Neck relief

[PeterVV]

Does anyone know exactly what the neck relief should be on EBMM necks ( I have Als and an Axis and a Valentine). I contacted the helpdesk and all they would say is " about the thickness of a business card"?

 

[beej]

That's about right. Though it's subjective ... sort of relative to how hard you play.

I fret the first fret, then with my other hand I press on the 15th fret with my thumb, then tap with my index finger at the 7th fret. You want a tiny gap there- just a bit of daylight, which is about a business card's thickness.

 

[racerx]

Agreed with beej's method. For me, I have terrible eyes, so I always prefer using a measuring device for confidence. I put a capo over the first fret wire, fret a string on the last fret wire with my right hand, and use my left hand to measure underneath the bottom of the string to the top of the fret wire (somewhere between the 7-9th frets) with a feeler gauge. I shoot for 0.010 inches / 0.25mm as my baseline and make subtle adjustments to taste if necessary.

 

[Sleeping At Sea]

I bought the music nomad feeler gauge set and it's been a great investment as when the weather changes and things start to feel a bit different, I can check and know right away that the neck has moved.
I use a capo at 1st fret, then put your finger at 12th and check the relief at 6th fret. For me, I've found that 0.06 is pretty much where I get best results and helps set the action from there.

 

[beej]

Once it's dialed in, it's usually pretty easy to tell when it goes out. If the strings are buzzing when you're playing the low frets, you need a tad more relief. If it starts to feel like you're fighting the guitar, you need less relief. Just a 1/4 turn and then get back to playing

 

[Ventanaman]

I set mine flat, and then roll it back ever so slightly so that fret buzz is minimized. This is assuming the frets are completely level and the nut slots are the optimal depth. I also make detailed measurements at the first and 12th frets and adjust the nut slot depth and saddle heights appropriately. Learning how to correctly measure and cut nuts has been a revelation in setting up my guitars. Obviously, there are some limitations with locking nuts and Floyds.