Neck relief being measured on a Precision Bass® guitar. Note the capo at the first fret. |
A simple routine measurement you can perform yourself on your guitar or bass is the amount of neck relief, which is the amount of curvature along the length of the neck. It’s a useful measurement because, for example, if you have fret buzzing going on, it’ll give you a good idea of how much you’ll need to have the truss rod tweaked.
Only two tools are needed to check neck relief—a capo and a feeler gauge.
It’s pretty straightforward. Affix the capo to the first fret and depress the high E string at the last fret (G string on a bass guitar), or where the neck joins the body (often the 17th fret on Stratocaster® and Telecaster® guitars). With your free hand, use the feeler gauge to measure the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the eighth fret (the fret wire itself, not the fingerboard), which is where the curvature should be deepest. Repeat this process on the low E string (for both guitars and bass guitars).
Neck radius | Relief |
7.25” | .012” (0.3 mm) |
9.5”-12” | .010” (0.25 mm) |
15”-17” | .008” (0.2 mm) |
Neck radius | Relief |
7.25” | .014” (0.35 mm) |
9.5”-12” | .012” (0.3 mm) |
15”-17” | .010” (0.25 mm) |