The strings on my guitar are really far away from the frets at around the 12th fret and even further at the 22nd fret, yet if I lower the action any more, the strings touch the first fret causing extreme buzz. Is this a truss rod problem? Or are the strings not high enough at the nut? I know most of the problem is that this is only a strat copy, and not the real thing, but is there anything that can be done?
Truss rod?
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WoolyLoach
Guitar Abuser
Sounds like the relief on the neck is wrong, which would be a truss rod problem (99% of the time, at least). Sight down the neck and see how bad the curve is. It shouldn't be completely flat, but it sounds like you've got a serious bow going there.
Get a good book on guitar setup (I recommend Dan Erlewines "How to Make your Electric Guitar Play Great") and read it before you attempt anything! There are also sites on the Net that tell you how to do the adjustments, but I like to have a nice book in my hands (call me old-fashioned).
There *can* be other problems that cause this, if the wood in the neck is warping sometimes even truss rod adjustments won't fix it (had this happen ages ago on a cheap-o Tele copy).
Hope that helps!
Get a good book on guitar setup (I recommend Dan Erlewines "How to Make your Electric Guitar Play Great") and read it before you attempt anything! There are also sites on the Net that tell you how to do the adjustments, but I like to have a nice book in my hands (call me old-fashioned).
There *can* be other problems that cause this, if the wood in the neck is warping sometimes even truss rod adjustments won't fix it (had this happen ages ago on a cheap-o Tele copy).
Hope that helps!
A quick check of the truss rod adjustment will tell you for sure.
Fret your E string at the first fret, and the fret where the neck joins the body. There should be just a very slight gap between the string, and the fret at the midpoint. I like about .015-.025 on mine, some people like 'em flatter. I tend to play a bit hard at times, and like to really dig into the strings when bending.
If the neck is pretty flat then it's probably the nut slots. Is it a well-used axe? One other thing to check on a bolt-on is the neck/body joint. I've seen some that require shimming to get the right angle.
Fret your E string at the first fret, and the fret where the neck joins the body. There should be just a very slight gap between the string, and the fret at the midpoint. I like about .015-.025 on mine, some people like 'em flatter. I tend to play a bit hard at times, and like to really dig into the strings when bending.
If the neck is pretty flat then it's probably the nut slots. Is it a well-used axe? One other thing to check on a bolt-on is the neck/body joint. I've seen some that require shimming to get the right angle.
Even
New member
I'm thinking it would be well worth your time and money to take it to a shop and have them set it up for you. We can try and guess what end to adjust first, but by the end of it we can talk you into turning it into a pretzel. Sit and shoot the breeze with the handy setup guy at the shop and watch what he tweaks. Bottom line is it could be a lame nut, tweaked out neck. Truss rod, lifting neck butt in the ol seat, jacked up bridge or saddles. or any number of other hard to consider factors. I Lost a string tree once and it took me days to figgure out what the problem was.
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Your neck angle is almost certainly wrong. The truss rod is NOT an action adjustment, which is a common misconception. Truss rods adjust the relief in the neck. Action is adjusted at the nut and the bridge. Take your guitar to a good luthier, and they will be able to figure out what it needs rather quickly, and aside from the tremolo, Strats are relatively easy, and there for inexpensive, to set up. Take it to a professional, and get it done right.
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