"Acceptable" neck relief on Fender P

[mario222]

I was just wondering if other members of this site like their relief a bit on the "more" side. All other bassists I come across like their necks so straight with hardly any relief. Mine is about 1mm at the 8th fret with the 1st and last frets presed. I play pretty hard so it suits my style and I like stiff flats (Roto 77 45-105) but is my neck relief too much? I know setup is a matter of taste I was just wondering if my neck relief is "acceptable" or over the top.
Thanx
Mario

[202dy]

That is a lot of relief. The standard is .012" +/- at the seventh fret. 1mm=.03937". Most players would be unhappy. But "most players" aren't playing your bass. If you like the setup then it is a good one. Enjoy.

[Chili]

i've read 2 ways of measuring releif, one on a site i found on this site, that says hold down the first fret, and hold down the same string with your elbow inbetween the pickup and kneck, and i looked on the ernie ball website, and it says press down the E string at the 2nd fret, and hold down the 12th fret on the same string, and press down the string half way between, probs about the 7th fret, which way is best?

[steve66]

Check out this link. Its Fenders set up page. I would start here then make smaller adjustments to fit your style

http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php

[Chili]

it says it here:

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass...l/relief2.html

but since you didnt know about that way it seems, i guess the ernie ball way is the best way....

[202dy]

The Gary Willis method allows those that are afraid of measuring anything to do a set up. When performed successfully it makes them feel good. But there is no precision to the method. More importantly, the setup cannot be repeated quickly. Starting at square one each time, it is an autistic way to go about a what is a mechanical procedure. In an age of $19.95 dial calipers and $399.95 laptops it is eschews even cubits in favor of the " 'mon back, 'mon back" method of alignment.

Epistemophobia aside, it is difficult to understand why anyone would prefer this method. I suspect that it is used by many who have never tried another method. Certainly, a production shop would not be able to use it for the above reasons. However, if it suits your needs, then go for it.

[Chili]

so would yous recomend measuring the ernie ball way, of holding down the 2nd fret of the E string, and holding down the 12th fret of the E string, and then pressing down somewhere inbetween, can someone try this method and let me know round about how much there string moves when doing it like this?
also, i'm getting fret buzz alot on the higher notes of the E and A strings, but not so much on the D and G, my action on the E string is already 4 and a half mm from the Top of the 12th fret to the Bottom of the E string, would anyone suggest making it even higher? also turning the truss rod doesnt seem to make any differant to fret buzz

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

OK, I've used Mr. Willis' method and I feel very confident about it, but I've always wanted to be able to accurately tell how much relief my basses' necks have. The problem is, I have a set of feeler gauges and I know how to use them, but I don't trust my interpretation of the readings. How much should (or shouldn't) the gauge slip between the fret and the string? Any advice is highly appreciated.

[202dy]

The string should not be moved by the feeler gauge. If the string moves when the gauge(s) are slid over the fret the gauge is too thick. Drop back and work your way back up to the point where the string just moves. Subtract .001" and you have the relief. Also remember that the feeler gauge leaves must be kept parallel to the plane of the fingerboard or string. Tilting one way or the other will give you a false reading.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Thank you so much for your reply!

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

I've just tried it on my fretted Bongo: Put a capo at the 1st fret, pressed the low B string at the 24th fret and tried to slip the feeler gauges at the 8th. The 0.10 one almost touches the string and the 0.15 one slightly moves it. Does it mean that the relief is something in between? (My FG set increases thickness in 0.05 steps)

[Widdershins]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Does it mean that the relief is something in between?

Yep.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

I've just tried it on my fretted Bongo: Put a capo at the 1st fret, pressed the low B string at the 24th fret and tried to slip the feeler gauges at the 8th. The 0.10 one almost touches the string and the 0.15 one slightly moves it. Does it mean that the relief is something in between? (My FG set increases thickness in 0.05 steps)

Yes. Relief is usually set somewhere in the neighborhood .012" when the guitar comes from the factory. The relief seems to be good.