Adjusting action on acoustic guitar

Is Adjusting Action on Acoustic Guitar Easy?

Guitar enthusiasts try to adjust the different parts of their guitar regularly to be able to play the instrument in a better way. It is true that adjusting action makes acoustic guitar sound much better. Adjusting action on acoustic guitar would involve adjusting three most important parts of the guitar - the saddle, nut and truss rod. Each of these parts can develop its own problem which needs to be taken care of to enable the guitar play smoothly. Adjusting the parts is not a tough job. However, it is much better to hire a competent guitar tech to do the job of adjusting the strings if you feel that you might damage it.

To keep the guitar nut running smoothly, regular servicing or adjustment is vital. The guitar nuts are made of different types of materials like wood, plastic, bone, brass, graphite etc and help the guitar sound better when played. Since these materials get worn out after repeated usage, adjustment and sometimes replacement of the nuts become necessary. But the nuts that are made of durable and hard materials last for a longer time and should be replaced only if they are severely worn out.

Adjustment and replacement of worn out saddles are necessary to prevent intonation and binding problems. Raising and lowering the height of the saddle would have an effect on the action of the guitar and its strings. Even the radius and contour of the saddle would have an effect on the instrument action. Adjusting action on acoustic guitar would also include adjusting the truss rod. This adjustment can be done by controlling the adjustment bolt present in the guitar. The loosening and tightening of the truss rod would play a direct role in heightening and lowering of the strings respectively.

Nuts, saddles and truss rods are those guitar parts that require regular servicing. There are many factors that can affect the action of this musical instrument. Humidity, wear and tear, playing style, string gauge etc contribute to the deterioration of the instrument action. Moreover, guitar players often find it feasible to adjust the guitar parts to be able to play in their own style and to increase the comfort of playing. Once the adjustments are made on the vital guitar components, the player would be able to notice a great change in the instrument's action.