat trying to swim. If they’re too low, you might sound like a cat that got its tail caught in the door. So it’s super important to find just the right spot.

Step 3: Check Your Strings Height

Now let’s take that ruler or tape measure and go all detective mode on these strings! Put the ruler at the 12th fret (that’s like halfway up) and see how high those strings are above the fretboard. Ideally, you want about 2 mm for the low E string and around 1.5 mm for the high E string. Unless you’re aiming for “bluesy” which means anything goes!

Step 4: Loosen Those Strings

Before we do anything crazy, we gotta give those strings some breathing room like they just finished a long sprint! So loosen ‘em up like you’re trying to help someone who can’t reach their shoes or something, just enough so they can chill while we work our magic.

Step 5: Adjust That Bridge Saddle

Here’s where things get fun! The bridge saddle is where all your string feels happen—kinda like its pillow but more rock n roll. If your action is too high, you need to sand down that saddle just a bit. If it’s too low—you guessed it—get a new one or shim it up with paper or cardboard or basically whatever’s lying around (like an old pizza box… haha). But not really… try not to use pizza boxes.

Step 6: Tune Back Up

So now you’ve done all this stuff and your guitar is looking slicker than my grandma’s car after she gets it washed once every two years! Tune those strings back up till they sing like angels or at least like good karaoke singers after two drinks!

Step 7: Test It Out

Last but not least—play something! Strum away and see if things sound better or if you’ve accidentally created a new musical genre called “Cat Screams.” If it’s better then hooray!!! You’re now officially part of Team Awesome Guitar Players!

FAQ Section

Question: Can I really use pizza box cardboard to shim my saddle?
Answer: Well… you could but maybe grab some proper material instead? Pizza is great but guitars should remain ungreased.

Question: What happens if I cut my saddle wrong?
Answer: You might end up with an even stranger sound than Cat Screams! Just take it slow!

Question: Do I need to be a pro musician to do this?
Answer: Nah man! Just have patience as long as you ain’t doing backflips while tuning.

Question: How often should I adjust my action?
Answer: Whenever your fingers start cramping like they’re in a dance-off—that’s usually a sign!

Question: Is there such thing as too much adjustment?
Answer: Oh yeah for sure! Too much adjustment can lead to severe “What did I do wrong?” vibes.

Question: Will this make me play better?
Answer: Totally! It makes playing easier but remember, practice makes perfect too—even if you mess up sometimes!

Question: Can I adjust electric guitars like this too?
Answer: For sure but it’s different.. That’s another beast altogether!

So there ya go bud! Now go forth and give that acoustic guitar some love without breaking anything (especially overpriced guitar parts). Rock on!!