Guitar Relief

[Tim]

I read an article today that stated the 1/64 or .016 relief was a good ballpark measurement for both electric and acoustic guitars. I have all of my guitars set up for .009 . I am wondering if this could be the cause of some buzzing I get, especially on the acoustic. I am a heavy player.

How do other Fretters have their relief set up? Do I need to increase the relief on my guitars

 

[WackyT]

Either that or high/uneven frets.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Geez, I thought "guitar relief" was what I felt for about 2 weeks after buying a new one. Then the GAS comes back and the vicious circle starts all over!

Seriously, I would think that increasing the relief a bit would be a logical thing to try when dealing with fret buzz.

 

[warren0728]

i thought fret buzz was that cool feeling i get when i get a new guitar! R

ww

 

[guitartist]

Seriously, I would think that increasing the relief a bit would be a logical thing to try when dealing with fret buzz.

Absolutely. I've done that to more than one guitar and it cleared the fret buzz right up.

 

[Tim]

i thought fret buzz was that cool feeling i get when i get a new guitar! R

ww

Wise guy! And I don't mean being a Wise Man. More like a smart a**. But then you are Warren.!!!! The Peanut Gallery seems to have plenty of them today.

 

[Spudman]

I agree with guitartist. Your neck could be too straight. Add a tiny bit of relief to it and see what happens. Start with about 1/6 of a turn on the truss rod - play it for a few minutes - let it sit for 10 minutes - check the relief again and check for buzzing.

Repeat the above until the buzz goes away or you get too much relief (too much bow).

After you have done this and it still buzzes then you may have unlevel frets and you'll need to see a specialist.

 

[rkwrenn]

.016 seems a bit high for electric guitars. Not sure of the articles relief procedure.

Fender guide puts a capo on the first fret and measures the distance between the bottom of the 6th string and the top of the eigth fret - while fretting the last note at the 21st or 22nd fret.

I use 10s (D'Addario XL110) on all my guitars. I usually follow the Fender guide and set the relief around .010 to start for 7.25 and 9.5 radius boards. A bit less for flatter radius. Buzzing here and there when you dig in is ok unless it comes through while amped. Some guitars will set up perfectly while some will have those 'avoid playing here' zones no matter what you do. My guits range .008 to .012. I use automotive feeler gauges.

Edit: If you can use a marker to indicate the initial position of the adjustment nut before you turn it.

Cheers,

Bob