Assuming that your acoustic has a straight neck, the frets are relatively level, it generally plays well, and it has a truss rod (most newer acoustics do), you can make an adjustment yourself to improve how the guitar plays. If you are not a guitar player who doesn't mind "getting your hands dirty" so to speak, then find a good local luthier or repair shop to do this for you. This simple adjustments is to the neck relief. Neck relief is the amount of bow in your guitar neck. Slight neck relief is good as it allows the strings to vibrate their full amount without buzzing against the frets. You can measure the amount of neck relief on your guitar by putting a capo on the first fret. With a second capo placed on the 14th fret, or someone else helping you by pressing the 6th string down at the 14th fret, measure the distance between the bottom of the 6th string and the top of the 7th fret. An easy way to make this measurement is with a feeler gauge, like the ones you can buy f rom the auto store for setting the spark plug gap. Find the feeler gauge thickness that just slips between the string and the fret. Most flat top steel string acoustic guitars should have a relief of between 0.005 inches and 0.015 inches. If you are a finger stylist (play with your fingers), 0.005 inches is probably where you want the neck relief. If you play bluegrass with a pick, you may want to be closer to the 0.015 inch relief. If the neck relief is greater than this, the truss rod needs adjustment. The truss rod runs inside the neck and access to it is either found under a cover with screws on the head plate just past the nut or through a hole in the brace just inside and above the sound hole (toward the neck). If it is in the sound hole you will need an allen wrench to make the adjustment. If it is on the head plate, remove the screws holding the cover with a small philips screw driver. Loosen the strings and then, using a screw driver (or an allen wrench if the nut i s in the soundhole), turn the truss rod nut only 1/8 to 1/4 turn clockwise. Never turn it more than this as you may damage the neck. If the nut does not turn, then stop. Don't force it and don't attempt to go any further. Take it to a repair shop to have this adjustment made.After turning the rod the 1/8 to 1/4 turn, tune the guitar and check the relief. If it is still too high, repeat the above procedure until the relief is within the desired range.
Griffbretter Gitarre
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