Today we found out that Jim DeCola isn't just a Master Luthier at Gibson – he's a secret inventor too. Well, not so secret anymore, thanks to the fine folks over at the new Gibson Gazette site (a great place for your daily Gibson news fix) alerting us to this excellent video. DeCola has only gone and made a tool for the feared art of lowering your acoustic guitar's action. And we can all make one too.
Acoustic guitars and high action are unfortunately common partners, but it doesn't have to be this way and Jim doesn't just show us the steps of measuring our string action but how we actually lower it. And with an acoustic that means lowering the bridge saddle by sanding.
A lot of players get nervous here but Jim helps talk us through the calculations required ("it's best to work a little at a time" he advises early on), measuring with a caliper (something I've found to be a really useful investment for guitar work) and how to use a capo so you don't have to keep changing strings between adjustments.
When lowering the guitar bridge it's vital you don it evenly on a flat surface. And here, DeCola he has an extra ally…
The expert luthier has made his own failsafe sanding station with a piece of glass, adhesive-backed sandpaper and a thin piece of board. It keeps everything flat and straight for an accurate bridge adjustment – you just need to work slowly and with even pressure.
Of course, DeCola also has us covered if our acoustic action is too low – and as you'll see in the video above, that's even simpler.
Check out the full video above and look out for more Gibson content at the Gibson Gazette.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
“Each toy is designed in house and rigorously tested by our dogs on staff”: Schecter has a treat for the player who doesn’t mind a squeak or two and some bark in the mix
“That same, authentic syrupy sound onto your pedalboard without breaking the bank!”: Having unveiled super-affordable Klon and Tone Bender clones, Behringer unveils a $69 take on the Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe