#16
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It's a quick way to check the neck angle, but it's only good if there's no string tension on the neck. It's very useful when building, before you can put strings on the guitar. If you can put strings on the guitar, the action height, the height of the strings above the soundboard, and amount of saddle above the bridge tell you all you need to know about neck angle.
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Rodger Knox, PE 1917 Martin 0-28 1956 Gibson J-50 et al |
#17
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I cannot tell you how many resources, forum messages, Youtube, etc that I have read over the last few weeks advising on the straightedge as a useful tool for checking neck angle. I did this to evaluate a guitar that I evaluated recently. Yes, I bought it because the measurements I took were within the tolerances that my research deemed acceptable. Not pleased.
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Breedlove C25/CRe-h Taylor 516e FLTD Taylor GS6 Gibson J-30 Walden CO500 (camper) Fender FSR BSB Telecaster |
#18
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As Roger said, the straightedge is an essential tool in building a guitar, but when it comes to assessing an instrument which has been around the block a few times, the straightedge is irrelevant. Saddle height, string height above soundboard, action at 12th fret, these are the only parameters you need to worry about. And these measurements btw are also the only variables you need in order to figure out how much to remove from the heel when doing a reset. |
#19
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And absent all that, I only need to consider the three parameters you discuss. I wonder if you would be so kind as to indicate the acceptable values for saddle height?
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Breedlove C25/CRe-h Taylor 516e FLTD Taylor GS6 Gibson J-30 Walden CO500 (camper) Fender FSR BSB Telecaster |
#20
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Surely the straight edge method is OK so long as you have removed relief from the neck and also used it to check the flatness of the fretboard.
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#21
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http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musi...neckangle.html read this. if your guitar meets or fails these criteria you now have a place to start. |
#22
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Assessing the neck angle with a straight edge when the guitar is in the process of being built is a best guess as to how the instrument will behave when strung up to tension. It may well have a perfect neck set to start off with, but over time, as often as not, the body will distort under tension, and the neck angle changes. Quote:
So basically, bridge height + saddle projection should be ≤ .5", and ≥ 7/16". |
#23
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Breedlove C25/CRe-h Taylor 516e FLTD Taylor GS6 Gibson J-30 Walden CO500 (camper) Fender FSR BSB Telecaster |
#24
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Well, what exactly is the straight edge method ? By which I mean, you lay the edge along the frets, and you get a reading as to where it contacts the bridge, right? So where does it go from there ? Can someone detail the process after that, using the straight edge reading, to arrive at the numbers required to fix the action ?
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#25
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IMHO, if you can measure the action, the saddle height, and the bridge thickness, you don't need to do the straightedge check. In fact, about the only time I use it is during a neck reset, just so I have a reference point. That way, I can judge the change in angle after trimming the heel, but before it is glued in.
The 1/2" string height reference is assuming a bridge thickness of about 11/32" (0.344") and a maximum saddle height of 0.156". If the bridge is thicker or thinner, then you must take that into account. I don't like to see saddle heights above 0.160" on a Martin style bridge, because the high break angle across the saddle can cause it to lean. It is the main reason bridges crack through the saddle slot. |
#26
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The others have put some good info in this thread. My input at this point is comic relief only. Apologies for the self indulgence. :-D
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---- Ned Milburn NSDCC Master Artisan Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
#27
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I decided to use all my newfound wit to bear upon lowering the action last night.
The first thing I noticed upon close inspection is that the saddle is unlike the saddle on my Taylor, Breedlove, or Walden. It simply has a uniform radius across the top, and no offset for any of the strings. I think that is termed "Uncompensated?". Now there is something new to learn about. Why is this guitar different? Anyway, I traced and made a little template of the saddle radius, then transferred that radius back onto the saddle taking off what my figuring deemed necessary on the low E and the high e side. There was very little taken off the high e and probably 3/64th taken off the low E. I sanded to my line following my radius template, and remade the curve across the cross section of the saddle, reinstalled, restrung, and voila. Around 3/32 under the low E and slightly less under the high e with sufficient break angle across the strings. It plays very very well now and sounds wonderful. I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I just need to understand this business about saddle compensation now. Thanks everyone for your generous information!
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Breedlove C25/CRe-h Taylor 516e FLTD Taylor GS6 Gibson J-30 Walden CO500 (camper) Fender FSR BSB Telecaster |
#28
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Saddle compensation is about getting better intonation on all the strings. There is no straight saddle that will produce perfect intonation on all the strings. This is primarily because plain, unwound strings behave differently than wound strings. Therefore, in theory, a straight saddle will not produce as accurate intonation as a properly compensated one. But the difference is very slight, and if the straight saddle is placed properly, it rarely becomes an issue.
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#29
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Breedlove C25/CRe-h Taylor 516e FLTD Taylor GS6 Gibson J-30 Walden CO500 (camper) Fender FSR BSB Telecaster |