How To Set Up A Guitar Neck

Download Article

Download Article

Sometimes a new guitar needs to be gear up upwards to achieve a polish sound. If you notice that your strings are hard to hold down or buzz while you lot play, you'll need to modify the action and intonation of the guitar. To do this, you can accommodate unlike parts of the guitar like the truss rod, bridge, and pickups to change string height, length, and how much the neck bows. This should eliminate whatsoever unwanted buzzing or feedback and make the guitar easier to play.

1. 1

   Hold down the fret closest to the body on the height string. The frets are the square or rectangular spaces on the cervix. Hold down the fret that's closest to where the neck and body of your guitar come across on the meridian cord, otherwise known as the 6th cord.^[1]

   • This fret is ordinarily the 12th fret on classical guitars. Electric and acoustic guitars accept longer necks.

2. 2

   Hold down the first fret on the 6th string. Hold down the commencement fret with your other mitt while continuing to agree downwardly the fret closest to the body of the guitar. Doing this volition allow you to encounter whether at that place is a gap between the strings and the neck of the guitar.^[2]

   • You can also concur downwards the commencement fret with a capo, which is a guitar tool used to hold downwards strings on the neck.
   • Using a capo volition go far easier to examine your guitar while holding down the strings.

   Advertizement

3. 3

   Wait and feel for a gap between the string and cervix. Look at the cord and the neck of the guitar. There should be a gap about the width of a business organisation card betwixt the frets on the string that you're holding downwards. Utilize a complimentary finger to button down one of the frets on the elevation string. If the strings motility a lot and there is a large gap, your neck has too much relief and you should tighten the truss rod. If the cord doesn't motility at all and is tight against the neck with no gap, y'all'll need to loosen the truss rod.^[3]

   • The traditional setup is to have a very slight amount of bend in the neck, which is known as a concave bow.

4. iv

   Remove the screws in the truss rod comprehend on the cervix of the guitar. The truss rod cover is typically on the top of the cervix of your guitar, near the tuning knobs, and looks almond shaped. You lot must remove this plastic or wood covering before you tin make adjustments to the truss rod itself. Insert a Phillips head screwdriver into the pinnacle of the cover and turn it counterclockwise to remove information technology. This will reveal the tip of the truss rod.^[4]

   • Once you remove the truss rod embrace, you should see a hole with your truss rod in it.

5. 5

   Tighten the truss rod nut if there is a large gap. Use the truss rod wrench that came with your guitar or purchase ane at a guitar store or online. Fit the wrench around the end of the truss rod and turn it clockwise a quarter turn to tighten information technology. This volition reduce the curve in the neck and bring the strings closer to the neck in between the frets you're holding down.^[5]

   • If the gap betwixt the strings and neck is besides high, it volition brand it harder to play the guitar.

6. 6

   Loosen the truss rod nut if there is no gap in the cervix. Fit the truss rod wrench effectually the end of the truss rod and turn it counterclockwise a quarter of a turn to loosen the tension in the neck. This should bring your strings off the neck of the guitar and will give them some space. Continue in mind that there should be just a minor amount of space between the strings and neck.^[6]

   • If your truss rod is too tight, it will cause the neck of your guitar to bow. This may cause buzzing noises as you play.

7. 7

   Spiral the truss rod cover back on and await a day. It may take some time for the cervix to adjust to the new truss rod settings. Don't play the guitar for a mean solar day. Re-examine the guitar past belongings downwardly the fret closest to the body of the guitar and the first fret on the same string. The cervix of the guitar should exist slightly concave.^[7]

   • The strings should slightly come off the neck of the guitar.

Advertisement

1. 1

   Measure the strings to the cervix on the 12th fret. The distance between the strings and the neck at the twelfth fret should be almost 1.6 millimetres (0.063 in), or the width of a dime. Hold the flat end of a ruler against the cervix and measure how high the strings are.^[8]

   • If the strings are farther than 1.half dozen millimetres (0.063 in), (high activeness) yous need to lower the bridge.
   • If the string has a low activeness, or the strings are less than 1.6 millimetres (0.063 in) from the cervix at the 12th fret, you'll need to raise the bridge.

2. 2

   Use an Allen wrench to enhance or lower each string on the bridge. In that location should exist small holes that can fit an Allen wrench on your bridge. Insert the wrench into the corresponding hole of the string you desire to adjust and turn information technology 2-iii rotations to raise or lower the bridge. If the string is as well high, turn the Allen wrench clockwise to lower the span. If the string is besides low, turn the Allen wrench counterclockwise.^[9]

3. 3

   Adjust each cord until there is a 1.half dozen mm (0.063 in) gap on the twelfth fret. Continue raising or lowering the bridge on each string until they are effectually 1.half dozen mm (0.063 in). Play each string while holding down the 12th fret. If the string buzzes when yous strum it, information technology means that the cord is too shut to the frets. In this case, enhance the bridge by turning the Allen wrench in the corresponding hole clockwise. If it'due south hard to push down the strings onto the neck, your strings may be too far from the frets.^[10]

   • The "action" or distance between the strings and the neck differs amongst guitar players, merely one.6 mm (0.063 in) is standard for most guitar players.

Advertisement

1. i

   Tune your guitar with an electrical tuner. The bridge elongates or shortens the length of your strings. If it'due south not adjusted correctly, notes down the neck of the guitar will exist flat or precipitous. Strum the acme string side by side to the tuner and adjust the tuning knobs until information technology's an E. Put the rest of the guitar in standard E, A, D, G, B, Eastward tuning.^[11]

2. 2

   Strum the 6th string while property down the 12th fret with a tuner. Property downward the 12th fret of the guitar should play the aforementioned note when you play the cord without holding downward whatsoever frets, otherwise known as the open position. Press down on the 12th fret on the elevation, or 6th string, and strum it. The note should be an E. If it isn't an E, you have to adjust the span.^[12]

3. 3

   Turn the spiral on the bridge clockwise if the note is precipitous. If your notation on the 12th fret is precipitous, the cord is too short and you need to lengthen it. Look at the bridge and find the screws on the bottom of the bridge. Locate the spiral that corresponds with the cord that you need to accommodate. Use a Phillip's head screwdriver to plough the screw one full rotation clockwise.^[xiii]

4. four

   Turn the screw on the span counterclockwise to shorten the string. If the annotation is flat, or lower than an Due east, you lot'll demand to elongate the string. Rotate the screws on the dorsum of the bridge counterclockwise one full rotation to shorten the string.^[14]

5. 5

   Bank check the note on the string when holding downwards the 12th fret. Plow on the tuner and agree downwardly the 12th fret on the cord that you just adapted. Look at the note that is displayed on the tuner. If the note is nevertheless off when yous agree downward the 12th fret, you lot'll need to make boosted adjustments to the span until the note is the same notation every bit the string when played in the open position.^[fifteen]

6. 6

   Repeat the process on the 5 remaining strings. Continue the same procedure on the rest of the strings, making certain that the 12th fret annotation and the open up note are the same. Arrange all of the strings on the bridge so that the notes are the aforementioned.

   • The 2nd cord from the superlative of the neck should be an A, the tertiary string from the top should D, and so on.

Advertisement

1. 1

   Concord down the fret closest to the pickups on the top cord. The frets are the square spaces on your neck and the pickups are the rectangular studded pieces where you strum. Hold down the fret that's closest to the pickups on the top cord, or 6th string, so that you tin can decide whether your strings are the right distance from your pickups.^[xvi]

   • If your strings are also close to your pickups, it could create feedback or unwanted gain.
   • If the strings are besides far from the pickups, y'all may not become the full sound from your guitar.

2. 2

   Measure out the distance between the pickup and the string. Hold the end of a ruler flat against the summit of the pickups while continuing to concur downward the fret. Measure the gap betwixt the pickups and the strings.^[17]

   • This distance should exist around ⁱ⁄₁₆ inch (ane.six mm).
   • If the distance is already ¹⁄_sixteen inch (0.xvi cm), yous don't take to adjust the pinnacle of your pickups.

3. 3

   Plough the elevation screw in the pickup so at that place'due south a ¹⁄₁₆  in (1.vi mm) gap. The screws that conform the superlative are typically on the sides of the pickups. Plough the top screw clockwise with a Phillip'southward caput screwdriver to raise the pickup near the top cord. Turn the screw counterclockwise to lower it. Adjust the pickup summit until it's ⁱ⁄₁₆ inch (1.six mm) from the string.^[18]

4. 4

   Repeat the process on the bottom string. Hold down the bottom string on the fret closest to the pickup and measure the altitude. This time, adjust the bottom screw to enhance or lower the lower portion of the fret. Adjust it until this string is also ¹⁄_sixteen inch (1.6 mm) away from the pickups.^[19]

Advertisement

Add New Question

• Question

  Can I setup my own guitar?

  

  Michael Papenburg is a Professional Guitarist based in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 35 years of pedagogy and performing experience. He specializes in rock, alternative, slide guitar, dejection, funk, country, and folk. Michael has played with Bay Surface area local artists including Matadore, The Jerry Hannan Ring, Matt Nathanson, Brittany Shane, and Orange. Michael currently plays pb guitar for Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Niggling and the Heartbreakers.

  

  Professional Guitarist

  Expert Reply

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this good reply.

  Yes, setting upwardly a guitar is relatively straightforward, although many people will go to a professional tech to accept it done equally correctly as possible. Make sure that the strings are post-obit the arc of the fretboard. You can do this past adjusting the saddles. Brand sure that the strings are high plenty to not fret out or buzz when you're playing. And then you could possibly adjust the truss rod to accommodate the angle of the neck, depending on the heaviness of the strings that you're playing. If you lot prefer heavier strings than what is provided, you may have to tweak that a fleck to brand the cervix the correct bending for the guitar.

• Question

  Is 2mm too high concerning action? I measured the altitude between the bottom of the low E string and the 14th fret.

  

  If information technology doesn't buzz and you can hold chords fairly easily so you lot're proficient. 2mm is great.

• Question

  Why does my high E string have more tension than all my other strings?

  

  Tension coupled with a small bore increases the frequency, which in turn heightens the note's sound. If you lot lower the tension, you lower the note'due south value.

Show more answers

Advertisement

Things Y'all'll Demand

• Phillips head screwdriver
• Truss rod wrench
• Allen wrench
• Ruler
• Electrical guitar tuner

Nigh This Article

Article Summary 10

When you lot ready up your guitar, beginning by making sure your cervix is straight. To do this, run a ruler along the neck of the guitar, resting it on the frets. There should exist a slight gap between the heart of the ruler and the neck, which shows that the guitar is flexing dorsum a chip. If the neck bends away from the guitar, have information technology to a guitar shop to take it looked at. Side by side, you should brand certain that a business bill of fare but fits under the D string. Keep reading to larn how to suit the action and intonation!

Did this summary assist y'all?

Thanks to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 485,632 times.

Did this article help you lot?

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Guitar

Share this post