Hi there,
I have a few questions I really hope to get answered.
I'm looking to teach myself how to completely set-up my guitars and learn the general knowledge in guitar repair.
At the moment I plan on setting up my Jackson Dinky and Schecter Hellraiser.
But first my concern is the correct method of checking neck relief.
I have read too many conflicting methods about it.
The main question is about which fret to hold down, as I've read and seen videos of the 1st fret being cappo'd and then the last fret being held down to take measurements. This of course conflicts with others saying to press the fret down where the neck joins the body(with 1st fret cappo'd too).
Not to mention the variation between pressing on the literal fret or the fretboard itself when doing this.
Its all confuses me with the fact that my Jackson is a bolt-on, and my schecter is a set-neck. Does this change my view on where "the neck joins the body"?
I have also read about putting a ruler across the fretboard between the E and A string to take measurements. Can my 300mm metal ruler hold this true if it only covers 14 frets?
PLEASE someone clarify this too me with good reason,
I really want to learn all this with absolute precision and correct knowledge down to a science.
Thank you for your time!
Hi there,there are so many variables on how to set relief,I've been a luthier for more years than I want to own up to,but anyway,different makers have different ways of setting they're guitars,but it always starts with fretting at the first fret,not on it,with a capo,fender say to fret at the 17th fret,gibson where the neck meets the body,with an SG that's at the 22nd,the easiest thing is to look at where the neck physically meets the body,whether that's at the 17th,19th or any fret above,then a usual measurement with a feeler gauge of between .010 mm to 0.12 mm measured at the eighth fret between the string and fret,is a good starting point,I usually settle at .010,it's a good compromise of lowish action and buzz free frets,but remember the neck relief is only the first part of setting a guitar up,hope this helps you and good luck with your learning
I'm only on this earth once,if I can help just one person,then I haven't wasted my time
