Someone needs to see this guitar, at least good pictures.
I operate, through no fault or intention of my own, the Mid Klamath
instrument hospital.
Didn't mean to. I never said anything or wanted the job.
But no one else does it, so sooner or later every old junker in the
valley shows up at my door. Usually attached to a young person with the
BIG WEEPY EYES.
Frets don't raise, unless they are coming all the way out. Its also
super rare that they become worn to the point they have to be taken out.
Not impossible I have seen frets far far gone. But its really rare.
Usually its something else.
I have seen a few frets come loose and actually raise up. This is
bad. You have to press/glue them back down when this happens.
First thing to do is hold the instrument up and sight down the neck.
Hold it up, with the neck level with your eye, and sight down it. The
human eye is remarkably perceptive at this. If there is significant
warpage you'll see it at a glance. You can do it from either end but
usually from the bottom is the best view.
Major warpage requires big work and occasionally is bad enough that
the instrument is lost for any other purpose than hanging on the wall as
decoration.
If it looks ok, then its something else.
How high are the strings at the first fret? The last fret?
This is the action and it can be adjusted at either end.
With acoustic guitars people sometimes file the nut slots (the nut is
the bridge at the top near the tuners) too much, looking to improve the
action.
Beginners often start here when really, adjusting the bridge saddle
at the bottom often yields better results.
If the nut is filed too low, knock it off and use a piece of thick
paper or very thin veneer under it when you glue it back on. Glue hardly
sticks to bone or plastic anyway, so its easy to knock them off
harmlessly with a wood block and a hammer.
Its possible the nut slots are not deep enough but this is less
likely. If they really are too shallow you first deepen them and then
"wallow" out the backside of the slot facing the tuners.
( A deep narrow nut slot is bad, and will give you tuning woes.
You need a little clearance. )
The bridge saddle is more often reason for complaint. They sell new
guitars with very tall bridge saddles. Especially the inexpensive ones.
In case someone wants to play slide guitar is the only reason that ever
occurred to me. The bridge saddle is seldom glued in so it wiggles
right out. Take it out and mark it with a sharpie across the bottom on
one side.
Depending on how atrociously high the action is, about 1/16" to start.
One some new guitars with super high action you can do 1/8" right off
the bat.
Use a good sharp file or something and take that line off.
Leave the top of the saddle alone.
Sometimes a slight warpage that doesn't show so much will interfere with
several notes. With acoustic guitars the 14th fret (or 12th in an
antique), where the neck joins the body? Can sometimes have a problem.
Necks are under tension from truss rods.
I keep 2 short straight edges. These are just long enough to cover 3
frets only.
The long one does the first 10 or 12 frets and the short one does the
rest. All you want to cover are 3 frets at a time. Use them to "rock the
frets in".
Check each set that it doesn't rock at all.
But if you find one, mark the fret with a sharpie.
A friend brought an expensive antique Gibson and I had to lower 2
frets to put everything right again. One was high all the way across and
the other only the bass notes
Well anyway, its kind of hard to type everything out
But any guitar mechanic will find your problem quickly.
If they want a lot of money find another mechanic or get back to me and
we'll work it out
yours Scott
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Scott Grandstaff
Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039
scottg@s...
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
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