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!
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. 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)
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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
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
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.
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.
happy to help, trying to take the mystery out of it!
@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!
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.
I always wondered how they worked!! So thanks man! That has really helped big time.
Very helpful thanks.
Great tutorial. Nice and simple and straight to the point (no pun intended). Many thanks 👍
Concise and easy to understand.
Perfect upload. ♥
Thank you!
New to this. Extremely helpful
Great video, just tried it and worked perfectly! Subscribed.
awesome! much appreciated!
Hey Brian ,thank you man for all the little tips you take time to Bless us with. You are a good man . Thank you
Hey Gary, We hope to be helpful! Appreciate the kind words, makes navigating the trolls a little easier to handle!
Very helpful information, thank you
Brilliant video my friend, cheers !
Thanks for the video. It was very helpful.
glad to help! trying to make things simple and straight forward!
Just bought one and had to remind myself why I did that : D Nice video, thanks man!
great! they are useful to keep a visual eye on the neck!
Thanks! Simple and right to the point! :)
Dang this was the best vid I’ve seen on the use of this tool! Thanks 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
thanks! tried to make it simple to understand since it's such a helpful tool!
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)
Thank you, just what I needed.
Outstanding video 😊😊😊😊
thanks 👍👍👍
Thank You. I was trying to use mine on the first fret. This was a great help.
glad it was useful! were trying to show some practical ways to help work on guitars!
Excellent video as I had no idea on how to use it and now I do thanks to you and I will buy one now.
they are worth having for sure. Many have two sides, one for gibson and one for Fender Scales
@@PorterPickups I bought one after I saw your video and it is for 24.75 and 25.50 scale.
Nicely done good vid
Great video
Great video, thank you!
glad to help!
Awesome! Thank you!
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?
awesome! it's dangerous to go down the guitar rabbit hole...but worth it!!
@@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.
@@randymiles904 thats great! it's a fun journey for sure, keep it up!
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
@@PorterPickups it didn’t move. Works fine
Thanks bro!
glad to help!
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.
Typically that will be the 12th fret to check the action height, there’s some charts online available for different proffered setups to shoot for!
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.
possibly a neck hump it sounds like@@dalmatdevelopment7821
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.
Thank you for the video, does it matter if you have your guitar strung or not?
you can work around the strings when they are on and it's better to know that the string tension is doing to the neck.
What fret do you check relief on a 24 fret guitar? Still frets 7 - 9?
typically in that range or as center in the neck as possible
Is there a certain fret that we want to measure when we use a feel gauge and notched straight edge?
typically in the middle of the board or the length of the straightedge (between 7-10th frets)
@@PorterPickups
Should the neck be adjusted completely straight for playability or should it have a small amount of relief?
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.
@@PorterPickups
Nice video! What if the fretboard is scalloped?
good question! might make it more challenging as the surface is not even.
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?
that one way you can do it for sure. start with a feeler gauge and adjusting relief to your intended specs.
Thanks. I was searching for other notched straight edges than StewMac because theirs are $118 vs Philadelphia’s are $33. Are they the same?
Either will get the job done, so save money if you can!
@@PorterPickups
You tightened the truss rod in clockwise direction to make it straight? I am just a little confused by the language of relief.
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.
Is it really worth over 100 bucks. That seems steep for a piece of steel when they are on amazon for 15 bucks.
having something really straight and high quality is important. this one is from Philadelphia luthier tools and is around $30 i believe.
I got mine, one for guitar and one for bass, both for around $45 with shipping and taxes.
Is a guitar neck supposed to be slightly bent? There's no buzz in mine and also plays very well
you can set it up to preference and if yours is straight and no buzz thats a good thing!
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
@@patrickjan7896 have you tried adjusting the saddle height to see if that helps? sometimes a small adjustment can make all the difference.
this works with 24 frets?
Yes, it will be centered enough with the notches to work just fine
awesome info i will never take my guitar to a tech again
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
What would you do if the truss rod is maxed out and there's still quite a lot of relief (~24 thousands)?
Thank you, great content!
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.