Hello all.
What is the best procedure to lower action on the strings of a 360- 6 string?
I am aware of the 4 adjustment screws on the bridge, but cant seem to get all the strings the same height.
Ant suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Robert
String height question
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Robert,
There are 2 possible reasons for high action on your 360: excessive neck relief and/or bridge height.
Neck relief is the 1st thing to check before doing anything to the bridge. Fret the low E string at the 1st and last frets simultaneously and check the space between the string and the 8th fret. There should only be space as wide as the thickness of a business card or even less (invisable but "feelable" when you tap on the string at the 8th fret). The relief on the high E side should be even less (the string almost touching the fret). If there is too much space, meaning your neck is not straight enough, thus causing high action, then loosen the strings and tighten (turn clockwise) the truss rod nuts with a long handled 1/4" hex driver.
No more than 1/8-1/4 turn a time. A 1/16 turn makes a big difference already. Don't put the TRC back yet. Recheck the relief in a few hours and see if you need more tightening/straightening. It may take 2 (or even more) days for the adjustment to completely settle down.
Then, it's time for bridge height adjustment. Get a 6" steel ruler and measure the space between the high and low E string at the fret where the neck joins the body. There should be 5/64" for the high E and 3/32" for the low E between the fret and the strings. Bigger strings need more height to vibrate freely, thus the descrepency in spaces required for the high and low E's. Make sure the 4 adjustment screws are firmly in contact with the bridge's base plate. Saddle height for all strings were made to follow the fingerboard radius at the factory so the 6 strings will follow the fingerboard radius, with each string a bit higher than its thinner gauged neighbour once you set both the 2 E strings to the above recommended specs. You can get them higher or lower according to your playing style and right hand attack, without causing fret buzz. Bear in mind that action height adjustment is really a compromise between playability and tone. The lower the action, the more comfortable to play but the sound lacks punch and solidity. The higher the action, the sound is bigger and punchier but less comfortable to play.
Finally, the intonation adjustment.
Tune all strings to the correct pitch with your tuner. Play the 12th fret harmonic on the low E and see if the fretted note at the 12th fret is sharp or flat. If sharp, loosen the string a bit and turn the intonation screw to move the saddle closer to the tailpiece. If flat, turn the screw to bring it closer to the neck. When done, repeat the process on the other 5 strings.
Note that the "relief-action-intonation" adjustment order is not to be altered. It may take a few days or, even weeks to finally get the setup you really like. So don't put the TRC back on as soon as you've adjusted the neck for the 1st time. Also, some necks move and need to be rechecked and adjusted at seasonal changes while others don't.
Once you've learned to do all these, you don't need to spend the money on hiring a guitar tech (some of them aren't even familiar with RIC instruments and might ruin yours if yours is pre-Sep. '84) to do setups for you and save it for buying strings and stuffs.
Good luck.
There are 2 possible reasons for high action on your 360: excessive neck relief and/or bridge height.
Neck relief is the 1st thing to check before doing anything to the bridge. Fret the low E string at the 1st and last frets simultaneously and check the space between the string and the 8th fret. There should only be space as wide as the thickness of a business card or even less (invisable but "feelable" when you tap on the string at the 8th fret). The relief on the high E side should be even less (the string almost touching the fret). If there is too much space, meaning your neck is not straight enough, thus causing high action, then loosen the strings and tighten (turn clockwise) the truss rod nuts with a long handled 1/4" hex driver.
No more than 1/8-1/4 turn a time. A 1/16 turn makes a big difference already. Don't put the TRC back yet. Recheck the relief in a few hours and see if you need more tightening/straightening. It may take 2 (or even more) days for the adjustment to completely settle down.
Then, it's time for bridge height adjustment. Get a 6" steel ruler and measure the space between the high and low E string at the fret where the neck joins the body. There should be 5/64" for the high E and 3/32" for the low E between the fret and the strings. Bigger strings need more height to vibrate freely, thus the descrepency in spaces required for the high and low E's. Make sure the 4 adjustment screws are firmly in contact with the bridge's base plate. Saddle height for all strings were made to follow the fingerboard radius at the factory so the 6 strings will follow the fingerboard radius, with each string a bit higher than its thinner gauged neighbour once you set both the 2 E strings to the above recommended specs. You can get them higher or lower according to your playing style and right hand attack, without causing fret buzz. Bear in mind that action height adjustment is really a compromise between playability and tone. The lower the action, the more comfortable to play but the sound lacks punch and solidity. The higher the action, the sound is bigger and punchier but less comfortable to play.
Finally, the intonation adjustment.
Tune all strings to the correct pitch with your tuner. Play the 12th fret harmonic on the low E and see if the fretted note at the 12th fret is sharp or flat. If sharp, loosen the string a bit and turn the intonation screw to move the saddle closer to the tailpiece. If flat, turn the screw to bring it closer to the neck. When done, repeat the process on the other 5 strings.
Note that the "relief-action-intonation" adjustment order is not to be altered. It may take a few days or, even weeks to finally get the setup you really like. So don't put the TRC back on as soon as you've adjusted the neck for the 1st time. Also, some necks move and need to be rechecked and adjusted at seasonal changes while others don't.
Once you've learned to do all these, you don't need to spend the money on hiring a guitar tech (some of them aren't even familiar with RIC instruments and might ruin yours if yours is pre-Sep. '84) to do setups for you and save it for buying strings and stuffs.
Good luck.
Here's the bit from the Rickenbacker web-site regarding pre Sept 84 models:
"On instruments produced prior to September 1, 1984, it is important to manually move the neck to the final position you desire and snug the rod up to hold that position, rather than require the rod itself to provide the bowing force. These earlier rods are quite strong and very effective, but the direction of force can be misdirected without your assistance, causing undue force against the back of the fingerboard. Rods produced after that date are fully capable of moving the neck to position by themselves, no matter the string tension."
"On instruments produced prior to September 1, 1984, it is important to manually move the neck to the final position you desire and snug the rod up to hold that position, rather than require the rod itself to provide the bowing force. These earlier rods are quite strong and very effective, but the direction of force can be misdirected without your assistance, causing undue force against the back of the fingerboard. Rods produced after that date are fully capable of moving the neck to position by themselves, no matter the string tension."