Guitar Repair

Action

Aside from changing strings, the procedure I do most is action set-ups. My best practice is to have the customer demonstrate or describe his or her playing style and I match the action with the needs of the player's technique. This will be different from player to player, given their own strength of attack, and style of music. Bluegrass pickers like medium gauge strings and often pick hard enough, note for note, flat out fast, to rattle the soundest acoustic dreadnought. They demand high action and a lot of relief in the neck.

Intonation

The INTONATION has to be set accordingly. Setting the intonation involves matching a note fretted at the 12th fret with the 12th fret harmonic. If the fretted note is higher than the harmonic, compensate by moving the saddle for that string away from the nut. If lower, move the saddle closer. I use an Arion Chromatic Tuner for the job. I've been using it in the shop and on the road for over 10 years. High medium gauge strings don‚t bend easily, and the act of depressing the string raises the pitch of the note. Everybody likes the sound of a guitar with big strings, but bigger is only better if it‚s In tune.The incredible quality of even the most inexpensive Pacific Rim guitars allows real precision when it comes to setting up for optimum playability. Very few of these low-end knock-offs come set up. That's OK, because a post-sale visit to your guitar tech for a set-up and a set of decent strings will be well worth the cost.

Relief

Setting the RELIEF is easy on most guitars. First, sight down the neck from the tuning head toward the bridge. There should be a slight relief, or concavity in the fret board. If the fingerboard is flat or has too much relief, it can usually be corrected by turning the Allen socket with the wrench provided. Warning: never adjust the truss rod without first loosening the strings to slack. Failure to follow manufacturer's guidelines may void your warranty. Go carefully here. Clockwise will draw the head back and increase tension on the strings--counter clockwise will relieve the neck. A quarter of a turn at first, followed by a few minutes to allow the neck to change fully. Retune, visually check it again, and proceed judiciously.

Broken Necks

BROKEN NECKS are surprisingly common. For decades companies have been producing guitars with a neck adjustment rod accessed through a pocket gouged into the headstock, cleverly hidden under a plastic plate. The recess leaves just a thin wafer of wood at the juncture of the head and neck, the point of maximum stress. Like all rotten ideas, this engineering was copied by a lot of other manufacturers. Between the tensile strain of the strings and the bad choice of grainy one-piece necks, all one needs is a little tic against a mic stand, and you can decapitate your pride and joy.
The good news is they are surprisingly easy to fix. If the break is clean, the prognosis for an inexpensive, lasting fix is good. If you can find any stray pieces, take them to your guitar repairman.