Help me sort out what to do…

[E-Type]

I recognize that name:
https://guildguitars.com/dealer-spotlight-matt-umanov-guitars-new-york-n-y/

I'm starting to think "Don't overthink it" is code for "I'm tired of 'splainin' things to people."
Which I can sympathize with. But I still think that 3/16" was a goof, even if an honest one..
Unless he really is tired of you.

Wow, pretty impressive background. With it, I cannot see how he thinks 3/16" is acceptable.
The 3/16" was in response to my first message, so he hadn't had time to get tired of me yet. I asked if he was sure, and he didn't respond to that. If the 3/16" is right, and the strings are only 3/8" off the top, it would only work for me after a reset. I hate to spend $250 on shipping both ways simply to check if he measured accurately!

 

[Wilmywood]

Definitely a 1972 model.

 

[adorshki]

The 3/16" was in response to my first message, so he hadn't had time to get tired of me yet. I asked if he was sure, and he didn't respond to that. If the 3/16" is right, and the strings are only 3/8" off the top, it would only work for me after a reset. I hate to spend $250 on shipping both ways simply to check if he measured accurately!

Ok, I'm confused, thought he gave you 2 measurements? One at 3/16 and one at 3/32?.
No need to reply if you're tired of 'splainin' things.

 

[E-Type]

Definitely a 1972 model.

And there is another on Reverb atm with an even lower serial number. Crazy.

 

[E-Type]

Ok, I'm confused, thought he gave you 2 measurements? One at 3/16 and one at 3/32?.
No need to reply if you're tired of 'splainin' things.

First he said 3/16". I assumed it was a simple typo and posted here before he clarified that it was indeed 3/16". It never occurred to me that "action is tops" could line up with 3/16" action. I made the mistake of posting 3/32" before I heard back from him. My bad.

 

[Wilmywood]

First he said 3/16". I assumed it was a simple typo and posted here before he clarified that it was indeed 3/16". It never occurred to me that "action is tops" could line up with 3/16" action. I made the mistake of posting 3/32" before I heard back from him. My bad.

I looked back and that first measurement you posted was 6/64, which is 3/32, which is just fine

Post #29
"I just traded messages with the seller of a '72 G-37. He says the strings are 3/8" off the top (pretty low) and the action is 6/64". I asked if the bridge had been shaved as I think many BRIDGES were 3/8". I am not sure I need another in need of a reset!"

 

[Wilmywood]

Also, my strings are a tick under 3/8" from the top. I'd say it measures the same as mine in all regards

 

[Wilmywood]

Get a gibson Les Paul. Play that for a month. Go back to your Guild and it will feel light as a feather. Or get a stool.

My '81 G37 is heavy as #@$.

The '78 I had was a lot heavier than my '72 is. Noticeably heavier.

 

[E-Type]

I looked back and that first measurement you posted was 6/64, which is 3/32, which is just fine

Post #29
"I just traded messages with the seller of a '72 G-37. He says the strings are 3/8" off the top (pretty low) and the action is 6/64". I asked if the bridge had been shaved as I think many BRIDGES were 3/8". I am not sure I need another in need of a reset!"

Again, I was assuming he has misstated the action. It was just after that that he responded that indeed it was 3/16". I should not have adjusted what I thought he meant. But he is standing by 3/16".

 

[E-Type]

Also, my strings are a tick under 3/8" from the top. I'd say it measures the same as mine in all regards

So your bridge must be roughly 5/16" tall with 1/16" for the saddle, right? That might be what this one for sale is like, but with much higher action (if yours is 3/32" and the one for sale is 3/16").

 

[Wilmywood]

So your bridge must be 5/16" tall with 1/16" for the saddle. That might be what this one for sale is like, but with much higher action (if yours is 3/32" and the one for sale is 3/16").

Your post 29 said the action was 6/64, which is 3/32, same as mine

 

[Wilmywood]

My bridge is about 1/4" tall with a 1/16 tall saddle, give or take a 1/32nd

 

[adorshki]

My bridge is about 1/4" tall with a 1/16 tall saddle, give or take a 1/32nd

Generic ideal combined height of bridge and saddle is 1/2", with about 5/16 of that being bridge and 3/16 being saddle.
Having said that, my '03 D40 has a massive bridge, a full 3/8, and 9/16 combined bridge/saddle height
Saddle height affects break angle, which in turn affects how much string energy gets transmitted to bridge and thus top.
A "short" saddle might have the pinholes drilled closer to it, to give better break angle.

 

[Wilmywood]

Generic ideal combined height of bridge and saddle is 1/2", with about 5/16 of that being bridge and 3/16 being saddle.
Having said that, my '03 D40 has a massive bridge, a full 3/8, and 9/16 combined bridge/saddle height
Saddle height affects break angle, which in turn affects how much string energy gets transmitted to bridge and thus top.
A "short" saddle might have the pinholes drilled closer to it, to give better break angle.

Here's a side view of my bridge/saddle. It doesn't suffer for volume.

 

[adorshki]

Here's a side view of my bridge/saddle. It doesn't suffer for volume.

Looks like decent enough break angles, but I didn't mean to imply it's the ONLY thing affecting volume. (Ramping the slots is another method of increasing break angle).

But the point is, the bridge has mass that multiplies the string tension to get the top moving. So bridge mass is at least as relevant as height and mass can be achieved by other methods than height, such as a larger footprint, and/or bridge plate material/thickness.
If you have a very light and responsive top you don't need a whole lot of bridge mass to get it moving.

The interrelationship between those factors can yield several different but equally adequate solutions. (Don't mean to sound didactic, thinking more about other readers who may not be aware of the principle)

 

[kostask]

The standard rule of thumb is that acoustic guitar action should be around 6/64" (=3/32") on the bass E. 5-5.5/64 on the treble side. Action can move up or down by up to 2/64 (=1/32) based on things like player's preference, string gauge, and playing style (strumming. finger style, or bluegrass). 3/16" is neck reset territory. I would also venture to say that if the action is that high, a bridge cannot be shaved down far enough to make the action usable, aside from sound quality issues and having the bridge crack due to an extremely shallow saddle slot.

While I can understand that incessant questions can lead to a certain amount of frustration, I think that the seller isn't being very cooperative, and the poster should just move on to another guitar that fits his parameters. There are too many guitars on the market, even ones that fit his parameters, to deal with somebody who is being uncooperative. And if there isn't a guitar currently available that fits his parameters, there soon will be. This whole "I am so knowledgeable about guitars that I don't need to answer your questions" mind set is unacceptable to me. If you are a good seller, you would want to be as open and clear about what you are offering so that the buyer will feel confident in their purchase, and if it were me, I would have already walked away. This is a volume production guitar, NOT a unicorn, or in guitar terms, a pre-war Martin D-45 or a D'Angelico hand built archtop. As somebody just posted, there is already another '72 or earlier G-37 on Reverb. Why deal with a difficult seller?

 

[Wilmywood]

I asked the guy on Reverb for a measurement and he came back with the same 3/16" he had said before. I questioned it, saying that would indicate to me either a bowed neck or a neck in need of reset. Well, he took offense, replying again that it was actually 1/8" which is not so bad, then proceeding (only after insisting we move the exchange to private email, NOT reverb) How he was the guy at Guild in 1965 who did all the final setups, yadda yada yada. And how 3/32" was for a Strat or Les Paul, NOT an acoustic
So I told him I had a '72 G37 at 3/32" and it's a good thing it was after his time there or I may not have bought it.
Then I pasted the exchange on the reverb message page for posterity. What a @%$&^#@

 

[Wilmywood]

And then I added, on Reverb - Good thing I requested (correctly, as it turns out) a remeasurement.

Do you treat everyone who asks a question like this?

 

[adorshki]

And then I added, on Reverb - Good thing I requested (correctly, as it turns out) a remeasurement.

Do you treat everyone who asks a question like this?

I wonder if he was the guy who made sure the action was too high on the student M20 builds?

 

[adorshki]

I asked the guy on Reverb for a measurement and he came back with the same 3/16" he had said before. I questioned it, saying that would indicate to me either a bowed neck or a neck in need of reset. Well, he took offense, replying again that it was actually 1/8" which is not so bad, then proceeding (only after insisting we move the exchange to private email, NOT reverb) How he was the guy at Guild in 1965 who did all the final setups, yadda yada yada. And how 3/32" was for a Strat or Les Paul, NOT an acoustic
So I told him I had a '72 G37 at 3/32" and it's a good thing it was after his time there or I may not have bought it.
Then I pasted the exchange on the reverb message page for posterity. What a @%$&^#@

I wonder if he was the guy who made sure the action was too high on the student M20 builds?