Help me with this setup

[pick1]

Originally Posted by nikpearson

Martin dreadnoughts come with mediums (13-56) as standard [...] .

My D-15M came with lights (12-54) and that's what they are recommending on their web site for this model. I guess it's the exception to the rule

[pick1]

Originally Posted by HodgdonExtreme

Do thicker strings vibrate with greater amplitude, requiring more clearance from the frets to avoid buzz?

Actually it's the other way around. But it's more of a "side effect" of how humans are adapting to obtain a certain volume and how they react to string stiffness.

For a fixed string length, the amplitude of a string oscillation only affects the volume of the sound produced, not its pitch (if you think about it, you hit a string harder to get more volume, not to make the sound go sharp).

However, thicker strings require more tension to produce the same sound pitch (frequency) than thinner strings (that's why one is cautioned about using thicker strings than recommended gauge, as the bridge may not be able to handle the extra added tension/pulling force). Player's fingers will certainly feel the extra tension of thicker strings.

Furthermore, for same lengths and same oscillation amplitude, a thicker strings gives more volume as it is capable to move more air compared to a thinner string. This is equivalent to say that for same length, the thicker string requires a lower oscillation amplitude to produce the same volume level as a thinner string. You hit the strings with enough strength to produce a volume you are comfortable with.

So now if you combine the two paragraphs above, it means that you will naturally hit the thicker strings less hard than thinner strings because you reach your desired volume with less force, and the strings feel stiffer. Less force on more rigid strings => thick strings will oscillate with smaller amplitudes, thus less buzz.

Hope I haven't bored you too much

[John Arnold]

You can call it whatever you want, I call it a hump, sometimes followed with fallaway sometimes with a rise.

Very often, the so-called hump is a combination of two factors. One is excess relief, and the other is fallaway. If you set the relief properly, you will still have fallaway (which is unaffected by truss rod adjustments), but action and playability up to the body will be the same as a fingerboard with no fallaway.
In any case, fallaway on the fretboard tongue has no bearing on the buzzing problem, or on the action measurements at the 12th fret.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

In any case, fallaway on the fretboard tongue has no bearing on the buzzing problem, or on the action measurements at the 12th fret.

It has however got everything to do with the context of the statement it was used in, taking anything out of the context it was used in makes it a mute point

Originally Posted by mirwa

Taylor necks are very straight and do not suffer from the 14th fret hump that most manufacturers guitars do (Martin included), so it is hard to match setups between different brands of guitars if your not experienced in the ways of guitar repairs

Ops original question

Originally Posted by HodgdonExtreme

I just got a new D28. It's setup out of the box was really quite good but I'm looking to improve it so that it plays as sweet as my Taylor..

Steve