string height
--------------

*this guide deals with electric guitar.

(for most acoustic guitars string height can
only be adjusted by sanding the old saddle
or getting a new saddle and sanding it to 
the correct height.)


*string height adjustment is also known as
 "setting the action" 


my procedure for setting string height is as follows:

with guitar tuned to pitch --

*put a capo on the first fret, if you have one.
 (this takes the string nut, which may or may
 not be slotted correctly, out of the equation.)

measure the distance from the top of the 12th fret to
the bottom of the low e string. i like to get a distance
of about 1/16" .that can also translate to 2/32" or 4/64". 

if the distance is greater than 1/16" i lower the
string height.

if the distance is smaller than 1/16" i raise the
string height.

1/16" gap is my preference. you should experiment to
find YOUR preference. 

*if you get the height too low you will experience
buzzing.
however, if the buzzing is only on random frets then
chances are your frets are not level.

*too high action can make the guitar hard to play.

everyone has their own personal preference. it's
important to experiment to find yours.


how do i lower or raise the height? 

a lot of electric guitars have six individually 
adjustable saddles. you will notice 2 screws in each
saddle. use a small allen wrench (one is often included
with your guitar) to turn these screws and make the
adjustment.

turning the screws clockwise raises the height.
turning the screws counterclockwise lowers the height.

once you have the height set on the low e string
go over and make the adjustment to the high e string.
after this go ahead and adjust the 4 other strings.

it can be a little bit tricky adjusting the height on
the other 4 strings because the curve of the fretboard
factors in as well as the increasing size of the 
strings from high to low e..just experiment and get it
as close as you can..getting the height adjusted on
the e strings will give you a good starting point.

i have described adjusting the action on a common
saddle type used on strat and tele style guitars as
well as others. chances are you could have a guitar
that doesn't have 6 individually adjustable saddles.
if this is the case, you may still be able to adjust
the action using other screws on your saddle(s) to
raise and lower to a suitable action. for instance,
some bridges have a screw type adjustment on each
side that is used to raise or lower that specific
side..