HIGH ACTION GUITARS! - And 4 ways to fix them

[@El_Padre_Guitars]

Fantastic simple yet effective shim tutorial. I have to do this on a kit guitar I've got and will be following this method. Thanks!

[@johnkirkpatrick1778]

Instead of a constant thickness shim, I'd recommend a shim tapered in thickness: thicker at the bridge end of the neck pocket, becoming progressively thinner towards the neck head. This would produce a slight angle between the body and neck: if done correctly, the strings would still be effectively 'lowered' closer to the upper frets. With this method you wouldn't have to adjust the height of the pickups, which you will need to do if using a parallel shim.

[@eyeofamon]

3:23 There's some thumbnail material right there. 🤘

[@Kolmogorovian]

Very good, thank you!

[@MindFields_NI]

Haha… I still have my old satellite short scale from the late seventies early eighties… wonder how much they’re worth now… think they were £49.99 back then… lol

[@pulaski1]

Shouldn't the shim be very slightly* thinner at the neck end (of the shim)? A totally flat shim will also lift the head end of the neck compared to the plane of the body, so instead of just lifting the neck under the centre part of the string, you have also lifted the head-end, (and obviously the nut too) changing the neck-body geomatry. * This may be a bit theoretical and too small to actually allow for - I am guesing it may just be a few 1/100ths of a mm. 😕

[@KingBespokeCreations]

As the neck was parallel and straight, keeping it flat was the best option on this occasion 👍

[@pulaski1]

@@KingBespokeCreations Hmm, I think you're right - I've tried to reconstruct what I was thinking in a _very_ primitive diagram in MS Paint. I think that what I described is going to be _very_ slight, but if the effect is real at all, it would just need the bridge to be lifted slightly, from where you have it decked-down.

[@MattCaffell]

I was expecting a Leo Fender School of Shimming, an old business card. I like those old "Supermarket" basses. I had a Kay short bass, which became my first project guitar. We all know what happens with those. They either end up unfinished in the back of the shed or disappear altogether. Mine was the latter.

[@KingBespokeCreations]

Or change so many pieces it doesn’t resemble any part of the original! 😂

[@MattCaffell]

@@KingBespokeCreations mine certainly didn't, it was in thick white, possibly polyester Finish, took it back to bare wood, and then Relationship breakdown……

[@lieslehattan643]

🙌🏻