D02-e - I want to raise the action, help?

[arussell]

Hi there!

I just bought this guitar off eBay from a seller who's owned it since new (it's a 2001 I believe). I'm in North Chicago, IL going to school, but am originally from Vancouver, BC (hence the obvious attraction to this guitar). I was curious about the best way to get the action higher. It's SO low right now. The strings he was using on the guitar are Medium Elixir Nanowebs. This guitar is in beautiful shape and sounds great. There is no fret buzz so I'm assuming everything is in line on the neck. Do I need to buy a new saddle or will different strings do the trick? If I do need to buy a new saddle, where is the best place to get one online?

Thanks :)
A

Edit: I am going to be back in Vancouver in November, so theoretically I could go to Larrivee and see if they could help me. Assuming that's possible... BUT that's November.

[flatlander]

If there's no buzz, I'd give it a few weeks before doing anything. If you can get used to it, it should allow you to do pull offs, hammer ons and pinky stuff more easily. Other wise I'd say new saddle, or shim under saddle.
If it already has medium strings then they should be pretty thick already.

[jeremy3220]

Why do you want the action higher?
To raise the action at the saddle you will need a new saddle or shim the current one. Same thing goes for the nut if you want to raise the action there(but you probably don't want to do that yourself).

[hadden]

low action no buzz: sounds good already

[ohiopicker]

Get it the way you want it! Most local luthiers/guitar repair persons are capable of adding a shim (a thin strip of wood or plastic under the saddle) and it should be inexpensive. You could probably get it done on a "while you wait" basis tomorrow. If you can locate a thin piece of veneer you could do it yourself if you have an exacto knife. Let us know what you do and how it turns out!

[Randy_R]

I recommend getting a new Tusq saddle from Larrivee customer service, or from a reputable source, they aren't expensive, I have used shims, but only as a temporary measure. I have to believe a shim will affect the tone negatively.

[Danny]

I recommend getting a new Tusq saddle from Larrivee customer service, or from a reputable source, they aren't expensive, I have used shims, but only as a temporary measure. I have to believe a shim will affect the tone negatively.

You make sure the shim is flat and super glue it to the saddle. Iv'e used bone shims on  bone saddles and I have ebony under the Martin saddle. No tone issues I can tell. But ordering a new saddle should be easy. I got one in bone from Larrivee about 4 months ago.
                 Also if you have a guitar shop that stocks "All Parts" They make a compensated saddle in tusq that is a drop in for the D-09 that I had. I think it was $10 at G.C. It is a generic saddle but it is the same width and length as the Larrivee compensated tusk saddle that was used a few years back.
                I lower the action on all my gits, why do you want it higher? Are you playing slide or do you want the boost of sound you may get? Let us know how this goes.     Danny      Oh yea,