Adjusting The Action Height On A Fender - Guitar Maintenance Lesson

Adjusting The Action Height On A Fender - Guitar Maintenance Lesson

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On Fender style guitars, you will often see bridges with individual saddles. This means the process of adjusting your action height is a little more complicated. The main difference is that you need a radius tool. The radius tool allows you to get the strings matching the radius (curvature) of the guitar neck. This means you will get the most even action height across the neck and will massively improve the playability of the guitar. So, the tools that you will need are:

1. 6" rule with 32nds & 64ths
The ruler needs to have fine measurements as we are dealing in very subtle changes when adjusting the string height.

2. Radius Tool
This tool allows you firstly to measure your guitars radius (neck curvature) and then to measure the strings radius in relation to that. To measure your radius simply push one side of the tool down on the 12th fret and see if it matches perfectly. One of the 4 sides should match, thus determining your radius. You then aim to set your strings to this radius.

3. Allen Key
To adjust the saddles, you will need an allen key. Most guitars with a saddle bridge come with one, but if not you can find them pretty easily.

When you come to measure and change your action, here is a simple checklist that will help guide you through the process.

1. Get your guitar into pitch
2. Take the ruler and place it on the 12th fret, measuring from fret to string
3. Measure the height on the low E string and the high E string
4. Based on your factory specs, or the basic measurements of three 32nd on the low side and two 32nd on the high side, decide if you need to go up or down on either side
5.Use the allen key to adjust the low E and high E saddles. Remember that clockwise will raise the action and anti-clockwise will lower it. There are two screws per saddle, both of which need the same amount of turns to keep them even
6. Rest the radius on the low and high E strings near the bridge pickup
7. The rest of the strings should be just touching the radius tool, so adust them accordingly until they are
7. Tune the guitar again and then re-measure, repeat until you hit the required measurements.

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[philipnalls]

This is excellent. Now I know how to set up my Strat. Thank you. No one talks about radius and it makes so much sense. Just bought a radius gauge.

[TechCrazy]

Very few action adjustment videos talk about radius but this one explains it clearly.

[joshmuz]

Put on 1.75 x speed if you want to retain your sanity

[sixslinger]

excellent video. I was fighting my strat until I learned how to set it up properly with the right tools. Setting the radius for the strings changed my strat from crap to one of the best guitars I ever heard or played. no buzz or fretting out even with wild bends, and sustain for days. It plays like a dream now.

[thanosp.]

Great video! Finally someone that can show close-up of the action measurement. Most other vids just talk and talk and fail to show the details of what we are actually looking for. I don't want to imagine you talking the measurement, I wanna see it!

[Jonathan-ikgh]

Thanks I have not messed with fender bridges in years it's different than a epiphone I like My strings higher so I can raise them to where I like them and fix bridge where I can't run tremolo bar. Thanks for this video.

[gliddofglood]

This was extremely useful and clear. I have tracked down and ordered a radius gauge on the strength of it. Will soon have a demon setup on the Partscaster. Thanks!

[reneebellotte]

Thank you! Clear demo, verbal instructions and visual clarity. So helpful!

[jasongrindley]

Definitely one of the better more descriptive vids I have seen when it comes to setting up a Strat. I would have done a couple things different but to each their own. Well done nonetheless. Would like to see a vid in the future on setting up a floating term correctly on a Fender Strat, complete with re intonation and re radius of the the strings while keeping in line with the typical Fender setup. Thanks again. Best. J

[MattPooleopaltotem]

I love glasses guy. He looks like a depressed Simon Pegg.

[GuitarHouseLima]

You guys are setting this guitar at its best string height for getting some GREAT TONE, if someone else wants to improve playability (Loosing some tone) then Fender specs are better for that purpose. GUitar players must find equlibrium on Tone/Playability. Great video guys!

[TheSpiritOfLight]

is it possible to do that just by feeling and eye if you don't have those exotic measurment tools??

[jessejordan]

Good guys to have around to sense danger, when things aren't OK you can be sure they will notice.

[donlessnau]

Excellent vid. Well done. Great info without all the silliness and stupid crap on other folks sites. Thanks much.

[Arbuckle_A]

Very nice! Thank you. I've not had good luch with "professional" setups and am forced to go it alone :-)

[danelectr]

Thanks for this. Got my tele setup correctly!

[nathanhatter]

Do a shot every time someone says OK, winner is the anyone left alive at the end of the video!

[MAP]

Can u show us how to adjust action & intonation on a 2019 American Professional Telecaster with the 3 brass barrels?

[natev]

Seems that they don't address overall action height, rather the seem to just speak to the process to adjust the height of the strings to accurately conform to the neck radius, good info, but was hoping for how to lower the action height (truss rod, tremolo/bridge adjustment, grub screws, etc. what is the order of operations?)

[robbjamison]

I liked the assistant slash "take a close-up photo" guy. I don't know why; just seemed to make it a little more personal. Great job!