Guitar bridges too high

[David Schwab]

One of the neck is bolt - on so i'll try the shim with that one. The other guitar's neck is glued in however. That'll need another solution. The necks are perfectly straight in both cases so the truss rods do not need to be touched.I've attached too pictures of the guitar with the glues on neck. [ATTACH=CONFIG]14400[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14401[/ATTACH]

How did you glue the neck on? You said these were kits? When you do a set neck, you have to plan on the bridge elevation, and set the neck angle accordingly. I use full scale drawings to do this.

An easy fix it to counter sink that mounting stud bushing into the body. That's how it's usually done. You don't want the bridge sitting on top of that bushing and stud like that. Take a look at some Gibsons and see how they do it.

So I would pull the bushing out and plug the hole with a wood dowel and glue. Then use a Forstner bit to counter sink the bushing AND the stud so they are flush with the top of the guitar. That way you can crank the bridge down until it touches the top.

That's also kind of a high bridge, and the bridge is leaning forward, which doesn't help. You might be able to find a lower profile bridge. StewMac carries the Schroeder Stoptail Bridge, which is only 1/2" tall, but it's kind of pricy.

[Chuck H]

They have more sustain because the energy from the strings is not being converted to acoustic energy.

Right. That's the real picture as I see it. Sustain and acoustic resonance are often at odds (though not always). So it somewhat depends on the goal. I personally like more than less acoustic resonance.

And, as conceded, could I actually hear a difference between shimmed or not? I'd give that a soft 'maybe'. Could I hear a difference between a wood shim and a cardboard shim in a neck pocket? Probably not. But I can tell you that my experience with wood vs cardboard under an acoustic saddle is where I base my findings. The principals are the same though less profound. To concede again, perhaps insignificant.

From an aesthetic angle... I just prefere that my guitars construction materials don't include cardboard.

[David Schwab]

But I can tell you that my experience with wood vs cardboard under an acoustic saddle is where I base my findings.

Oh yeah, that would make a big difference. Even the saddle not being seated well will affect the tone. And in that case you are concerned with transferring vibrations to the body.

But for a solid body these things have less of an impact. I make a lot of set neck instruments, but bolt ons have their own unique tone that people like, and it probably has a lot to do with the less than perfect coupling of the neck to the body.