How To Measure Your Neck Relief & Adjust Your Truss Rod on a Guitar with MusicNomad
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- MusicNomad and Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell team up in this easy to follow, step by step video showing how to properly measure your neck relief and make the necessary adjustment to the truss rod to perfectly dial in your electric, acoustic or bass guitar to play and sound the best.
Being able to measure your neck relief is a critical step in the setup process. MusicNomad's precision Truss Rod Gauge will help you do it quickly & accurately. The gauge comes equipped with the 3 most common relief measurements (.006”, .008”, .010”). Instructions printed right on the handle makes it extremely easy to dial in your neck relief. It’s perfect for electric, acoustic, classical & bass guitars & features laser etched markings that take the guesswork out of which gauge to use for each instrument. It’s made of premium stainless steel construction without the annoying, messy oil found on traditional feeler gauge sets. We even included an innovative pick capo to assist in the process. MusicNomad's Premium Truss Rod Wrenches offer unmatched features and benefits to help assist in safely adjusting your Truss Rod. That's MusicNomad quality - raising the bar in equipment care.
To learn more about MusicNomad's Truss Rod Gauge and Truss Rod Wrenches visit: www.musicnomadcare.com
In collaboration with Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell of SF & Sonoma Country Guitarworks sfguitarworks.com/, MusicNomad has developed the Keep It Simple Setup (KISS). We demystified the process by developing innovative, precision gauges and tools combined with step-by-step general guidelines anybody can follow and setup their guitar to play and sound great. With our KISS method and our gauges you can check the vital areas of your guitar and use our tools to perform your own setup. Not only is it fun, but a properly setup guitar takes your playing and sound to a whole new level. Make sure to check out all of our precision gauges and tools.
0:00 Intro
0:30 Tools needed
1:10 Neck relief explained
2:15 Measure on Electric Guitar
4:17 Measure on Acoustic Guitar
4:37 Adjust Truss Rod - Навчання та стиль
I like the pick sliding down to the first fret trick, really smart!
I was skeptical about this product and its recommended settings for a Gibson guitar. I've spent years playing with a straight neck because I'm a metal guitarist and I'm all about playing fast, while disguising any buzz with distortion. But after giving this product a whirl and following the instructions, I think it's fair to say that these are possibly the definitive settings for a Les Paul/SG. Although I like to play with a slightly lower action than what they're suggesting, I managed to maintain my preferred string action without any buzzing this time. Playability is smoother too. Excellent product and excellent advice
Easily the most concise and well reasoned explanation I've found after watching many videos about this subject
Glad it was helpful!
their products are similarly to the point/useful
the pick thing as a capo really helped guys
Just in case anyone needs, .006 in = about 0.15mm
this is a fantastic video, you guys took out all the 15-20 mins of "blah blah blah" and just showed us how to do something.
I just adjusted 3 of my fenders with the NTG. Absolute FAB! Finally the perfect action! Thank you guys!
I had your spanner wrench for a pot swap, and then I got your string height tool, and now I have another tool to buy.
Great tools, great explanations through great videos, Thanks Man!
Excellent products that are easy to use. I like your videos as well. Great instruction for players of all levels.
Great job on explaining this.
Best video I've seen on the topic
Very easy to use made my strat sound so much better thanks for haveing a great and easy product to use
Great to hear!
Best video on the subject 🙏🙏👍
I was thinking I needed relief but didn't know how right I was. Thanks! I just noticed I have not space at all, strings resting on frets :(
Looking forward to these videos, always been a little worried to setup my own guitars.
You are in the majority as most people that want to learn. Our KEEP IT SIMPLE, SETUP that is unfolding over the next 30 days in our product announcements along with how to videos will make it very easy for you to perform your own setups, have fun, and your guitars will play and sound better.
From set up tools to polish the only brand i use is music nomad. Ive tried the Dunlop stuff ect and music nomad has always been my favorite for that kind of stuff.
Thank you for your idea. I would like ask you one question, haw can fix internal cables for luck star guitar?
I found that when "in tune" and intonation was perfect up @ the 19th fret, my fretted notes for open chords were going Sharp. I was about to file the nut on my LP, until I checked the neck relief...and there was too much relief. I tightened the truss rod return to flatten the neck out a bit, then made sure that the intonation was great all the way up again, and everything settled down. I did NOT need to file the nut. Thank goodness I figured that out before ruining the nut. Because who wants to ruined nut? I also just read some forums about how people do not think that the 19th fret harmonic and fretted notes need to match. wtf? That makes no sense to me at all. "It's okay to have some notes out of tune...“ No! No it's not.
Super cool thanks, just to confirm, which do you use for an electric 4 string bass?
Our specially designed Truss Rod Gauge has laser etched on the gauge "Bass Guitar" so you don't even have to remember which size.
How to use this tool on a 7-string? thanks
Well I bought these very expensive feeler gauges to give them a try. What did I learn?
My PRS electric is spot on.
My two Taylor steel acoustics have the same neck relief as an electric guitar so technically need adjusting, however the action is spot on on both and there's no fret buzz on any fret so I'll leave them as they are.
My USA Ovation steel string is spot on but my classical guitar needs tightening. The action on my classical was correct but I gave it an adjustment anyway and all seems to be good.
Sounds like you have an amazing collection!
Does the feeler gauge tool apply to extended range guitars? What about multiscale (fanned fret) guitars?
Can you reach out to us at tech@musicnomad.com to discuss your specific instrument needs? Thank you!
Wow. I've been setting my electric guitar neck relief "strictly" at .010 my entire tenure as a guitarist. Likewise acoustics I go with .012. I capo the first fret and hold the low E string down where the neck meets the body and check the 6th, 7th and 8th fret on both E strings. I was always under the impression that was guitar law set in stone. I know a lot of heavy metal people like the neck super straight (too straight really) but I never was like that and I play heavy music too. I can physically and visually recognize the imbalance from too straight of a neck to too much relief in one.
We realize there are many different opinions plus your setup can be dialed in more for the type of player and playing style. Our Collaboration with Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell and his 20+ years, two high volume guitar shops setting up 10,000 plus guitars, teaching 100's of students in his setup workshops, in house Plek experience, plus we asked a handful of other top repair shops the most common setup measurements and this was the unanimous measurements for a a great sounding and playing guitar.
@@MusicNomadCare yeah there's really no set way. To each their own.
@@MusicNomadCare I'd like to just say that I've bought this MN setup kit and since then I've completely ditched my old way of setting up my guitars like I described above and I go with the specs of this MN kit. Using the kit my guitars are setup better than ever. This is a great kit. Nothing compares. Well done Music Nomad! Cheers!
@@BostonWhoFan515 lol their way is not ideal for metal/heavy rock tho what you were doing was right for shredder/metal type of music, their method may be ok for a gibson or PRS. I know Fender recommends the .010 for their strats. I think u got duped by their feeler gauges gimmicky lol with the smiley faces and all, your method was fine all along
Hello ! sorry I have a question regarding the way to establish the correct measurements. Why is Ibanez saying that the neck should have .2 - .3mm of relief measured at the 9th with the low E string fretted at the 1st and 24th. I have tried the MusicNomad technique and it works very well on my Chapman guitars but I get a little buzz when performing the same tecqnique on the Ibanez IC420.
Hi, Thank you for reaching out. We respect the different ways manufacturers and repair techs approach neck relief. With Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell along with other top repair techs we developed our KISS method using the 1st and 12th fret and measuring at the 6th fret to accommodate most all guitars using a common measurement. The relief of the neck at the 6th fret is in the middle of the span between the 1st and 12th fret. Feel free to contact our tech at tech@musicnomad.com for additional help with the little buzz you are experiencing. Thank you!
@@MusicNomadCare Thank you for replying back. Actually, I think I will send maybe a video or information to this email address. I am not putting in doubt the Music Nomad way of measuring, as I am very happy with the "MusicNomad Precision Setup Gauge Set" I bought but not being a certified guitar technician, sometimes I am in doubt about getting things done the right way also having so much information out there, with every manufacturer listening their own way of doing things make my head spin:))). Now since I wrote the comment I partially solved the issue with half a turn of the truss rod, but I will still wait and see how the guitar behaves. Thank you for putting good content on UA-cam for everyone to see.
Are there any specifics to set the truss rod for a PRS SE Custom 24 using this gauge?
Nothing different you will want to follow the direction and use the electric guitar gauge .006"
Hi! Could you tell me how many millimetres are 0.006 inches? Thanks for the video and greetings from Argentina
0.006 would be 0.152mm
What is the exact model of Les Paul in this video? It’s beautiful.
It's probably the same as every other les Paul that you can find in any guitar store ever.... A les Paul is a les Paul. Anyone that feels the need to own more than one is old, or doesn't know better.
@@zzzhuh oooooooooh get you. Woke up on the wrong side of bed have we?
Finger is located at 13th fret position (in guitar player lingo) and pressing down on the actual 12th fret (metallic strip)...correct ?
He is pressing down in between the 13th and 12 fret so the string contact point is fretting on the 12th fret.
@@MusicNomadCare We are fundamentally in full agreement. When playing a guitar, a "13th" fret finger placement along the fretboard requires pressing between mechanical frets 12 and 13. It is the 13th fret being used to shorten the active string length and ring the right frequency (F) on an E-String. TAB notation will show a number "13". It's simply a nomenclature inconsistency between TAB notation and mechanical engineering of the guitar.
@@MyJ2B in other words, I've been doing it wrong for a while. Just noticed it too in the bass truss rod video.
@@VanLabrakis Thanks for the reply. I edited my reply above. We are just using the finger for a different purpose. As a player, I shorten the active string length (fret 13 to bridge). You are using the same fingering to press down on Fret 12 to measure the relief somewhere between fret 12 and the nut. Just a different viewpoint. We are both correct !
@@MyJ2B I get where Geoff is coming from and it does make sense. But since we are talking guitar and that is universally considered pressing down on the 13th fret, I think at least a disclaimer was in order.
Okay, so every time I go to do this, I find a different video and they all give me differing answers on what frets to push down on. Everyone says the first fret. Okay, but I get different answers on the fret that's closer to the bridge. Some say where the neck meets the body, you guys said the 12th, I've also heard the 14th. Someone help.
We respect the different ways manufacturers and repair techs approach neck relief. With Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell along with other top repair techs we developed our KISS method using the 1st and 12th fret and measuring at the 6th fret to accommodate most all guitars using a common measurement. The relief of the neck at the 6th fret is in the middle of the span between the 1st and 12th fret.
The "Touch" decriptors are a bit confusing on the gauge tool.
No = No touch - string is far from touching metal fret 6
Light = string lightly touches the fret and it barely moves away from fret 6 when gauge strip is inserted in between them
Medium to Light ? = the string is feeling tight against fret 6. The guage strip has to be "forced'" in between them, moving the string "up" too much away from fret 6.
The word "Tight" would be a better descriptor for this condition on the tool (white letters on black background). Just a suggestion to Nomad developers.
Luttrell was the name of a very wealthy family in medieval England. Good ancestors to have.
Can I put pick capo on the 17th fret? Do you plans to add 0.004 or 0.005 in your feeler gauges? My guitars are currently setup with 0.004 relief.
We developed our KISS method using the 1st and 12th fret and measuring at the 6th fret to accommodate most all guitars using a common measurement. The relief of the neck at the 6th fret is in the middle of the span between the 1st and 12th fret. Right now we only have the truss rod gauge with the .006, .008 & .010 which is the most common measurement needed for neck relief. Email our guitar tech tech@muscinomad.com regarding more clarification on why you want to pick capo on the 17th fret so we can help you further.
If i dont have the gauge u are using, what thing can i use as a reference
Check out all the gauges and tools you will need for the KEEP IT SIMPLE SETUP process www.musicnomadcare.com/How-To-Advice/Setup-Hub/
They're selling gauges...lol.They're not going to tell you how to do this without them they are in business to make money first and foremost like any good company should. Look further on UA-cam and you may find where maybe a card like credit card may work in a pinch.
should i loosen guitar string before turn the trusrod?
No you want to be in tune when making the adjustment
@@MusicNomadCare ok thanks
Good lord some of these people are clueless in the comments.
I personally love the kit, set up my guitars after leveling. Some understring gauges in the future would be great ;)
I'm confused on the direction to adjust the truss. If I am on low E side of guitar, turning wrench towards high E side loosens the truss?
Yes your correct to go from the low E side to the high E side to loosen the truss rod. You would be turning counterclockwise
In this case yes because the truss rod nut is at the headstock. But some guitars such as acoustic guitars the truss rod nut is located at the bottom of the neck inside the sound hole. In this case moving from low E to high E would be tightening the truss rod. The rule of thumb to follow is always turn clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen. Just like any bottle cap or jar lid. Rifhty tighty lefty loosy
Do you have to detune your strings ?
No you will want to keep the guitar in tune
low E on 13th fret.
He is pushing down right behind the 12th fret so its being fretted at the 12 fret.
Arent you suppose to retune your guitar each time after you adjust the truss rod?
Yes, in our instructional booklet and videos during the truss rod relief step you need to make sure your guitar is in tune and in the playing position when making your measurements.
What if you use really high action?
The measurements we have provided are a "most common" measurements for all guitars and basses to sound and play great, these measurement can be dialed in more for the type of player and playing style. To achieve higher action you will want to dial in your neck relief and string height for your playing style
But my Charvel recommends 020 😥😥
Our Collaboration with Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell and his 20+ years, two high volume guitar shops setting up 10,000 plus guitars, teaching 100's of students in his setup workshops, in house Plek experience, plus we asked a handful of other top repair shops the most common setup measurements and this was the unanimous measurements for a a great sounding and playing guitar. We realize there are many different opinions plus these can dialed in more for the type of player and playing style.
Even with the truss rod totally slack my kneck bows backwards and there's no relief
There are many variables, sounds like there is some issues with your neck. Contact our guitar tech at tech@musicnomad.com so he can get deeper into your situation to help.
"Having oil all over your hands all the time you're working on someone's beautiful instrument". Funny stuff. :)
The great part about our KISS gauges is there is no oil like other feeler gauges so when your working on your instrument you do not have oily fingers.
@@MusicNomadCare you missed the joke by a long shot 😆
Yea, but when you relieve the neck, you have to re tune as it knocks everything down many cents. I didn't see that covered here. Otherwise great content. You have to tune, and re tune, every time you touch a saddle or truss. Always.
Yes your correct, in our full setup videos we always make sure to tell the viewer you need to always retune after making any adjustments.
4:33 why u always say hte 12th fret but u are pressing the 13th fret. plzzz
He is pressing down right behind the 12th fret so the string is fretting on the 12th fret
Never heard of anybody measuring neck relief from 1st to only 12th fret.
We respect the different ways manufacturers and repair techs approach neck relief. With Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell along with other top repair techs we developed our KISS method using the 1st and 12th fret and measuring at the 6th fret to accommodate most all guitars using a common measurement. The relief of the neck at the 6th fret is in the middle of the span between the 1st and 12th fret.
To me looked like you turned anticlock wise - confusing
Whether a headstock adjust truss rod or a heel adjust truss rod, you turn clockwise to take relief out of the neck and counterclockwise to add relief in the neck.
@@MusicNomadCare…I used to get confused which way to turn depending on where the truss rod was…headstock or heel of neck…then I realized righty tighty is always the same regardless…but I am an idiot 😫
Totally misleading. I have this gauge (and others) the directions says, "with finger, press low E string down at 12th fret". Well here you're fretting the 13th fret - makes sense, you're putting tension on the 12th fret. Fretting the 12th fret puts tension on the 11th fret. Very misleading. Just set up 3 of my 9 guitars and they all were buzzing - this is probably the reason why ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The concept is you are creating a straight edge with the string to measure and adjust your neck relief. You can push down on the string at the 12th fret on top of the fret or just behind the 12th fret on the 13th fret playing position to get the same result. The principle is you get a straight edge from the string to measure your neck relief at the middle of the neck.
You should probably check your fretboard for level. This is basic set up stuff on a generalized scale. If your buzzing following this procedure. Youve got some other problems.
six thousand of an inch... what kind of alien measure is that? Use millimeters (mm) or at least " zero point 3 inch" for example, so people can understand.
Yes the gauge had laser etched it in .006 plus the mm and electric guitar, so you will know exactly the gauge to use.
As a heavy duty mechanic in Canada we use thousandths of an inch as a measurement regularly
It’s not an allen wrench that measures 6 thousandths but a feeler gauge
Research the conversion. Shouldn't take long for a genius like you