While the core of wound strings is almost always made of steel, different materials are used in the windings surrounding this core. As with all aspects of guitar setup, however, what ultimately matters is what feels right and enables players to get the sound they want. The “third dimension” influencing playability is string action, the height at which a guitar’s open strings float above the frets. Intermediate-level players should experiment with different action heights to learn what works best for them. I bought one from a local Harbor Freight Tools store, it worked just fine and I liked it even better. Use the String Action Gauge on any stringed instrument with adjustable action. What I normally do is set this gauge at the 17th fret so it sits right on the metal, not the wood, and I make sure the string sits about 4/64ths above the fret. Understanding some of the factors that influence the pros’ preferences can help you zero in on the right string action for your playing style. The type of guitar strings you choose, and how often you change them will not only dramatically affect your tone, but also impact the playability of your guitar. Very few accomplished players, however, have their guitars set up with “factory default” string action. String Action Gauge Calibration Bar Usage: Print PDF file, ensuring that any “fit to page” or “print as percentage” output options are NOT selected. My nylon string classical Takamine TC132SC guitar, as expected, has much higher string action than above. All guitar strings are either "unwound" - a single solid strand of wire or nylon used on the high E, B and sometimes G strings, or "wound" - a core with a winding-wire wrapped tightly around it. String gauge refers to the thickness of the guitar string. Bass E (6th) String @ First Fret Action on a Classical Guitar. Sweetwater's take: If you play a stringed instrument, you need the Dunlop String Action … StewMac.com, a reference site for guitar makers and technicians, suggests these action measurements: Bass E (sixth): 0.090” at 12th fret (slightly below 3/32”); 0.023” at first fret, Treble E (first): 0.070” at 12th fret (slightly above 1/16”); 0.013” at first fret, Bass E (sixth): 0.156” at 12th fret (very slightly below 5/32”); 0.030” at first fret, Treble E (first): 0.125” at 12th fret (exactly 1/8”); 0.024” at first fret. This thickness in thousandths of an inch. On the most basic level, displacing a string by a greater distance (be it horizontal or vertically) requires more sustained force, so higher action will be inherently more challenging for beginning players who have not built up much finger strength. Remember also that when considering differences as small 1/64”, the very thickness of a mark on the measuring device becomes an issue. To mitigate these two issues, I decided to try a feeler gauge used primarily in the automotive industry for measuring the gaps in the spark plugs. They also make compensated saddles for Taylor, Martin and other popular steel string guitars, so you might pick one and use it with minimal tweaking & sanding. The action will and should be slightly higher on the sixth (bass E) string than on the first (treble E) string. These string action gauges work well, but I found that my eyes are not so good anymore for finding tiny lines under the strings anymore. Almost all of them have their strings a little higher or a little lower than average. Yet it makes all the difference in the world. It may need to be adjusted again after raising or lowering the action. String action has a number of more subtle effects on both playability and sound, however. September 17, 2010. This is probably a good place to start - if you are a heavy strummer and find yourself breaking strings often, you may want to consider buying slightly heavier gauged strings. This measurement is taken to determine how much the bridge saddle needs to be filed to bring the strings down to proper height above the 12th fret. String Action Gauge Calibration Bar Usage: Print PDF file, ensuring that any “fit to page” or “print as percentage” output options are NOT selected. In order to measure the height of your guitar’s strings, you should have either a ruler, a feeler gauge, or a specialized string action gauge. There are exceptions to every rule, however. The string height markings are at increments of .010" (ten thousandths of an inch). A number of videos on the subject demonstrate how this can be done, if your guitar’s saddle is easy to remove. It's conventional to measure at the 12th fret and measure from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. String action is measured at the first and 12th frets by measuring the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. To understand relief, imagine holding a straightedge along the length of the fretboard. Measuring the height of the strings above the 12th fret. Action on my steel string Taylor 416CE-LTD (2011) is approximately two times lower than the one from StewMac. Most of the issues addressed in the above table would be of little interest to a steel-string player using a slide (“bottleneck”). The following is a list of the standard string gauges included with each set of acoustic guitar strings. This is critical adjustment for easy playability. The method used to wind the strings leads to differences tone and also impacts the playability of your guitar. The only recommendation I have is to pick the one with the thickness numbers well etched and contrast. When the bottom of a mark aligns with the bottom of the string, that measurement is the string height at that point. These days, there are plenty of options for buying guitar saddles. Also, they are difficult to use for measuring action on the treble E (first) string on the 1st fret – a nut blocks the gauge from moving to the right (closer to the headstock – see the picture above) when the action is higher than usual. Use it to adjust string action, measure string height, make truss rod adjustments, measure pickup height for killer tone and to minimize magnetic string drag, and more. Printable Ruler by Margaret E. Peltier Continue reading to understand how to use this essential instrument in almost any project you undertake. String Action Gauge. String Action Gauge. Naturally, many players of nylon string crossover guitars choose an action in between these two standards. The round wound string type is so common, it is often not even mentioned on the packaging.

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