I’ve been playing this thing for years and the action is just too damn high. It has a single staggered bridge with each string on its own angled peak. How do I lower the action? Can I just attempt to evenly grind the bottom of the bridge down or do I need to buy a whole new bridge? Also, whats the point of the staggered bridge piece vs the single smooth ridge?
I’ve had this guitar over 10 years and am finally thinking it’s time to do this. Otherwise I love the thing (Ibanez Lonestar).
Don’t.
Go to a luthier and have it done right.
You can thank me later 
The safest thing to do is take it to a luthier, who can determine what it needs (and what it doesn’t need) and adjust it properly.
The part you’re calling a bridge is the saddle. It fits into a slot in the bridge. It’s staggered (compensated) to more accurately fix the intonation of each string.
Saddle height is one factor in action height. IF the neck is on straight, and IF the relief (neck bow) is within specs, and IF the nut height is correct, and IF the top isn’t bowed, and IF the bridge isn’t loose or otherwise faulty, THEN grinding down the saddle to reduce its height may be just what you need. But I highly recommend you NOT shorten the saddle unless you know for a fact that it is indeed what’s called for – it may well not get the action to where you want it, and it could cause other problems.
For more info, go to this page at FRETS.COM and read some of the articles under “Instrument Setup” and “Acoustic Guitar.”
I’ve known several local guitarist that filed their own saddle. It’s not that expensive to replace if you file too deep. As others mentioned, it just slips right into the slot.
A luthier would be the best option if there’s one around. There wasn’t one within 200 miles of my small town. The local music shops had guys that repaired instruments but they weren’t trained luthiers.
This poster speaks truth - there’s no substitute for a hands-on inspection by a good guitar tech. Should put you back ~$60-$80 for a thorough check-out. Tell them your specific complaint and they should be able to tell you what they see in the set up of your guitar - neck angle, neck relief, saddle and nut heights and grooves and intonation, etc. - that is contributing to your issues, and suggestions on how to address them. If it is a simple tweak of a neck truss rod, a bit of saddle lowering and fret leveling and an intonation check, then those fit in the price of a the set up. If it is more, it would have to be priced out.
Best of luck. What kind of guitar? Make, model and year if possible?
He said it’s an Ibanez Lonestar, at least ten years old. No idea if he’s the first owner.
:smack::smack::smack:
ahem, indeed he did; sorry.
Did a quick check - looks cool. As a rule, Ibanez guitars are well-made - meaning that while they definitely go out of adjustment, as do all guitars, they typically “take a set up” pretty well and are better players for it.
The one issue I would focus on from a no-hands, online-look standpoint is that it appears that Lonestars have a fairly slim-profile neck - i.e., the depth of the wood from fingerboard to the back of the neck is relatively thin. Makes for a faster-player guitar that is well-suited to thumb-on-the-back-of-the-neck (i.e., classical or shred technique) type playing. In some cases, especially on a steel-string acoustic, that much pull on a thin neck *can *increase the likelihood that you need more-frequent truss rod adjustments - twice a year if your summer and winter temps are far apart. No big deal if the neck responds well to an occaisional tweak…
