Help! Lower the action on a JPX using the bridge saddles

[AJ_72]

Greetings,
I was wondering about how to lower the action on a JPX (although I guess the question applies to any EBMM JP model) for each string individually using the bridge saddles. I already lowered via the trussrod but some strings are buzzing just a little and others not at all.
I'm not that experienced in this whole tech/setup thing, so I really have no idea about how to do that, not even about the tools I need for the task.
Is there some instructional youtube video, link, PDF document, etc, that explains it step by step?
Thanks,
AJ.

 

[BrickGlass]

Well you can lower the action a few different ways. You can lower the posts of the bridge with an allen wrench, also known as a hex key. You can also lower the individual strings by lowering the saddles using a smaller version of the same tool. Adjusting the truss rod can also give you a lower action. Problem is that you want to make sure you adjust the right thing. I would recommend taking it to a guitar tech. Without seeing the guitar it is hard to say what needs adjusting.

 

[fbecir]

Normally, the height of each saddle depends on the radius of the neck. Your neck is not flat, the saddles should describe the same curve.
If you want to adjust the action, adjust the truss rod.
Don't mess with the saddle !

 

[Lou]

You don't use the truss rod to set action!

Yes, it has an effect on action, but you are changing the curvature of the neck. Once you have the proper neck relief, then you adjust the action at the bridge. You should never need to touch the posts. Just move the saddles up or down.

 

[AJ_72]

Lower the action on a JP

Ok, maybe I'm using the wrong terminology (my native language is spanish).
So, the truss rod is for making the neck more concave (higher action) or convex (lower action), but yes, its main purpose is neck relief or the opposite (more tension). I'm aware of that, and also that I have to keep in mind the neck radius when adjusting the action for each string individually using the saddles, and also about the allen wrenches or hexagonal keys, at least the ones I've used in the past for all the Ibanez tremolos I've known such as the pro edge, low pro edge, Zero Point, etc, of course, all of them locking tremolos, so, this would be my first floating tremolo guitar.
The thing with the bridge posts is that I guess they should be adjusted in parallel, so that the bridge is "aligned" with the body of the guitar at all times, so that the action adjustment is for all the strings simultaneously, and that's not what I'm looking for in this case.
So, for the bridge saddles adjustment, what's the size/diameter of the allen wrench I need?, that I guess is for the small holes next to the piezo piece for each string, right?

 

[Larry]

Why not get in touch with EB customer service? I'm sure they can help you out

800-543-2255

 

[MikeVt]

Why not get in touch with EB customer service? I'm sure they can help you out

800-543-2255

+1

Lou,

what-is-the-best-way-to-adjust-the-action-on-my-music-man-guitar | music-man-guitars | faq

Mike

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Don't mess with the two bridge posts, if you go too low the underside of the tremolo can contact the body of the guitar and cause all sorts of tuning stability problems. Once you have the neck relief set to where you want it (by adjusting the truss rod) you can fine-tune your action by raising/lowering the saddle screws. Make sure you turn all of them by the same amount (if you do 1/4 turn on the first screw, make sure the rest are all adjusted 1/4 turn). This helps keep the radius of the strings matched to that of the fretboard.


Feel free to contact MusicMan Customer Service on Monday if you have other questions.

866-823-2255 (the other number is EB Customer Service)

 

[ProtoChicken]

Stewart-Mac sells "under string" radius gauges for setting saddle height. You can also just measure each string from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string at the 12th fret making sure each is the same height, as that also will result in the saddles matching the fretboard's radius.

If neither of those options appeal to you I've attached a "make your own radius gauge" pdf. Lay it across your bridge saddles and adjust them so that they match the curvature of the gauge.

After I've set my saddle heights I use adjust the bridge posts to make any sleight height modifications, but as Pete said don't do this if you are unfamiliar with setups. All this is of course is assuming your neck is setup properly as mentioned previously.

 

[Lou]

Mike, I'm aware of what EB's FAQ says, but I don't agree. What if your neck relief is right where it needs to be and you mess with your truss rod? You are not going to be in a good situation. What I will say is this: Once you get your action where you want it, then from there foreward, the truss rod should be your only adjustment needed seasonally, unless you change string guages. But an initial set up should be truss rod, action, intonation.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Mike, I'm aware of what EB's FAQ says, but I don't agree. What if your neck relief is right where it needs to be and you mess with your truss rod? You are not going to be in a good situation. What I will say is this: Once you get your action where you want it, then from there foreward, the truss rod should be your only adjustment needed seasonally, unless you change string guages. But an initial set up should be truss rod, action, intonation.

+1.

I always assumed the FAQ cites a truss rod adjustment as the way to adjust action simply because it's the simplest method and is a good quick fix, but it is an incomplete method in most cases.

 

[MikeVt]

+1.

I always assumed the FAQ cites a truss rod adjustment as the way to adjust action simply because it's the simplest method and is a good quick fix, but it is an incomplete method in most cases.

Fair enough - but I've always taken the FAQ to assume that the saddles and bridge height are set up correctly at the factory. From there, slight adjustments should be made using the truss rod - and why the guys at EBMM made it so easy to do. Lou's comment that action shouldn't be set via the truss rod was too much of a generalization for me.

The point of my post was merely to say that everyone seems to have their own ideas on the best way to set up a guitar. Personally, I tend to try to stick as close to the EBMM recommendations as I can. I don't mess with the saddles or bridge unless I have specific issues to deal with. As a matter of just raising or lowering the overall action by a 64th or so, I use the truss rod.

In the case of the OP's question, it sounds like some adjustment of the saddles may be in order, but I'm not a qualified tech.

Mike

 

[ProtoChicken]

Fair enough - but I've always taken the FAQ to assume that the saddles and bridge height are set up correctly at the factory. From there, slight adjustments should be made using the truss rod - and why the guys at EBMM made it so easy to do. Lou's comment that action shouldn't be set via the truss rod was too much of a generalization for me.

The point of my post was merely to say that everyone seems to have their own ideas on the best way to set up a guitar. Personally, I tend to try to stick as close to the EBMM recommendations as I can. I don't mess with the saddles or bridge unless I have specific issues to deal with. As a matter of just raising or lowering the overall action by a 64th or so, I use the truss rod.

In the case of the OP's question, it sounds like some adjustment of the saddles may be in order, but I'm not a qualified tech.

Mike

It's all good. I personally set my neck relief at .004, so that requires me to make adjustments to compensate. In my case at least, altering the action by adjusting the truss rod would change the the amount of relief that I prefer which of course only furthers your point that everyone has their preferences.

 

[Lou]

No doubt everone's situation is different.

 

[AJ_72]

Bridge posts

Don't mess with the two bridge posts, if you go too low the underside of the tremolo can contact the body of the guitar and cause all sorts of tuning stability problems.

Pete, when you say that the tremolo can contact the body of the guitar, do you mean the metal piece (gold/bronze color, where the strings end) that you see in the back of the guitar when you remove the central plastic cover, will come in contact with this plastic cover, or maybe there will be some over drilling by tightening (lowering the bridge) the bridge posts therefore damaging some wood nearby?

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Pete, when you say that the tremolo can contact the body of the guitar, do you mean the metal piece (gold/bronze color, where the strings end) that you see in the back of the guitar when you remove the central plastic cover, will come in contact with this plastic cover, or maybe there will be some over drilling by tightening (lowering the bridge) the bridge posts therefore damaging some wood nearby?

No, I mean the underside of the bridge plate that is supported by the two posts (the one that says Music Man), most people refer to the brass part as the tremolo block. If you screw the posts too far in, the underside of the bridge plate will hit the top of the tremolo rout and be pushed rearward and away from the posts, causing tuning stability issues.

 

[AJ_72]

I finally adjusted the action to the point where I want it, first with truss rod adjustment I got almost no neck relief at all, and then by tightening the bridge posts not even 45 degrees of rotation, same thing with the bridge saddles, and it plays like a breeze with an almost unnoticeable amount of buzz.
So, thank you guys for all the useful tips and advice on this setup issue.
Regards,
AJ.

 

[Lou]

cool