Ordered a Sigma guitar and it arrived with different inlays than shown in pictures

[FrankHudson]

Congratulations on the new guitar. Looks nice to me. There's been less talk about how it sounds to you, but what little you've said you seem to be warming to it's sound as well.

Now onto action adjustment and setup. You have two choices, two paths you can go. Please take what I'm going to say gently, it's meant to help.

You seem to know very little about how to adjust the action of a guitar. Before I'd recommend that you dive in and start trying to change the guitar's setup/action you should know what you're aiming to change, and then how to accomplish that. I'm sure there are good tutorials on the web on this, and perhaps someone here will link to good ones. I'll also say that because anyone can post anything on the web and even make it sound authoritative, there may even be bad tutorials, offering bad advice. That's path 1, learning by studying first, perhaps from more than one source. Tools needed? Yes an action ruler may be nice. A flat sanding surface is important. Sandpaper. Nut slot files can be useful. Some use a set of "feeler gauges" others use other things to measure small gaps. A truss rod wrench. In some cases to get the lowest action you might have to address some issues with frets.

If you mess up you may need to get a new saddle or nut, and worst case (fret work) something more expensive may be needed.

Does all that seem like too much trouble to you? Is your playing time or other things in your life make this sound like too much trouble?

Then Path 2. Take it to a place that knows how to do this and has the tools and pay someone to do it. There was a time in my life when I couldn't consider this due to lack of money, but maybe you can consider this path.

Action height desires vary. I think many fingerpickers with a light attack and no desire to bend strings (string vibrato) like it low. What strings you decide to use enter into this too: lighter strings can reduce needs for lowest action, and also require some action measurements to be higher to prevent buzzing.

[Brent Hutto]

Getting the nut slot height correct is tricky. Easy to mess up and go too far and then it's a pain to correct. So start with the main action height, as measured at the 12th fret. Here's how I would do it.

Get some automotive feeler gauges and find out just how high the low-E and high-E are above that 12th fret. Also measure the neck relief at the 7th fret (with the string held down at 1st and 14th frets) and adjust the truss rod so the relief is somewhere in the single-digit thousandths (I prefer about 0.004"). SET THE RELIEF BEFORE ADJUSTING ACTION.

The next time you change strings, while you have them off, lower the saddle just a little bit the first time. Get some 400-grit sandpaper and tape it down on a totally flat, hard surface. Then rub bottom of the saddle on it taking care to keep the bottom completely flat on the sandpaper. Don't lean the saddle and sand an angle into it and don't sand the ends more than the middle (don't ask why I say that's possible!).

Take a total of about 10 or 15 thousandths of an inch off the bottom of the saddle, reinstall it and restring. Let the strings settle in for a day or so and you should find that 12th fret action is about 5, 6, 7 thousandths lower than before (it changes by half as much as you take off the saddle).

If you still feel the action is too high then wait until the next string change and take another 10 thousandths or so off. If you feel either the treble or bass side is close to correct but the other side is too high you can try to vary the pressure you place on the saddle while sanding so that one side gets lower than the other but that's kind of an advanced technique that takes practice.

Once you reach the point where you like the action and neck relief, then worry about the nut slot height. I think that is best done by a professional unless you've done it before.

[markrj]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

It is definitely the model I ordered. I'm starting to warm up to the abalone after hearing people talk about it on this thread. I just wasn't expecting it. However the guitar is quite uncomfortable to play because the action is so high. I'm hoping I can fix this. It sounds quite good. It has a full sound and I can feel the guitar body vibrate when I play chords etc.





Yeah I'm starting to warm up to the abalone. I just didn't know what it was and was put off by the inconsistent nature of the colours.




Oh right good to know. The abalone inlays seem to look the same in those Martins compared to my Sigma. Here are better photos of the inlays of my Sigma:

15th fret: https://ibb.co/S3Lkv3Y
12th fret: https://ibb.co/bPsy2Rk
7th fret: https://ibb.co/cNHDkv3

You can see that the one at the 12th fret is slightly crooked but maybe this is normal. I still feel that the right-hand inlay on the 12th fret is a bit messy but maybe it's normal?

From those photos, to my eye, it appears like they could be "filled" better. Any good tech could accomplish that for you. They typically use ebony dust and CA to make the fretboard more even with the surface of the inlay.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

Ah I understand what you mean.



Do you think it would be wise for me to at least attempt to adjust the truss rod to see if it would make the guitar easier to play before approaching a professional to do a complete set-up? The old Aria guitar that I have(which was basically a beginner's guitar I got 20 years ago) has really straight action and it's very easy to play. I was really hoping that adjusting the relief would solve the issue.


Would I need a lot of expensive tools to set-up the guitar? I was under the impression that I would need an "action gauge ruler", an allen wrench and some sort of filing instrument. Are there more expensive things that need to be purchased also?


I'll keep this in mind when approaching a professional in the future.

Yep, It could be helpful to adjust the trust rod. Just go Slow and no more then a 1/4 turn at a time. You will notice the strings are closer to the fret board. (if its loose you can go a little faster, until its no longer loose)

in addition to the tools you mentioned you will need a set of six files made specifically for a guitar nut. A good set is is around $50-$80

[not_elliotsmith]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Congratulations on the new guitar. Looks nice to me. There's been less talk about how it sounds to you, but what little you've said you seem to be warming to it's sound as well.

Yeah the reason why I haven't talked about the Sigma's sound that much is because I'm still playing around with the guitar to get a feel for it.

The odd thing that I've noticed over the last couple of days is that my cheap 200 Euro Aria guitar(that was bought as a present for me back in 2002) sounds a bit brighter and has more clarity than the Sigma when I play something like "Blackbird". It seems to have more definition and brightness when playing those kinds of two note chords that have to be picked with one's fingers when playing that song.
When I hit the strings of the Sigma they sound duller and less bright than the Aria. Also the strings of the Aria are super old. I haven't changed them in a couple of years because I've rarely played the guitar until recently. However the Sigma sounds fuller when playing say a D major chord with a plectrum than the Aria.

It's a bit confusing. I'm wondering if it's because the strings on my Aria are different than the ones that came with the Sigma. I believe the strings on the Aria could be bronze phosphor strings whereas the guy I was talking with from Gear4Music said the strings that come with the Sigma are "D´Addario EXP16" which are also bronze phosphor strings.

Could it be that because the Sigma has more bass in it's sound it sort of dulls the higher frequencies or something?

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Then Path 2. Take it to a place that knows how to do this and has the tools and pay someone to do it. There was a time in my life when I couldn't consider this due to lack of money, but maybe you can consider this path.

I think I will choose this option. I don't have any experience with doing such a thing. I could definitely try adjusting the truss rod but I'm scared of doing any filing with the nut or saddle.

[not_elliotsmith]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

Yep, It could be helpful to adjust the trust rod. Just go Slow and no more then a 1/4 turn at a time. You will notice the strings are closer to the fret board. (if its loose you can go a little faster, until its no longer loose)

in addition to the tools you mentioned you will need a set of six files made specifically for a guitar nut. A good set is is around $50-$80

Do I need to loosen the guitar strings when adjusting the truss rod? Why are six files need for the guitar nut? You need a file for each slot?

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

Do I need to loosen the guitar strings when adjusting the truss rod? Why are six files need for the guitar nut? You need a file for each slot?

No need to loosen the strings, just don’t turn to hard if it feels tight or stuck.

6 strings with different widths, so yes, you need the appropriate size file for each slot.

[not_elliotsmith]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

No need to loosen the strings, just don’t turn to hard if it feels tight or stuck.

6 strings with different widths, so yes, you need the appropriate size file for each slot.

Okay. Should I expect to feel a fair bit of resistance when adjusting the truss rod in general. Or should it turn smoothly if I'm supposed to be loosening the tension?

[Wellington]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

Yeah the reason why I haven't talked about the Sigma's sound that much is because I'm still playing around with the guitar to get a feel for it.

The odd thing that I've noticed over the last couple of days is that my cheap 200 Euro Aria guitar(that was bought as a present for me back in 2002) sounds a bit brighter and has more clarity than the Sigma when I play something like "Blackbird". It seems to have more definition and brightness when playing those kinds of two note chords that have to be picked with one's fingers when playing that song.
When I hit the strings of the Sigma they sound duller and less bright than the Aria. Also the strings of the Aria are super old. I haven't changed them in a couple of years because I've rarely played the guitar until recently. However the Sigma sounds fuller when playing say a D major chord with a plectrum than the Aria.

It's a bit confusing. I'm wondering if it's because the strings on my Aria are different than the ones that came with the Sigma. I believe the strings on the Aria could be bronze phosphor strings whereas the guy I was talking with from Gear4Music said the strings that come with the Sigma are "D´Addario EXP16" which are also bronze phosphor strings.

Could it be that because the Sigma has more bass in it's sound it sort of dulls the higher frequencies or something?





I think I will choose this option. I don't have any experience with doing such a thing. I could definitely try adjusting the truss rod but I'm scared of doing any filing with the nut or saddle.

When I was 12 I bought my first guitar and amp. It was a little 10 way very cheap practice amp with distortion. Man I loved distortion, I'd crank it up and play and play. When I was 14 or 15 I bought a new amp, it was a brand new Vox, forget the model, not an AC10 but it was really nice. Anyway, this amp was quite big, and I tried the distortion on it and hated it, thought my 10 watt practice amp sounded way better. Returned the Vox and went back to my little amp. Eventually I bought a different amp, after a few years I plugged in the old practice amp for fun, and dear God I realized what I had done...I chose a cheap practice amp that sounded horrible over an actual Vox amp that sounded really good. I was just focused on distortion and what I thought sounded good, which in my case was just what I was used to.

Moral of the story, just give it some time, for one the guitar may need to acclimate for a week or 2 to your house, and also you may hear it differently. Maybe your Aria is actually a good sounding guitar, or maybe it's thin and bright and you haven't adjusted to the more well roundedness of the Sigma. It's happened to me with acoustics. In the end though, you gotta go with what you like, if in the end the Sigma just isn't your thing, don't try to make it your thing.

[drive-south]

I suspect the abalone may actually what's known as A Baloney. It's synthetic (plastic) abalone. Not real shell. The markers that are faint look like they were over sanded, removing part of the inlay.

In any event this is a cosmetic issue on an inexpensive guitar.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

Okay. Should I expect to feel a fair bit of resistance when adjusting the truss rod in general. Or should it turn smoothly if I'm supposed to be loosening the tension?

As the neck moves closer to flat (not recommending perfectly flat) you will get resistance. But unless there is an issue with the truss rod it should not be overly difficult to turn. Just don’t force it.

Once the relief is properly set you can then decide if you want to bring it in for a set up

FYI most shops will give you a truss rod adjustment while you wait, for next to nothing. It takes a few minutes (less then a few minutes). Perhaps that’s a way to go, initially, and the tech can demo how much tension is used.

[Tony Burns]

i think you got lucky -abalone is a big upgrade !

[takamineGD93]

Originally Posted by not_elliotsmith

Do I need to loosen the guitar strings when adjusting the truss rod? Why are six files need for the guitar nut? You need a file for each slot?

But you should not use files. You should sand the bottom????

The sigma is suposed to mimic a martin in looks and sound so it should have more bass.