What have I done

[Olddon]

Well everything ended up going together easily and I did end up with my guitar for Christmas 🎅

However … there is no relief? When you hold down the string on the first and 20 fret the string sits on all the frets-no gap. I went through the truss rod adjustment video’s which said I had to loosen the truss rod. I managed about a full turn before it got stiff but no discernible change in the neck bow. They say don’t force the truss rod when it gets stiff, but no one gives a definition of ‘stiff’. I saw a video a number of months ago where they had the neck by itself on the bench, supported at the ends, and a clamp in the middle applying relief. Would anyone recommend trying this.? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. It looks good, but I would like to be able to play it too.

[Trevor Davies]

Well everything ended up going together easily and I did end up with my guitar for Christmas 🎅

However … there is no relief? When you hold down the string on the first and 20 fret the string sits on all the frets-no gap. I went through the truss rod adjustment video’s which said I had to loosen the truss rod. I managed about a full turn before it got stiff but no discernible change in the neck bow. They say don’t force the truss rod when it gets stiff, but no one gives a definition of ‘stiff’. I saw a video a number of months ago where they had the neck by itself on the bench, supported at the ends, and a clamp in the middle applying relief. Would anyone recommend trying this.? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. It looks good, but I would like to be able to play it too.

Hi Olddon:

2 things to check.

1. Neck relief - is there a slight curve in the neck (ie the headstock bends away from the body) when you look down the side of the neck. If not then then truss rod will need adjusting. I would have thought you would be tightening the truss rod by turning the allen key anticlockwise. I have had to apply a lot of force to get them to move before (so lucky I did not know about stiff rule). I would not change it by more than a quarter turn at any sitting.

I do not think you need benches!

Normally I aim to have the neck straight when preparing the neck, and then the addition of the strings normally provides enough relief.

2. The strings can be raised using the bridge. Raise the height of the bridge. For my build the threads are a good 0.5 cm out from the lowest position.

I hope this helps.

[Olddon]

Thanks Trevor, To be honest, during the build I did level the frets but did not check the neck, thinking that was a post assembly check.I have sighted along the neck but even though I know it is bowed I can’t actually see it. Since assembly, I have put a straight edge along the neck and it rocks, ie the middle of the neck is higher than the ends. I have tried adjusting the saddle but by the time it is raised high enough to stop the buzz, the action is too high.:-(

[Trevor Davies]

Thanks Trevor, To be honest, during the build I did level the frets but did not check the neck, thinking that was a post assembly check.I have sighted along the neck but even though I know it is bowed I can’t actually see it. Since assembly, I have put a straight edge along the neck and it rocks, ie the middle of the neck is higher than the ends. I have tried adjusting the saddle but by the time it is raised high enough to stop the buzz, the action is too high.:-(

Hi Don,
for the correct relief the straight edge should not rock. It should sit flat at the ends with a small gap in the middle frets.
So keep adjusting the truss rod.

This site has a good way to do it:
https://www.fender.com/articles/how-...guitar-or-bass

You may need to re level the frets with a straight neck.

Lets hope this helps. If not, you may need to sand the lower section of the neck cavity a smidge!

[Olddon]

Hi Trevor,
Thanks for the link. I had a look at it, and tried the truss rod again but I am just too scared to put too much force into the adjustment. I am already applying a fair amount of pressure. I looked up as many setup figures as I could find and interestingly all the figures on the TL are in the ballpark - except for the relief. I chased up more neck adjustment video's and found two that apply physical force to the neck to adjust it so I have gone down that route.

Its been sitting like that for about 6 hours, so before I go to bed I'll tension the strings and keep my fingers crossed for the morning check.

[dave.king1]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I can’t get resistance figures quite that accurately.

My multimeter is almost as old as me

In that case it's quite possibly a very good one

[Olddon]

Well the bending helped slightly, but I have found that the action has improved over the last few days. Maybe the neck just needed to be under tension for a while. I also lowered the nut by 2mm, which made a big difference. I think I am going to call this build complete.
So what is my next build going to be? I had a 335 clone when I was young and I quite fancy those. I have also lusted after a Les Paul, so watch this space. :-)

[Trevor Davies]

Looks good Olddon. Well done.
I'm glad you're thinking about your next build already - both great choices.