Any specific set up parameters for a travel size guitar?

StanleyAccrington · April 2019

I've acquired a Tanglewood travel guitar. It's scalelength is 22.5 inches. Are there any specific set up guidelines for travel sized guitars......or is it the usual set neck relief.....set saddle height....set nut height. I've noticed that it plays quite nicely with very little neck relief (relief that I wouldn't expect for an acoustic......which makes me think that maybe the shorter vibrating string length needs less relief space to vibrate in). Am I making any sense/valid observation?........ or does a shorter scale length acoustic just get set up like any of it's longer scale length relatives?

ICBM · April 2019

Exactly the same really. You might actually find the strings need *more* room to vibrate if they're the same gauge and tuning as normal, since they'll be looser - but equally, on a small body the top is likely to vibrate less which will allow lower action... it's all a bit of a trade-off, but the same basic rules apply...

Do nut, then relief, then bridge. The first two are more or less independent but you always need to do the bridge last.

Nut as low as possible, essentially the same height as the first fret plus a tiny bit of extra clearance.
Neck as straight as it can be, limited by rattling/buzzing in the low positions.
Bridge as low as it can be, limited by ratting/buzzing in the high positions.

Obviously both dependent on playing style and how much buzz you tolerate.

Howdy, Stranger!

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Any specific set up parameters for a travel size guitar?

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