Guitars

tooj | 19:05 Wed 14th Aug 2013 | Hobbies & Interests

33 Answers

I am quite elderly and I have just acquired an acoustic guitar to give me another interest.
I find the strings seem quite high from the fingerboard and I. find it almost impossible to press the sixth string down with anything other than my index finger and get a note.

Can I loosen all the strings so that it isn't quite so hard to push them down, and still tune it properly. After all Dolly Parton can play hers with long false nails and have no trouble.

Quite honestly I will lose face if I can't get a tune out of it!

Any suggestion would be quite welcome.

Please Read This Elderly

Crochet

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anaxcrosswords

No, if you loosen the strings you won't have the bottom string in E. It sounds to me like the 'action' is out and the best thing to do is take it to a music shop that does instrument servicing. On electric guitars it's not too difficult to set up the bridge yourself as they have tiny screws which you can adjust with allen keys. I think acoustics are different. I'm also guessing - if the strings are that far away from the fretboard - that the neck may be warped, but a music shop can sort that out for you.

Tilly2

You have to persevere and press the strings harder. When I first learned to play an acoustic guitar I had blisters on my fingers which eventually hardened into callouses.

jomifl

At the 12th fret the bass string (thickest)should be about 3-4mm clear of the fretboardand the top string (thinnest) about 2-3mm clear. You can check the straightness of the fretboard with a straight edge. You can lower the string height by trimming the saddle or fitting a lower one. People sometimes fit steel strings to spanish guitars which should only have nylon strings. This can do serious damage such as warping the neck or detaching the bridge.

TheWinner

It sounds like the action is too high. When choosing a guitar you need to choose one where the strings are very close to the frets, otherwise, it will be like a cheese grater on your fingers and make them very sore. Dolly Parton tends to use open tuning, so that she only has to use one finger across each fret, to make another chord.

tooj

Question Author

Thanks for the advice. The Guitar is a Chantry, it has steel strings and a the 12th fret the base string is 8mm the thinnest 6mm. I don't want sore fingers if I can help it so I think I will leave it alone. It's such a shame it really looks good, and my wife who bought it me as a present is going to go through the roof.

TheWinner

Tell your wife, you are absolutely thrilled with her gift and she is so thoughtful. Then tell her you have learned the basics, and you now want to "upgrade" your guitar to the next level. Then go to Argos and purchase a Yamaha F310.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5408102.htm?CMPID=GS001&_$ja=cgid:7256793047|tsid:41259|cid:123968207|lid:56962176305|nw:g|crid:24795236087|rnd:1032782106327544081|dvc:c|adp:1o1
You will not be disappointed, trust me.

tooj

Question Author

Winner, I like your style, unfortunately she is bound to hear me trying to play it and will know I haven,t learned the basics. However the Yamaha looks really good although a little above the price I would want at the moment,. Still CHRISTMAS isn't so far away!

Maydup

When I had my first guitar I swapped the steel strings for nylon. Its sooooo much easier on the fingers. You'll get a good enough tune from it to please you and your wife, then once you've broken those finger tips in, you can put the steelies back on.

Tilly2

Are you using Bert Weedon's 'Play in a Day'? That's how I started.

Sipowicz

I used Bert's "Play in a day" 40 years ago.......I still can't play!!!!

TheWinner

I wish I lived near to all of you, so I could offer help.

Tilly2

I still have my copy.

Old_Geezer

Yes, but your day hasn't come yet, Sipowicz.

anaxcrosswords

Incidentally, get yourself a bottle of surgical spirit and put it on your fingers regularly. It hardens the skin so you'll get fewer blisters.

Sipowicz

I gave up and took up the drums.

Tilly2

Now you tell me, forty five years later!

TheWinner

anaxcrosswords, years and years ago, when I was first learning, I used to cut tiny squares of pink fabric plasters and paste them on my fingertips to try and help with the soreness.