Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
|
|
Fixing action on old guitar?
|
You are logged in as Guest
|
Users viewing this topic: none
|
|
Login | |
|
britguy
Posts: 712
Joined: Dec. 26 2010
From: Ontario, Canada
|
Fixing action on old guitar?
|
|
|
I have this old blanca. Dont remember the make, label fell out years ago. I bought it about 1970-72 shortly after moving from England to Montreal. (To try to supplant my '58 Ramirez blanca which was cracking up in the Montreal winters). My feeble memory tells me this was probably a Japanese 'knock-off' of a famous Spanish luthier, but I am not too clear on this. I always thought the face was a plywood laminate, but am not sure about this either. Anybody help here? I recently dug this old bugger out after years of being hidden away in a closet. Surprizingly it sounded not half bad, but I felt the action was a bit too high for Flamenco. So I tried to reduce it by lowering the saddle, and also shaved a bit off the bridge to lower it a bit more! (See photos, obviously I'm no luthier!). Right now the 6th string shows about 3.5mm clearance above the 12th fret, and 8mm clearance from the face to the saddle. Putting a straightedge along the whole fingerboard shows about a 1.5 - 2mm clearance at the 7/8th fret. Is this normal? My questions are: * Are these string clearances consistent with an average well- set-up flamenco guitar? *Do these dimensions indicate any serious bowing of the neck? *Is there anything else I ( meaning a non-luthier dumbo) can do to lower the action, other than reducing saddle height - which is already extremely low to maintain a feasible string break angle - see photo? I took it to the celebrated 12th Fret guitar shop in Toronto, and was advised ( with predictable laughter) that everything possible had already been done ( by me) other than an expensive neck re-set. I dont think I paid very much for the guiitar when new, and re-setting the neck - if necessary - is probably not worth it. But I do like the instrument. It plays well, has a nice raspy flamenco bass; is as light as a feather - and I'd like to be able to use it as a practice guitar, or as a loaner to friends. Any advice welcomed. . .
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
Attachment (4)
_____________________________
Fruit farmer, Ontario, Canada
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Aug. 5 2012 21:27:29
|
|
New Messages |
No New Messages |
Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
Locked w/ New Messages |
Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET |
0.109375 secs.
|