H-150 Schaller action set up

[Guest HRB853370]

I was told from the guy I bought it from, that my new 2005 H-150 has a plek'd fretboard from the Heritage factory. Not sure about the authenticity of that claim. Last night I was comparing the action of the new one to my older 2000 H-150 that I bought from Wolfe Guitars which was shipped directly to me from Heritage. In other words, the action was set up at the Heritage factory, and it is a bit higher than the action on my new 2005.

 

I have the Schaller tailpiece and bridge on my 2000; is lowering the action much of a task, or should I consider having it done by a professional luthier?

 

Thanks friends!

[tbonesullivan]

getting something PLEK'd doesn't mean that i will have low action. If the neck has shifted at all that can raise or lower the action significantly. Have you checked the neck relief? Just moving the bridge is easy but if the problem is too much relief then you'll just end up with more problems.

[Thundersteel]

Making adjustments to your instrument should be the ability of every guitar player. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Dan Erlewine's Book "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!"

 

To adjust the action, simply turn the thumbwheels on the bridge clockwise to lower the strings. Loosening the strings first will make it easier.

[Guest HRB853370]

Hey Bottomfeeder, thanks. Will this procedure affect my intonation in any way?

[FredZepp]

Hey Bottomfeeder, thanks. Will this procedure affect my intonation in any way?

It might slightly affect intonation, depending on how much you change it.

But , if the intonation was set up at the lower height , it may improve it.

 

If you are concerned , move slow and note how you changed it and you can take it back to how it was originally.

 

It is a very good idea to know how to do this.. and the internet is full of how to sites for this.

 

Here's one I found just doing a quick google search.. there are probably better ones.. but this was one of the first to come up...

How to Set Up Your Electric Guitar

 

or Erlewines book is great , I'm sure.

 

Or your local library probably has a book on the subject.

 

( and if you are unhappy with your results, let your local shop do a setup )

[Guest HRB853370]

I have his book, the complete guide to guitar repair, but just today ordered the one your recommended from Amazon, used for $10

 

Thanks

[cod65]

I would give it a go. The adjustments you need to do are reversible.

 

 

An Heritage from approximately 2005 is most probably factory plek'd, which means the frets should be fairly level on a straight neck.

 

'Action' is a combo of neck relief, fret condition, nut setup and bridge height. If you are feeling like tackling it, take a look at the neck warp. Some players like a flat neck, some like a bit of curve. It depends on your style of playing and preferences.

 

here's what I do:

 

1.check the curve of the neck (relief). Use a socket wrench and tighten truss rod a minute amount until your neck looks perfectly straight.

 

2. Adjust bridge intonation by ear or with a tuner that can detect 12th fret vs. harmonic at 12th fret

 

3. lower bridge until you hear buzzing on fretted notes, then raise it up again until its gone.

 

4. repeat bridge intonation check

 

5. if you are having problems at this point, try loosening the truss rod a little to add some curve

 

6. repeat bridge intonation check.

 

its really a combo of truss rod/ bridge height that will get you there. A good nut will affect mostly the frets closest to it, and of course the open strings.

 

 

the only thing to remember is to not go crazy cranking on the truss rod. Just a 1/4 turn increment is usually a lot.

[FrankV]

One nice thing about the truss rod on the 535 is the nut is right there to see, so you can take a dot of paint, or scratch the nut, to make a reference mark. When I got it new I marked it, so I could refer to the mark when I turned the nut. And make a little note, as you're working, "1/8 turn clockwise" or whatever, so you don't get mixed up. It's very easy to lose track if you don't do this.

On my Strat I have to reach down into a hole at the top of the neck with an allen wrench, and I can't see the nut, so it's a little trickier, you're turning it blind.

 

Move it, wait a bit, play around a bit, move it more or less, you'll get the feel of it pretty quickly.

Don't go horsing around on it and you'll be fine. 1/8 of a turn at a time is plenty.

 

The only things I need to do a real good and real basic set up are a capo, feeler guages .010 and .015, a fine ruler that measures in 1/32" and 1/64", also from any decent hardware store, and whatever wrenches or screwdrivers are required to turn the nut and the bridge hardware. And a little patience.

This assumes a basic familiarity with tools and measuring, but it's easy as pie and you'll feel great having the ability to tweak you guitars anytime you want.

Why pay some guy to do this? It's like adjusting the mirrors and seat in the car.

[tbonesullivan]

I check relief by fretting the 1st fret and the 13th fret, and then seeing how much room is at the 5th fret. There should be just enough to put a thin pick in there. You should also be able to get the string to vibrate. If it frets out that means you don't have enough relief or even a back bow. Another way to check relief is to use a straight edge.

 

For action, I usually use an action gauge I got from Stew-mac. It really comes in handy for non-TOM bridges, and also with this I've gotten the best setups on all of my guitars.

 

For intonation, a tuner is good, but so is checking fretted notes, especially on the 14th and 19th frets. if they are sharp, you need to move the saddle back towards the bridge plate/stop tail. If it's flat you need to move it the other direction.

 

Another thing you usually will want to do is check the wear on the G string area of the frets. This is usually the area that gets the most wear. IF you see pretty significant dips/pits, it's time for a fret dress.