[jklemm18]

This kinda fishtails off of last weeks Yamaha disappointment someone was feeling. Setting up your guitar and installing a new saddle is not as daunting as it seems. I have been wanting to learn the mystic art for a while but was not keen to take the wrenches to my 000-18.

I picked up a Yamaha FS700s online for $100 that was listed as being a 2 on a scale of 1-5. When it arrived it was really dirty, couple of scratches and the action was over 3.5mm at the 12th. The truss rod and neck seemed good but It sounded like a tin box.

I bought a compensated bone saddle from All-parts and a Music Nomad string action gauge. It all arrived and I went to my measurements and disassembly. I wanted to shoot for about 2 mm at the 12, figuring less is better and leaving room for error. I took out the old plastic saddle and made my marks on the new bone saddle and went to sanding on some 60 grit paper. About 15 minutes later I was ready to install, the saddle was a little long for the slot so I then sanded the sides a hair and it dropped right in. Tuned her up and cleaned up and I will admit she plays much better than any $100 guitar deserves to (kinda makes me question my buying habits).

Anyways, don't be afraid to take the plunge and do some minor stuff on your gear. An hour of my time on a cold Saturday with a fun project got me a cool little guitar to play with. Might install some rotomatics next...