essessemm Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I've had a DR-500M for a few months now and love the tone and feel of the guitar, but am not satisfied with the action and playability. The action just seems a little high. When I changed the strings I looked under the saddle to see if there was a shim I could remove (as I've read others have found), but none was present. Are these typically well set up to begin with or should I look into getting an adjustment made to the nut and/or saddle? Thanks- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDeuce Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 If you bought the guitar new the action is likely to be high. Action could be high at the nut or the saddle or the neck, or any combination of those. Good news though- all of those are adjustable on a normal guitar. Read the Guitar Owner's Manual at FRETS.COM and learn more about action and adjustments. (look in the troubleshooting section). Especially these articles Looking at Saddles Lowering Action at the Saddle Truss Rod Adjustment A Closer Look at Nuts Checking Action at the Nut You'll then know better what to look for and help you decide if a change is needed. Even better, you will learn to make the adjustments yourself if you should choose! I suggest you get a 6" steel rule with 1/32" (1/64" better) and measure string height. After reading the material on Frets.com and measuring it yourself you'll have a better understanding of what to look for. If you choose to have a shop adjust it, you can intelligently tell them exactly what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essessemm Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 Good stuff, thanks. I've never set up am acoustic before so nows a good time to learn I suppose. I was wondering about people's general experience with the Masterbilts and whether they needed setups when purchased new. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essessemm Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 Well I sanded about a millimeter off the saddle and that improved things dramatically. There's no buzz whatsoever and the guitar is now much easier (for me) to play. I could probably go lower yet, but don't want to chance screwing up the saddle. I'm happy now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDeuce Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 That's great and I'll bet you have an even higher regard for that guitar now too! If you want to preserve the current saddle and take no chances with it, you can buy a new saddle and experiment with it, sanding it down a little further and testing the waters that way. If you go too far with it, you'll still have the original saddle to pop back in. Saddles don't have to cost much and it's really the only way to find out how high (low?) you like the strings. Generally all guitars need setup adjustments when new. Both of my Masterbuilts needed to be setup to my liking. It turns out on the EF-500 all I did was remove the under saddle pickup to find the right height. I rarely plug in flattops and haven't replaced it yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essessemm Posted November 26, 2008 Author Share Posted November 26, 2008 I guess it makes sense that the action wouldn't be really low to start as some prefer a higher action. Though I personally can't imagine why. Haha. Do you know where I can get the bone saddles that Epi uses for my model so I can pick up a few. Oh and how about pre-cut bone nuts as well so I can try shaving them down a bit too. Thanks! Also, when I changed the strings I noticed that the old ones were starting to make small grooves in the bridge (directly in front of the bridge pins). Is that normal? It seems that there would be a great deal of tension there, but who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDeuce Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Do you know where I can get the bone saddles that Epi uses for my model so I can pick up a few. Oh and how about pre-cut bone nuts as well so I can try shaving them down a bit too. Thanks! Also' date=' when I changed the strings I noticed that the old ones were starting to make small grooves in the bridge (directly in front of the bridge pins). Is that normal? It seems that there would be a great deal of tension there, but who knows.[/quote'] You can get replacement saddles at any full service shop or online shop. Even the auction sites are a good place to shop for them. I tend to replace my saddles with Tusq brand saddles. It's kind of a man-made bone (so they say) and is reasonably priced. What first turned me on to them though is the top is already compensated so all you really have to do is buy the model that is the correct width and length and that only leaves the height to sand down. They have nuts too. Sorry to hear about your original bone saddle, it happened to me too. During the 2nd string change a big chunk broke off while tuning up the new low E string. I contacted Epi and they told me they don't sell replacement saddles, to go buy one. There was a post on here not too long ago where a member said Epi did send him a replacement. I still feel they owe me one! Anyway, The strings creating grooves in front of the bridge pins is not too unusual and shouldn't affect anything other than cosmetics. I suppose you could groove them yourself, but then that could have a greater impact on cosmetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Well I sanded about a millimeter off the saddle and that improved things dramatically. There's no buzz whatsoever and the guitar is now much easier (for me) to play. I could probably go lower yet' date=' but don't want to chance screwing up the saddle. I'm happy now![/quote'] Exactly!! When I switched to 13's I tweaked the truss rod very slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDeuce Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Exactly!! When I switched to 13's I tweaked the truss rod very slightly. Good point Paul. A change in string guage usually requires a truss rod adjustment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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