12-string Acoustic setup. News!

[Philcguitars]

Thought I'd share todays news!

When I bought my Gibson 12-string acoustic it had an amazing action. As the years go by... Things change gradually and you might not notice. Eventually though, you DO notice. So if you are protective of a guitar take note!

In the last couple of years I've been doing my own electric set-ups, but never my acoustics [didn't want to screw up, what I had, to tell the truth]. I always looked at acoustic setups and thought - Black magic! Mostly because of the fixed bridge. As a result I never touched it - Don't fix what ain't broken!

Anyway, of late I've been comparing the low action on my doubleneck against the Gibson and thinking, either I've got fussy or it's not as hot.

Now truth be told, It's such a nice guitar that I've been scared of entrusting it to any guitar tech I've met in 12 years of ownership [Maybe a mistake, maybe not]. Anyhow, the questioning feeling and uncertainty of the setup has been growing, so time to take action.

I went to Kingston and asked Charlie Chandler's opinion today...

I trust him - Anyone entrusted with Gilmour's 'Black Strat' is worthy of confidence in my book. Even though, it's been Gilmour's 'experimental' guitar for years, it's now so Iconic, that Phil Taylor entrusting it to Charlie for 'renovation' speaks volumes.

Charlie's verdict is... It's booked in on the 4th Oct.

As I thought/suspected, the neck relief has increased 'significantly' and the bridge has also slightly 'lifted' from the rear. Don't panic this 'lifting' isn't it coming un-glued. The wood it's mounted on 'seems' to have dipped a 'bit' at the front and risen at the back through string tension and natural ageing of the wood. Don't forget the top face of an acoustic is quite thin, so subject to the influence of tension.

Charlie is confident it will be 'great' again after a few tweaks.

If I lived down the 'deep' end I'd doubt I'd have ever noticed, but I do use pretty much the whole fretboard in my repertoire.

I'd have to say that on a daily basis it's the first guitar I'll pick up in a practice, and the most likely candidate to take to an acoustic gig, so it really warrants the expenditure of a PRO setup, and it's stupid to have not lavished on it so soon. Not to mention that I wouldn't want to pay 'Custom' prices to replace it, that I never paid to acquire it...

I thought I'd post this for the benefit of anyone else who has a treasured guitar acoustic or electric. My advice is find someone you KNOW you can trust and let go.

Cheers,

One and All

 

[Bludave]

Re: 12-string Acoustic setup. News!

Well after reading your post I have a few comments.

#1 Acoustic guitar setups are actually easier to do providing the saddle is intonated properly. All you really have to do is clean the fingerboard/ frets and restring the guitar, then adjust the truss rod as the seasons change. On occasions you may have to adjust the saddle height. I actually have a winter and summer saddles for all of my acoustics. I just switch them when the season requires me to do so.

#2 Most of the issues with your guitar could have been prevented if you had a humidifier and a Hygrometer available. The Humidifier can be something as simple as putting a sponge in a travel soap dish in the guitar case or a room humidifier to keep the room at a specific % of humidity. Wood requires moisture, during certain seasons when the moisture is dry, so is your guitars and the tops on acoustics will sink into the body. This will cause the bridge to separate from the top and the result is higher action. In some cases it can be so bad if the glue joint of the bridge does not let go evenly it can cause the top to rip or actually crack, so consider yourself lucky. Gibson Acoustics are made stiff by comparison to a Martin or Santa Cruz or similar type of guitars. These guitars have a much thinner top than a Gibson and this could have been disastrous on this kind of guitar.

What you need to do depending on how you are storing your guitar is to either humidify the room that you keep the guitars in, or humidify the actual case you keep it in. The case is the safest place for you to store your guitar. What I do is I keep a guitar humidifier in each guitars sound hole and a second humidifier under the headstock. I also keep a Hygrometer in the accessory compartment in the case as well as one on the wall in the room near my acoustics. This way I can check the humidity inside each case as well as what is happening in the room. This also allows you to transport the guitar without any adverse affects on the instrument for short trips(like to a gig). Keep in mind taking your guitar to a good tech once a year or so is not a bad thing. A tech can tell you what your are doing right or wrong as far as care for your guitar. Having a professional setup is a good thing to do too. All acoustics over time will usually need a bridge reset and a neck set. These are natural occurrences in the aging process of a guitar, but if you are not taking good care of the guitar the bridge can literally rip off the top. keep an eye on your humidity and make sure you keep it between 45 to 50%. Thats where it should be.

 

[Philcguitars]

Re: 12-string Acoustic setup. News!

Dave,

I appreciate your input. There may be a few things I should clarify or comment on.

The winter/summer saddle thing is a cool idea, I'll consider.

As for setup - With an electric I can change truss rod saddle height and intonation on each string easily. The reason I say it's black magic on an acoustic is that changing intonation and saddle height means actually physically changing things, that if you get wrong you have to start from scratch and build a new bridge. This is not a street I particularly have the time or inclination to go down. So, I tend to leaved it to someone who does it ALL the time, or in this particular guitars case - not touch!

As for the change in neck relief, it's a very gradual change over 12 years, and has finally got to a point that noticeably needs adjustment. The rod's probably loosened whilst the neck may have dried a little I'm sure.

Should have got it set up more regularly, but that came of a lack of people around London who ACTUALLY know what they're talking about. I've had a few bad experiences and it was only in the last 18 months I found Charlie. It won't be happening again.

The 'lift' on the bridge is mild and I'd never have noticed if a trianed eye hadn't said. It's barely noticeable and has nothing to do with seperation from the body just to clarify - At least not yet, and I don't think it's likely either. My description may have given the wrong impression.

Your advice on humidity is very good. I don't have a meter, but I do actually have issues keeping the humidity levels in my pad down, for a reason I won't bore you with. However, whether the levels are enough I know not, so I'll look into that. Think I know where I can get one today! It was probably the environment in the 1st 8 years of ownership that dried it. The change to the current environmental conditions may have had an effect to a degree, perhaps for the best.

I must confess that the guitar lives out most of the time as I play it most of the time.

I have a question for you. How do you get your humidifiers in/out of the sound hole? Which ones are you using? any links to a website?

Oh, yeah tell me about the thickness on Martins. My mate's got knocked over at a gig and fell on a stand and pierced the side!

Cheers,

Phil

 

[Philcguitars]

Re: 12-string Acoustic setup. News!

Well, I bought a Hygrometer. It's been in my pad for at least 8 hours. It's currently reading 65%! No added water. Good or Bad?