Use a pick to see how well your guitar plays. 

thanks for the great tip, thats the first time I heard anyone on youtube ever explain to me about a guitar needing a neck, or bridge adjustment based upon fret location, makes perfect sense too, again thanks

Measure twice, adjust once. This is the wisdom that keep people coming back. Another great video.

This guy is so on point and easily understandable. SUBBED.

Hey Phillip, I'm enjoying your videos! That whole 5th fret down is neck adjustment and 5th fret up is bridge adjustment just knocked my socks off!! Thanks so much.

the 5th fret rule for adjusting truss rod or bridge is something no one talks about. Thank you 👍

THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO ON RU-vid EXPLAINING HOW TO SET UP A GUITAR FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY BE NEW OR SCARED TO DO IT THEMSELVES. MOST VIDEOS ARE TO LONG WINDED AND GET INTO TECH STUFF THE AVERAGE GUITARIST WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND. FOLLOW THIS VIDEO AND YOUR GUITARS WILL INDEED PLAY PERFECT. THANKS PHILLIP.

I am impressed with your knowledge.

This is why you are my favorite on RU-vid. Thanks brother.

The best video channel on RU-vid in my opinion. I've never seen a video of yours that I dont like,...well done Phil 👍🇬🇧😁

I LOVE the gift card idea. I cut one corner off of the card, making 4 separate straight-edge lengths. I also check the action at the last 2 frets with a nickel (1.95mm). Also, for the neck relief, I put a capo at the 1st fret, hold down the last fret and slide a business card under the 8th fret. Just different ways of doing the exact same things, I guess....Thank you for the interesting perspective and making this video very clear. Cheers!!!

Thank you very much for posting videos. Your choice of topics, and methods of explaining them are of a "teach a man to fish" variety. It's clear that your top priority is the sharing of knowledge over subs and monetization. I wish I was local to ya. I know the care of my guitar would be secure in your hands.

I always learn something, and this video was no exception. I'm a sponge, so keep the lightly technical info coming.

something about the snappy tone of a lower action is nice. i change mine all the time to feel like i have a different guitar. thx 4 ur vids. i find myself watching all the time.

Dude you have so much knowledge I haven't found anywhere else! You should write a book on proper guitar servicing and setup!

Phil, I was an Idiot but I've learned, thanks to guys like you who've taught me. 😎

Fantastic video!!! Translate complicated things to novices, into crompreensible thing! Genius!! Thanks a lot!!

Same with me, i use pick to setup my action. I put capo on first fret, then on the 15th fret on the high E i use 1.2mm pick, and on the low E also on the 15th fret i use a 1.5mm pick. Feels perfectly fine for me on all of my 3 guitars, and by the way i use 10gauge strings.

Phillip I very much enjoy all your videos I have watched! Keep up the great work!

You can buy credit card sized gauges for a few quid (~$5) which have string heights in both mm and thous of an inch. Still, a few picks are cheaper (until I chew em)

I know im late to these videos, but they are fantastic for educating guitarists! Great work!

I have to say. I totally dig your vids. Thanks a lot for them. They really rock.

Finally, somebody explained it in guitar terms. Thanks Phil.

Thank you! You’ve really helped my beloved Les Paul😁👍

You just blew my mind man! Thanks a lot for this information :)

Great tips. Was just thinking about this the other day, how to accurately measure string-to-fret gaps and fret height variation, and was thinking of all manner of home remedies (rulers, spark plug gap gauges, calipers) but found them all unsatisfactory for various reasons, ranging from cost to logistical issues to uncertainty of accuracy (all which could be characterized in their attempted execution as: user error and holy-crap-I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing). Lo and behold, I was holding an excellent and utterly simple tool for the job the whole time! There is absolutely no substitute for experience, and this kind of video makes me very pleased I have access to players FAR more experienced than I. Well done, full marks, and keep up the good work. Though I will say that I'm slightly bummed that I will have to find another way to justify purchasing a bunch of tools I no longer need for dual purposes of guitar and potential gearhead use on my Plymouth GTX, another piece of machinery I have no business tinkering with, but am dead-set upon doing so anyway.

hi, Phil, i use to pay a guitar tech to set up my guitar but over time I got tired of spending my money on a set I didn't like and decide to learn on my own so every time a see a video I watch and try to learn new technics and by watching your video I kind of got an idea of what you explaining it is good to learn some new thanks

Good tip, I have the tools but also use picks when I just want to get a quick evaluation of my action. Picks are often easier to find around the guitars than the tools.

OMG I just understood when to adjust the neck and when to adjust the action at the bridge!

Another good tip with using picks to measure the gap between string and fret. Not everyone has feeler gauges. Thanks for your videos. I discovered your page today with a video about Scott Grove. Your videos are very informative please keep them coming

Nice, haven't thought about using picks for measuring!

Very helpful as I am learning to set my own guitars up. Thanks

Hi Phil, Thank You this helps me a lot.11 guitars with movement in about half of them, I have been randomly going between bridge and truss rod....

Best set up overview video I have seen.

I like to use a penny to set the string height at the 12th fret. That's just about perfect for me, easy to use and readily available.

Low frets suck hard. Nobody ever talks about them it's always high frets.

Am diggin' on these Phillip McNight videos ! Really . Thanks !

Enciclopedia level Wowwww! Thanks

I am a beginner on guitar and you really explained this well! Thank you sir!

Arizona Heat always has great stuff to share. It's easy to forget tips over the years. I personally like professional grade/made measuring tools. Ya they cost money, but if your a tool guy it's all good. Thanks Phillip!

thanks, Phillip, it is the most valuable video about the guitars I have ever seen

This video was very informative. Especially on determining where to adjust (neck or bridge). That was new to me & very helpful. Thanx A LOT !

Thank you. Your advices are very precise.

oh shit! i have been wondering what to use as a fret rocker and now I will use my old military ID. Great call.

Great video. Thanks very much. This is my first comment on any of your videos. They're all very informative. Thank you.

Yup. I'm about to go shopping for a new (second hand) guitar so this will help enormously!

This is great! Thanks for making this video. Can't wait to get home tonight and check my guitar.

I use a cheap set of 'feeler gauges' from the auto store. Only $3, and available from a parts store just down the street. I'm somewhere between .81 mm and .89 mm at the 24th fret.

Philip was a little sloppy with some of the details, but I get the overall principle. I figured out what he meant to say ,and bought the pics I needed. Thank you Philip

Cool quick measurement for checking when out of the house really useful Thank you I find all your clips interesting and useful and to top it all entertaining 👍

I love this guy

Love your videos! There are a couple of things I would add to this however (this is not meant as criticism and I'm sure you know this stuff but didn't want to make too long a video. I just thought your viewers might need to know this stuff before attacking their guitars!): Firstly, before you check the frets you need to make sure the neck is straight. It certainly shouldn't have negative relief (back bow), otherwise all the frets are likely to rock. Likewise, relief in the neck may stop high frets from rocking (unless they are really high!). I wouldn't trust that the card I'm using is perfectly level either. A 'fret rocker' from Stewmac is a worthwhile investment. Secondly, before measuring the action, you should make sure the nut is cut to the right depth, otherwise none of the measurements will be accurate and give you what you want. Again, your videos are awesome! Keep up the good work!

Some good tips here. Never really checked the action exactly at the third fret. You with get the right action there if you neck relief is correct and your intonation at the first fret is good or close if you cannot adjust the individual slots like on a LSR nut. I always start by checking the neck relief by fretting the first and last frets and checking the space under the 12th fret. You can also fret the 17th and check the 7th. I just adjust so ther is a very small gap. This does depend on tuning, string gauge, and how hard you play though. I only use 2 mm picks, so I check action at the 17th fret with that. I want the action so the pick does not go under the high E string and pushes up the low E string when it goes under. I always get the action as low as possible though. I lower the bridge until it buzzes and then raise it in very small increments until it does not. I would get more precise measuring tools if I did it for a living and needed to save time.

My 7s neck was flat when I got it, I used pocket change to measure my neck. I adjusted and got my action perfect, I think I used nickles and pennies. Btw, I measured with picks just now that you mentioned and we have the same numbers. Lol. You can adjust somewhat blind if you're experienced enough to know what you want, but you have to be smart about it.

I haven't run out a got a feeler gauge. Duh, my picks are measured! Thanks again for your easy straight forward ideas!!

Makes perfect sense i think your my new guitar mentor lol

Thanks by sharing your knowledge!

Excellent tips! I have seen lots of tutorials regarding fret buzz and none explained the "5th fret rule of thumb" the way you just did. I have had the bridge or neck adjustment doubt for years. Thank you very much! subscribed and liked, hope you get much more coming! :)

Smart idea to use a pick instead of feeler gage which I always thought was a bit clumsy to use. I may glue or tape some together to use for pickup height.

Mr. Mcknight my Favorite RU-vid guy...

Damn Phil, I never thought of using a Pick for a gauge. Know Your Gear!>

You can go to a paint store and get sometimes for free a wet paint gauge works just as good as its in mm and inches or automotive feeler gauges

Good idea about the card for a fret rocker . Another Good topic ! Thanks , and keep em coming !!

A digital caliper from Harbor Freight would do well too

I was just about to adjust the truss rod on a Yamaha Pacifica 312 I recently bought used. Now I know to check the frets first. I have slight buzzing, more like a sitar When picking individual strings hard on the first and second string

About measuring before adjusting... I've got a junior model Les Paul and I was changing the strings and the bridge fell off (it's held on by string tension) and I figured it would be fine. The guitar doesn't sound bad (for a junior model that's fallen so much, you'd think it's hungover) but I wish I would've known that a bit earlier.

This is all great info, but I think you may have skipped a step (or I didn't hear it) with putting a capo on the first fret and the last fret and measuring the neck relief in between at the 12th fret. You talked about action height, but until you set the relief, you will never achieve a good setup. For a Strat, the factory recommends a .012" relief. I like it on the low side so I use .010". Once that is set, THEN use the picks and rocker to get a quick idea where you're at. Do you agree?

That Parker is beautiful

Good explanations for us.I like using nickles and quarters for measurements.Old timers trick seems to work well for me.

Thanks for the great information, you're the best

Great advice. Don't mess around with the adjustment, take it to a qualified shop. Make sure they are using a strobotuner to set intonation, not just a digital tuner.

Nice tutorial man, may i request to give the details of pick gauges that we need? Much appreciated it in advance phillip.

i like the way baldy thinks

2:18 dont use a hammer, just did and the frets too low. Have to try to fix it now

That was good practical info thanx and I find your videos very useful

I used a 3.0 stubby. Best picks in the world.

Great idea, now I have a use for that big old bag of picks I've been collecting for years. The 5th fret split is not something I've heard before, I'm sure that's going to come in very usefull before too long.Thank you..I just subscribed for more of this. Cheers, Robbo

Thank you Phillip!

This is a such a great tip, going to start doing this for every one of my setups! You have some really great videos, it's a shame you don't have more followers. Subbed and will be coming back for more!

very cool video... never thought about measuring before....

Thanks for sharing Phill

I like your videos. I always learn something. Thank you

Another GREAT video Phillip!! THANKS BRO!! BTW...Just bought a RONDO SX VTG Series Strat!! Incredible guitar for the money!! I'd love to see you do a blind test with an American Strat. I don't know how this company does it. This guitar blows my Fender Squire HSS Bullet into the weeds. Not even close.

Hey Phil , I just had my guitar a fender stratocaster mij set up . . The so called Lutheir said he had adjusted the neck , but when I came by the music store to pick it up he said that he didnt , he said the reason why he lied about adjusting the truss rod is he didnt want me worrying ? I asked him why he didnt adjust the truss rod ? He said he didnt have a truss rod bullet and that he would have to order one ? Wtf. So when the truss rod bullet came through the mail he had put it on the truss rod and had adjusted it .... Well my guitar now has fret buzz worse than it was before I ever took it to him ! The fret buzz is at the first 5 frets . .. He said after adjusting it that it would take time to settle at the neck .. I gave it a few days hoping the buzz would go away , it didnt ! Now I'm going to have to take it back to him to see if he can adjust the truss again !!! I always thought the first thing you do when doing a set up is relieve the neck of the guitar through a truss rod adjustment ..? I'm starting to feel I need a New guitar tech ! I don't know ?

Taking my instruments to a local tech that had been certified by guitar manufacturers i've had to educate myself on action a little. The way you explain your process for adjustments to action is really the same explanation that I was given. Now the thing that I don't get is when you go to ye ole guitar center and pick up a stock les paul, strat, or tele why do some guitars come out with garbage fret level, action, and buzz?

I really love your video you give great advice

I love this tech stuff

Thanks for your videos I subscribed a few weeks ago, I injoy your content, thank you for your time

Just found your channel, thanks for ALL of the great tips ! ! ! !

thanks phil , love your videos

Phillip, I would expect my treble 'E' gap to be less then the bass. It doesn't bother me much though. Only classical guitar action is way beyond what I consider playable !

Really good practical info.

Useful information

Thanks for serving in the military, hope you had a good veteran's day!

awesome, i love your vids. really helping me

He's like "The Guitar Whisperer"

Thanks for the info!

You are just awesome man. Subscribed.

Also your nut might be to high or low I just had to sand the wood down to lower the nut but went to far so I shimmed it it’s perfect now

Or you could have your guitar adjuste by your local luthier! what a concept! dont forget pleking if you live in a big city

0:53 When you obviously want to say "FUCK!" but you can't because your already a minute into recording :)