Questions about JP6 setup

[syko]

I got a used JP6 a few days ago that came with 9's on it, which I quickly switched to EB slinky 10's (regular ones, not the RPS ones). I setup the guitar over the weekend, first leveling the bridge, then lowering the saddles a bit (so the strings were around 3/64" at the 12th fret), then re-leveling the bridge...Then I checked the neck relief with a business card (as described in the FAQ) and it the string was a little lower than the height of the card. And, surprisingly, I checked the intonation and it's near-perfect without having to touch it at all.

So the only problem now is the buzzing. I guess it's somewhat expected with low action...but some notes on the high frets of high strings (B an E) don't sustain very much, and within a second or so, fade from normal to that high-pitched wah sound, and then die out. Is THIS normal, or does that mean I should raise the action? And if so, should I do it with the saddles or with the truss rod?

 

[SteveB]

I make no claims of expertise, but from reading this forum for a few years, I'd say you should have left the saddles alone. They are almost never the problem (unless a previous owner or tech has messed with them).

Then again, fretting out on the high frets sounds like there's too much bow in the neck, which can be changed with a trussrod tweak.

 

[syko]

So, you think the neck needs to be straighter? Which way should I turn the truss rod to do that?

Someone who helped me setup my guitar said the saddles were pretty high on mine compared to his. One of mine was also tilted to the side a bit...and aren't they supposed to be level? What's the usual way of adjusting string height without changing the saddles? Also, why are string heights in the FAQ given in ranges:

Factory string setting for standard tuning starts at the bass side 2/32" (0.0254m) to 5/64" (0.127m) and the treble side is 3/64" (0.0762m) to 2/32" (.254m) measured from the 12th fret to the bottom of the strings.

Does this mean the low E should be somewhere between 2/32" and 5/64", or does it mean something else?

Sorry for all the (probably stupid) questions. Thanks.

 

[SteveB]

I believe that you want to turn the truss rod counter-clockwise to make the neck flatter (less bow). Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The saddles will be at a different heights, to match the radius (i.e. curvature) of the fretboard.

 

[SteveB]

For clarity's sake, I wanted to mention that I'm talking counter-clockwise when you're looking from the trussrod wheel toward the headstock.