lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

[appar111]

Setting up another tele and trying to get the feel of it right. Everytime I get the action low, I get alot of rattle, but when I raise it up to remove rattle, it just doesn't feel right.

I'm sure I'll find a happy medium (just gotta fiddle with things a bit more, I always end up with some great playing guitars), but should lower action require more relief in the neck, or less? Is there just a little too much relief in the neck causing the rattle w/ low action, or is there not enough relief? Frets are good, so it's not that it needs a level & crown.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

it needs more man. about 0.10-0.12 of an inch of it. 8th fret.

i tried getting the neck straighter and found it buzzed too much down there for my taste.

 

[Al.C]

Re: lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

Depends were the buzz is coming from. If it is only on the open strings and lower frets (~1-5)only more relief will help. If it is on the higher frets (over 12) you have lowered the bridge too much and have no choice but to raise it up.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

There is also the option of shimming the nut. A slightly higher nut can help deal with finicky Fenders

 

[David Collins]

Re: lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

Raising the nut never helps anything unless it's already too low, which is really rather indifferent to the rest of the setup. That's a pretty static variable, and should be set in reference to the plane of the frets, then treated as a reference point to which other setup factors are adjusted.

Usually players shooting for super low action are best served by very little to sometimes no relief. That's a broad generalization though, and each setup can be a bit different. If you have the action you want and are getting most of the rattle in the mid-upper frets, then you should try straightening the neck and then raising the saddles to maintain the same height at the 12th. If it's playing clean on the upper frets but rattling on the lower ones, then you can try adding a bit of relief and lowering the saddles.

Again, broad generalizations here. Of course it all depends on how true the frets are, your playing style, nuances of a particular neck, what about of rattle is acceptable before it is noticeable in context, etc.

 

[appar111]

Re: lower action - does it need more neck relief, or less?

No problems with the nut, no rattling on the first 4 frets. The rattle I'm getting is 5-7th frets on the D & A strings, and the low E somewhat.

I'm running 9-46's currently, tuned down to Eb.

I checked the relief and I've got about .008-.009" at the 8th fret. I don't have calipers, but a gauge .009 string slipped through the gap between the low E and the fret without catching. A .010 string got caught. Action is about 1.5mm at the 12th fret. So it seems that I'm roughly around Fender spec for neck relief & low action, just gotta adjust a little more for my personal playing style.

I may try tightening the truss rod just a hair (maybe an 1/8 turn) to get it perfectly straight, and then raise the saddle heights up accordingly on the bottom 3 strings.

The rattle is just barely noticeable through the amp when playing clean. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be too concerned.

thanks for the great advice so far, guys!