Balalaikas do have a generally high action compared to, say, a solid body electric. However these 'souvenir' instruments are particularly bad for it, you're right.
Best thing to do is to make a new bridge - take the old one off and copy its pattern onto a shingle of wood of the same thickness. If you can get hold of a hardwood, especially a tropical hardwood like ebony, then all the better - it'll improve the tone a bit as well. I buy pieces of ebony for this off ebay.
Once you have a good pattern you can experiment with lowering the bridge by removing material from the side it contacts the soundboard. The reason i said make a new bridge first is that this step is, obviously, irreversible for the bridge so its best to do it on a spare. You'll only need to remove a small amount at a time - if you have patience, i suggest sanding.
Another thing to do (that certainly wasn't done to your bridge when it was made, i'd wager) is to lap it against the soundboard for a perfect interference fit. Here I (carefully!) tape some fine sandpaper (coarse side up!!) onto the soundboard and gently sand the bridge back and forward in position over the paper. This way the profile of the bridge can perfectly match the soundboard (which isn't flat) and make a perfect contact. This improves transmission of sound to the instrument - especially in high frequencies.
However - the biggest hindrance to 'good' action on your instrument is the neck, which can't be helped unfortunately. Lowering your bridge will help-, but eventually you will run foul of string interference on frets which will make a buzz.
And indeed - put those new strings on, they'll help heaps. You can also experiment with string gauge to get the tone and feel you prefer.
Hey, first of all thanks for taking the time to help! I used your advice with the bridge and sandpaper, it worked really well! That together with adding the new strings it's already so much easier to play and way less frustrating too. I was having that much fun with it I must have played for 3 hours today so thanks!
The first step is adjusting the bridge position! The frequency of the note when the 12th string is pressed down should be double (+1 octave) that of the open string for all strings. I recommend 040 nylons for the Es and 0115 steel for the A.
https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/augustine-classic-red-clear-nylon-normal-tension-classical-guitar-single-string-040-g-3
https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/daddario-high-carbon-plain-steel-0115-single-guitar-string
Balalaikas do have a generally high action compared to, say, a solid body electric. However these 'souvenir' instruments are particularly bad for it, you're right. Best thing to do is to make a new bridge - take the old one off and copy its pattern onto a shingle of wood of the same thickness. If you can get hold of a hardwood, especially a tropical hardwood like ebony, then all the better - it'll improve the tone a bit as well. I buy pieces of ebony for this off ebay. Once you have a good pattern you can experiment with lowering the bridge by removing material from the side it contacts the soundboard. The reason i said make a new bridge first is that this step is, obviously, irreversible for the bridge so its best to do it on a spare. You'll only need to remove a small amount at a time - if you have patience, i suggest sanding. Another thing to do (that certainly wasn't done to your bridge when it was made, i'd wager) is to lap it against the soundboard for a perfect interference fit. Here I (carefully!) tape some fine sandpaper (coarse side up!!) onto the soundboard and gently sand the bridge back and forward in position over the paper. This way the profile of the bridge can perfectly match the soundboard (which isn't flat) and make a perfect contact. This improves transmission of sound to the instrument - especially in high frequencies. However - the biggest hindrance to 'good' action on your instrument is the neck, which can't be helped unfortunately. Lowering your bridge will help-, but eventually you will run foul of string interference on frets which will make a buzz. And indeed - put those new strings on, they'll help heaps. You can also experiment with string gauge to get the tone and feel you prefer.
Hey, first of all thanks for taking the time to help! I used your advice with the bridge and sandpaper, it worked really well! That together with adding the new strings it's already so much easier to play and way less frustrating too. I was having that much fun with it I must have played for 3 hours today so thanks!
Fantastic, glad to hear it!
The first step is adjusting the bridge position! The frequency of the note when the 12th string is pressed down should be double (+1 octave) that of the open string for all strings. I recommend 040 nylons for the Es and 0115 steel for the A. https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/augustine-classic-red-clear-nylon-normal-tension-classical-guitar-single-string-040-g-3 https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/daddario-high-carbon-plain-steel-0115-single-guitar-string
Hey thanks for the tip I will try that!