I purchased the Majesty back in June and I've been tweaking the action via truss rod adjustment in bridge height for some time now. I can't seem to obtain the same action that I have on my Ibanez prestige without fret buzz. I do admit that I try to obtain a pretty low action at .040 but it is frustrating that my 24-year-old Ibanez has better action than my $3,500 MM guitar. I do love the way the guitar plays but wondering anyone has had the same experience.
- Thread starter Sensei
- Start date
DrKev
Moderator
0.040" is super low! 95% of all players will have difficulty playing without buzz at that action.
When comparing action on one guitar to another guitar, that measurement is only meaningful if both the neck relief and string height at the nut are identical on both guitars. And remember also not to judge by eye, because we just cannot do that well between two similar guitars, never mind two obviously different guitars.
So, unless we can equalize the three measurements (neck relief, action at nut, and action at 12th fret) we must judge by feel, with our eyes closed, and treat each instrument separately.
What tools do you have? Can you measure neck relief? I capo on top of the 1st fret, hold the string down at 17th, and measure at 7th with feeler gauges. Make sure to hold the guitar in playing position as you measure. The sweet spot for most players is somewhere in the 0.006" to 0.012" range (0.15 mm to 0.30 mm). I aim for 0.008"/0.20 mm.
When comparing action on one guitar to another guitar, that measurement is only meaningful if both the neck relief and string height at the nut are identical on both guitars. And remember also not to judge by eye, because we just cannot do that well between two similar guitars, never mind two obviously different guitars.
So, unless we can equalize the three measurements (neck relief, action at nut, and action at 12th fret) we must judge by feel, with our eyes closed, and treat each instrument separately.
What tools do you have? Can you measure neck relief? I capo on top of the 1st fret, hold the string down at 17th, and measure at 7th with feeler gauges. Make sure to hold the guitar in playing position as you measure. The sweet spot for most players is somewhere in the 0.006" to 0.012" range (0.15 mm to 0.30 mm). I aim for 0.008"/0.20 mm.
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DrKev
Moderator
No, my sweet spot is for neck relief, not action.
DrKev
Moderator
No problem! 
I watched that video as well with JP's tech. That's where I got the idea to actually shoot for a number with action height. Thanks for your input
.While I do understand the value in measurements Ive always felt that feel is what’s really important. My 2 MM gtrs seem to like a fairly straight neck adjustment with no relief and then adjust the individual saddle heights to where ever the gtr plays the most consistently for my needs then tweak the intonation. Measuring just varies too much from gtr to gtr to have a universal number work. It will also need to change depending on the fingerboard radius, make and gauge of string, seasonal neck shifting etc. I generally prefer a medium action w/o excessive buzzing.
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DrKev
Moderator
But it is all about feel!
Here's the thing - Once you know what you like, what feels and sounds right to you, you measure that up and then no matter what happens to that guitar you will always be able to get straight back to what you know works for you, with great consistency and speed every time. In fact every guitar with a similar fretboard radius will work pretty well with those numbers for you. Knowing your preferred measurement saves a ton of time.
Yes, my numbers work best for me, but my numbers are also very similar to most manufacturer's guidelines and factory specs. Those numbers work very well for a majority of players. For people who don't have lots of experience or confidence doing setups, working with measurements clarifies and simplifies the process. Then they can adjust from that to what works best for them, without fear of messing it up (because measuring always tells them how to get back to where they started). Once they adjust from a standard setup to what they like best, they can measure that and always be able to get back to there.
