Common Guitar Repair Terms

Printed from The BadMonkey Workshop, badmonkeymusic.com/workshop/

Repair language can sound more mysterious than it needs to. Most terms describe simple physical relationships on the instrument. Once the words make sense, the repair conversation gets easier.

Action

Action is the string height over the frets. It affects feel, buzz, sustain and how much effort the player needs to fret a note.

Relief

Relief is the slight forward curve in the neck. The truss rod adjusts relief. Relief gives vibrating strings room to move, but too much relief can make the guitar feel high.

Intonation

Intonation is how accurately the guitar plays in tune up the neck. Saddles are adjusted so fretted notes line up as well as the instrument allows.

Nut slot

A nut slot is the groove that holds and guides a string at the nut. Slot height and shape affect tuning, open-string buzz and first-position feel.

Radius

Radius describes the curve across the fretboard. Bridge saddles should generally follow that curve so the strings feel balanced.

Fret crown

The crown is the rounded top of a fret. A clean crown gives the string a precise contact point. Flat or worn crowns can affect intonation and feel.

Level and crown

A fret level makes fret heights consistent. Crowning reshapes the tops after leveling. Polishing makes the frets feel smooth.

Neck angle

Neck angle is the relationship between the neck and body. On some instruments, especially acoustics, poor neck angle can cause high action that cannot be solved by saddle adjustment alone.

Grounding

Grounding is part of the electrical circuit that helps control noise. Bad grounds can cause hum, buzz or intermittent signal.

Setup

A setup is the coordinated adjustment of the guitar so it plays correctly for the player. It includes inspection, relief, action, nut condition, intonation, pickup height and final play testing.