truss rod adjustment

[Mark W]

I have a Warmoth Pro Strat neck with the side adjustment which I lost the wrench to.
Can anybody tell me if it's Standard or Metric?

Also, does a straighter neck allow for lower action without buzzing or one that is bowed a bit?

 

[exaN]

I'm no pro at setting up guitars but I did get my PGM301 pro setup with very low action and it plays amazingly fast, if that's what you're looking for of course. Here's the best shot I could do, you can see the neck curving slightly near the end:

 

[Kublai]

A 3mm wrench will fit the side adjuster.

 

[-CB-]

Your "seeing the neck curve at the end" is a principle of optical illusion and perhaps the camera's lens distortion.

The normal curvature of a neck is more or less uniform, with the greatest "dip" occuring at about fret #8 or so.

Using the taut strings themselves as a straightedge, you should get about .010-.015 (B or G string diameter) between the fret top and string bottom when the string is pressed at fret #1 and fret #22 (or 21).  Adjust for that, keeping the guitar tuned to pitch as you go, since it effects the tension on the neck, and thus the curvature.

After the relief is set, adjust the bridge to give you 4/64 of an inch at the low E and about 3.5/64 of an inch at the high E.  That should do ya to the mechanical limit of a 9-1/2 to 12 inch radius fretboard and a two step bend.

 

[exaN]

Your "seeing the neck curve at the end" is a principle of optical illusion and perhaps the camera's lens distortion.

Sorry Sir, didn't know that :doh:

 

[-CB-]

Well now ya do, so pass it on!~

 

[Mark W]

so does a straighter neck allow for lower action?

 

[Dan025]

so does a straighter neck allow for lower action?

some relief is needed for lower action but it is very little. the relief allows room for the vibrating string and compensates for bending. if you put a strait edge diagnally across a cylinder it will only contact in one spot so when you bend a string with low action it will fret out, some releif helps that.

too much relief and the action will be higher in the in the middle than at the highest frets and you can have a great playing guitar at the low frets and have it fret out at the high ones. it all depends on what you like, how thick your strings are and how hard you pick and what you can accept as far as buzz goes

 

[-CB-]

Think of it this way - as the string vibrates, its linear movement is greatest in the middle.  If things were straight, you'd need a high bridge to compensate for that.  By allowing just a little flex in the neck, the "envelope" of the strings vibration is more or less pre-compensated for.

Too little relief, you'll have to raise the action so it doesn't buzz at the low frets.  Too much relief and you get crappy action again, at the middle frets.