I have two problems ....

axisus

My low E string sounds .... Flubby.

It's all my own fault of course. Self built guitar, sorted the nut myself (I have files for the job).

1 Cause of flubbiness? (in other words it just sounds a bit dead)
2 So something I could maybe fix with bicarb/superglue or new nut required?


I can't get my action low enough.

I've had a few goes at levelling the frets on my various guitars, I always seem to end up with the same problem, Somewhere up the dusty end the high E bottoms out on another fret (9.5 radius), so I end up raising all the strings. I can't seem to get things right either doing all frets in one go or just fixing the one that appears to be the problem. Generally I let it slide as I have always played with a highish action. But then again, every 6 months or so it bugs me that I haven't got it right and I fiddle again. I'm due a fiddle.

This may of course be because the necks I make are inherently squiffy!

Either way - any advice before my latest attempt?

PhilKing

How much relief do you have in the neck and do you have feeler gauges to check the nut height and action?   Also, what gauge strings and have you tried a different set?

BillDL

Try to ensure that your saddles are radiused to match the 9.5" fretboard radius.  In reality the saddles for the lower strings usually need to be a little higher than those for the high strings, so the arc is slightly offset just as you usually see on an acoustic one-piece saddle, but if the saddles aren't forming roughly the same radius as the fretboard you can have issues.

Is the guitar a bolt-on neck, and if so what kind of bridge is fitted?

Funkfingers

BillDL said:

Try to ensure that your saddles are radiused to match the 9.5" fretboard radius. In reality the saddles for the lower strings usually need to be a little higher than those for the high strings, so the arc is slightly offset

In short, use a radius gauge.

Set the highest and lowest strings first. Adjust the other four strings to the offset radius curve. NOTE: The strings need to follow the arc. The tops of the saddles should remain parallel to the bridge baseplate.

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@axisus What action height do you normally set?

On Stratocaster type guitars, regardless of fingerboard radius, I almost always use 10-46 or 10-48 gauge strings. The clearance between the low E string and the twelfth fret is a gnat's over 2/32nd of an inch (c. 2mm).

This way, the guitar puts up a bit of a fight and the fulcrum vibrato feels right. 

On shred sticks with double locking vibrato systems, I set the action fractionally lower.

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Final thought. What material are your bridge saddles? Cast zinc should be expected to sound flubby compared to steel or titanium. 

Winny_Pooh

When you level frets do you do fall away? I tend to be pretty aggressive with the top 2 and use a fret rocker before levelling