Relief

[runningplanet]

My Breedlove has action that is too high for me. I’ve already adjusted nut and saddle height. I’m going to try the neck relief. What is a good amount of relief for low action.

Thanks for your input.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by runningplanet

My Breedlove has action that is too high for me. I’ve already adjusted nut and saddle height. I’m going to try the neck relief. What is a good amount of relief for low action.

Thanks for your input.

With capo on fret one and the string depressed at the 15th fret, Collings uses 0.005" at the 5th fret.

[tsmith28]

You're going to get a lot of scientific answers requiring the use of feeler gauges, but my rule of thumb is simple: Continue to reduce relief until either (a) you reach your desired action or (b) you introduce buzz when fretting notes near the nut. If (b) then add a bit of relief to eliminate the buzz.

It's worth noting that I like really low action, and on a guitar with a less-than-ideal neck angle (and whose saddle is already filed down to the minimum height) I will typically use a slightly backbowed neck to delay the need for a neck reset.

[PaulVA]

A suggestion - most good set-up techs recommend adjusting relief as the first step, then action at the nut and action at the saddle. Why? If there is too much relief it will lower the 12th fret action when you remove the relief. If you've already lowered the saddle, 12th fret action may be too low then after reducing the relief.

[Rudy4]

When checking relief you should depress the fret just beyond where the neck joins the body. Many instruments are built with a small amount of fall off over the body so pressing down at a fret beyond the neck / body juncture can throw off your reading.

Pressing down at the 15th fret is correct for a 14 fret neck, a 12 fret neck would be the 13th fret.

[Mirosh]

Low action may need more relief than high action, just because the strings are already closer to the frets and so are more likely to buzz. Frets that are a little high present more problem with low action and little relief than they would otherwise.

There is no hard and fast rule, but somewhere under 0.010" but more than zero is the range I most often read about. A piece of 010 guitar string is a handy feeler gauge.