TLA-1 - first kit

[tomglyde]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the pointers. I have checked the tighteness the neck screws and straightened the neck using the truss rod (I think I put it out playing around before I had any idea, as opposed to a little idea now). With the bridge saddles at minimum the strings do not touch the frets, so according to Gav's advice a shim might be worthwhile.

I haven't leveled the frets yet, I'll keep that as an option, but to my eye the frets look fairly even.

The saddles are just above the minimum and (I think) the guitar plays ok. However, the action is still a bit higher at the bridge end. As I haven't much electric experience, what is a good level of action to aim for?

If photos will help, what angles do you want?

[Gavin1393]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from tomglyde on August 5, 2014, 19:49
I haven't leveled the frets yet, I'll keep that as an option, but to my eye the frets look fairly even.

There is no way the frets will be level right off the cuff. There is very little tolerance for 'jangle' and I'd strongly recommend levelling the frets as a priority. Perhaps the only other test i'd recommend is to check that there is no back bow. Check as described by Brenden.
Back-bow, in almost all cases, causes the guitar to play improperly and is almost never desired in a guitar neck. Because back-bow causes the strings to become closer to the frets, back-bow can cause string buzzing and the inability to play on certain frets. Also, intonation may be affected by back-bow. The truss rod will need to be loosened to adjust the back-bow or flatten the neck/fretboard. By loosening the truss rod, you are allowing the neck to assume a more natural shape under the tension from the strings.