[shupe13]

I picked up this ued Firebird Red G5129 and I really like her.

I don't know much about my guitar other than it doesn't have the rosewood bridge base like described in the specs and Its a few years old for sure.

I'm not a fan of the action. I like the action as low as possible. When I got her the action was horribly high so I got to work. I discovered the truss rod was completely relieved. After some work I got her pretty straight but the buzz is worse than I want so I think I'll replace the nut with a taller one or shim the one on it now.

Is higher action a standard for this type of instrument?

[shupe13]

Ok I did some research and found out its a September, 2004 Korean/Peerless and it didn't have a rosewood bridge. The licensed Bigsby is a B70 and not a B60 like I originally thought. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

[freddyfingers]

But ya gotta admit the sound is intense, yes?

[TheBeachBoy]

Hey shupe, great guitar! Where did you find out the date of yours? I have an early 5125 and I am curious to its date and birthplace.

[Drewgrass]

Congrats! Nice score.

Originally Posted by shupe13

I discovered the truss rod was completely relieved. After some work I got her pretty straight but the buzz is worse than I want so I think I'll replace the nut with a taller one or shim the one on it now.

The neck is not usually set straight in order to achieve the best action.
If you have not done any truss rod adjusting before, it might be worth watching this video on adjusting the truss rod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOMoyZG7pw4

Making the nut higher will make fretting more difficult at the lower frets and the extra downward pressure needed to fret the string can result in the note being sharp.
There are more helpful videos and info on setting up your guitar at Gretsch Support.

[shupe13]

Originally Posted by TheBeachBoy

Hey shupe, great guitar! Where did you find out the date of yours? I have an early 5125 and I am curious to its date and birthplace.

I got the info I needed from Gretsch Pages. There is a breakdown of the dating/manufacturer and you can also register your Gretsch guitar(s) there.

[shupe13]

Thanks Drew Grass. I'll check it out for sure.

There is a small chip near the nut making me believe its been removed/replaced before and the neck and action seemed to be set to compensate for the low nut. The neck bow is set to where the truss rod is almost able to spin free (if that makes sense), a half turn away, and the action was powerline high! A quarter inch at the last (highest) fret.

Frets 1,2,3,5,12 and 14 buzz on both the E and A strings. The frets appear level and properly seated.