Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ken I on December 13, 2016 at 5:25am

I'll send you 2 dimes for a pound! :)

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Permalink Reply by Bill Sheehy on September 19, 2019 at 4:10pm

It is so much fun to read some of the responses to question... from back a few years! Here in Australia, September 2019, I found a 20c piece gives me a quite nice gauge... I'm still fighting the sound of my pewter slide hitting the edge of the fretboard, tho. Guess I'll have to keep working on it.

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on November 21, 2012 at 4:59am

These are some great tips. After nearly 50 builds -all with either bolt/threaded rod, or skeleton key nuts & saddles- I'm just now starting to mess around with bone. My big question is how do you slice it cleanly? I have a dremel and a diamond tip blade, do I just stick the bone in a vice and go for it free hand? Then belt-sand or file it from there? That process seems like it would take just this side of forever. Other than a band saw, is there an easier way to slice bone thin?

As for the string height, awhile back somebody here said they just slide two pennies under the strings -between the strings & the first fret- and use that as a gauge. I tried it and it worked so well for me that I've been doing it ever since. I even superglued 2 pennies together and now I have a "first-fret string height gauge". This may not be a comfortable height for everyone, but I've had consistently good results.
As for bridge height? I dunno.. sometimes I just file-away until stuff quits buzzing. ; D

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on November 21, 2012 at 5:38am

Good tips thanks out with the super glue
Queens face to queens face? ....;>0

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on November 21, 2012 at 5:43am

Yep. Man, there's obviously some pretty revealing stuff in that new Abe Lincoln movie, huh? ; )

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on November 21, 2012 at 5:53am

I just use the diamond cut off bit in my dremel and hold the bone blank with my fingers. The bit won`t hurt you if you hit your finger. That makes the cleanist cut and you can use the surface of it to fine shape the nut or saddle.You can always go with a carved bone skeleton key to get that awesome bone tone !!!

 

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on November 21, 2012 at 5:59am

Thanks, Randy. When it comes to "unlocking the mystery of bone", you are the man!

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on November 21, 2012 at 6:08am

Boneified the best boner
(no offence meant)
Thanks Randy inspiring stuff

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on September 20, 2019 at 6:52am

Tough question.........

Over time, you will develop a personal preference for string action height. Some people like very low action while others like fairly high action. In the meantime, you can take tips from some professional guitar techs regarding action height.

Here is a good overview about string height and how to set it up.You'll find that action at the 1st fret is usually not considered unless chasing a problem. Normally, action height is measured (set) at the 12th fret. There are several charts showing typical Low, Medium and High action.

A lot depends on what you want to do. If you finger notes (fret them), most people lean toward lower action height. If you are playing slide, low action just makes it harder (assuming you have frets). If you are playing a slider, action height is not important (withing reason).

Ask about the "Best" nut and bridge materials and you may end up in an endless discussion where everyone has logical reasons for their particular choice. Bone for the nut has been the traditional choice on acoustic guitars for centuries for a reason. It's hardness helps to allow the string to vibrated without losing energy through the nut.

Electrics seem less critical with regard to nut material with options including bone, metal and various synthetic materials.

Bridge material, just like nut material is all over the place. Bone is used on some acoustic bridges and adjustable metal bridges are common on electrics (for a reason). When Les Paul was searching for a guitar design with more sustain than he was getting from his hollow bodied electrics, he tried a solid wood body with a metal bridge firmly attached to the body. He found the combination of solid wood and a firmly attached metal bridge produce better sustain than other designs. Thus the birth of the Les Paul guitar.

If you are looking for more sustain then a hard tail metal bridge screwed firmly to a pass-through neck will do the trick. If you are looking for some other trait, then other bridge designs may be better.

It all comes down to what you want to accomplish. I use a round steel zero-fret along with a hard tail bridge to maximize string sustain. It has worked for a long time, but like everyone else, I have an opinion.

Try different materials and decide for yourself what you like.Keep us posted.

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on September 20, 2019 at 11:16pm

Thanks old keys work well, Bolts and nuts and old screws on old wooden rullers.seem to work quite well too.. harder the wood the better. I have also used a fret on a hardwood before that seems ok..I tend to use a no head allen screw now 4mm - 5mm approx on a hardwood base..but most things work...

 

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on September 20, 2019 at 11:19pm

Half a sprite off set can doesn't work quite so well....but the upturned camping kettle was awesome lol

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on September 20, 2019 at 11:28pm

Tri can resonator bridge

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