Truss rod / Setup on Vintage V100?

VellaJ

So I've just bought a Vintage V100 (NGD post pending) and I decided that the setup out of the box wasn't going to cut it. So I've put some Ernie Ball Regular Slinky (.010) on it. I was hoping the extra tension would "pull" the setup together (standard strings were .009). It's better, but I'm still having some string buzz problems with my lower 3 strings, around the 12th fret. Raising the strings only helps so much, and I don't feel like having a ridiculously high action on a brand new guitar.

So I'm wanting to adjust the neck concavity, but looking into the truss-rod cavity, I can't see anything that resembles the hex-head of an allen key. In fact, I have no clue how to adjust the truss rod at all...

Thoughts?

Tokai-SA

How do you know the trussrod needs to be adjusted...have you checked the neck relief?

Fret the 1st fret and the 15th fret and check the relief at the 7th fret.
There should be a slight relief, you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the string and fret.

Also check if the nut has been filed/cut correctly.
Fret any string on the 3rd fret and check the height of the same string at the 1st fret.
If the string is touching the 1st fret then the nut has been filed/cut too low.

VellaJ

Tokai SA wrote: How do you know the trussrod needs to be adjusted...have you checked the neck relief?

Fret the 1st fret and the 15th fret and check the relief at the 7th fret.
There should be a slight relief, you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the string and fret.

Also check if the nut has been filed/cut correctly.
Fret any string on the 3rd fret and check the height of the same string at the 1st fret.
If the string is touching the 1st fret then the nut has been filed/cut too low.

Would this affect the fretting all the way up at the 12th fret? I would expect that to be evident on all frets between the nut and 12..?

AlanRatcliffe

And to answer the actual question: Check the truss cavity again - the nut is anodised black so might be difficult to see. The hex nut might be full of finish/polishing compound or other debris, helping to camouflage the actual nut. The end of the nut should be more or less flush with the headstock side of the nut.

AlanRatcliffe

Oh... and I favour a little more relief on a Les Paul because of the lower string tension and the way I beat the strings. Also helps reduce seasonal adjustments. Using TokaiSA's method, I go for about half to a millimetre gap at the 7th.

Tokai-SA

VellaJ wrote:
Tokai SA wrote: How do you know the trussrod needs to be adjusted...have you checked the neck relief?

Fret the 1st fret and the 15th fret and check the relief at the 7th fret.
There should be a slight relief, you should be able to slide a piece of paper between the string and fret.

Also check if the nut has been filed/cut correctly.
Fret any string on the 3rd fret and check the height of the same string at the 1st fret.
If the string is touching the 1st fret then the nut has been filed/cut too low.

Would this affect the fretting all the way up at the 12th fret? I would expect that to be evident on all frets between the nut and 12..?

Agree with what Alan said, and also, the trussrod nut is definitely there, you just need to find it. ?

All the factors I mentioned will affect the setup.
The neck relief, the nut, the action, the saddles, the quality of the fretwork, whether all frets are level, etc.
Maybe the guit needs a good pro setup.

guidothepimmp

Also, if you're going to adjust, do so slowly. Less than a quarter turn at a time but if you can read the neck, you can usually gauge how much to turn

Anticlockwise brings it into relief , stick the Allen key in and wiggle it around until it sits in the slot

Let it settle too, you'll see a difference immediately but being wood and depending how stable the .wood is, it could take 10mins or a week to settle

VellaJ

Thanks guys, appreciated. I've in fact just got back from Music Mate, who have said that they will do a pro setup for me, no charge. Should be done tomorrow, then I'll have a NGD post up and running ?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: And to answer the actual question: Check the truss cavity again - the nut is anodised black so might be difficult to see. The hex nut might be full of finish/polishing compound or other debris, helping to camouflage the actual nut. The end of the nut should be more or less flush with the headstock side of the nut.

It must have been pretty full of polish then... It genuinely looked like a simple round hole in the end of the nut ? Will take a look again once MM are done with it, maybe they'll have cleared it...