Things That Can Raise or Lower String Height Humidity / Dryness
Worn or flattened fret crowns can affect intonation and cause buzzing. Frets of inconsistent height can cause buzzing, also know as fretting out. Level and Well Crowned Fretsįrets need to be perfectly level and have a nicely formed crown. Correcting intonation issues obviously makes a big difference in the way an instrument sounds. Even after tuning the guitar, players will notice certain notes are sharp or flat. IntonationĪn instrument that is not intonated properly will not play in tune when moving up and down the fingerboard. Read more about this adjustment on the truss rod page.
Too much relief and a neck feels "mushy" towards the center. Depth to provide lowest action and best intonation.Īppropriate relief (bow) in the neck gives the strings amble room to vibrate without hitting the frets.Bottom slot angle provides sustain and clarity.Outer string positioning to prevent fret edge roll off.While some instruments may still play clean if the string is touching the first fret, most will require a gap of a few thousands to avoid buzzing.
To check string height at the nut, fret each string on the 3rd fret and check the gap between the string and the 1st fret. String height at the nut can also be affected by the condition of the frets, string gauge and pick attack. When I am certain of the condition of the frets I set action at the nut as low as possible. The distance between the string and the 1st fret would nearly always be below. String height at the nut should be as low as possible without causing open string buzz. High action on an acoustic guitar not only affects the intonation, it can make the instrument difficult, if not painful, to play. Place a ruler on top of the 12th fret and measure the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the outer E strings.