Advice needed for my new 66' Starfire iv

[mcarter]

Hi, I just got a starfire iv and the action is very low and there are some dead spots after the 12th fret. This guitar sounds Great! How do you know if it needs a neck reset? Thank in advance, Michael

 

[GAD]

Same way as with an acoustic. Put a straightedge on the frets and see where it points at the bridge.

This will also let you see if the neck is straight. Speaking of which, have you eyeballed the neck? Could it just need a truss rod adjustment?

 

[mcarter]

Same way as with an acoustic. Put a straightedge on the frets and see where it points at the bridge.

This will also let you see if the neck is straight. Speaking of which, have you eyeballed the neck? Could it just need a truss rod adjustment?

I just got it last night and the neck does seem to need adjusting. I have been doing a lot of research. I read a lot about how bad it is when a Guild needs a neck reset. I only have three days to return it.

 

[mcarter]

Same way as with an acoustic. Put a straightedge on the frets and see where it points at the bridge.

This will also let you see if the neck is straight. Speaking of which, have you eyeballed the neck? Could it just need a truss rod adjustment?

THANKS

 

[BradHK]

The action is too low? If so, then you should be able to raise the bridge to get your desired action and adjust the truss rod to get the proper relief. A neck reset would only be needed if the action was too high and you are no longer able to lower the bridge enough to get both the desired action and have enough string break angle over the bridge. Let me know if I misunderstood the situation.

 

[chazmo]

That isn't exactly right, Brad...

The action could be low because the truss rod is over tightened and bowed back. In fact, a neck reset could be needed in that case.

The trick is to get the neck flat with the TRC adjustment. Then you can look at the neck angle to see whether action can be made correct with saddle/nut/fret-dress or whether a reset is needed.

 

[BradHK]

That isn't exactly right, Brad...

The action could be low because the truss rod is over tightened and bowed back. In fact, a neck reset could be needed in that case.

The trick is to get the neck flat with the TRC adjustment. Then you can look at the neck angle to see whether action can be made correct with saddle/nut/fret-dress or whether a reset is needed.

Agreed on an acoustic but with the adjustment available with the floating bridge on the Starfire IV’s of this era (and the OP stating very low action and only having issues above the 12th fret), then I would be surprised if a combination of adjusting the bridge and truss rod would not resolve the issue. However, I could be wrong! Hard to tell without having the guitar in hand

 

[GAD]

That isn't exactly right, Brad...

The action could be low because the truss rod is over tightened and bowed back. In fact, a neck reset could be needed in that case.

The trick is to get the neck flat with the TRC adjustment. Then you can look at the neck angle to see whether action can be made correct with saddle/nut/fret-dress or whether a reset is needed.

The guitar might have been perfect and changed in transit. It’s very premature to assume that the truss rod is over tightened or that it needs a reset.

Electrics generally have much lower actions than what I’ve seen people recommend on acoustics. If my strings don’t buzz when I strum hard the action is too high for me.

 

[mcarter]

I just checked and the neck is bowed. The straightedge meets the bridge just below the strings.