Q: I inherited a slightly beat-up Strat from my brother. It sounds pretty good, but I’m getting a lot of fret buzz. A friend told me the neck relief is probably not set correctly. He is willing to help me adjust it, but I need to know what the relief is supposed to be. Can you help?
A: The relief varies depending upon the fingerboard radius. Here are the correct figures:
- 7.25 inch radius – 0.012 inch or 0.3mm
- 9.5-12 inch radius – 0.010 inch or 0.25mm
- 15-17 inch radius – 0.008 inch or 0.20mm
Remember that to increase the relief, you need to loosen the truss rod. To decrease it, you need to tighten the truss rod. Turning it to the left loosens it and to the right tightens it. Always make adjustments in 1/4 turn or less increments. Some experts recommend that it’s best to err on the side of a bit more relief to assure you won’t have fret buzzing problems.
Note: If the truss rod won’t move, don’t force it! Take it to a qualified professional. Also, keep in mind that guitars under warranty should always be left to the pros!