Hi, i bought a Fairclough river series guitar the other day, for those who have never heard of them they are made by Steve Fairclough and quite rare.....but anyway i got it for a steal and even tho the neck was incredible warped I couldnt say no.
Having basically no repair knowledge other than a sense of not paying a professional for something i can do i got stuck into setting it up.
First I tried the truss rod but because i wasn't given an hex key i went through my whole selection of keys and none fit and when i tried to turn it with the wrong sized it was extremely stiff (manufacturer's website hasn't gotten back to me).
Next up I stupidly decided to shave the bridge and now i have killed a lot of the tone and sustain by shaving a tiny bit too much off.
If anyone could give me some basic tips on how find the right key size or why it would be stiff would be great, also how would i raise the saddle a bit.
Thanks,
Ed
The saddle usually lifts out and you can place a shim beneath it to raise it. As far as the size of the Allen key you just need to find one that fits snug with no slack or wobble. You may have to slowly work the truss rod free. If you apply too much force you could snap it so work it slowly. They generally bind when the neck warps and puts pressure on the rod so be sure you are turning it the correct direction to relieve that tension not add to it. If it is bowed back the truss rod needs to be loosened. If it is bowed forward then tightening is in order. Hope I have been some help.
My guess is your using a metric allen, when you need a standard, or the other way around. Find the one that you say fits best... it will have a size marked on it somewere... and get one a bit smaller, or bigger in eather metric, or standard... depending on what one you used. I have a few drawers full of the things... I normaly have to try 3 or 4 till I get the right one.
Also... dont force the adjustment. depending on what way your turning it... there is tricks to get it to adjust. And laying on the wrench isnt it.
Also dont go messing with the bridge anymore till you get the neck where it needs to be. Think through each adjustment, and only do one at a time. Each thing you do will effect what needs to be done to other things.
Paul B
