In this video, we cover how to use a notched straightedge to read your fretboard Here's the straightedge we used: www.philadelph... Find out More about us here: www.porterpick...
As far as I know, almost all truss rods work that way: Turn to the right to tighten the rod, meaning you work against the string tension, hence bending the neck down-/or backwards. Turn to the left to loosen the rod, meaning your string tension becomes stronger relatively to the rod, hence giving the neck an upbow or "relief". The relief basically always refers to a lower tension on the rod and the following upbow. More relief = Less Rod Tension.
I think the reason why he said it might be helpful to find out what kind of truss rod you have is because some you can screw the nut all the way off the threads. Just something to watch for.
Thanks for posting - that was just what I wanted - I have just got my own notched straight edge and your post is just what I needed: a simple and visually very helpful to understand what to do and what to expect.
@PorterPickups I think simple straight forward videos like this are awesome! I started working on guitars about a year ago and I remember stressing out soooo much over how to do things, when to do things, what's the right way to do things, and what's the best way to do things. Simple videos like this can help relieve some of the stress when newbies are working on the guitar. I think the best thing I ever did was stop worrying about specs. All guitars are different and learning how to use tools like this is the only way to get a guitar playing like we want. Also each guitar and each player is different!
My wife just bought me a set of tools from crimson guitars, and I have one of these, but haven't used it yet. I assumed this was how to use it, but this video made it perfectly clear. My question is, what about 24 fret guitars? And do you ALWAYS start on the 2nd fret?
@@PorterPickups haha! Very true. I wish I knew 25 years ago, what I know now. A few upgrades, and a good setup makes all the difference in the world. I LOVE being able to make something great, out of something just ok, or even awful. Lol so much fun, and so rewarding.
thanks. question. does measuring the gap under the ruler give the same result as the method with a feeler gauge over the fret with strings pressed at 1st and last fret?
Yes, your measurement will be similar, but it’s always best to know what the fretboard is reading in case you have a high/low fret. In the string case that is your straightedge reference, but it’s important to check multiple ways. This tool also helps identify if your neck is uneven on different sides of the board (worst case, a small twist)
I’ve got this tool. Question is I have a guitar with a Floyd Rose and want to lower the tremolo all the way down to sit on the guitar. That will help get the strings lower at the neck pickup. Will I have to redo the relief on the neck once I do that?
you will have to see how it responds when you tighten or loosen the tension on the strings. It can shift if you take all the tension, but a well built neck shouldn't move much on a string change
Thanks! I have a straight edge beam, and the middle of the fretboard seems fairly flat. However After 11-12th fret a gap appears even after some adjusting, and the and of the neck around the 21th fret seems slightly raised, which is probably causing string choking while bending the first two string after 12th fret. Also, I have noticed that some people sand the frets after the 12th fret a bit more than the lower ones, to facilitate lower string height. Is that a valid approach to solve the string chocking issue?
Is there a gap in the first few frets when you have the neck straight or just the post 12th fret area? Some people add a slight fall away towards the end to help. Make sure to reference the notched edge as well so you can “see” the fretboard without the frets. You also may need to use a fret rocker to identify where the frets are high.
@@PorterPickups Thanks for the answer. I've checked again, and it seems to me that the issue occurs after the 15th fret, as it looks that the part of the neck around the neck/body connection is raised slightly. I've got it pretty straight from the frets 2 - 10ish, but then the gap starts to appear, and the last notch of the straight edge sits back on the fretboard on the 21st fret, and it closes the gap. I am not sure what to do, maybe I should risk with sanding down the fall away area, from the frets 12-21 a bit more.
Hi, I want to check my guitar neck reliefe but how can I understand which fret should I use to check with feeler gauge? I know I should use capo on first fret and I know I should push with my finger where my guitar body meet with my neck but I don’t know which fret should I use to check with feeler gauge. I hope you can help me.
I have 4 of these, 2 for guitar and 2 for bass and no matter how much I turn the truss rod I can’t seem to get the level to go perfectly flat on the fret board. I’ve tried different levels and on different guitars. There’s just always a small sliver of light as I pass my flashlight behind it. Does it have to be perfectly flat like yours or is the gap that I can’t even fit a feeler gauge through good enough? I’m about to do my first fret level on a cheapo neck to practice on before working on a nicer guitar neck. Any help is appreciated!
it could be a few things: slightly uneven surface on the board itself, or the straightedge isn't straight. It doesn't have to be flat in fact many people want some relief in a neck. If the gap is very small you're probably ok. you can check some relief charts online for suggestions at different frets, and then you can ultimately set your guitars up to your personal tastes.
the language differs when it's a double action rod. Some single actions really only go one way. On the double actions we tighten/to the right to make it straighter
As far as I know, almost all truss rods work that way: Turn to the right to tighten the rod, meaning you work against the string tension, hence bending the neck down-/or backwards. Turn to the left to loosen the rod, meaning your string tension becomes stronger relatively to the rod, hence giving the neck an upbow or "relief". The relief basically always refers to a lower tension on the rod and the following upbow. More relief = Less Rod Tension.
it really depends on what you want for setup and the neck itself. Usually there's some relief on most necks and it can compensate for some slightly uneven frets if there's relief. dead straight is good if the board is perfect and you like to have the lowest possible action.
If PRS specs .01" using the string as a straight edge across the first/last fret, would this be the same measurement I'm looking for using the straight edge?
Can do this in the playing position? I’m new to this and I just got this tool. If I do it in the playing position I don’t see many gaps, but if I do it with a pillow under the neck (simulating the device you have) it show larger gaps more in 7-13 frets. Sorry if it’s a silly question, trying to get rid of some string buzz but my action is higher than it should be to buzz. Thanks
sometimes you'll see larger gaps on a bench vs playing position. Always default to playing position as sometimes laying on the bench or a neck rest can effect it
Most of the time there is a slight bend, it's perfectly normal so long as there's no buzz and it plays great. that's the aim,, and if it plays great with it straight it's also normal, so you're absolutely fine :D
Hey guys one last question, I'm worried about my saddle, it is extremely low and the sustain is suffering, but the neck still has relief, can i install a new saddle? Then adjust the relief?
@@patrickjan7896 Just so I definitely know, what are you meaning by saddle? The whole bridge? What type of bridge is it? Low sustain can be caused my maaaaaaaany factors and you can fix it or improve it with upgrades if you wish, yea. Just don't wanna suggest or say something if I'm misunderstanding and make things harder for you haha Even old/bad strings, shitty quality strings, or a random bad batch of them can cause various things including poor sustain
it might be a sign your neck is moved further than the truss rod can help, either it has bowed enough to be too far or something else. Hard to say specifically but that might be what's happening.