Recently bought a 2016 used J45 unseen off the internet. It arrived and everything looked good, but the action was high. The guitar looked barely played and I assumed this was why. I took the guitar to my luthier for a setup and he’s done a really good job getting to action to a good place. Guitar plays lovely now. However the saddle had to come down a lot and he said he could have gotten the action a tad lower, but then there wouldn’t be enough break angle in the strings.
I’ve been playing it a bit and I’m wondering if it’s not loud enough for the type of guitar it is. I then started looking in to neck angles and neck resets etc and I’m wondering if I’ve got a duff one or if I’m just being overly paranoid.
Here are are pics of the saddle post setup. The action is now around 2-2.5mm on the low E at the 12th. What are your thoughts, should a saddle on a guitar this young be this low or is it fine?
Comments
That should give you a good idea about the neck angle. Saddle does look low though, but on both E strings, like there’s a tight radius to the saddle. Hard to judge from photos to be sure.
As for volume, could just need playing if it’s been sat in a case unplayed for a while.
Notes ring true? Or do they sound muffled/muted?
Taylor have a couple of great articles with picture showing what to look for on wet or dry guitars, that might be worth a look. (If it was wet then the bridge can rise up on the belly, so high action etc and sometimes a loss in volume).
I always use this as nice, simple check for neck angle on an acoustic,
Here's a simple method for checking neck angle that doesn't depend on fret or fingerboard condition, or bridge height.
First, check to see that the neck is straight, then take note of the action at the twelfth fret. Presuming that the action is reasonable, say, between 3/32" and 4/32" between the bottom of the low E string and the top of the twelfth fret, then simply measure the string height in front of the bridge:
If there's about 1/2" between the low E and the top, then the neck angle is just about right:
If there's less than 3/8" between the string and the top, then there's neck angle trouble:
If the strings are this close to the top, it means that the saddle and/or bridge have been seriously lowered to compensate for a "shallow" neck angle.
If I don't have a scale handy, I can easily estimate the difference between 1/2" and 3/8" visually, and by checking how my finger fits under the "E" string:
I heard Gibson come out the factory setup high, so maybe that was just it. Plus I could see from the tarnish on the frets it had nearly been touched, so maybe it’s just a tight top that needs some strumming.
Thanks for for the tips guys!
If that is the case, it would be possible to have the top of the bridge shaved, which would increase the break angle on the saddle - but it would need the pearl dots removed and refitted, so it's not quite a trivial job. A short-cut, either temporary or permanent, would be to 'ramp' the string holes to increase the break angle, as is sometimes done on an old bridge when shaving it isn't an option.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Also, as you noted, it's not easy to see detail from the photo's, but the visible edge of the scratchplate where it is laid on the body looks a little 'rough' like it has a lot of excess granular glue or debris. Probably me being wrong, but just thought I'd mention it.
There’s no rough finishes, it’s actually Very nicely finished..... for a Gibson. It’s just dust and where I’ve zoomed in the picture.
I am really enjoying the guitar though. Haven't put it down since I got it back from its setup, which is the main thing.
Thanks all for the input.
For what it's worth I checked my Dove and the dimensions are the same - other than the bridge being even thicker, 9mm. The Dove is 'notorious' for its very thick bridge.
I certainly wouldn't worry about this one.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein