Adjusting String Height and Action Setup

Adjusting String Height on my guitars

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List of things I use to make my videos:

★ Solar Guitars -

★ Headphones - BeyerDynamic DT880 Pro

[flamethrowercandle]

There's low action. There's high action. Then there's no action. Like what I get.

[trejomorales]

Couple of notes from my experience with a truss rod.
1) make small adjustments and tune the guitar. You also should let the guitar sit for a few hours after adjusting the truss rod. It takes time for the neck to fully adjust to the rod. Adding tension is also best (whether recreating back bow or relief) helps with truss rod movement.
2) A newer guitar or one that has been stored with care should have a truss rod that turns easily. If you have a truss rod that will not turn, be careful. It could be a rusty nut or it could be a bad neck. I posted a video of me cranking a rusty truss rod. Fortunately, i didn't break it.
3) if your frets are in good condition, you should be able to have a relatively flat neck with little to no string buzz. Aside from uneven frets and poor action, I would say the number 1 culprit of string buzz is poor playing.
4)) I have bought and played many used guitars. Number one issue I have seen is crappy set up. I'm with Ola, when I pick up a guitar and the strings are half an inch off the fretboard (talking to you music go round), that guitar goes right back on the rack
5) finally, clip your string tips after you put in new strings. You people that leave your strings unclipped after anstring change are inhumane.

[Synathidy]

I did an action adjustment on my Les Paul Classic recently. The tunomatic bridge made it pretty easy.
I think action makes a big impact on ability to play fast leads - particularly on the high frets. I lowered my action quite a bit. No noticeable adverse effects and now I can play a bit more effortlessly.

[Aeronaut]

Ola, if I may be so bold. I was once taught by a very experienced luthier that you should only set your intonation, string height and tuning if your guitar is in the playing position. It's kind of hard to believe, but when your guitar is lying flat, the effect of gravity on the neck, combined with string and truss rod tensions, is enough to very slightly alter the intonation and tuning, very slightly of course, but when you're aiming for perfection, it kinda makes sense. If you use a super accurate tuner, you will see this effect yourself. Secondly, when adjusting your truss rod, ideally you should do no more than 1/4 of a turn before leaving it for a day or two for the neck to re-settle, before checking it again for the final time and tweaking again if necessary. I love your channel, thanks for the awesome videos!

[JustAWanderer]

Ola, thank you so much, I became a follower of you because of your recording tips, the fact that you're sharing tips again makes me very happy, it would be great if you share more tips and advices! :D

[hockeyaf]

So simple, so helpful. I’m brand new to guitar, and I had a problem with my high E string, and none of the other videos I found could help, but I kept searching, and then found this, and it was exactly what I needed to know to fix it. Thank you.

[johnchristou]

A very straightforward and no nonsense explanation.
Thx, I appreciate it.

[Slayerized]

More videos like this please! Guitar setups and adjustment are always necessary.

[robertedwards]

Very handy information! Thanks for your time in sharing. I will be saving this for future reference. Thanking you Robbbert from Melbourne Australia.

[unknownuser.]

Thanks Ola, I was going to sell my old Ibanez Gio that I’ve had for almost six years and I never knew how to set up the action/string height. Thanks for the video, it helped a lot.

[firmans]

Its feels weird watching ola's old videos.
Ola seems to very serious about it lmao

[ernestogaytan]

Great! Thanks for a solid, precise, and concise tutorial!

[DragonofLimerick]

Wish you do some more of these instructional videos, good teaching!

[DarkSoulx]

I use to be able to do pinch harmonics but for some reason I can't anymore. I wonder if that has something to do with my intonation or action. 🤔 I've been playing for years but I'm new to such things as I've never really taken my music seriously until now. After years of being in shitty bands that just want to smoke pot (the drummer) or party, I'm taking a step forward to doing some solo stuff. I'm happy to have come across this video. 6 years out so I doubt he'll read this but I would like to thank you for all you do for us beginners Ola. You're the man.

[artlessdiamondmedia]

Thank you for the basics and straight to the point. I love you

[BalashToth]

Awesome show again. Great riffs in the beginning. Chug project pre-ordered🔥

[raumarottweiler]

Thanks man! Im amateur guitarist and these tips are golden for me. Also youre funny guy, love to watch your chanel!

[tcrane]

This video is still useful and still viable... the Ola... bought a matt red G series.. Amazing

[blukrr]

I believe if you setup your guitar while it's lying on its back (or on it's hand and body like in the video), the weight of the guitar itself will bend the guitar neck and not reflect how it's going to be when you get it to normal playing position. I always try to setup my guitar when I have it on my lap as if I was playing, it's a bit harder but it gives you the final result you are looking for.

[Burnin-U]

Short and to the point. Thanks, Ola!