Hello Kris, thank you for this series. I am looking forward to the next videos. I was wondering what your personal set up is (relief and action height)? Every fret buzz is energy and sustain loss, so what is your recommendation for a hard picking/hitting guitarist? And when is the point of diminishing returns reached? I heard that petrucci for example plays with an almost straight neck and has an action height of only 1mm @12th fret. SRV is the complete opposite with 2.8 mm. I personally don't have much experience so I use the recommended numbers: relief 0.25mm, action height 2.0 mm for E and 1.6 mm for e.
My setup is pretty much the same as yours, 1.9mm for the E6 and around 1.5-1.6 for the E1. That of course slightly changes depending on the guitar. By the way I can tell you exactly how Petrucci's guitars are set up, I had his guitars two times in my hands and had a longer chat with him and with his tech, Maddy about string action. Drum roll... Haha He has the same setup as we do. Not very low, but on the lower side of things. Around 1.9mm for the E6 and around 1.5 for the E1. He is not the guy with the super low action. You know how is? Mick Thomson. Haha! Mick has around 1.5mm for the E6 and around 1.0mm for the E1. Now THAT is low. :D It's all a matter of taste, there is no right or wrong. //cheers, Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Thank you for the clarification. I saw Maddy talk about petrucci's string height in an old rig rundown and was very suprised. I guess americans aren't that trustworthy when it comes to the metric system ;-)
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Hallo Kris, greetings here out from Germany:) Very good video and thanks for the nice content (and products) you and Thomann provides;) To the topic of Petruccis action: I read the comments here and was very surprised. I did a long research about his string action in the past, mainly because I like low action myself for better results in speed and playability and wanted some sort of orientation. His Tech Maddi says in an interview from 2015 that they shoot for a string action of 40 thousants of an inch @12th fret, which is around pretty much 1 mm. Now this is kind of confusing. I dont want to post a link here, but you can find it by googling "fractal audio Maddi Schieferstein interview", its the 3/3 video of the podcast where he says that. No pun intended by me, this is just for clarification purposes and to resolve some headscratching. I mean, you met the guys, maybe its possible that you had his models, but the factory ones with their respective specs in hand and not actually his personal models? From everything is saw elsewhere 1mm should be about right (especially for some of his speed alt. picking licks) Like you said, string action depends on players individual preference, but the information about his (or any players) action is quite useful to practice licks under the best circumstances from the get go;)
Sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know a method to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost the login password. I love any help you can give me.
Pro tip for Ibanez boys. You don't need to unscrew the cover of the truss rod, you can simply move the cover with your hand by using your nail in the little cavity in the cover. It might seem obvious but I've met people who've owned ibanez' and they didn't know this so a little heads up
Hey Da Goat, thanks so much! Eventually we'll run out of themes at one point I'm afraid. Haha! But don't worry, I'm planning on doing the guitar tech interviews even after the "regular videos" are over. :) I love doing this for sure! //Kris
You know what your talking about. My truss got out of adjustment and I'd forgotten which way to turn to adjust. First video I watched the guy was a talker. Pretty much went through the history of trusses. I wasn't interested in history I just wanted to adjust my guitar. Second video had the directions for bending the neck backwards. I found that out when it kept getting strings closer and closer to the neck. So at that point I knew which way to go. then I found your video and I wish I had watched it first. Great job. Straight to the point and accurate information. Details matter. I subbed so will listen to you first. Thanks.
Just bought a Harley Benton Telecaster - very pleased with it so far but want to get the most out of it. Your videos look like the answer. Looking forward to 'being on board'. Thank you
Thank you for this video, Kris! :) Adjusting floyds and the truss rod is definitely an art form that all guitarists should invest time into! Thank you for the short, concise, and to the point video!
Trying to achieve low action on my home built Super Squier. I have a custom neck from Warmoth and have had to file down the 21st fret... Thanks for these tech tips, it's been great piecing my own Axe together...
Haha! Thanks, that great to hear. I'm smiling right now. :) That's just how I am man, can't help it. I'm a smily dude anyhow and the team here is so good. I love working with the guys and I gotta say, we are quite silly between takes. That helps too. Haha! //cheers, Kris
Holy diver-this guy is a bliss-with your help i learned how to adjust my harley benton Amarok 6 and now i like it even more-and i know who to do everything! Thank you so much:Thomann this man reserves a more money!!!
Good morning I see you're a good guitar player too I just purchased your Nashville nylon and found that the action was extremely high and I've been custom building guitars for over 40 years and I got the action downloader but the intonation was flat on all strings a suggestion to your manufacturers that you move your bridge slightly toward the neck more so it could be intimated Also when adjusting the trust rod it's a good idea to loosen all the strings so you don't risk the chance of breaking the trust ride under high string tension Thank you for the video
You the man. I got a used Ibanez Saber and the action was stupid high even though I dipped the Trem. Did the rod adjustment and what a world of difference.
4:13 Im a bass player, I like my neck to have a very ever so slightly up bow. From E to G around 2.0-2.4/5 mil. And From A to D around 2.5/6 mil. I love a low action. Im a huge slap player and love having the strings nice and low so that ghost notes and poped/slapped notes are nice and easy to play.
Thank you so much for this series! I'm adjusting my electric guitar at home, and it's been easier with these videos. The explanations are clear and I can understand what I have to do and why I have to do (or not to do). Now I feel more prepared to do so :)
Most "how to" vids just say "...and then adjust the the truss rod" and then move on. Thanks for explaining what to do when adjusting the truss rod. I just subscribed.
Great job, Kris! Also, cool licks at the end of the video! By the way, I am really loving my Harley Benton Tribute Series EX '76 classic in natural mahogany! I play it all the time (even though I have several Gibsons and Fenders)!
yikes man! Thank you for making a "mere mortal how to" video! I set up my truss rod and it plays like day and night from before....a little ringing in some frets but 95% sound clear! Mexican Strat
People can’t barely play my guitar without any buzz. I set them at 1mm on each side with a 20 radius neck . Depending of your right hand , it’s possible to go super low without any buzz . I had to go this way due to wrist and forearms chronic pain . As long as there is solution to keep playing the action is just a matter of personal taste !
Indeed! Glad to hear that you've found a setup that works that well for you. It's all very personal, that's why important to know how to adjust everything. It can mean the world to the player. Cheers //Kris
I prefer a bit higher action but not to high. I am not a shredder but more of a blues rock player and I hate it when the strings "sizzle". I want them to have max sustain. I have one guitar where I would have to remove the neck to access the truss rod. Luckily the action there ist perfect so I dont need to change it. I hate that kind of construction but I love the guitar. Its an old Aria Legend Strat from the early 90s and it has a beautiful quarter sawn maple neck.
Thanks for the lesson. My guitar has a spoke wheel truss rod, does the same rule of (righty tighty lefty loosy) work with the spoke wheel or its the opposite way,, if you can please help me
In another video someone said to not do it when the guitar is laying down and supported under the neck because it increases relief and gives a false reading.
I like to riff but i hate fret buzz so i have a high of the 12th fret of 2,70. I am satisfied, before a guitar technican made a very straight very flat setting but in the first frets this buzz drives me crazy so here we go
Hi, Kris. I love your videos. Straight to the point, very easy to comprehend... It`s my first time when I try to set up my guitar, but I have a problem: I have a problem with the fret buzzing in the middle and higher register... What can be the problem? My guitar is a Music Man Sterling - Indonesia. Thank you!!!! Catalin.
The horizontal wood holding the nut of my acoustic guitar's truss rod has a crack. How will this affect my guitar? Is it fixable? Btw, the nut of my guitar's truss rod is inside the soundhole. A big thank you to those who can help.
Thanx for the tips! I have a problem, and can't find the cause: I have a fret buzz from 8 to 14, but only on the high E string... I'm using Ernie Ball, gauge 10-46. Can you please give me some tips? Thank you!
If you want to loosen the truss rod no you don't, but if you want to tighten it yes, it creates more tension to the strings so you have to loosen them first
Hey Kevin, this is the first part of setting up a guitar. The other two parts are coming up next. ;) We will talk about action too of course. //cheers, Kris
S1 L3 Thanks, new episodes coming up every week. :) Nope, the Nick Johnston giveaway is still running. Not for long though. Haha! I think it ends tomorrow but I’m not 100% sure. Let me check that tomorrow at work. Haha //cheers, Kris
Hello Kris, thank you so much for making these videos. It gives me the chance to try and setup my guitars at home vs having to take it into a guitar shop and get it back a month later. For adjusting the truss rod and action, if I prefer low action, do I need to tighten the truss rod before changing the action? I've been playing guitar for 2 years and always felt the action was too high on my new Schecter Syn Standard.
Glad to hear that! If you want a low action try to straighten the truss rod to a point where it's almost dead straight. Not quite, but almost. Then adjust the bridge to get the right action. Expect a little buzz though, that's almost always the case when having a low action. Cheers //Kris
Hello. I adjusted the truss rod and the neck is flat. After 2 days I noticed an up-bow. I adjusted it again. After 1 or 2 days the same occurred. I repeated this process many times and it seems the truss rod does not maintain the neck flat. The marked the truss rod nut to see if it was moving, but no, it did not move. It is a single action truss rod. Have you experienced that? Thank you in advance.
kris…i have a sterling jp60 and i see that the strings are too high from the fret. i can loosen the truss rod but can not tighten it. i do not want to force it. should i release tension on the strings to see whether i can then tighten it and then re-tune? your videos are beyond excellent. keep up the awesome job.
Im having some weird sound in the second fret G string.....its like loosing the tone when I press it harder...... in deed 1st fret and 2nd freet are not sounding right.....I think I have to thigh de rod....in order to low the action....but maybe there is a problem with the nut......
Truss rod for sure, especially if the new string gauge is far from the old one ( way thicker or thinner). String height might need some readjustment, but not always and not a lot. You'll have to check and adjust the intonation on the other hand. That's important too. Cheers ! //Kris
Hi, my first 4 frets and after 13 frets not buzzing but 5-12 frets little bit buzzing is it my guitar little bit concave or convex and which way should turn my truss road? I hope you can answer me.
Nice informative video but What was the need to use Power tool for removing cover of truss rod nut? Should've used a simple screw driver as you wanted to not use fancy tools.. Another important point you missed is only adjusting 1/4 turn of the nut each time as it takes time for the wood to reform and it may crack if the truss rod nut is adjusted too much at a single time..
Niraj Rayker I got used to the power drill since I started working in the workshop. It’s a huge help if you have dozens of guitars on the bench every day. You obviously don’t have to use it, hand tools are just as good. 👍🏻 I tried to make it clear to adjust the neck in small portions. Like you said: wood needs some time to move. //cheers, Kris
