Help with setting up action

[Last Triumph]

Update  - I've just reduced the neck relief to 8 thou' and fiddled with the bridge height and now have exactly 0.040" at the high E and 0.042" at the low E.

At this setting I can *just* get a full bend on the high E on the upper frets <17 - but only JUST. i.e I can hear it starting to buzz/mute a touch, but not enough to jump/alter the pich - absolutely on the edge.

Played at a sensible/moderate pick attack, there's precious little buzz or rattle elsewhere on the neck and it feels nice to play.

At 0.040" (12th) am I chasing the impossible, or is there more to come?

I guess if I lowered the nut slots a touch, this would allow me to raise the bridge by the same amount, which would maintain the action as I have it at the 12th, but increase the string angle in relation to the upper frets and improve the marginal fretting out condition?

Or shall I call it quits?

 

[Cagey]

It sounds like you're understanding the geometry well, which is the key to the whole thing. At that height, I'd say you've reached the point of rapidly diminishing returns. You may be able to buy a few more thousandths, but that's unlikely to be anything you're going to feel playing. You're also going to have tolerances so close that if you breathe on it wrong, you'll develop problems. Just changing strings may cause buzzes to show up until they wear in a bit. You need to have some clearance between the strings and the frets so they have room to vibrate. You can see with the naked eyd that it's not uinusual to have a string travel vertically while vibrating more than its diameter, especially at pick attack.

 

[Last Triumph]

It sounds like you're understanding the geometry well, which is the key to the whole thing. At that height, I'd say you've reached the point of rapidly diminishing returns. You may be able to buy a few more thousandths, but that's unlikely to be anything you're going to feel playing. You're also going to have tolerances so close that if you breathe on it wrong, you'll develop problems. Just changing strings may cause buzzes to show up until they wear in a bit. You need to have some clearance between the strings and the frets so they have room to vibrate. You can see with the naked eyd that it's not uinusual to have a string travel vertically while vibrating more than its diameter, especially at pick attack.

As ever, thanks for your advice, help and support - I just like to know that I've got things as good as is feasibly possible.

I'll probably get the nut action lowered a little and compensate at the bridge to address choke potential at some point down the line, but I think it's pretty much there.

:rock-on:

 

[Cagey]

That's great. A guitar that pretty should play like a fantasy.

 

[Last Triumph]

That's great. A guitar that pretty should play like a fantasy.

It is utterly gorgeous, I'll give you that.

The thing that stands out at me more than anything is that I have now started playing with far less gain and far less reverb - almost dry and flat. This because it still sounds great in this condition where previous guitars, including my Gibson Les Paul Standard just didn't sound as rich or tone full.

Then I ruin everything by playing Motley Crue or Slash riffs.    ccasion14: