The pitch of the neck on your guitar has been preset at the factory and in most cases will not need to be adjusted. Don't over tighten or force it as you could damage your guitar if your not careful. Caution: Because of the amount of string tension on the neck, you should loosen the strings before adjusting the truss rod. After the adjustment is made, re-tune the strings and re-check the gap with the feeler gauge. Insert into the center hole of the tuning key, bend and crimp to a 90° angle, and wind neatly in a downward pattern, being careful to prevent overlapping. It should be 5/64". Here are some tips from our blogs, some videos from our Youtube Channel, as well as some other information Much of the thump and pop you expect from your bass starts right there. 24 Hour Customer Service, (click here for local numbers) Gently pull your bridge pin out (but only half way or the string may come out – be careful here and protect your eyes) if you can do that without the note changing pitch then you were setup correctly - you should be able to move the bridge pin and have almost no effect on the pitch of the string. Setting pickups too high can cause a number of unusual occurrences. When transporting or storing your bass, even for short periods, avoid leaving it anyplace you wouldn't feel comfortable yourself. I can give you the factory spec info. A shim approximately 1/4" (6.4 mm) wide by 1 3/4" (44.5 mm) long by .010" (0.25 mm) thick will allow you to raise the action approximately 1/32" (0.8 mm). Start by loading them through the bridge and then loading them onto the appropriate keys as follows: Standard keys. so that neck appears straight to your eye. Adjust the fourth saddle in the same manner (and fifth if you have a five-string bass). 4. If the neck is too convex (strings too close to the fingerboard), turn the truss rod nut counter-clockwise to allow the string tension to pull more relief into the neck. Put a bend in the end of your string 1-cm from the ball, as you push the bridge pin in the guitar pull back on the string so it’s sitting right on the sound board (as an added benefit your tone will also be much better). ). If you find any of these, you should change your strings. Bridge pickup should be 3/64" (I think the 3/64" is a typo, it should be 3/32") , neck pickup should be 4/32". Pre-cut each string for the proper length and desired amount of winds. Too Much string on the machine head – the ideal here is 3-4 turns, 1 layer of wind only To check if your strings need changing, run a finger underneath the string and feel for dirt, rust or flat spots. 2. Make sure that as you wind the string on the machine head, (if applicable to 'Strat' and 'Tele' type guitars) that your string is sitting under the string tree on the head stock. When it is curved away from the string you need to loosen the neck truss rod, so that neck appears straight to your eye. Remember—with most tuning keys, it's preferable to tune up to pitch. Experiment with the height until the desired sound and feel is achieved. Play test: Play every string at every fret checking for buzzes. You will need a mechanics rule to do this properly. Low E and A should measure 2/64", D and G =1.5/64" and B and high E = 1/64". again, tighten to lower, loosen to heighten. To properly shim a neck, the neck must be removed from the neck pocket of the body. For example, if the second string is .060" (1.5 mm), you would move the second-string saddle back .060" (1.5 mm) from the first saddle. A truss rod can often be turned completely off, so it feels like its doing nothing, but once it has started to adjust, a 1/4 turn is usually enough to make it straight again. A shim is placed in the neck pocket, underneath the butt end of the neck. String height or action describes the distance between the top of your frets to the bottom of your strings. Measuring at the 12th fret (as in the photo), the action height should be 2.6 mm for Steel String Acoustic guitar, 1.8 for electric, 2.0mm for bass and 3mm for a Classical. I've found that my Lp's also need some relief in the neck to get a good low, buzz free action. Here you can see how we measure the action height of a guitar. How do I set up my Fender guitar properly? Remember, basses are tempered instruments! Note: In either case, if you meet excessive resistance when adjusting the truss rod, if your instrument needs constant adjustment, if adjusting the truss rod has no effect on the neck, or if you're simply not comfortable making this type of adjustment yourself, take your instrument to your local Fender Authorized Dealer. If the neck is too convex (strings too close to the fingerboard), turn the truss rod nut counter-clockwise to allow the string tension to pull more relief into the neck. By the way, when I place a capo on the 1st fret and press down on the 15th fret, I can slip a piece of paper between the low E string and the 7th fret but slipping 2 pieces of paper will lift the string slightly. once inside, then insert the pins and push down whilst pulling the string back. 3. To lower the action height on an ST, TC, Or PB, simply take the smaller Allen key supplied, and tighten or loosen the Allen key screws on the bridge ( tighten to lower, loosen to raise.) Grab a pencil; rub the pencil graphite in the slot, notice the led begin to flake off into the nut slot. There are a few other things that you can do to optimize your tuning stability that have more to do with playing and tuning habits. Now you need to change the action height. How often should I have a set-up adjustment done on my instrument? When it is curved away from the string. Closed Sundays & Public The distance will vary according to the amount of magnetic pull from the pickup. Vintage keys. The small rulers are OK, but a wide ruler is much easier to make sure you have it nice and straight (and if its not straight your measurement will be wrong). Pickups: Fret low E at 22nd fret and measure pickup height from underside of string to point on pickup closest to string. Pull the second and first strings 4 1/2" (114 mm) past their tuning posts and cut and wind as noted. if the neck is curved towards the strings (known as a forwards curve), you need to tighten the neck truss rod. 7. If the neck is too concave (action too high), turn the truss rod nut clockwise to remove excess relief. The following setup procedures and specifications are for you Fender bass as equipped with the strings that come on the instrument as standard equipment from the factory. New strings can breathe new life into your bass. Metal expands when warm and contracts when cool. To tighten (which will straighten the neck) you turn the key clockwise as you are looking at it. If sharp, lengthen the string by adjusting the saddle back. Pull the third string 3 1//2" (89 mm) past its tuning post, cut it, and repeat the winding procedure. Now measure the string height at the nut; underside of the string to the top of the fret. Don't over tighten or force it as you could damage your guitar if your not careful. This process will make your guitar tune a lot easier. Pull the fourth string 3" (76 mm) past its tuning post and cut it (make sure to pull each string taut). Re-tune and repeat several times. Stretch you string near the nut and make sure you're pulling with one hand, and with your other hand pushing the string at the machine head gently. The string height markings are at increments of .010" (ten thousandths of an inch). Each time you play your bass, before you do your final tuning, play for a few minutes to allow the strings to warm up. Check each string at the 12th fret, harmonic to fretted note (make sure you are depressing the string evenly to the fret, not the fingerboard). Now measure the string height at the nut; underside of the string to the top of the fret. Now to adjust your neck, you will need an Allen key (which normally comes supplied with your guitar). This is particularly true with vintage-style Martins. Hi I'm David the final inspector at Gibson Memphis. It replaces the need for a shim by using a hex screw against a plate installed in the butt end of the neck. But be careful ! Strings that have lost their integrity (worn where pressed against the fret) or have become oxidized, rusty and dirty will not return to pitch properly. How to stop strings sticking at the nut so often: If you ever hear your strings creaking, it just means the string is getting caught a little in the nut.