Good day all. I have just purchased a republic highway 61 ,used guitar with a nice pickup installed and a nice case . It was a good deal at a long and McQuade music store attic sale. I have always liked the looks of this guitar. I own Gretsch bobtail reso which I enjoy playing but wanted a grittier sound, and the steel , the 61 has that. I find the action a bit high great for slide but a tad tough for Barr and chording when I need to switch it up.
Is lowering the action on a biscuit difficult? I have woodworking experience. do I sand down the black top where the strings sit or take it out of the biscuit altogether and sand down the wood underneath.( if you know what I mean?)
Or should I be patient and take it to a luthier.
I took mine to a luthier; I lacked woodworking experience as well as spare time. But you're on the right track- I had ordered a new biscuit with a loose saddle, so it could be cut to the right height before gluing into the biscuit.
What I have learned is the the action is lowered on the top of the saddle in the slots on a biscuit bridge reso guitar. So you would carefully file down the string slots to bring them lower. You shouldn't have to sand the bottom of the saddle to lower it.
But here's the thing - a pro luthier, or a serious home "shade tree" luthier will most likely have a set of files from a company like StewMac to get it done correctly. Here's a link to the page - the main reason I linked it is to show that these little suckers are expensive, and for something you may only do once in your life I'd say you're better off taking it to a qualified luthier.
https://www.stewmac.com/search/?q=nut%20files
There are people who start the job in each slot with a very thin file then run the corresponding size guitar string back and forth in each slot to finish the job. I've never done it myself so I don't know if this is a recommended practice, somewhere here will likely have that knowledge.
Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 09/29/2025 16:06:23
yes thankyou. it confirms my thoughts. I don't need anymore tools to have to try and find when I need them . I need to clean my tools and garage. yes. I have a bit of wait time to get my luthier but he's worth it. hell I need to work on my slide and harmonica in the meantime. thanks for the feedback people. cheers
I had that exact guitar and lowered the action just like any guitar, by pulling the saddle and sanding off of the bottom, it may not work for every guitar but it worked for me. Make sure that you don't go so low as to hit the cover plate, also it needs a certain amount of brake angle on the cone.
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