Stop Screwing Around With Your Guitar's Truss Rod!
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- Are you abusing the truss rod in your guitar neck? This video will help you to understand what the purpose of a truss rod is and how to recognize when you may be misusing it.
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slight truss rod adjustments are very practical for me throughout the year. In winter I slightly tighten the truss rod, and then release this tension in late spring. If this doesn't solve problems, then I address them accordingly at the nut, bridge, or frets. Been doing this for some 40yrs on all my guitars that need it, and it never fails.
If I had to guess, I’d say that maybe 2 out of 10 guitarists have the skill you describe. The rest keep the professional luthiers busy fixing their mistakes.
@@HighlineGuitars sure, I know that. I've been setting up, repairing, and modifying stringed instruments for clients since the early 90's
@@HighlineGuitars same as me i talked to several luthiers and also learned how to do setups and do simple repairs. And what is more smart is take it slow and steady. Know what u are doing have focus. For me it is like this slow = fast. Fast = smooth. It can be done right the first time with patience.
I agree completely with this comment. The need depends on where the guitar is located. At least where I live, humidity changes a lot between winter and summer and guitars go from good setup to completely unplayable (depends on the wood etc. of course). I do agree with the video that the adjustments should be done for the right reasons, and e.g. in my case, the setup stays the same, I only adjust the truss rod to adapt changes caused by the humidity. Also, adjustment is ridiculously easy. It's not rocket science, one will learn it in one quick video. As long as people keep in mind not to go overboard with the adjustments there should not be any issue. It takes me under 10 minutes to setup the relief from backbow to perfect (with additional check-up once the neck has some time to set). I would suggest to have a relief gauge tool to speed up the adjustment (also, as you set up the same relief every time, intonation should also return to where it should be).
Great advice, Chris! You reinforced what I have learned over the last few years in building kits. Keep up the great work!
Two yearts ago, I got a 71 SG with bad up bow. The truss rod was loose and still had the factory paint on the adjustment nut. Even with the strings off it was visibly bowed. I thought it was probably perminant. To my suprise I tightened it strait as possible and over time it came right back to normal. I only adjusted it slightly twice since with no strings using strait edge and it`s just fine. Amazing. It was so filthy when I got to it that I had to wash my hands every time I picked it up. That`s how well the rod will work if used correctly. Now the SG is clean and strait. I think the prior owner just displayed it near his smoking area or a wall in a bar. I`m glad it is with me now. One of those 40 mm narrow neck 70s Norland era wonders. I dig it. Good topic for all to understand. Thank you for your ongoing wisdom.
Great information from a perspective I have not heard before. Thank you!
Great explanation of this subject. Now I want to go through my instruments and try to remove any errors I may have caused.
Yes, a perfectly straight fingerboard is a good way to go, and maybe the simplest for maintaining consistency, but it is not the way to achieve the lowest action. The amplitude of the string excursion while vibrating is greatest at one half the string length. That means that the greatest string to fret clearance for a plucked open string will be at the twelfth fret (or half the scale length). As we move up the fingerboard, the maximum string vibration excursion is moving as well, one half the effective string length toward the bridge. So, to achieve the lowest possible playing action, the fingerboard needs to be “relieved” or set to a curve that allows the string to just barely clear the frets at its greatest excursion. That clearance gets smaller as we shorten the string length while moving toward the bridge. This is why traditional string instruments (double bass, cello, etc.) that have neck and fingerboard structures stout enough to resist the forces of string tension, have the fingerboard relief carved in. Now, in the interest of complete disclosure, those instruments may have adjustable bridges and such to compensate for the variability of hollow body string height, but the action is carved in. A straight guitar (or electric bass) neck is the simplest and maybe most consistent way to setup an instrument, but the lowest possible action can only be achieved with a curve that maintains the optimal string height as the player moves up the fingerboard.
Low action is all the rage, but it isn't always the best way to go.
All this just supports the idea that relief will be counter-productive in achieving minimal string action for any player, who doesn't constrain him/herself to cowboy-chords.
Any amount of relief at 12 fret means it's harder to avoid buzzing when *playing* at 12 fret and above, as now the neck is actually curving up from this position all the way to the end of the fretboard.
All a matter of preference.
@@HighlineGuitars Low action is the bane of my existence. I teach many students who insist on having an action so low that virtually every fret buzzes. I prefer close to 3mm at the 12th fret and heavy strings as I want a clear sound with no buzz. I find that a dead straight neck does not facilitate this sound - I prefer somewhere in the range of 0.008-0010 relief because it eliminates some buzz that occurs when playing hard. I've been playing professionally for 30 years and never had a dead straight neck that would play well. George Benson has zero relief, but Stevie Ray Vaughan had 0.0010-0012. I would be happy if someone could set up my guitars without it, but clearly haven't found the right person/guitar. Until then....I'll continue with adding relief.
@@HighlineGuitars Depends on how the guitar inherently handles break angle.
this is what i thought of as well. i was not convinced with the concept of "relief" when the intended purpose of the rod is to counteract the string tension hence, i prefer a straight neck. it feels right everytime.
I really appreciat your discussions and explanations.
dips and humps, weird fret buzzing and neck relief.
I am expiencing this right now.
I've had a used Jazz since 2000. A tech at that time replaced the nut, did fret work, etc. It played great. It either had relief set or I did it. I have no idea. I always used the truss rod to to stop the mid/low neck buzzing.
fast forward 20+ years, I'm learning to do fret work. My trusty jazz bass buzzes 13-19 fret or so. I set the neck level with a fretboard straight edge and find the frets are all over the place. Time for a refret by my opinion and that of current tech.
I buy a new Squier jazz to have somethign to play while all the work is being done. What do I do? Put the same amount of relief on the neck as my old one. It starts buzzing! WTF. After setting it LEVEL, it's plays great.
So, your video has explained a lot. Thank you.
Through all this, I've decided to build a body from scratch using a Warmoth neck. Your information is at the top of my list. Again, I thank you.
In Sweden humidity in the summer can be 60-70% and in winter 10-20%. I have around 10 guitars and they change over the year. I prefer a almost straight neck and low action. It’s not the nut and saddle that changes, it’s the wood. Often a small change, around a quarter turn makes the guitar lovely again. For once I didn’t agree in this channels video.
Great stuff Chris as usual! Relief. Jeff beck and others (me included) like very little relief. This has no issues if fret job is done correctly, unless you have an incredibly heavy picking hand. I follow John suhr's view - so long as you have 'something' when you hold down fret 1 and the last fret, you're good ( so long as frets have been levelled with a straight neck). Some people enjoy neck relief with a gap noticeably bigger frets 3 to 10 than anywhere else and that's cool if you like that, it's just not for me 🤘
Every now and then, I check out a guitar and think that the action seems pretty high. I then take a look at the "relief" and find it to be excessive (like .030 at the 8th fret).
I then tighten up the truss rod nut until the relief is. 010 or a bit closer. Low and behold the action isn't too high anymore.
My point is that sometimes, the action is too high or too low because the neck way too much up bow or back bow, and that can change seasonally. Check, measure and adjust accordingly.
Thank you! Like many players i didn't know this stuff. This was very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Last year on a road trip found a 12 string Vantage acoustic dreadnought Made in Japan circa 1980 in a small town pawn shop (well off the interstate in the south). Mint condition but strings >1/4 inch off board at 12th and no case. I was carrying a spare gig bag for such finds...... No fret or play wear otherwise so made a really good deal and took her home.
Later started working the upbow out, which was considerable. 1/8 turn and hang her on the wall for a few days, then recheck and another 1/8 turn. Took a couple of weeks but she came down nice and flat. Cleaned and dressed the fretboard and a new set of strings. A rare acoustic with an Ash back and sides (large grain much like oak) with spruce top. Very bright crisp tones. Nice sunburst finish highlights it well.
It is VERY common to find otherwise good guitars in pawn shops with stripped out truss rod sockets. I have learned (the hard way) to check for that before I make an offer on something, particularly when on the road. I carry a small flashlight, a small tip Philips screwdriver and top quality steel 4.5 and 5mm hex wrenches in my truck so I can check. If a shop won't let me check (rarely happens, most are knowledgeable enough), I just walk away from it.
Good stuff. You missed the most important truss rod tip. Don't use the wrong size Allen wrench!
You are right!
General guide: If your guitar buzzes on lower frets but not on higher frets, your neck needs more relief. If your guitar buzzes on higher frets but not on lower frets, you need higher action at the bridge and probably a tightening of the truss rod. If your guitar buzzes everywhere, start with raising bridge height and see if it uniformly removes buzz or if it reveals one of the two previous scenarios.
Or you could do a quality fret job.
@@HighlineGuitars Indeed. I'm just saying as a starting point get your setup right, but if there's still buzzy spots nothing beats a full redress.
@@chrisbardolph264
The starting point would be to check all possible sources of buzz including a loose pickguard and pickup rings before adjusting anything.
I have various guitars and around 6 vintage Univox guitars. I recently learned how to do my own setups and these Univox guitars are QC nightmares. It's the Hi-Fliers that I'm talking about. Mainly the nut, it's just crappy and usually too low which makes it tough to set string height along with the crappy bridge, but the stock nut is the main issue. So I do usually have to adjust the truss rod, I like to keep my neck straight, I check it with a straight edge and then after it's straight, I intonate the bridge saddles and then set string height. But again, with the crappy stock nuts, I usually need to have my lower E string a tad bit higher. it doesnt really impact playing, feels ok, it just annoys me that I have to do that because of that crappy nut lol
I do have one Hi-Flier where I realized the nut was replaced with a better bone nut and better height. That setup and string action feels awesome, I plan on getting all my Hi-Flier nuts switched out the same way!
Also, every single one I've ever gotten had really bad backbow lol
Agree! Good post. (Introduction of Dual Action Truss Rods: 1982.)
In the early 70s my father (engineer) bought me two guitars, one Les Paul Custom and a Fender Strat ! I was so bored in watching him trying out so many of the same type guitars . Finally, he bought the two guitars that suited him ! He told me there will never be a need for any adjustment/s on these two guitars, and after 50+ years, I have never done any adjustments to those two guitars except cleaning and changing strings ! The necks are dead straight on both guitars ! He use to play those two guitars from time to time in saying ( " awe, you listen to me" ) !
Really helpful, thanks.
Great video. I learned this lesson the hard way after stripping my truss rod.
Great video. Happy I found your channel
Welcome aboard!
Adjustment was first made at the nut and saddles on my fender, yet still buzzed back then. I happen to have an extremely rare case. Normally fender necks don't backbow, but mine did. It has been leveled by a experienced luthier and he has made attempts to resolve the backbow and make the neck adjustable again, which was almost succesful, I mean, I got half a turn to relieve my neck now. But it's at this point not necessary. I've set my guitar up myself, indeed first with higher saddles and nut but you can only do that to some degree before getting intonation issues at the first fret or higher than 12, so at some point, in my case, you don't have another option than to turn the trussrod.
Or buy a new neck…😎
fret leveling and polishing, filing the nut, or adjusting the bridge takes work and time so naturally, for a musician, just adjusting the truss rod is the quick and easy option. Just put in the time and effort. You will be much happier with the long term results!
The relief allows greater amplitude at the nodes of the wave in the string. Some will say the amplitude is greatest at the center of the fretted note, others will say its at the nodal points. Either way, a little relief allows for a harder pluck. I'm a heavy handed player most days, so a flat neck has never been an option. I have clients who use thin picks and barely touch the strings... They can get away with a neck that's almost completely flat. Higher string action is also a way to accommodate heavier playing but you run the risk of intonation issues... Relief is sorta like the table salt of the setup world. You can get away with none, a little pinch is good, but too much can ruin the dish.
I knew it.
Thank you
Nodes are the points where the string has zero amplitude for the appropriate harmonic, not the greatest amplitude.
Thank you.
1958 premier scroll. brazilian rosewood neck. no truss rod. I use 11 through 50 flatwounds.
I bend 3 and 4 sometimes as many as 5 strings at a time,
and I sometimes do not have to so much as adjust a single tuning peg for 2 or 3 weeks
Living in New England, every spring and autumn I need a slight adjustment of the truss rod so I adjust it for what I would consider a fret buzz or action issues. Maybe I'm phrasing this wrong but it is what it is, no adjustment and I have an unplayable guitar.
I'm in Ohio and experience the same thing twice a year. And every one of my guitars has had "the works". Meaning leveled crowned polished etc etc. Low action. Many years ago I noticed a few things that happened. One, when the seasons change not all guitars move the same . And two, I can usually always tell when to adjust the rod due to all the strings either going sharp or flat over a series of days. If the strings are already "broken in" say 4 or 5 days without pre-stretching them(I don't play out anymore, no rush) and they all went sharp overnight.... The wood flexed its muscles and pulled the strings sharp. My theory has always been that air moisture increases and some guitars flex, and others relax. 3 days in a row of my guitar "relaxing" and here is the question.
If my guitar "goes flat" overnight and I dont tighten the rod, but instead tighten the strings, I have increased the pressure on only one plain. I suppose you can hope the rod stops the neck from moving more without tightening it. But the next day its flat again. Maybe. If it is, and you repeat the process without adjusting the rod again. More bow, higher action again. Another adjustment like this and your going to beging to effect the intonation next.
So... maybe stop adjusting your rod unless there's a seasonal change, or a steady change in barometric pressure lol.
The day I disregarded loosening the strings to make a trussrod adjustment on a stratocaster because it went sharp overnight, but instead grabbed a t bar allen and loosened the rod a tad to tune all 6 strings without touching a key changed everything in my mind.
And these tiny but ultra important details are why in my mind robot keys from Gibson should also have a robot truss rod adjustment to go with it lol.
Great video, my first of many, I'm sure. I'm a Bass player and I think because I watch a few videos on CZcams I'm an armature Luthier but am far from it, that is an over exaggeration of myself, but I find I'm always dicking with my setup, truss rod included way too much. I know I should take it to an experienced tech but I don't so here I am. I have a couple quick questions. First the main reason I keep messing with it is I need a good baseline to start from, my action is always way too high so where do I start, I'm thinking with as straight of a neck as possible then make sure its tuned right then go from there using the height adjusters on bridge to set proper action? Second is I play lots of different styles of music and tuning changes a lot, the string tension going back and forth over the nut does that wear the nut out faster. Seems like it would and would some graphite on it help. Its a Schecter Omen Elite and pretty sure the nut is just some kind of plastic or something. Thanks in advance and thanks for informative video.
Great points!
I generally set up my guitars as a whole package.
Truss rod adjustment in my opinion should be employed very sparingly....Never as a perceived remedy to overcome a poor performing instrument that has little rigidity in the neck on its own, and seemingly the rod having to do all the work.
The best way I can describe it, is I adjust the rod to aid in stability.
Minor climatic changes I just roll with.
Over time as the guitar ages, and the physical characteristics, like moisture content, and resin state of the neck change then yes...Obviously, a more major adjustment may be in order as part of a future setup, but as you implied, relying on the truss rod alone to do all the heavy lifting to mask an underlying issue can result in more problems down the road.
Well said. Thanks!
Your right on not using a truss rod to adjust string height. But once you set the nut and string height with a perfectly straight neck a truss rod adjustment for relief is not recommended? That kinda goes against everything most of us have been taught. I get your message about constant over tightening and truss rod adjustments over time making a neck wainky.
Relief is useful to manufacturers who mass produce guitars at a high volume and send them out with the bare minimum as far as fret work is concerned.
Thanks for your videos I have learned quite a bit.
The still image might draw in some folks. A lot more people should watch your videos. Great information all around.
Good video. I've been guitar hunting for awhile now with the belief of what you are saying and I am starting to wonder at what price point I am going to have to be at to find a guitar that has been built correctly when it comes to the neck. You never know what the guitar is hiding when there is too much relief or too high of an action (incorrect degree angle at the join of the neck, rising tongue, poor fretting, etc).
That's why I have never done a what to look for when you shop for a guitar video. Too many hidden factors.
_Rising tongue?_
Hello, I do hope you respond. As a collector, not that I have a fortune of rare guitars but I do own quite a few guitars and don't mess with them much and the T.R. set same on all when played and put away. My knowledge or instructions, why I set my guitar this way came from Online Gibson Guitar Set-Up Videos. In these video's, they recommend adding relief to the guitars neck and strings by turning the truss rod +/- to achieve this , and I am sorry, "Foreward Bow" / "Back Bow" ? With as many guitars I have I want make sure I understand. Please bare with me as I try to describe as accurately can be the relief between the neck and strings. A capo is applied to the guitars neck before the first fret, Then up along on the 15th or 17th fret, press down and fret the string. Then in between the two points measure the gap between the string and the frets. If there no gap, this means that the neck is set level between the two points that are set at either end of the string. So accordingly to a that Gibson video, To remedy and add the relief, which is a very small distance, maybe .004 gap between the strings and the frets. The Truss Rod should be Loosened allowing the wood less tension against the pull back from the strings
Use a precision straightedge and feeler gauges. The method you describe from Gibson won't show you back bow because the string can bend over the frets from the 1st to the 15th-17th. Also, when you loosen the truss rod and let the string tension induce relief, the strings will go flat. Tune the strings and the tension will increase which may add more relief than you want. As a result, you have to go back and forth between checking the relief, adjusting the truss rod and tuning the strings several times to get the relief you want.
Had a few guitars with loose trus rods but still not enough relief, even with 10's and up.
Do you have a video or series on proper setup and remedies for action and buzz issues?
No. My channel is geared toward making guitars rather than repairing them.
Deep thoughts.
7:45 equals my life a month ago. I have a cheap strat copy though.
Thanks Chris. What is really the best way to do it? Is it to make the neck flat before putting strings on, then allow the natural up bow from the strings? Or is it better to just make the neck dead flat after the strings are on and adjust only the nut slots and bridge height? Or somewhere in-between?
yes, let me know too.
I level the frets with the neck flat. Usually no adjustment is necessary to accomplish this since I make the neck that way. After the strings are added and tuned, I adjust the truss rod to eliminate up bow and straighten the neck. String action is set by cutting the nut slots properly and adjusting the bridge saddles.
@@HighlineGuitars I think that point got lost in this video. The truss rod is used to put the neck back into the position it should be after a proper setup. If you have buzz or bad action, you might want to check to see if your neck is straight and adjust for that before other adjustments are made. I totally agree that adjusting the truss rod isn't necessarily the go to adjustment for buzz/action issues; but those issues may be caused by a non-"flat" neck, which should be flattened appropriately to play properly
Now that's a proper controversial opinion! Thinking back, I had a guitar refretted by an old German master Luthier once. The neck was flat like I've never experienced before, and the guitar player perfectly despite a very low action.
Instead of arguing about what I've been taught by random internet strangers, I'll test your approach myself and see how it goes. 👍
I'm no expert yet. I do tend to agree with Greg Brink, that slight relief is desireable but I think that this also depends on how agressively the instrument is played. For the more agressive players relief is necessray for the reasons stated by Greg. However from personal observation very often even reasonably highend guitars have a neck angle problem to which there are only two soloutions. 1 remove and reset the neck, 2 remove the frets and shave the neck from 0 at the nut to what ever measurement you have determined needs removing at the 22/24 fret in order to correct this angle problem. On some electric guitars one can ofcourse shim the neck with a wedge to remedy poor pocket angle. I personally think that many guitars end under the bed or on top of the cuppboard because the owner has no clue that their inability to learn to play, is because the instrument is so horrible that it's like trying to bend railway tracks and after a few minutes you can't be botherd. I do agree though that far too often the truss rod is considderd there for action adjustment, at the same time it can also be handy for string gauge changes.
Most people that start out will start with chords and what makes it a pain is the wrong depth of the nutslots requiring lots of pressure to contact the frets and pullling the string out of tune.
Chris, what you're saying makes sense, but do you mind clarifying the point you're making at 8:44? It seems like you're saying that strings pulling in one direction and the truss rod in another can over time result in a warped neck, but in order to have a straight neck under string tension we do typically have this exact scenario going on. Or were you describing a situation where a double action truss rod is being used to induce more relief than what you're getting from the strings by themselves? If it's the latter, is this an argument against double action truss rods?
When you have forces acting on a neck in opposite directions, over time they can cause a neck to assume a rollercoaster-like shape. What I failed to mention is that this is mainly a problem with necks that are made with anything less than perfectly straight, consistently spaced grain. If you get a neck in your shop that has bumps and dips along its length, it probably because the grain orientation was less than ideal and the neck was exposed to forces pulling up (the strings) and pushing down (the truss rod).
@@HighlineGuitars Thanks for the response. I guess this may have something to do with forces being applied in different places on the neck.
Should you have any relief in the neck or not. my understanding for having a paper-thin amount of relief is that it is where the strings orbital vibration is the greatest. In your video you stop short of explaining relief or upbow and revert back to action Hight which are two different things. So, my question is should the neck be perfectly strait (when in tune) or a paper-thin amount of relief or upbow? Thanks for the tutorial videos.
If the fret work and set up has been done correctly, no relief is necessary. Relief is usually added to compensate for a lack of due diligence by the person who made the guitar.
@@HighlineGuitars Thank you!
Hey Chris that is definitely great info and needs to always be considered but , I'm fixing to make my first full guitar build from a solid maple head and foot board from of course a bed. I have no CNC, routers, plunge or regular. I'm thinking a straight piece of 5/8 steel rebar for a truss rod. It might be 3/4. I have a skill saw, sawsall, jigsaw and a Dremel. I'm using what I have and I'll make it happen. What's your thoughts on the rebar? It's definitely straight.
Just don't drop it on your foot.
@@HighlineGuitars I should've expected that one lol, thanks Chris
Do you know how to adjust or take out and or repair a Spector floating truss rod 🤔😎
🤷♂️
My guitar neck appears to have a hump in the middle and when I capo the first fret and hold down the 14th fret the low E string has no relief at all. Do I need to loosen the truss rod?
I would loosen the truss rod until it isn't doing anything. Next, I would check the neck's natural state under string tension with a notched straight edge. Then, I would proceed as necessary.
I always assumed the truss rod originated as a solution along with steel strings.
Thanks bro..
No problem
3:31 I really hate fender still inserts a one way trussrod. I mean, why, right?
Why has Gibson still a headstock that breaks often? Tradition and people would bitch about it. You can find dual-action like trussrod fender guitars. They call the one in their american pro series bi-flex trussrod and there are different kinds in the highway one series that started in the early 2000 and ended 2011.
Don´t get 8:50 truss rod "causing" relief would be pulling (if at all pulling or just not working against string pull as much) the same direction as the Strings (as opposed to backbow against string tension if tross rod too tight). Or am I not getting the functionality correct?
The strings pull on the ends where the scale length terminates. The truss rod applies force at the center.
@@HighlineGuitars thank you so much.
♫ I can't get no relief ♪
Relief is the same thing as why most cinema theaters have bowed floors. It allows for everyone to see over the next guys head without creating too much of a height difference between first and last row of seats. Going back to the world of guitars, action is not a set number - it is minimal at the first fret and it increases as you go towards the pickups. There is always (or at least there should always be) an angle between the neck and the strings. Now, if the neck is entirely straight then to get a desired action at the first frets, you'll need higher than normal action at the last frets. Relief allows for less difference of action between first and last frets.
Very good explanation. Thanks!
@@markpell8979 I'm a teacher by trade and finding ways to explain stuff is part of my profession :)
Right! That's all it is. A slight relief brings the neck to bow (while it's fixed an the body) only on the first few frets. Here the action will slightly rise from fret to fret and this stop at maybe the 7th one. From here on the action on the rest of the fretboard will be mainly parallel and allow for a low action to the highest frets.
How do you find a good luthier in your area? Is there some sort of database with reviews?
Wouldn't that be nice.
Ask around music schools and those that gig and play a lot.
All big guitar companies recommend a certain amount of neck relief. They've been at it for quite a while, and I sure most of them know a thing or two about setting up a guitar.
They recommend relief because they do the bare minimum as far as fretwork is concerned. And since they have a warranty to honor, recommending relief creates a situation that will allow them to deny a warranty claim if the truss rod was adjusted improperly.
@@HighlineGuitars Sure...
What do you think about carbon instead of truss rod?
To answer your question, I plan to do a video in a couple of weeks. The short answer is l like them, but only if they are needed.
Is there a manufacturer that actually doesn't recommend relief? Just asking since several manufacturers included that information on their websites.
If I was mass producing guitars at a high volume and doing the bare minimum as far as fret work is concerned, I'd recommend adding relief as well.
Ken Parker doesn't and I also had the "as straight as possible" recommendation once talking to Ned Steinberger.
You look like Eric Clapton keep the style it fits you!
Also thanks for the the video, always learn a lot!
Yikes if I look like Eric Clapton, I’m in trouble. I HATE Eric Clapton.
@@HighlineGuitars 😂Why though? "CLAPTON IS GOD" right, no? Hate him or hate his music or both lol?
Can you make a video going over how to eliminate string buzz while getting action super low, without adjusting the truss rod?
Could you also maybe make a video discussing how to construct a rigid neck that stays straight once under string tension?
I want to make a neck with no truss rod, like how Vigier does, and not accidentally end up with an unplayable neck that can’t be adjusted.
I plan to do a video soon that will show how I use carbon fiber strips to construct a rigid neck. However, it will still incorporate a truss rod. To make a neck without a truss rod would require a more substantial carbon fiber structure like this one: dragonplate.com/carbon-fiber-d-tube and they are rather expensive.
@@HighlineGuitars Looking forward to it! Thank you for the response. Much appreciated.
I like just enough relief in the neck that I can check quickly by holding the string down and see as tiny a gap as possible.
I am kinda confused ..in a previous videos you have suggested to keep neck relief at 10thousand ,now you suggest no neck relief at all..which Is which ? Do not mean to critique but Just understand ...would you please make video on how to set up and check neck relief? Or not all 😂thanks
If a customer wants relief, I'll add it. Otherwise, I won't. Pretty simple really.
@@HighlineGuitars ok but what would be the simplest method to check for zero relief or Just a smidge ? thanks 😀
@@marcocelestino4308 Use a precision ground notched straightedge and feeler gauges.
@@HighlineGuitars something more rustic ? 🤭Like a string and a capo ?
@@marcocelestino4308 I think you just answered your own question.
That's what she said
It’s it’s too buzzy I’m probably gonna adjust my truss rod
So is relief good or bad? All manufacturers seem to give a spec for relief.
That's because the manufacturers want you to keep buying new guitars.
Neck relief is NEEDED if you mainly play lead guitar and often use the frets 12th and higher
I’ve never had a luthier not add some relief. I typically have mine at about 0.004-5”. By the time I drive 5 hours each way to the nearest luthier and pay for a fret level I can just buy a new neck every 5-10 years.
@@Bloozestringer i think you should make sure not to have a backbow. i add some relief, but just a hair to make sure it´s not a backbow.
it works for me.
@@BigEdWo yep. That’s what I typically go with. It’s almost dead flat.
Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty!
nope your wrong. nothing wrong with relief. and manufactures don't give it a spec. because they want you keep buying new guitars. That being said you are right, people need to stop cranking on their truss rods! Mostly because they don't know what they're doing!
Yep, I'm right. Manufacturers want you to screw up your guitars so you'll have to buy a new one.
You want the neck straight but not too straight.
But I'm lonely!! :)
I have never touched my truss rod ever.
Hm not everyone can afford to get guitars setup, let alone high-end guitars. And some guitar necks are a bit alive. Not sure this advice is for all at least.
Poverty sucks.
@@HighlineGuitars indeed it does. Not sure how it relates to not affording high-end guitars though :)
@@NikolajChristensen When you figure it out, things will get better.
Stop Screwing Around With Your Guitar's Truss Rod! Well adjusting your truss rod twice a year to compensate for humidity and temperature changes early winter and summer is hardly screwing with it. All this other nonsense about fixing relief and buzzes is not made to be done with a truss rod.
Twice a year..like clockwork. I have an old MIJ bass with a laminated neck. 1/8th inch plies on edge. rarely needs adjusting yet my Fender will warp if the sun goes down.
You need to be flexible with your timing or climate change will bite you in the butt.
@@HighlineGuitars Well of course, it does vary slightly year to year.
It’s all about finding the Root Cause, you made to many blanket assumptions. You said the correct fix for string buzz is crown and level, maybe, depends on the Root Cause. If your root cause is slight back bow and everything else is set correctly with no high or low frets, then yes, it’s the correct solution.
If your guitar suffers from string buzz caused by back bow, buy a new high-quality neck or buy a better guitar.
Basically, you're saying 5 out of 5 people are ignorant when you say 2 say it's for action, 2 say it's for buzz and 1 runs away.
What are you, some kind of math genius?