My Player Strat feels extremely different than my Hendrix Strat
- Thread starter Napthol
- Start date
larryguitar
Active member
Honestly, and without meaning any offense, you need to learn to measure and set up your own guitars. Every player really needs to be able to do that. Measurements allow you to get the 'feel' the way you want it on almost any quality instrument. I, like many, started here: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Electric-Guitar-Great/dp/0879309989
Larry
Larry
Plek job is generally a waste of money on a new guitar. If the neck is changing, the accuracy of the plek job is lost. Obviously try a truss rod adjustment.
This is a great book that should be in every guitarist's library. It is more useful to the electric player than his other book 'Guitar Player Repair Guide'.
Gtrjunior
New member
Agreed 100%
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
It seems to be a grown up thing. . .
Gtrjunior
New member
I don’t get it…..?
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
I totally get that. Neck size is very important to me and has to be pretty specific. My hand is small with short fingers so a 1 9/16" width fits my hand and feels best. But my fingers are fat and stubby so I need more space between the strings and a 1 11/16" width is easier for me to play. I can compromise more on the overall feel of the width than I can on the playability, so I make all my necks between 1 5/8" - 1 11/16".
Agree, that's something that everyone really needs to learn, but it will take some time. Patience is the key.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Doing your own neck work is the best reason to own more than one guitar. That way you can leave the guitar you're working on out of commission for long periods if necessary. I like to do little bits at a time - 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there because if I try to spend three or four hours at a time I tend to get frustrated and end up screwing things up due to rushing stuff. My patience only comes in small chunks. 
I'd be willing to buy the book, but is the author going to tell me what I need to know? If a neck has fret buzz, depending on where the buzz, how many frets are buzzing, what the current relief is measuring, etc. is he going to tell me which way to turn the rod? Is he going to tell me should I adjust my action in conjunction with turning the rod?
larryguitar
Active member
Yes. That's essentially a summary of what that book will tell you. Dan Erlewine is who (through videos and books) taught me to build guitars; he's the absolute best in the business.
Larry
You might as well buy it.
There isn't really much you have in the way of adjustment on a guitar. You can change the relief (straightness) of the neck, and you can change the height of the bridge. There is a combination of those things that gets you good action without buzzing.
If you have exhausted those options and are still getting buzzing, you will need to measure the neck and frets to see what is going on. A level or "setup" often involves removing some fret material using a long beam with sandpaper, and then "crowning" the frets so they are round again. You won't be able to see that the work was done, but when the luthier hands the guitar back to you, it will mysteriously play much better.
Other times a setup doesn't entail any fretwork and is only changing truss rod and bridge height.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
while I've never tried levelling a whole neck, I find it's usually just better for me to level a fret or two . Say you have buzzing on the 12th fret you will have to marginally file down the 10th fret (skip a fret and file down the next one in front, ie. towards the headstock) , but really slowly and carefully in tiny increments until the buzzing goes away ..and only if everything else has already been checked/set-up (action/bridge /saddle height/truss-rod etc)
I have zero buzz on all my guitars and play w/ a reasonably low action...not so ridiculously low that notes don't sustain/sound flat/fret out on bends etc..
