Bryan Kimsey's Guitar Setup

Electric Bass

Bass Bass E Treble G

Action at the 1st fret   .022"   .020"  

Action at the 17th fret   .105"   .094"  
Relief: .014" at the 7th       
fret

Action
I'm checking the action on this Martin D-16 with a stack of automotive feeler gauges. Measure
the clearance between the string and 12th fret. In this photo, the gauge is tilted a litte- keep it
parallel to the strings and feel for "slap" when pushing the string down. As soon as the string just
barely, barely slaps down, I've got a measurement.

I like to setup acoustic guitars with .004"-.008" of neck relief, as measured by capoing the first
fret, holding down the low E at the body, and measuring clearance at the 7th fret. I like the
following measurements for 12th fret action:

E = .105, A = .100, D = .095, G = .090, B = .085, E = .080

A few thousandths one way or the other won't matter much, but the main thing I like to feel is a
consistent decrease in action. Many guitars that I work on have a saddle that matches the
fretboard radius and this results in a higher D/G action than the rest of the strings. Combined
with the increased tension of the D string, this produces a very stiff feeling guitar. I've arrrived at
my measurements by measuring a bunch of well-playing guitars, including those of numerous
professional flatpickers.

At the nut, I like 1st fret clearances of:

E = .022", A = .020", D = .018", G = .018", B = .018", E = .016"

Unlike the 12th fret action, a few thousandths at the nut IS noticeable. On some guitars, I might
run .020" on the low E and .014" on the high E, but it just depends on how the neck feels, how
the guitar responds, and things like that. In any case, a well-adjusted 1st fret action can make a
BIG difference on the feel of the guitar, all the way up to about the 5th-7th fret (un-capoed, of
course).

One trick I suggest is to put a capo at the 2nd fret and play the guitar. If the guitar buzzes, start
shimming the saddle up until you get a buzz-free action with a capo on the 2nd fret. When it
doesn't buzz under normal playing, measure the clearance of the strings at the true 3rd fret (this
would be the first non-capo'ed fret). Suppose it's .012". Now put the capo on the 4th fret and do
the same thing, measuring at the 5th fret. You'll most likely get something like .010"-.008".
Extrapolating this back to the nut, you can estimate a 1st fret action of, say, .014". That's usually
just a shade low and given that the nut will wear over time and that the string's length is longer
and just a general fudge factor, I'll bump that up another .002" or so, and end up with .016". I
measure each string instead of relying on too much extrapolation and guess-work. The purpose
of this exercise is to show you just how low your 1st fret action really can go. Compare this to
the .025" or so that many new factory guitars come with.

Lots of luthiers will adjust a nut by pressing the string to the 2nd fret and adjusting the nut to
where it just kisses the 1st fret. That's where I start but then when I've got the 12th fret action
right and everything else adjusted well, I still prefer to directly measure the actual height at the
1st fret.

Lowering a saddle: When I setup a guitar's action, especially one that's getting shipped a long
ways, I'll often err a little on the side of "too high". I do this because it's relatively easy for you to
lower the height, but I sure hate putting shims under a too-low saddle, especially one made of
good bone or fossil walrus ivory. If the saddle's too low and if the neck relief is on the low side,
you can raise the action a little by loosening the truss rod, if it's an adjustable one. However, I
don't like to rely on this and prefer to have it setup right to begin with. An easy way to lower the
saddle a little is lay a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface and press the saddle against a square
object like this little ruler. Pass the saddle back and forth over the sandpaper, keeping it snug
against the ruler. This ensures that the saddle bottom stays square and flat.
When you're dealing with the kind of precision I like to work with, a ruler ain't gonna cut it and a
pair of dial calipers is best for measuring saddle heights. Lacking those, draw pencil lines on the
saddle bottom, sand them off, draw another set, sand them off, and repeat. This way you can
clearly see your progress and won't over sand. Check the saddle and action frequently as you go.
Instead of putting all the strings on and measuring your action, try this: before messing with the
saddle take all but the two E strings off. Measure the action of both using a stack of coins or
picks as a feeler gauge (providing you don't have a real feeler gauge). Adjust the saddle and
check it using just the two E strings again. The result won't be your actual action, but it will be a
relative action since you measured it before starting.

Nuts!

This is the kind of nut I like to build. Half of the wound strings are sticking up and the two
trebles are just buried in the nut. The peghead side is back cut at a 45 degree angle or so to
prevent the "sitar effect", and the whole thing is semi-polished. I don't like them too polished
because then they look plastic. On close examination, I like to see a few small file marks and
such so that you know it's hand-made and not machine pressed.

Slotted Bridges
This is a slotted bridge. If you look closely, you can see that the high E string sits tangent to the
pin hole, rather than actually in the hole. This means that the pin will take up the entire hole and
thus keep the string from coming out. Newer Martin bridges come unslotted, relying on slots in
the bridge pin for string clearance. Older Martins, even those up the mid-80's, have slotted
bridges. Slots have a lot of advantages: the string sits firmer against the bridge plate- supported
by 3 sides instead of just 1, there's a lot less stress against the bridge pins, and they seem to
sound a bit better, too. In addition, it's possible to ramp the slots, like I've done on this D-16, so
that the string creates a sharper break angle over the saddle. Look at the B-string in this photo:
see how far away from the pin the bend in the string occurs? That's because the string is traveling
down a ramp to the pin hole rather than waiting until it reaches the actual pin. Also, you know
how on Martins the bass pins are closer to the saddle than the treble pins? By ramping, I can
balance this distance out and it seems to bring the trebles up a little more, or at least create a
more balanced sound.

If you don't ramp the slots, this modification is nearly invisible, and in fact, many owners of 70's
Martins aren't even aware that the bridges are slotted. Try turning your pins so that the slots face
the rear of the guitar instead of the fingerboard. Put a string in the hole and see if your pins will
still fit. If they do, your bridge is slotted.

Actions
Let's talk about action a bit.  There are several types of playing styles and it's important to know
what style you are, especially since I'm not there to see you play.   Be very honest with yourself
as to what type of player you are- evaluate yourself for what you are, not what you want to be,
unless you're willing to change.  Most importantly, remember that there is a definite compromise
between playability and buzz protection.  "Playability" includes a lower action, and a lower
action demands more finesse and right hand control.  You cannot play a low action as hard as
you can play a higher one.  I've been asked to "make it play better" and then gotten the comment
"it buzzes when I hit it as hard as I can".  Well, yes!  That's the trade-off.  But a lower action
doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose volume- a very precise, controlled right hand attack can
produce as much volume as a sloppy, imprecise right hand.  A lower action may allow you to
advance as a player.   Please keep in mind your playing situation, too.  If you're playing in front
of a mic, do you really need sheer volume?  I thought that's what the mic was for?   If you're a
beginner, you may find it difficult to play harder or up the neck passages with a higher action
and you may want to compromise volume for playability until you progress a bit.  There are a lot
of things to consider.  Just be aware that if you ask me for an easier action, you will get an easier
action!

Now a word on buzzing and action.  In my experience, there are 3 basic action heights.  There is
the really low action.  Oddly enough, this action sometimes will not buzz, and my educated
guess is the string is actually dampened by the frets and doesn't really have a chance to "buzz". 
When you hit a string, its vibrating arc is greatest immediately after you strike it, and then it
settles down into a lower arc.  Step out to a clothesline and see for yourself.  To create a buzz,
the string has to just kiss the fret and go "bzzzt", usually right on the intial attack.  Then, it settles
down, clears the fret, and doesn't buzz.  On the low, low action, the string never gets a chance to
vibrate and you don't hear the "bzzt..".  If you listen closely, you might hear actual fret slap, but
fret slap can sound surprisingly good.  You may also feel that the guitar is   "punchy" and this is
because it's not sustaining, due to a dampening effect by the frets.  If you play this type of action
harder, however, you will not get an increase in volume and again that's due to the dampening
effect of the frets.   But for players who plug-in or use mics exclusively, this ultra-low action can
be a dream.  I call this the dampened action.

Take this ultra-low action and start raising it, and before long, you'll start hearing buzzes.  What's
happening, IMHO, is that the string is now vibrating rather than being dampened, and the intial
attack is causing that "bzzt..."  This is the buzz-point action  If you drop this action a little, it'll
enter the ultra-low dampening mode discussed above.  If you raise it a little, most of those
"bzzt..."s will go away, until you increase your attack a little more.   When you increase your
attack, you'll hear them again, maybe just on one string or at one particular fret.  What you need
to do at this point, is decide how hard you're going to play.  You need to be willing to refrain
from thrashing in exchange for this sweet action.  If you want to play just a little harder, then
you're going to have to raise your action just a little higher.  If you're using 80/20 strings, you
might also be able to switch to stiffer phosphor bronze strings and keep the same action.

Suppose you just really feel the need to dig in and DRIVE that guitar.  Well, you're going to have
go to the high buzz-free action.  With this action, you can play just about as hard as you can and
it won't buzz.  At some point, though, you can play so hard that your tone will go down the drain,
so even this action is limited to some extent.  To keep the tone, you'll have to go to heavier
strings which resist your attack.  If you have strong fingers and know exactly what you're doing,
you can flatpick this guitar, but don't expect to play Mark O'Connor's "Dixie Breakdown" on it
(unless you are Mark)!  A higher action is very unforgiving of hesitations and thus is harder to
improvise on for most of us.  It's also harder to tune and the saddle may very well have to be
relocated to get accurate intonation.

I work mostly in the middle region.  The dampened action is a very critical action for very
specific players, and the buzz-free action is not really a "setup".   So my main question for you,
once you understand how I think these actions work, is "how much are you willing to limit or
control your attack?".  Read the following descriptions and see which best fits you.  All of these
actions are measured with feeler gauges between the top of the fret and bottom of each string. 

The Rhythm Player:

you play mostly rhythm, probably use a thick pick (1.2 mm and up), and play hard and loud. 
You don't play much lead and when you do it's not likely to be an extended solo, but just a quick
break, mostly in the first 5 frets.  You don't want any buzzes.  You probably play unamplified
much of the time.  In this case, I'm likely to give you a higher action all the way around with
particular emphasis on the bass.  I'd likely set your action to something like this:

E = .115, A = .110, D = .105, G = .100, B = .095, E = .090

This action would be hard for me to flatpick, but it will give you some good buzz protection. 
You can play the action as hard as you'll ever need to.  If you make this action buzz, I'd suggest
you have your right hand attack evaluated- you're probably plucking the string instead of
brushing it, or pulling it away from the guitar instead of making it vibrate parallel to the face of
the guitar.

The Bluegrass Player

Here's a guy who plays mostly rhythm, but also takes some leads, and maybe some pretty "hot"
leads.  The main difference between this and the "Fiddle Tune" player below, is that this guy
plays with banjos and in a full bluegrass ensemble and needs a little more volume and power. 
They also use a capo on the 2nd and 4th frets fairly regularly, maybe more so that playing in
open positions.   I've measured an action very similar to this one on Tim Stafford's Lashbrooked
Guild and Richard Bennett's custom guitar at IBMA 2000:

E = .105, A = .100, D = .095, G = .095, B = .090, E = .085

The Fiddle Tune Player:

You like to play lead on fiddle tunes, still play pretty hard, usually in an acoustic situation (no
mics), you go up the neck sometimes, and have pretty good overall right hand control.  You're
willing to trade a little bit of buzz potential for increased playability.  You probably play lead
mostly on the treble strings, only occasionally drifting to the bass strings, and you play open
about as much as you do with a capo.   I keep one of my personal guitars setup like this. 

E = .105, A = .100, D = .095, G = .090, B = .085, E = .080

The Lead Guitar Player:

You play lead on everything, go up the neck a lot, have excellent right hand control and finesse,
and demand playability.  When playing rhythm, you brush the strings, never dig in, and are very
consious of dynamics.  You're very willing to trade some buzz-potential for an extremely well-
playing guitar.  This is a tricky action to set because we're pushing the buzz limits.  Unless you
can give me some detailed references (measurements from an action that plays well for you) I
will most likely err slightly on the side of too high.  Here's where I'd set you:

E = .100, A = .095, D = .090, G = .090, B = .085, E = .080

You'll notice that the treble strings are the same in the "lead guitar" action as they are in the
"fiddle tune" action, but the bass is lower. Lead guitar players usually like the lower feel of the
bass strings, but also tend to like a little higher action in the trebles so they can hit them a bit
more.

If you're really confident in your right hand attack and are less concerned about volume, we can
get even a bit lower.  I keep an action like this on one my personal guitars, and it gives a litte
more of a "slinky" feel than the "lead guitar" action.  It's a small difference, but it can feel a little
better if you like to play leads on the lower strings.  I measured an action very close to this on
David Grier's Nashville Guitar Company guitar in 1999:

E = .095, A = .093, D = .090, G = .090, B = .085, E = .080

This is probably the lowest action I'd ever go to, unless you're sitting right here so we can get
immediate feedback  This is a very "buttery" action.  It will buzz if you over play it, and you
must keep your frets in tip-top condition.  Changes in humidity will change your action and may
cause buzzing.  I've set this action only on guitars that I know are very stable and whose owners
are willing to modify their right hand attack.  A precise, controlled player can flat-out rip on this
action, though. I measured an action even lower than this (about .005" all the way around) on
Sean Watkin's Collings many years ago..
E = .093, A = .090, D = .085, G = .085, B = .080, E = .075

With all of these actions, any additional information you can give me will help tremendously. 
Do you have or have you played another guitar that plays well for you?   Get the specs and let
me know- it'll give me a ballpark at least.