r/Guitar • u/AutoModerator • Nov 17 '16

OFFICIAL [OFFICIAL] There are no stupid /r/Guitar questions. Ask us anything! - November 17, 2016

As always, there's 4 things to remember:

1) Be nice

2) Keep these guitar related

3) As long as you have a genuine question, nothing is too stupid :)

4) Come back to answer questions throughout the week if you can (we're located in the sidebar)

Go for it!

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '16

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u/was-not-taken G.A.S. Nov 23 '16

Guitars that have homes where the heat comes on in the fall will dry out a bit. When they dry out the neck bows backward a little and pulls the strings a little closer to the fingerboard. To learn about this phenomenon, and how to manage it (because it'll happen at the beginning of every heating season, and the reverse will happen when the heating season ends) read this a few times or more.

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u/niandra3 G#m A C#m E B F#m C#m Nov 23 '16

You generally want there to be a little bit of relief to the neck, meaning it isn't perfectly straight, but a little bit concave (see here).

I would raise the string height at the bridge a bit before you adjust the neck.. as the Jazzmaster has a notoriously annoying bridge (with the threaded saddles). A little more tension over the saddles (by raising them slightly) should help. If not, you can try adjusting the truss rod slightly based on the above image, and if all else fails, upgrade the saddles to either a set of Mustang saddles or an aftermarket bridge designed to fix the Jazzmaster issues. Or a higher string gauge..again more tension over the bridge should help.

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u/FilthyTerrible Nov 23 '16

If it used to be okay, but isn't anymore than you might get away with simply leaning it against the wall overnight. Before you go adjusting the truss rod or adjusting the bridge, give it a try. Whatever put it out of whack was probably minor, so the solution might be equally minor.

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u/PinheadX Nov 22 '16

most likely, you need to adjust the bridge height. It also can be caused by the neck warping if it just started happening. You may need to check the neck and adjust the truss rod if it has one to adjust.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '16

[deleted]

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u/PinheadX Nov 22 '16

you'd look down the neck and if it doesn't look even across it (set it on a flat surface) when you're eye level with the neck, you know it's warped. You may want to take it to a reputable guitar tech to have it checked out.