Electric Guitar String Height

When choosing an electric guitar, one of the main criteria is the height of the strings above the neck. Let's discuss this important aspect that affects the quality of a musical instrument in more detail.

The pitch of the strings on an electric guitar is slightly different from that of acoustic models of the instrument. Usually, purchased tools from brands already have the necessary settings and adjustments, so they do not require any additional actions on the part of a novice user.

However, over time, the musician will begin to wonder if everything suits him in the chosen musical instrument. As a result, he may need to change something, correct, change to suit his style of play and preferences. He can replace the strings with a thinner set or, conversely, choose a thicker gauge, and then rebuild the guitar or several strings 1 or even 2 tones lower and get carried away by the heavy bass.

Adjusting the height of the strings above the fretboard is often among the possible customizable nuances of an electric guitar. There are times when even on the guitars of famous companies it is difficult for someone to clamp the strings and perform specific techniques, for example, pull-ups (bends) or regular pool (downward legato) due to the allegedly high height of the strings above the neck. In fact, it turns out that the height meets the standards (brands do not make such mistakes), and the whole point is in the individual characteristics (or abilities) of a particular guitarist.

In such cases, it is possible to change the distance from the neck to the string row above it both in the smaller and larger directions in different ways, which will be discussed below. It can also be noted that adjusting this parameter on electric models of guitars is a rather complicated process, which is not recommended for beginners. Unknowingly, the result can be disastrous, up to the complete unusability of the instrument or neck.

However, it is imperative for a guitarist to know the "kitchen" of tuning an electric guitar, including in terms of the height of the strings, since some parameters can be easily adjusted to suit themselves.

It is difficult to say exactly what height of the strings above the neck of an electric guitar is correct. There is no definite answer to this question. Too many factors can influence this:

• the length of the scale of the instrument (the distance from the nut to the bottom);
• caliber (thickness) of strings;
• material, stiffness and tension of the string set;
• instrument model (e.g. rhythm guitar, lead guitar);
• the chosen style of playing (up to the direction of the music being performed and methods of sound production);
• instrument tuning (standard, alternative, open, and so on).

But, of course, there are factory settings that are guided by the main criteria listed above: scale characteristics (length, caliber and tension force of the strings installed in the manufacture of certain model lines), as well as the tuning and purpose of the instrument.

Measurement is made between the top of the 12 fret metal nut and the lower generatrix of each string. According to the standard, the strings should be at the following distances from the specified nut (in mm):

• the first - 1.5;
• the second - 1.6;
• the third - 1.7;
• fourth - 1.8;
• fifth - 1.9;
• sixth - 2.0.

At this point, the measurement is made in the same way - from the top of the first metal fretboard nut to the strings. Here is the standard for the distances (in mm) above the first nut:

• the first - 0.25;
• the second - 0.30;
• the third - 0.36;
• fourth - 0.43;
• fifth - 0.51;
• sixth - 0.60.

There is also the concept of the optimal string height, usually represented by interval distance indicators. For example, above the nut of the 12th fret:

• the first - 1.0-1.5 mm;
• sixth - 1.5-2.5 mm.

These intervals can also be called boundary intervals, beyond which it is undesirable to go. If the sixth string of medium thickness (10 or 11 gauge) is lowered below 1.5 mm at the 12th fret, then when playing it will terribly hit the thresholds, and its sound will be distorted. But you shouldn't raise it even above 2.5 mm - your fingers will quickly get tired and unwanted overtones (overtones) will appear.

It is also important to adjust the optimal height of the string set above the pickups. Here, according to sound experts, the main criterion is not to allow a distance of less than 0.2 mm. By the way, in this case, the adjustment can be done not with the strings, but with the pickups themselves. For this, there are special adjusting screws on the structure.

For those who like high-speed playing, you can lower the string row slightly below the optimal distance by the 12th fret, focusing on its thinnest element - up to 0.8 mm. However, this will require changing the kit to 8 gauge. For other guitarists who love romantic music, sets of calibers 9-10 and the distance of the first string in the middle of the scale at 1.0-1.3 mm are suitable. If you like thick calibers - from 12 onwards - you need to choose a height of at least 1.6 mm above the 12 fret nut.

Now let's consider in what ways you can adjust the desired pitch, if for some reason the guitarist does not like it.

We will distribute these methods according to the degrees of complexity - from simple, which a beginner will be able to do, to complex, where it is not recommended to get into without experience.

1. You can slightly decrease or increase the distance to the neck by changing the nut. If you want to reduce, then you need to make or purchase a lower nut. Do not bore the native part (leave it in case you return to the original state of the tool). If you want to slightly raise the strings, you will have to, on the contrary, look for a higher nut or glue a small gasket between the groove and the factory nut.
2. Adjust the pitch using the bridge, armed with the appropriate instrument usually supplied with the instrument. The breeches of almost all companies that produce electric guitars have their own proprietary design, so you will have to figure it out on your own or take the guitar to the workshop.
3. The most difficult procedure is setting up the anchor. An anchor is a device that is a steel bar mounted on a neck. It is designed to compensate for the forces acting on the neck from the tensioned strings, and to protect it from bending and other mechanical deformations, sometimes leading to the destruction of the instrument.

And it is better to entrust such work to specialists. It is extremely rare for new instruments to have defects in the factory tuning of this structural element. Neck problems (bending in one direction or another) can appear after many years of use or as a result of careless manipulation of the instrument settings. With a concave neck, the height of the strings increases, and with a convex neck, it decreases, and in different places by different amounts. It is very difficult to play such a guitar.

In the workshop, to adjust the concave neck (weakened anchor), the anchor is tightened using special adjusting keys. The adjusting screws for different models of electric guitars can be located either inside the body, or underneath the neck, or in the head of the neck. The convex bar, on the contrary, needs to be loosened so that it straightens out.

Anchor adjustment is made necessarily on a guitar tuned to the desired tuning. The neck will be considered even if, with the help of a long ruler, the master is convinced of its straightness in the section from 1 to 14 frets.