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  • OMG! I have no idea....

    Ok, I need some help. I just got my brand new Jackson AS SDX yesterday and I wasn't expecting a perfect setup out of the box. It was ok but there was a noticeable buzz on the D string at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fret. I'm stickler for this kind of stuff. So I figured a truss rod adjustment would be necessary, only the truss rod on this guitar is at the butt end of the neck, and you have to take the neck off the guitar to adjust it. So, i figured what the heck? Turned it clockwise, put the neck back on and the stings are literally laying on the neck, 2nd try, neck back off, turn the truss rod counter clockwise put it back together and not much better. Now I'm going for the third try turn a little more counter clockwise and it still sucks. Am I missing something here? Why did they design this guitar that way? A terrible idea. I know some older Fenders were that way. I guess that's the influence. Any suggestions anybody can make would be appreciated. Otherwise it's off to guitar center to pay for a setup
    Jackson Adrian Smith SDX
    LTD EC401VF
    Gibby Les Paul
    Ibanez RG220D O Natural
    Fender Parts Caster
    Oranger Tiny Terror Head
    2) Orange PPC 1X12 Celestion Vintage 30
    TU2 Tuner
    Dunlop Cantrell Wah
    Fulltone 70's Fuzz
    Fulltone Distortion Pro1
    Fulltone Mosfet 2
    Fulltone OCD OD
    Fulltone Deja Vibe

  • #2
    If you adjust a truss you usually need to adjust the trem height as well.

    If you adjust the truss and the strings are laying flat on the fretboard, raise the trem.
    The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

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    • #3
      If the neck did not have enough relief and you turned the truss rod clock wise, I believe you went the wrong way. If you remembered how far you turned it I would put it back there and reassemble it and tune it with the size strings you will be using and let it set a day and then reassess the situation. I have many guitars and have bought many, every time I get one in a shipping box and unpack it right away and try to make adjustments I end up having to re do them when the guitar gets adjusted to the temp, humidity, string pressure, etc. not saying this is your case but normally guitars are playable when they leave the factory. I would think they would have adjusted that if it was doing that before it shipped.

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      • #4
        I have also noticed that, about it taking some time getting used to its new home. I bought 2 last week, a soloist and an rrxmg,, and both of them were different a couple of days after I got them than they were the day they arrived. ive also noticed that when changing strings, especially if I change string size, it takes a day or two to get where its going to be.

        paranoid is right about the truss rod. clockwise (from either end that its adjusted) is going to make buzzy strings worse.

        also, in my experience (which is limited compared to these other guys here) a quarter turn on a truss rod is a LARGE adjustment. when ive wanted to reduce or increase relief ive just barely bumped it. then the next day I check it and adjust more or leave it.
        1959 Gibson ES175D natural/bigsby
        2012 Jackson Soloist SLX white Floyd Rose Special
        2012 Jackson RRXMG Matte Black Floyd Rose Special
        2010 Agile AL3000 Ebony

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        • #5
          Really the strategy here should be to first measure just the relief after each adjustment, not so much the "string buzz". Do some searches on this. It basically involves using the outer strings as straight edges.
          _________________________________________________
          "Artists should be free to spend their days mastering their craft so that working people can toil away in a more beautiful world."
          - Ken M

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          • #6
            Really the strategy here should be to first measure just the relief after each adjustment
            definitely. I just fret the low e at the first fret and the fret nearest the body, then see what the clearance is in the middle when I want to see my relief. I like paranoids idea of putting it back where it was if he kept track of how much he turned it

            ive got one that has a crazy amount of relief but im scared to even attempt to mess with the rod. (its a 1959 Gibson),, but it plays great
            1959 Gibson ES175D natural/bigsby
            2012 Jackson Soloist SLX white Floyd Rose Special
            2012 Jackson RRXMG Matte Black Floyd Rose Special
            2010 Agile AL3000 Ebony

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            • #7
              Originally posted by paranoid View Post
              If the neck did not have enough relief and you turned the truss rod clock wise, I believe you went the wrong way. If you remembered how far you turned it I would put it back there and reassemble it and tune it with the size strings you will be using and let it set a day and then reassess the situation.
              This x1000. Never adjust a guitar the day you get it unless you're in the same climate that it was purchased in (i.e. bought from a local shop).
              If it was shipped to you and it crossed a mountain range worth mentioning (Rockies, Smokies, etc) or more than 2 States in either direction, let it sit in the case or on a stand/hanger for at least 48 hours before adjusting anything, even the tuning. Let it do its thang.

              I need to make a chart for this sort of thing, actually, but for example, since you're in Pennsylvania, if a guitar is shipped to you from St Louis, let it sit for 2 days. If it's shipped to you from California, let it sit for 7 days. If it comes from Texas, let it sit for 5 days. If it comes from southern Florida, let it sit for a week due to the humidity. If it comes from central Florida, give it 4 days. If it comes from north Florida, let it sit for 3 days. If it comes from Washington State/Pacific Northwest, or southwestern Canada, let it sit for at least 5 days.
              If you get a tracking number, track it daily to see where it is currently and check the weather for that area; if it crosses a frontal boundary, add 1 day of rest.

              I've bought guitars from all over the country over the years, and wasted days on end trying to unfuck bad Day-1 tweaks that I could have avoided otherwise. Once I started paying attention to the climates they came from, it all made sense and I came up with those basic rules of thumb. Since then, I've not had a bad guitar that wasn't a dog to begin with, and those who've bought from me and heeded that advice became believers.

              Put it back like you found it, string it up, and let it rest.

              Unless you bought it local, in which case, take it back.
              I want to depart this world the same way I arrived; screaming and covered in someone else's blood

              The most human thing we can do is comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

              My Blog: http://newcenstein.com

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