The next logical step in checking and setting up your guitar, step number two is the natural procedure to perform next. Step number one demonstrated effectively how to perform a basic Neck Evaluation and Truss Rod Adjustment.
Step number two is how to professionally check the amount of relief in the guitar neck with a specialized guitar neck relief gauge. I am also going to demonstrate how a DIY-er might perform this procedure at home with minimal if any tool expense.
First things first: No matter what you want to do during your guitar setup, realistically speaking, you gotta check and adjust neck relief before you go any further. We can’t really adjust our truss rod if we can’t check the relier or flatness of our guitar neck. Period. Remember, we are going for flatness, as I mentioned in the prior setup article, I prefer a flat neck and most folks do as well, even if they don’t know it.
The top picture is a precision dial indicator gauge which is mounted to the special neck relief gauge tool in the second picture (Checking a Custom Shop Eric Clapton Strat, which by the way has zero relief) or the left side tool in the third picture. It’s for repeated and highly accurate professional use.
The tool on the right side in the third picture is a good ‘old fashioned’ precision straight edge, about 12″-18″ long, and a set of feeler gauges. Don’t underestimate these tools. Many guitar makers, aka luthiers, and myself use these tools very successfully for some hi-profile guitar players.
Interestingly enough, one of my readers asked me about this subject this morning, based on his findings that only 1 in 20 guitars come setup properly from the factory. What a coincidence!
For testing purposes, as you can see, the guitar maker performs all of the procedures in the normal playing position as noted in the pictures and with the guitar tuned to pitch, whether it be concert pitch or 1/2 step down or what ever pitch you normally play in. Another way of looking at it is, that tuning the guitar to pitch puts the proper amount of tension on the neck, such as when you play it.
Referring to the picture at the beginning of the last setup article it is easy to see the different types of forward and back bow(relief) a neck can develop. The tool with the dial indicator is purely accurate. You can see the needle and numbers on the dial, so it is quite easy to look at the exact amount of the measurement, what direction the needle turned, meaning clockwise or counter clockwise. If the needle goes clockwise then it has up-bow, conversely, if the needle goes counter clockwise, we have back-bow.
Using the straight edge in the same guitar position we used with the dial indicator, set the ruler on the fret board as centered as possible, then carefully see if and where there may be light coming from between the frets and the straight edge. If there is light in the middle, you have up-bow. Where ever you see light, obviously there is a gap there, and that is where the feeler gauges come in. Measure the gap with the feeler gauge and determine the amount of bow and what direction to turn the truss rod for “zero” gap. Easier said than done, but not impossible.
Needless to say, the truss-rod is how to adjust the relief. Just as needless to say, the direction of the bow in the neck determines what direction to turn the truss rod. Remember, don’ force it, or my next article will have to be about replacing a truss rod!
Briefly, Guitar Players Center is interested in putting together inexpensive DIY brand and model specific home basic setup kits. For the folks that are handy, this can be a really inexpensive way to setup your axe and keep it setup. Let me know if you like this idea?
Advise and help is always free at GPC. Keep in touch or subscribe to our blog for free and get the next installment, Step 3 of GPC’s guitar upgrades and setup series delivered right to your door. Any comments or suggestions, please feel to express them. Enjoy.
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