Do you think this really high action is fixable?

[vilk]

Eyeballing this auction ending today. I've done my research on the guitar and I think I want to go for it, but the picture show some absolutely ridiculously high string action—to the degree that I wonder if there's something wrong with the guitar. To me it looks like the strings are floating a full cm or more above the board



Sorry, I know only a couple of those show the string height, but it saved as one big long jpg.

What are we thinking happened? Did someone set it up for super high action with a super bowed neck? Do you think this could be corrected via the truss rod and saddle screws?

 

[gunch]

man that cosmo black looks gross for only being a few years old

As for the main problem since it's a multi-ply neck it should be ok to just crank it straight and start from there. The saddles look pretty high too. Maybe the original owner tried to keep raising the action not knowing that all low tuned strings buzz and clack a little.

 

[vilk]

man that cosmo black looks gross for only being a few years old

As for the main problem since it's a multi-ply neck it should be ok to just crank it straight and start from there. The saddles look pretty high too. Maybe the original owner tried to keep raising the action not knowing that all low tuned strings buzz and clack a little.

It's not cosmo, just plain ol black

But thanks! I am hoping that might be it. I think the ad is posted by a guitar shop, and I've noticed that many shops will totally botch a set up so that the customer won't hear any """""string buzz""""

 

[gunch]

It's not cosmo, just plain ol black

But thanks! I am hoping that might be it. I think the ad is posted by a guitar shop, and I've noticed that many shops will totally botch a set up so that the customer won't hear any """""string buzz""""

I meant the hardware.

The relief looks pretty nutty judging from this pic

 

[nickgray]

but the picture show some absolutely ridiculously high string action

The saddles do seem to be cranked, judging by the adjustment screws. Could be as simple as a shit set up. Or shit playing technique and excepting zero buzz.

On the flip side, it could have shitty fretwork. Worse, it could have a hump at the end of the neck - it's not an uncommon problem, the hump angles upwards and as a result the last few frets are way higher than they need to be, so you're forced to raise the action.

 

[Winspear]

That does not look to me unusually concerning at all. Plenty of guitars looking like that and worse before a setup Relief is probably too much and the saddles are just CRANKED - look at the screws! No problem at all.
As said above there could be a reason it was forced to have high action, but that's not the case with most guitars you come across with terrible action.

 

[tedtan]

Looks like a proper set up, and maybe a neck shim, should fix it.

 

[eelblack2]

Truss and possibly a 1-2 fold shim should fix that. Just make sure the truss rod is functional, and has room left to crank. Hard to tell from that angle, but you may need to check alignment, if you take neck off. Bass side seems awful close to edge, but could be just photo angle.

 

[Matt08642]

I meant the hardware.

The relief looks pretty nutty judging from this pic
View attachment 109823

This! The primary problem is the neck relief. The only concern I would have is if you got this and found out the truss rod was broken or was maxed out already.

 

[Scordare]

I meant the hardware.

The relief looks pretty nutty judging from this pic
View attachment 109823

That’s a wicked forward bow.. I would be worried about that neck. The neck shim doesn’t look off. Looks like some guitars I’ve seen that were left in a hot car..

 

[Adriel]

I know someone who has his guitar set up like that. Bass player.

FWIW I have an RGIF7 which I believe has the identical neck/bridge. I have my action at 1.5 mm at fret 24 and it plays great.

 

[vilk]

The listing says the truss rod has plenty of room both ways... But it also says that the neck is practically straight! I mean that's visibly not true, so dunno if I can trust the truss rod info...

 

[Gmork]

Looks fine to me, it clearly gets worse towards the bridge side, those saddles can be lowered, and a neck shim could sirt it out further if needed but i doubt it would need it.

 

[NoodleFace]

The saddles are high for sure and the neck does not look close to straight. That's just me making an educated guess on the pics. It's always tough to say based on pics alone.

That said, it's an Ibanez. Low action is the name of the game.

I'd go for it. Absolute worst case if this thing buzzes you might need someone to do a fret level. But my guess is some idiot set this up bass ackwards

 

[guitaardvark]

Some people genuinely don't care, as weird as that sounds. I just bought a gently used (previous owner played it for an hour) Ibanez EHB1005MS. The action on the low B was 4mm, and the saddles looked like that. That was the factory setup. I lowered the saddles and it plays great now. As long as the truss rod works, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

In other cases I've bought instruments with high action, and it's usually set up that way to hide a buzzy fret or two in the upper register. If that's the case, it's very easy to spot level a fret. If it's a good deal and you like everything else about the guitar, I'd say do it.

 

[vilk]

Unfortunately I didn't win the auction. I was tempted to keep clicking that bid button, but it went over the amount I told myself I would bid until. Still, you always wonder, what if I had won it for just $10 more?

 

[wheresthefbomb]

I've had guitars with higher action than this lmao

back when I didn't know shit about shit

my condolences on not winning, anyway

 

[bzhang9]

on a bolt on unless the neck/frets are screwed you can always get low action