Do you guys use a straight edge?

delirium trigge

New member
I've been playing for a while and I can mostly spot a straight neck by my eyes. However, I like the idea of it being perfect. I got a straight edge, but not a notched one. I hear that it won't be perfect if the fret's are not perfect, however on most my guitars they are, due to having fretwork for low action.

Just wondering who uses a notched straight and who uses a regular straight edge? The notched ones seem to cost a good bit. I got mine for like 10 dollars at a hardware store. I tested how good my eye was, and it was pretty good, except for a minute bow in just a few guitars.

I still haven't been able to straighten the necks on my Gibsons, although they aren't bad. Because Gibson makes a special type of tool to straighten the truss rod. I was able to do my Taylor guitar which also requires a special tool, but I have a screwdriver, and with no bits in it, the socket happens to fit the Taylor perfectly.
 
A notched straight edge is pretty useless and a waste of coin.
What does it tell you?? Basically, it tells you if the fingerboard is straight or not.
Seems useful in theory.
However the only thing that really matters is the fret tops, the actual playing surface. For this, a good straight edge will suffice because you are checking for an even, relatively straight playing surface.
Once straightened, if it is uneven, meaning you have high or low frets,it needs to be leveled out with a fret dress. If so bad that it needs to be refretted, and you have irregularity in the board that needs to be leveled, once again, all you need, is a good straightedge.

Most people check the relief just for the purpose of seeing how straight it is. Too much gives you higher action in the middle of the neck and it just doesn't feel right. Too little gives you a too straight a neck and can cause buzz at the nut and the first 4 or 5 frets.
For this, you don't even need a straightedge. You already have 6.
Your strings under tension will make a straight line. Just fret at the first first and last frets and look at the space. You want a little space, or relief. Very few players can play a dead straight neck without it buzzing somewhere. (usually closer to the nut)


A gibson truss rod nut doesn't require a "special" tool. You just need a truss rod wrench.
Pocket Truss Rod Wrenches | stewmac.com


I've done a quite a few guitars and have found the notched straightedge to be a useless tool. :)

PS. Sometimes you are better off leaving the truss rod as is. Often on factory guitars, straightening the neck will reveal fret issues you didn't notice due to the more generous relief. At that point loosen up the rod to where it was before, or get ready to shell for a fret dress.
 
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Firstly, the notched straight edge is NOT a tool for guitar setups. For setting up action and neck relief you need a normal straight edge. Second your neck will need a degree of bow or relief to play properly depending on your strings action and playing style.

To deal with both those points on detail.

The notched straight edge is used to true up the fretboard before stoning the frets. When frets are installed they are often at differing hieghts, there are also tolerances in the dimensions of the crown during the manufacturing process which can often lead to high spots on the frets. When you lay a straight edge along a frets that are uneven the high spots will not allow you to take a precise measure. You need to stone the frets level and recrown them to get them playing correctly. The fret board and not the frets need to be perfectly flat before you do this. That is where the notched edge comes into play. It allows you to set the neck perfectly flat without regard to the frets that need work. Unless you do a lot of refrets or builds you will not need one.

Once your frets and neck are perfectly flat and you have strung up your guitar and tuned it to pitch you will notice that the guitar often has a bow in the neck. This is due to the pull of the strings. The truss rod is used to correct this bow and for no other reason. Strings vibrate in a wider arc towards the centre of their length and therefore you may need to leave a little of the that bow in the neck to stop the strings buzzing. This is called neck relief and it will depend on action gauge and playing style. This is the last thing to be adjusted and is set with a normal straight edge and you eyeball the gap to make adjustments by feel and ear to suit your playing style and guitar.

Most people and that includes guitar techs and luthiers will never find use for a notched straight edge. I have one that was given me by a supplier but have rarely if ever used it.
 
I would also advise that if you can not identify what type of adjustment your truss rod has that you do not attempt to adjust it. You would likely make the thing worse..

Most Gibsons but not all are a standard 5/16 wrench. Gibson and others stopped shipping guitars with a wrench because of the number of people screwing them up. It used to give me quite a bit of repair work. Still does....
 
To further add to this, and I think muttley might agree, If some one knows what they are doing they have no need for a notched straightedge. It is marketed for the hobbyist novice with little to no experience. It's primary function is to make money for the supplier.

:D
 
Well, my guitars, (most of them) have fret work, because I play with low action. So I do play a straight neck. The way it comes from the factory is never good for me. If I can't get it straight and it has too much relief.

I know how to adjust the truss rod. I can do it by my eye, but I bought a straight edge just to make sure. I've always gotten them fairly flat without a straight edge but I bought one anyway. My acoustics, I keep a good bit of relief.
 
To further add to this, and I think muttley might agree, If some one knows what they are doing they have no need for a notched straightedge. It is marketed for the hobbyist novice with little to no experience. It's primary function is to make money for the supplier.

:D

Yes...
 
Well, my guitars, (most of them) have fret work, because I play with low action. So I do play a straight neck. The way it comes from the factory is never good for me. If I can't get it straight and it has too much relief.

I know how to adjust the truss rod. I can do it by my eye, but I bought a straight edge just to make sure. I've always gotten them fairly flat without a straight edge but I bought one anyway. My acoustics, I keep a good bit of relief.

Every guitar in an ideal world should be setup dependent on string gauge, action, playing style, prevailing humidity conditions and personal taste. There is no hard and fast set of numbers. A straight edge is a tool with many uses the primary one being to mark or align straight lines. There are other uses. A notched straight edge has only one practical purpose and most will never need or use it.

That does answer your original question doesn't it? It sounds like you are trying to justify their use? Or am I mis reading what you have posted. No one has suggested that you don't know what you are doing or that you are doing it wrong. We have just answered your question and pointed out how most if not all guys and girls in the trade do it.

As with all things. If you have a method that works for you it's all good...:)
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Like I said I can get it with my eyes, but maybe not perfectly. So I've been using the straight edge. I just recently set up my cheap bass with the straight edge and now it plays much better.

I do like a really straight neck though. A little bow at the 12th fret is okay but not much.

Since it's a cheap bass it is not does have fret work done on it, and works great.

I've got fret work on most of my electric guitars. However, the more expensive ones seem to have WORSE frets. Both of my Gibsons have some fret problems. I have a higher end Epiphone with fret problems as well.

The rest of them are perfect. My ESP EC-1000 came out of the box perfect. I even have a cheap Fender Squire 50's vibe, it's not like the regular squires, I chose it over the Fender standard because it played better and sounded better with it's pickups. The frets are flawless on it as well. I believe it was around 275 when it first came out and I got one.

I have heard from other people that their Gibsons have fret problems as well. I'd love to learn how to dress the frets myself. I have to pay my guy 100 bucks to do it each time.

---------- Update ----------

Every guitar in an ideal world should be setup dependent on string gauge, action, playing style, prevailing humidity conditions and personal taste. There is no hard and fast set of numbers. A straight edge is a tool with many uses the primary one being to mark or align straight lines. There are other uses. A notched straight edge has only one practical purpose and most will never need or use it.

That does answer your original question doesn't it? It sounds like you are trying to justify their use? Or am I mis reading what you have posted. No one has suggested that you don't know what you are doing or that you are doing it wrong. We have just answered your question and pointed out how most if not all guys and girls in the trade do it.

As with all things. If you have a method that works for you it's all good...:)

Yes, I was seeing what was the point in using a notched one. Now I understand, I do not need a notched one.
 
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