Setting a Guitar From Slide to Standard

Sonny Landreth (right,) playing a Stratocaster with a slide.

The clearance between the strings and a guitar is called the “action.” Different styles of guitar playing call for different levels of action. If you’ve bought a guitar from a slide player, or you’ve had your guitar set up for slide playing, it’s very likely that the action is high. While this is suitable for slide playing as it prevents the slide knocking against the frets and allows for smooth slide movement, it is not suitable for standard guitar playing. This is because the high action makes it difficult to press the strings down against the fretboard. Lowering the action makes your guitar suitable for standard style playing.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar tuner
• 1/4-inch jack cable
• Feeler gauge
• Small flat-head screwdriver

Instructions

1. 

   Tune up so the action measurement is accurate.

   Plug into a guitar tuner or place a microphonic tuner nearby. Play each string and observe the tuner display. If the display points left, the string is flat. If it points right, the string is sharp.

2. Correct flat strings by tightening the tuning machine. Correct sharp notes by loosening it. It’s essential the guitar is in tune so you can take an accurate measure of the action. Loose strings have lower action and cause you to take an inaccurate measurement.

3. Measure the clearance between the bottom of the top E string and the top of fret 12. Do this with a feeler gauge. Take the same measurement from the bottom E string. Note both measurements. This gives you a measure of the clearance before adjustment, so you know that your adjustments are working.

4. Unwind the tuning machines so all of the strings lie flat against the fretboard. It’s not necessary to completely remove the strings, but the tension of fully tuned strings makes it difficult to adjust the height of some bridge types, especially the Tune-O-Matic. Always slacken the strings so any sudden drops in tension don’t cause the strings to stretch.

5. Lower the treble side of the bridge. This is the side where the top E string. Typically, fit a small flat-head screwdriver to the screw on the edge of the bridge and turn 90-degrees counter-clockwise. However, some bridges call for a slightly different approach. For example, the Floyd Rose type requires hex-key adjustment, rather than screwdriver adjustment. The Tune-O-Matic type bridge fitted as standard on Gibson Les Paul guitars has a thumb-screw. Some Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars have an individual height adjustment screw for each string.

6. Lower the bass side of the bridge by the same amount.

7. Tune the guitar up and measure the action on both sides. Action is a matter of preference, but for standard playing it shouldn’t exceed 1/8 inch. If one side is higher than the other, lower the highest side to the same height as the lower side.

8. Play the guitar. If any of the frets buzz or if there are any “dead spots” where the note doesn’t ring, the action is too low. Correct this by raising the bridge equally on both sides.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the measurements of the original action. This way you know a tolerance level if you ever want to revert back to a slide setup.

References

• Blame Pro: Slide Guitar Tips and Tricks
• Project Guitar; String Height and Bridge Adjustment; Brian Calvert
• Glowing Tubes: Floyd Rose Setup and Tuning