Is lowering saddle action by filing/sanding a pro job?

scarry67 · April 2015

Just got my hands on a used Yamaha LS16 which has a higher action than I'd like. Is filing or sanding down the bottom of the plastic saddle a high risk job? I'd obviously rather not pay a tech £40 if it's a relatively low risk option... I could buy a bone saddle from eBay and have a go on that.

Sassafras · April 2015

I'd buy a couple of saddle blanks in case you go too far.

It's a question of going gently and slowly and keep checking the action after a few passes on the sandpaper or stone or whatever you're using to sand it down.

I use diamond sharpening stones for this kind of thing. They ensure getting a nice straight square bottom edge.

ICBM · April 2015

If it doesn't have a pickup under the saddle it's fairly risk-free - as long as you keep it reasonably straight the only hazard really is taking too much off!

Have you checked the neck relief? This can make a big difference to the action height and might mean the bridge doesn't have to be lowered at all. Even the nut height can make a surprisingly large difference.

If it does, do you have/have access to a large bench vise and a flat file? This is the easiest and safest method - if you put the saddle upside down with only the measured amount you want to take off sticking up above the jaws, you can't take off too much and it's very easy to get the edge straight, if you make the last file movements along the length of the saddle rather than across it.

scarry67 · April 2015

Relief is ok and nut height similar. It's as you venture up the neck that it gets a little awkward. Action at 12th fret is just over 3mm on bottom E string and a shade less on high E. So it's not bad but compared to my old Faith Jupiter, which feels more like an electric as far as action goes, it's harder to play. No vice but I work in a school where I can get a technically-gifted type to help.

Frankieabbot · April 2015

3 mm action at the 12th fret for the low E string sounds good to me. There are other members who have more technical savvy than me. I just want to say that I think people get bogged down with measurements.....sure these are important and relevant....but I reckon feel of guitar and playability are as important.

scarry67 · April 2015

Around 3mm ought to be ok but I've been spoilt by the Faith. Makes you realise how easy Telecasters are to adjust...

ICBM · April 2015

2mm (high E) to 2.5m (low E) is achievable on most acoustics without affecting the tone, although as above I tend not to go by measurement.

Working out how much to take off the saddle is one of the few times I do measure anything when setting a guitar up though - simply because it saves time and means you usually only need to do it once, and without a risk of going too far.

*In theory* you need to take twice as much height off the saddle as the difference in action at the 12th fret you want to achieve - because the nut height remains fixed, so it's a "triangle", effectively - but I would be wary of taking off that much unless you're very sure you know the final height will be OK. It's easier to do it twice than make a new saddle...

scarry67 · April 2015

I'll have a go tomorrow and report back.

BigLicks67 · April 2015

I've sanded down the saddle on my Yamaha LL6 with some light sandpaper it was dead easy, so I'd suggest doing it yourself.

crunchman · April 2015

How is this complicated if there is a pickup? We have an electro-acoustic guitar at my church where the action is a bit high.

There is a bit too much relief in the neck so I can tighten the truss rod. It looks like there is a bit of bellying of the soundboard though and I'm not sure that a truss rod adjustment will be enough. The guitar was only about £150 new so it's not worth paying for a neck reset on it, which is why I was wondering about taking a bit off the saddle. It's just that it has an undersaddle pickup.

maltingsaudio · April 2015

@crunchman a normal undersaddle piezo type pick up shouldn't present too much problem the trick is to make sure that the bottom of the saddle is square on to the pick up to ensure that an equal pressure is exterted over it. Depending on how you file it it is a relatively simple job to make the underside of the saddle look like the Himilayas. To do the job a normal long flat file is far superior to trying to do it with a swiss army knife or needle file

scarry67 · April 2015

Well I shaved it down in a few careful minutes with some fine sandpaper and I'm pretty

scarry67 · April 2015

Continued... Pleased with the results. Down just enough to enable comfier playing and it sounds good.

crunchman · April 2015

maltingsaudio said:

@crunchman a normal undersaddle piezo type pick up shouldn't present too much problem the trick is to make sure that the bottom of the saddle is square on to the pick up to ensure that an equal pressure is exterted over it. Depending on how you file it it is a relatively simple job to make the underside of the saddle look like the Himilayas. To do the job a normal long flat file is far superior to trying to do it with a swiss army knife or needle file

Thanks

ICBM · April 2015

By far the best method I've found to get the bottom of the saddle truly flat is to glue a piece of sandpaper very firmly to a flat piece of board (MDF or chipboard is ideal) and then rub the saddle on it, not the other way round. You can check how good it is by first moving it sideways, then along its length - if the second motion removes all the scratches from the first, it's straight and flat.

LooseMoose · April 2015

Someone asked why if it being an electro is more of a hassle, in my experience the base of the saddle must be dead flat (as mentioned) but you can also run into problems if the break angle isn't good enough as there is less force on the saddle from the string and therefore you get quiet strings when amplified - my parlour is like this and the base of the saddle is dead flat.

Paul_C · April 2015

If the saddle slot is a bit roomy then I usually sand the bottom so that the saddle leans slightly backwards then there's less likelihood of it being dragged over by the strings as you tune up.

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Is lowering saddle action by filing/sanding a pro job?

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