Recently purchased Les Paul guitar new. They will not let me return, since past 14 days. Went to adjust string height only to notice everything is adjusted all the way down already. Now I have no idea how to lower the strings. Worried I just got ripped off and have a guitar that can not be set up as needed for playability. Please anyone feel free to give me any ideas on what I can do!

What sort of relief is dialed into the truss rod? Could it be leaning so far forward that your action is too high? Or maybe the nut needs to be trimmed down (like just about every other Gibson out of the factory in the known universe).

What kinds of measurements are we talking here? How large is the gap between the top of the 12th fret, and the bottom of each string? (Measure this with and without the notes fretted at the 1st fret).

I assume you played this guitar when you bought it right? Was it always this way, or did it happen gradually over the past couple weeks? Barring any severe manufacturing defects, I would guess that it's just a matter of acclimating the guitar to its new environment, and getting a good setup.

Pics would probably help too if its really out of the ordinary.

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Gregg | OK Hemingway
Warmoth Strat > Tube Screamer > Line 6 M13 > 100 Watt Marshall 1959 SLX (Plexi)

The guitar was not that bad when purchased and all I have done is change strings. The relief is leaning a little too much forward but not much. The bottom "E" is perfect but the top two or three are high with top "E" at 1/8".. It would be nice to maybe use the nut to adjust down, but never done that before. Bad thing is I don't have any guitar techs or repair centers around. I must do something it's driving me crazy!! I'll send pics ASAP to give you a good look at it..

What does the low E measure? It's common for the lower strings to be a bit higher off the board. Are the strings at significantly different heights even when the bridge is level with the body?

It just sounds like you need a setup. Tightening the truss rod will probably cover most of your troubles. Without a tech nearby, or maybe a friend with a little more experience you only have a couple options. One, ship it off to a repair shop, or learn to do it yourself. There are plenty of tutorials regarding truss rod and bridge adjustments. There are probably hundreds of threads on TGP regarding this subject.

I would caution against doing any mods to the nut or bridge saddles. A nice new Gibson is not the right guitar for this sort of practice

It'll hopefully be easier to tell when you have pics available.

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Gregg | OK Hemingway
Warmoth Strat > Tube Screamer > Line 6 M13 > 100 Watt Marshall 1959 SLX (Plexi)

If the bridge is already all the way down then there is no reasonable prospect for the guitar to remain playable over its expected life. Return it. Go to what-ever consumer advocacy group exists in your locality if necessary. If it is a genuine Les Paul then it should have a limited lifetime warranty, Gibson Guitar: Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitars, Baldwin Pianos, anyway.

One of the reasons for buying top shelf (and paying the premium) is so you don't have to worry about this sort of issue. I just had a Guild send back and they remachined the neck, when that wasn't successful they replaced the instrument.

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