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Post subject: Neck relief question
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 1:00 pm
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Forgive me if this question has been asked many times before. The relief on my '96 mim is as straight as could be. Why do some folks prefer to add a little relief and by how much? What is the advantage?


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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 2:01 pm
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Some neck relief may be required to prevent notes from choking out at the higher register, especially those that are bent one or two half steps above the fundamental fret. The amount of relief will vary based on playing styles, the radius of the fretboard, and the size and contour of the fretwire.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 3:19 pm
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Most guitars buzz without some relief. Is your observation that your neck is straight as can be based on eyeballing it, or did you take a measurement to check for relief?

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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 3:23 pm
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To answer your question about how much relief, I usually set mine at .008" to .010", measured at the 8th fret using a straight edge that goes from the first fret to the last fret. Some will measure using the string, but I prefer a straight edge.

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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 12:36 am
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Drew365 wrote:
Most guitars buzz without some relief. Is your observation that your neck is straight as can be based on eyeballing it, or did you take a measurement to check for relief?



+1


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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 2:16 am
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On that "most guitars buzz without some relief" statement. I like my guitars with as little relief as possible, so I'd rather raise the action a fragment than loosen the truss rod. On flat radiuses, straight as an arrow & low action is quite common.
Of course, action and relief settings are very personal, but in my experience, too much relief is more common than too little.

I very much agree with what Mr. Erlewine says in the Tone Quest Report interview (quote below), especially with the thin neck guitars of modern days. And it's easy to test; just tweak relief/action to bowed/lower & straight/higher, see what you like most. And: we're talking very small measures here.
Quote:
TQR: And are there specific tips that apply to all guitars?
DE: I think the key to good tone is to have a neck that is straight under string tension (because it is under truss-rod tension).
The stiffness that results lets the neck drive the body and produce good tone. If the player must have some relief, back off the rod, but no more than absolutely necessary.
Some relief is OK (I don’t like it, or at least hardly any) as long as the truss rod is not loose and the neck doesn’t have too much relief. Once a neck shows, say, .012" relief or more, it’s like a bow and arrow — the neck is the bow, the strings are the bow string — push or pull the string, and the neck bends and moves, losing tone, in my opinion. I prove this to myself daily when I adjust my customers’ guitar truss rods. As soon as I get the neck straight, the tone and woody resonance comes out.


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Post subject: Re: Neck relief question
Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 2:44 am
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jmattis wrote:
On that "[i] , but in my experience, too much relief is more common than too little.

]



Yes because string pull .


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