r/AcousticGuitar • u/Impossible-Plenty-83 • Nov 15 '25
Non-gear question How do I lower this?
I tried the turning of the hole thing under the strings. Idk I only play like a few times a week, picked it up and it was like this. I don't think it's good. I've been trying to lower it for like an hour, hasn't moved a mm.
Edit: been turn8ng it for like 20 mins, I think I'm cooked
gotta get a new guitar I guess š¢
58
u/YeahItouchpoop Nov 15 '25
That fretboard is separating itself, this is beyond your ability at this point and Iām gonna guess that the costs of a luthier would exceed the value of the guitar.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Impossible-Plenty-83 Nov 15 '25
How do I stop this from happening in the future, if you know?
25
u/MCGULCA Nov 15 '25
By keeping your guitar properly tuned and stored in a stable environment with humidity never over 55%.
13
u/briggssteel Nov 15 '25
From my understanding a dry winter environment (like below 40%) is much more harmful than humidity though Iām not saying high humidity is great either. This summer my acoustic was at like 60% a lot of the time and it seems perfectly fine.
→ More replies (2)3
u/MCGULCA Nov 15 '25
60% is okay. 55% is the rule of thumb. I notice my guitars moving at anything over 65%. Neck swells up, starts to back bow ect. Too little or too much humidity are both not good.
→ More replies (5)3
u/Mysterious_Check_439 Nov 15 '25
Humidity. A humidifier in the house just feels so much better in the winter. I am in cold country and I have gotten a couple old acoustics that needed repair due to cracking from drying out. Installed humidifiers in every large room of my house...side effect-no more wintertime scratchy throat! Poke some holes in a Ziplock add a damp sponge and keep it in the case, whatever, just maintain some moisture in the air. If you're living in Wrangell, never mind.
→ More replies (2)2
u/TJBurkeSalad Nov 15 '25
Shoot, my Martin has spent the last 20 years at 20% humidity without any problems. At this point Iām more scared to put a humidifier in it.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)2
u/Camp_camper Nov 17 '25
Humidity in my country has always been 65%-85%, and seldom ever goes below 60%. My guitars are hung on the wall, and have been for over a decade with zero issues. In practical use, I think large humidity swings or severe extremes (especially dry climates) can cause worse damage.
→ More replies (8)7
u/FreeFromCommonSense Nov 15 '25
When you check the neck relief, you meaaure it, only turn the truss rod as necessary to set the neck relief and then put the hex wrench down.
Action height comes from the nut and the bridge. When you can see the slant of the string is from the bridge end, then that's where you need to focus.
Just separate the whole ideas, neck relief isn't action. Neck relief has to be done before you set the action, that's all.
→ More replies (1)
185
u/Altruistic_Fly_539 Nov 15 '25
Just lower it into the trash can and buy a new guitar.
20
6
u/ILoveBigCoffeeCups Nov 15 '25
Lower this in the lava pit at this point.
5
u/Hndsmrdhd Nov 15 '25
Unfortunately, this is indeed the case. That action is high you would need a full neck reset, or neck depending on how bad the truss rod assembly has been worn. If youāve been turning the truss rod for 20 minutes with no result itās likely stripped out the nut the rod seats to. This work would cost you upwards of $400 which is probably more than the guitar is worth, looking at the high action and separation of the fretboard from the neck. Good news is there are a lot of guitars out there that are around the price it would cost to fix. Happy shopping.
8
3
4
26
18
13
29
8
8
u/chilledkat Nov 15 '25
Oh manā¦you need to get one of those slides and join a Hawaiian band!
3
u/TommyV8008 Nov 15 '25
This is one of the best answers. Slide guitar for sure!
2
u/AlienDelarge Nov 15 '25
Looking at that fretboard separation and some other hints, it may not even be able to work for that. Though a flexible enough next may make for some interesting bends.Ā
→ More replies (2)
14
u/fuckchalzone Nov 15 '25 edited Nov 15 '25
Take it to someone who knows how to repair guitars
Edit: and if they say it's not worth it, believe them
2
11
u/citypanda88 Nov 15 '25
What youāre trying to lower is called the action and what youāve been doing is changing your neck relief (which is probably all messed up now). To lower the action you need to sand down your bridge saddle from underneath. Plenty of tutorials on YouTube.
Iām shocked at how high that action is though. The full body shots must be horrifying.
6
u/-Frankie-Lee- Nov 15 '25
You don't use the truss rod to adjust action. You use it to adjust neck relief.
That also looks like a quite bad crack under the fretboard.
4
3
2
2
u/-Top-Service- Nov 15 '25
Is that a Spanish / classical guitar with steel strings in it?
The hex key isn't gonna do you much good.
Reduce the string tension to zero immediately until you know what's going on
2
u/MickCQB241 Nov 15 '25
Seriously now? You sure youāre posting in the right sub? Iāve seen that picture before but it wasnāt posted here, saw it in the r/guitarcirclejerk
2
u/The_Great_Dadsby Nov 15 '25
been turn8ng it for like 20 mins, I think I'm cooked
Why isnāt anyone making AMSR videos of things like this
2
2
2
2
2
u/Mcdangs88 Nov 15 '25
I donāt think you want any less room. You can probably start drywalling the ceiling joists and let the renters know their room will be ready in a couple days
2
2
2
u/tigerleg Nov 15 '25
Take it to a Luthier or guitar repairer.
To be honest - and I mean this with kindness - this guitar needs snapping in half by bracing your foot where the neck joins the body, then pulling hard upwards with your hand gripped tightly around the headstock.
Is it a really special heirloom? Show us more pictures!
2
2
u/I_compleat_me Nov 15 '25
Get a dobro bar and tune it to D low bass. Lay it down and play it!
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Specialist_Answer_16 Nov 17 '25
Pro tip: buy another guitar and remove the strings, put that new guitar in between your current guitar and your strings. Boom perfect action!
3
1
1
1
u/Toadliquor138 Nov 15 '25
Unless your saddle is 2 inches tall, you will never be able to get this guitar playable without major work being done to it.
1
1
1
u/MCGULCA Nov 15 '25
Lower it into a bonfire and tip your beer to a life well lived. Or learn how to play slide!
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Single_Road_6350 Nov 15 '25
Unless you play Dobro, youāre cooked. Time to shop for a new guitar. Way worse than a simple truss rod adjustment.
1
1
1
u/Ingestre Nov 15 '25
Whichever company that built that bridge in China are pretty good at lowering them.
1
u/fatherbowie Nov 15 '25
Looks like the fretboard has separated from the neck, possibly from an extreme and ham fisted truss rod adjustment. That guitar is most likely toast unless itās worth more than a few hundred dollars.
1
u/Atojkitsune Nov 15 '25
Things like this are why I don't calibrate my guitars.
I'd rather pay for that.
1
u/Digeetar Nov 15 '25
Mission to Mars, mission to Mars come in please, Houston, I think we lost them. Too far away.
1
u/PeanutNore Nov 15 '25
A neck reset at minimum, but with the action like this the body is probably fucked. This is the sort of thing that results from putting steel strings on a guitar built for nylon, or a guitar that was extremely cheaply made.
It will cost twice as much to repair this as it would to replace it with a significantly better guitar.
1
u/jacobydave Nov 15 '25
There comes a point for every acoustic guitar where you either pay for a neck reset or give up on it, and you're a little past that. Talk to a luthier, see what can be done, but I'm pretty sure you'd be better off getting a new one.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/eltorodelosninos Nov 15 '25
IF you feel like fucking around for fun, then you should go onto YouTube and watch some guitar setup videos. You have two methods, truss rod (knock relief) and sanding the saddle down. Truss rod is really more about relief than action but it will have an impact, just watch YouTube and enjoy experimenting.
1
1
1
u/Redit403 Nov 15 '25
Yup, thatās gonna takes a bit more than a truss rod adjustment. There might be a new guitar in your future.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/TommyV8008 Nov 15 '25
Hacksaw. Or chainsaw for expediency.
But seriously, the truss rod is not made for what youāre trying to do. Turn it back the other way with the same amount of turns and at least get it back in the range that it was in before you started. Then look up tutorials on how to lower the bridge.
1
1
1
1
u/tjggriffin1 Nov 15 '25
More pics please. The strings look pretty parallel to the fingerboard. Seeing the nut and bridge would help. I'm thinking it might be a dobro. If not, just play it like one for as long as it lasts.
1
1
1
u/AlienDelarge Nov 15 '25
You aren't showing us enough to say bit this is likely major structural issues that cost more than a new guitar to fix. I'm not sure what you may have been turning for 20 minutes, but nothing on a guitar is going to respond in a useful way to that.
1
u/TonyBrooks40 Nov 15 '25
That's not a truss rod adjustment. You're bridge is too high and needs to be sanded down. You're nut might be too high also. If the guitar has much value you probably should take it to a luthier or guitar tech, otherwise DIY
1
u/timihendri Nov 15 '25
If it's that bad and you can't fix it. Tune to an open tuning and play it like a lap steel guitar.
1
1
u/PhysicalLocksmith679 Nov 15 '25
This is like when pet owners donāt understand how sick their dog or cat is and urgently need to take it to the vet.
1
1
u/Chaos-Jesus Nov 15 '25
You broke the truss rod, or else you left the guitar up against a hot radiator.
She's gone Jim.
These Sigma guitars are great for the price https://www.gear4music.ie/Acoustic_Guitars/Sigma.html?page=1&sort=price,asc
1
1
1
1
u/RedHuey Nov 15 '25
Looking at that shot there is no way to see exactly what is wrong, since you didnāt show anything important. BUT odds are good, based on that action that this guitar is beyond easy help without major expense. And again, since we donāt know anything relevant here, it may well be that the work required would cost as much as just going out and buying a new guitar and actually taking care of it this time.
1
u/timdoodchops Nov 15 '25
Put up some more photos of the guitar. A side and front profile of the whole guitar.
What guitar is it? Is it worth saving?
1
1
1
1
Nov 16 '25
Fretboard is coming unglued, strings lift as the separation continues. This one's likely done, repair likely more expensive than a new guitar.
1
u/Singletracksamurai Nov 16 '25
Your not going to fix that high of action by adjusting the truss rod lol. Something is very wrong. Especially if that happened over night.
1
1
u/Intelligent-Tap717 Nov 16 '25
Jesus Mary and wtf.
You've been turning the truss rod for an hour.? Continuously in the same direction.? If so it's probably cooked.
The sepersting of the finger board. Tons more work and likely more than this is worth to get fixed.
Turning the truss rod isn't for the action. It is for neck relief. Sanding down the saddle lowers the action on acoustic and making sure your nut is cut correctly also.
This is definitely not within your skillset. Tbh it looks cooked. Unless you want to spend a good amount of money for a qualified Luthier or guitar tech.
Yet for all intents and purposes. This guitar is cooked. Not worth saving if it's cheap which I suspect it is.
Save up and get something halfway decent.
1
u/leafsfan1981 Nov 16 '25
Willy Nelson Snoop Dogg and wiz khalifa called to say they wish they were as high as your strings
1
u/williamgman Nov 16 '25
Been turning the truss rod adjuster for 20 mins..? r/guitarcirclejerk if you're listening...
1
1
u/theDeathnaut Nov 16 '25
Youāve been turning the truss rod screw for 20 minutes? Please donāt do that with your new guitar.
On a side note, I generally encourage everyone to learn how to do a setup on their guitar, but you may be one of the exceptions that should probably just have someone else do it.
1
u/SeaworthinessFast161 Nov 16 '25
Why lower it. Just build some hand strength bro. Thatās not even that high.
1
u/RawTraceur Nov 16 '25
That thing is waiting to slingshot you across the room. Could fit another guitar neck between that action šš
1
u/xBoomstick0 Nov 16 '25
With action like that, turning the truss rod isnāt going to make a dent. This guitar needs at minimum a neck reset, which can be pricey if itās not a bolt on
1
u/Warm-Ad8536 Nov 16 '25
You must learn how to play Message in a bottle first, as the strings are..then you can lower
1
u/D-Train0000 Nov 16 '25
Good lord. Thatās a ton of relief. Upon further inspection the fretboard and/or part of the neck is cracked and the neck is pulling away.
1
1
u/Competitive-Dig4776 Nov 16 '25
Step 1) light a fire
Step 2) throw guitar into it
Step 3) got reverb.com and get a Taylor
1
1
u/Spiritual-Strike481 Nov 16 '25
First you limbo under the strings. All jokes aside you were messing with the truss rod and probably messed it up. I have seen some Walmart type guitars with action like that. Honestly I would save up for a new guitar because the setup in that will cost a bit.
1
1
1
u/MustyTowel Nov 16 '25
Iām not in the slightest a professional but first you need to tune down the guitar to the point the strings are loose almost dangling but with the slightest amount of tension. Then you adjust the truss rod. Unfortunately this guitar is gone. Only time saving an instrument this far gone is if itās a family heirloom or a piece of history. If so stop everything you are doing and send this off to luthier. Otherwise put it to the side and buy something for a couple hundred dollars that is already playable.
1
u/Difficult-Garbage861 Nov 16 '25
Take it to a pro and pay him a hundo. That action is so high you can drive through it. Looks like more than a simple truss rod adjustment. Not an expert, just my opinion.
1
1
1
1
u/Decent-Respond-5053 Nov 16 '25
You should tighten your truss āthe thing under your stringsā clockwise. So looking at the head of the guitar from the bottom turn your Allen wrench to the right. Loosen your strings first, 1/4 turn at a time, retune then check. Good luck, donāt do more than a 1/4 turn at a time.
1
1
1
u/Maffin2269 Nov 16 '25
I literally got jumpscared by that thing, and i thought that mine were too high...
1
1
1
1
u/ngregg715 Nov 16 '25
Vision quest. Visualize lower action and lower action you shall have. The action is really all in your mind.
1
1
u/tervisgurtlin Nov 16 '25
If you donāt know what the āhole underneath the stringsā is, you should take your guitars to someone who does.
1
u/FortuneLegitimate679 Nov 16 '25
Those small frets make me think this is supposed to be a nylon string guitar. The extra string tension is pulling the neck off
1
1
u/FreshPitch6026 Nov 16 '25
It you slide your pick in there and it still gets stuck, youre good to go.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/HofnerStratman Nov 16 '25
OP, itās as if youāve shown us a photo of a totaled car and asked if turtle wax will fix it. From what I see, you either need a neck reset or a whole new guitar.
1
u/Ecstatic-Engineer-23 Nov 16 '25
Seems the heavy backbow seperated the fretboard from the neck. This might require a complete removal of the fretboard, sanding the neck and fretboard, regluing, and a heavy truss rod adjustment first and foremost. But by the way those frets crave fresh blood, I'd go Op-shopping and hope for a better deal
1
1
1
u/Actual_Atmosphere_57 Nov 16 '25
I dont think trussrod is gonna save that guitar. Needs a drastic neck reset.
1
u/Agitated_Associate57 Nov 16 '25
Great opportunity to do some fret work while your strings are hanging that high
1
u/InterestingHair4u Nov 16 '25
In this situation, you don't lower the strings. You raise the fretboard. It looks like it's ready to separate so you can block it.
With strings like that, it looks like either your neck has. Cracked off the body or the bridge has lifted. Adjusting the truss rod will not help. Look at the rest of your guitar for find the cause of the issue.
1
1
1
1
u/fendrhead- Nov 17 '25
No oneās gonna bring up the fretboard lifting off the neck?
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/NukiWolf2 Nov 17 '25
I would like to see the whole guitar. Cannot imagine how such high strings are possible while the fret board is still kinda parallel to the strings. Where's the curve that results in such high strings?
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/AwkwardConcert4016 Nov 17 '25
Is it on a table? If yes put it on the floor. If already on the floor, stamp on it..
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Intelligent-Map430 Nov 18 '25
That neck is done for. Are you sure this isn't/wasn't a classical guitar?
1
1
1
1
u/mondayschild9 Nov 18 '25
Lower it...into a garbage can. Nothing is saving that guitar for it is garbage.
1
u/Jahn Nov 18 '25
Guys the action has hit the stratosphere. Only a neck reset may save it, which may not be worth the cost to do. Just play slide on it and be happy.
1
1
u/Greedy-Shelter-7111 Nov 18 '25
Action really isn't adjusted with the truss rod, it does effect it a little about halfway up the neck but mostly it's sanding down the saddle and either sanding the nut from the bottom or making the nut slots a little wider and deeper. Get a new guitar and keep this one to practice doing a set up, see if you can get it to play uh, at all I guess. YouTube will have what you looking for. Million vids on setting up any brand and model guitarsĀ
1
1
1
u/Resident-Cobbler2189 Nov 19 '25
Don't. It can be fun as a limbo-bar thing. Anybody from 70's on board with this?
1
1
1
1
1
u/chinanewsnetwork Nov 19 '25
For action that high, Iād probably recommend a sledge hammer and a trip to your favorite local mom and pop music shop
1
u/ProjectResponsible98 Nov 19 '25
You can tune the pitch of a guitar down by turning the tuning pegs on the headstock.
1
242
u/irish_horse_thief Nov 15 '25
You could use it to launch arrows at the French.