Does loosening the truss rod and making a bigger bow out of the neck, help in setting the string action lower?
I don't mean extreme loosening.
Just wonder.

And what's the micro-tilt's contribution in getting a lower string action?

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Alexander
AMSTD Strat RW Candy Cola +Callaham + Texas Specials +Tortoise shell pickguard/Fender Blues Junior III SN FSR
Salonica-Greece


Macedonia IS GREECE the last 2500 years

No. Bowing the neck moves the strings away from the fingerboard.

Tightening the micro-tilt forces the heel of the neck away from the body of the guitar which in turn, brings the fingerboard closer to the strings.

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You dig?

Yes, I know that. I was asking if that effect allows me to lower the action more before I get any buzzing frets instead of having the same action but without a big bow. I mean, does bowing the neck and thus making a bigger angle out of any string that is pressed against the frets, help in any way to result better buzz-free lower action?



So it's another method of lowering the action. Comparing this with adjusting the saddles lower, which one gives better results when it comes to buzzing?

Thank you...

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Alexander
AMSTD Strat RW Candy Cola +Callaham + Texas Specials +Tortoise shell pickguard/Fender Blues Junior III SN FSR
Salonica-Greece


Macedonia IS GREECE the last 2500 years

Alex.

For super low action, there is a price to pay. But first, how to get super low action.
1, Get the neck as straight as possible.
2, Make sure all your frets are in good order.
3, Use the lightest strings you can find (0.007"'s or 0.008"s)
4, Get your touch as light as possible. Have no hint of heavy handedness about your playing whatsoever. With either your left or right hand technique.
5, forget about bending and vibrato.

The microtilt won't do anything that you can't do from the saddles. It's a pointless implement in my opinion.

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No no and no

No, I don't want "super-low action".
I just want the optimal action with my current strings (10-46).

I'm used to heavier strings (used to play with 11-52, now 10-46) and I don't want to change them. I felt very awkward playing with the 9s' that came with the guitar and changed them the same day. Imagine how crappy I'd feel with 8s' or 7s'

I just wonder if I'm not taking the full advantage of my guitars capabilities. If there is some golden rule that I'm missing.

Thank you.

P.S. I also think that the micro-tilt is, if not a sustain killer (less contact between neck and body), a useless commercial trick after all.

_________________
Alexander
AMSTD Strat RW Candy Cola +Callaham + Texas Specials +Tortoise shell pickguard/Fender Blues Junior III SN FSR
Salonica-Greece


Macedonia IS GREECE the last 2500 years

Simplest way to answer this is :
Adding relief does help achieve a lower action, but only because you can set the strings lower and not have too much buzz on the first few frets, VS. a neck that is dead straight, the action will feel more "uniform" from one end of the fretboard to the other, but you will be alot more prone to fret buzzes on the lower (frets 1-5) frets. Relief avoids buzzes on the first few frets, and string height avoids buzzes on the higher ones. You have to experiment with each guitar to find the perfect balance between relief and string height

Thank you Steve. That makes sense

_________________
Alexander
AMSTD Strat RW Candy Cola +Callaham + Texas Specials +Tortoise shell pickguard/Fender Blues Junior III SN FSR
Salonica-Greece


Macedonia IS GREECE the last 2500 years

It results in a higher action and MAYBE less buzz. All in all, it depends on the entirety of the guitar's setup (or lack thereof) prior to playing around with the Micro-tilt.

Yes, tightening the Micro-Tilt lowers the action. Beyond this in terms of buzzing, it usually increases it vs. lowering the saddles to lower the action. Again, it depends on the entirety of the guitar's setup (or lack thereof) prior to playing around with the Micro-tilt.

The "big picture" here is that the Micro-Tilt really shouldn't be adjusted for any reason premising it was properly set at the factory. I've seen guitar after guitar after guitar in all sorts of outlandish setup conditions due to players toying around with the Micro-Tilt. The best advice I can give you is to forget it is there and set up your guitar's action by way of the 'regular' method.

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You dig?

People are always asking for posts to be made a "sticky", so I won't do that.

But I'd like to see this quote somewhere very prominent in the early pages of the Martian Guide to Strat Maintenance. In bold letters. Please.

Cheers - C

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I've never heard anyone saying the micro tilt worked for them.

Like I've said many times before, it should be done away with as it really serves no constructive purpose to the end user.

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You dig?

People seem to misunderstand the function of the Micro-Tilt almost as much as they misunderstand the actual purpose of the truss rod.
The only purpose of the micro tilt was to replace shims, used when the heel of the neck, and/or the neck pocket weren't cut properly. if your guitar was manufactured properly you should never need it. Again martian is on the money.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

True, I have never went "Gee, sure glad that Micro tilt adjustment was there!". It is indeed only there to replace the shim method of setting the correct neck pitch angle to the body (so you get good string height without the saddles being too high or too low) The only people glad the feature is there is the factory workers, so they only have to put the neck on and string it up once during production LOL.

I like a fairly low action and use both 9's and 10's. I find a slight amount of bow to the neck allows me to lower the action without string buzz. If you think about it the string arc when it is vibrating is the greatest in the center of the neck or about the 12th fret. With just a slight amount of bow the string can be lower at the nut and the bridge. Anyhow that's the way I like it.

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OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?