What is the string height spec for the JTV-89F

[Babble]

I have a new JTV-89F and I think the string height is a bit high.   I used a straight edge and feeler gage on the seventh fret and it was .024".  I saw a video about adjusting the truss rod and this measure was .008" on a different solid body guitar.  That is a huge difference.  I searched the Line 6 knowledge base and this forum but found nothing.  Does anyone know what the spec is?  The company I bought this from supposedly did a check on all the settings, which seems in some doubt to me.

[aleclee]

Are you measuring relief or string height?  .008" sounds more like relief than height.

 

Typically, if you're fretting at first/last fret, you'd check relief more around the 9th than the 7th, particularly on a 24 fret instrument.  Dunno what the spec is but .008" is a pretty good place to start.  From there, I tend to play up and down the neck and then adjust the relief based on feel rather than measurement.  At the end of the day, you want to maximize the way it feels, not conformance to a spec.

 

I tend to do something similar with string height.  Keep lowering it until it buzzes with my playing style and then back it off a bit.  I haven't actually measured string height in probably 15 years.

[Babble]

I'm talking about the bow or the height of the straight edge above the fret (sorry, I put in the wrong word).  Here is the video so we can be on the same page. 

[psarkissian]

If you change string gauges, a full set-up should be done,...

by an authorized service center who know the product.

 

Changing gauges, changes the tension and therefore changes

the set-up. Have a full set-up done.

[cruisinon2]

I have a new JTV-89F and I think the string height is a bit high. I used a straight edge and feeler gage on the seventh fret and it was .024". I saw a video about adjusting the truss rod and this measure was .008" on a different solid body guitar. That is a huge difference. I searched the Line 6 knowledge base and this forum but found nothing. Does anyone know what the spec is? The company I bought this from supposedly did a check on all the settings, which seems in some doubt to me.

Strict adherence to factory specs is both silly and unnecessary, imho. The two things that matter are whether or not the instrument plays comfortably for you, and how it sounds. Action and neck relief are almost entirely personal preferences, influenced primarily by how hard you beat on the strings. As with any other guitar, you'll want to keep fret buzz to a minimum, as the piezos are sensitive and tend to react poorly to excess buzzing. But if it feels and sounds OK, then who cares what a feeler gauge tells you, or if the number it spits out is the same as some set of theoretically "optimal" specs? It's just not that critical. These guitars can have weird issues, but they're not Fabergé eggs...set it up however you like it, and everything will be fine.

[Dehzzyy]

Setting up your guitar is something I believe everyone should know how to do. It's the equivalent of an oil change on your car. If you do not learn how to set up your guitar, you will never know your guitar through and through, and you'll always rely on some "expert" to charge you 50-100$ for something that you can YouTube in a night and complete with mostly tools everyone already has around the house. Set it up yourself, its more rewarding.

[Palico]

If you change string gauges, a full set-up should be done,...

by an authorized service center who know the product.

 

Changing gauges, changes the tension and therefore changes

the set-up. Have a full set-up done.

 

+1 have it setup by a luither. Mine had two high frets right out of the box. Once those were corrected the action etc... could be set lower etc... (although I left mine kind of high, personal preference thing).  Once setup properly it played much much better. Remember if where you bought it was shipped to a different area of the country/world. The setup will not be the same, air temps, humity etc... all affect the wood.

[cruisinon2]

+1 have it setup by a luither. Mine had two high frets right out of the box. Once those were corrected the action etc... could be set lower etc... (although I left mine kind of high, personal preference thing). Once setup properly it played much much better. Remember if where you bought it was shipped to a different area of the country/world. The setup will not be the same, air temps, humity etc... all affect the wood.

Luthier, yes... especially if you have no idea what you're doing. However, I would argue that any competent luthier is more than sufficient, be it also an "authorized service center" or not. Depending on one's location, such a center may not be within any reasonable distance. And personally, I think it's an enormous disservice to tell people that shipping their guitar out of town for a set-up is their only option.

Any improvements from the out of town set-up are likely to be un-done in transit. It's the most impractical suggestion I've ever heard.

[Palico]

Luthier, yes... especially if you have no idea what you're doing. However, I would argue that any competent luthier is more than sufficient, be it also an "authorized service center" or not. Depending on one's location, such a center may not be within any reasonable distance. And personally, I think it's an enormous disservice to tell people that shipping their guitar out of town for a set-up is their only option.

Any improvements from the out of town set-up are likely to be un-done in transit. It's the most impractical suggestion I've ever heard.

 

I would agree as long as the setup is on the guitar portion only, not working on electonics or messing with the peizos. My luither has no idea about the variax itself but he did a great job fixing up my frets and getting the guitar to play great. Along with installing and configuring the tremolo stablizer I added. 

[Babble]

Thanks for the replies and I understand that an expert can be very useful at times.  The guitar is brand new and it should be near perfect setup as it was tested and setup up before shipping.  However, I think the neck bow is a little much and I want to adjust that and this seems like it is not hard to do.  I'm a retired engineer and try to do things myself (except I only do minor things on my car).  The company I bought it from said they will check with one of their techs have them get back to me.   I think a small adjustment to the truss rod will correct it, though its odd that this spec is a well kept secret.  After all, they provide tech support and why pay to have a simple thing fixed?  Learning is part of the fun.

[aleclee]

I'm a retired engineer ...

 

...its odd that this spec is a well kept secret.  After all, they provide tech support and why pay to have a simple thing fixed?  Learning is part of the fun.

TBH, I think you're thinking too much like an engineer.  ;)

Where there's certainly a standard set of parameters for factory setup, I'd consider them nominal settings to be optimized by the owner based on playing style and other personal preferences.  They might offer a starting point for adjustment but I think it's a mistake to consider them a goal state.  Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I'm not aware of other manufacturers publishing their factory setup parameters.  I'm aware of some that get passed around but I don't know that you could go to fender.com and get the setup specs for an American Standard Strat. 

[BillBee]

TBH, I think you're thinking too much like an engineer.  ;)

Where there's certainly a standard set of parameters for factory setup, I'd consider them nominal settings to be optimized by the owner based on playing style and other personal preferences.  They might offer a starting point for adjustment but I think it's a mistake to consider them a goal state.  Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I'm not aware of other manufacturers publishing their factory setup parameters.  I'm aware of some that get passed around but I don't know that you could go to fender.com and get the setup specs for an American Standard Strat. 

 

The word is "tolerance" as in "the spec is within tolerance".  That phrase is always a welcome one. :)

[aleclee]

As a guitar player, which matters more to you?

• The guitar's setup conforms to factory spec
• The guitar plays the way you prefer

Personally, I don't give a toss about how the factory thinks the guitar should be set up.  It's not their guitar anymore.  ;)  There's no objective "right" answer with guitar setups the way there is in adjusting ignition timing to maximize an engine's peak HP.

 

If you're determined to pursue adherence to a factory spec, by all means have at it but most folks seem happier when they adjust the instrument to accommodate their personal style.  YMMV.

[Palico]

The guitar is brand new and it should be near perfect setup as it was tested and setup up before shipping.

 

 

Yes setup at the location of the shipper, not yours. After shipment I would never trust a guitar to be setup properly. Dan Erelwine has a great book on setups, if you want to make the adjustment yourself. I kind of agree there should be some known factory default, but setups can be tailored to individual players. In his book Dan offers several "default" places to start type of numbers. The 89f should be close to most Ibanez Jem or RG guitars.

[BillBee]

I used to set the RGs to have a fairly low action but as I got more experience at it I found out even going from an ac cooled house to a humid outdoor gig would throw it off (or even house to house). Cold car ride to gig = bring it in and let the temp adjust. Rule of thumb for acoustics was truss rod adjustments at the time change date.

 

A shipper cannot be expected to do a dead nutz setup unless he is down the street from the dude receiving it (even then personal preference is a huge factor). Floating bridges (ala Floyd) can be quite interesting for a set-up after that most others are cake. Hence its within spec. ;)

[psarkissian]

"... its odd that this spec is a well kept secret"---

Originally it wasn't. Too many people out there telling us they were guitar techs who knew

what they were doing, ended up showing us that they didn't. So we ended that. You wouldn't

believe the botched jobs that ended up on my bench.

 

And there is the interaction between magnetics and piezos. Settings have to be balanced out, 

or things like warbling, hollowing and other artifacts occur in the audio output.

 

There are some guitar techs out there who aren't Line 6 authorized and are really good, so

they do a fine job doing set-ups on Line 6 guitars in their regions, even without the specs.

The Line 6 authorized have access to service info,.. and me, if needed.

[Babble]

TBH, I think you're thinking too much like an engineer.  ;)

Where there's certainly a standard set of parameters for factory setup, I'd consider them nominal settings to be optimized by the owner based on playing style and other personal preferences.  They might offer a starting point for adjustment but I think it's a mistake to consider them a goal state.  Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I'm not aware of other manufacturers publishing their factory setup parameters.  I'm aware of some that get passed around but I don't know that you could go to fender.com and get the setup specs for an American Standard Strat. 

 

You can't build anything without a spec (which includes a tolerance).  Imagine the Egyptians building a pyramid with no spec, which would be - just keep piling up the stones and we will see where it goes or power supplies that are 12V +/- whatever.  The factory will have a spec to adjust the neck. and many other specs for every piece of the guitar.  They may not publicize it but there is one and a luthier will also have some guide spec to adjust the neck bow.  My issue is I don't know what to shoot for but I think .024 is a bit high and reducing that to half would be good.  I will get an answer from the vendor.  Otherwise, I love the guitar.  thanks

[cruisinon2]

Thanks for the replies and I understand that an expert can be very useful at times. The guitar is brand new and it should be near perfect setup as it was tested and setup up before shipping.

This never happens, except by dumb luck. Claims that retailers make about setting up the guitar prior to shipping notwithstanding, it would amaze me if it actually happens. It's a sales pitch. And I suspect that if anything actually is inspected beforehand, it's a 17 year old kid plugging it in to see if any sound comes out. If it makes noise, PRESTO! Set-up complete, and off it goes. I've purchased several guitars online over the last few years, and not a single one was ready to go out of the box. A couple of them required considerable tinkering.

 

But let's assume I'm wrong about all that, and a genuinely experienced tech gets it playing perfectly before slapping the shipping label on... what good does that do? The guitar will then spend the next several days to a week rattling around the back of one or more trucks, under less than ideal conditions. Wood moves...sometimes a lot, and sometimes quickly. You can utterly destroy a neck in the trunk of a hot car in a matter of hours. Pick up a guitar that you haven't played in a while. Odds are something will need to be adjusted, and that's for an instrument that's been sitting in a case, relatively unmolested. Shipping one half way across the country is a crap-shoot at best.

[cruisinon2]

You can't build anything without a spec (which includes a tolerance). Imagine the Egyptians building a pyramid with no spec, which would be - just keep piling up the stones and we will see where it goes or power supplies that are 12V +/- whatever. The factory will have a spec to adjust the neck. and many other specs for every piece of the guitar. They may not publicize it but there is one and a luthier will also have some guide spec to adjust the neck bow. My issue is I don't know what to shoot for but I think .024 is a bit high and reducing that to half would be good. I will get an answer from the vendor. Otherwise, I love the guitar. thanks

You're not building anything, though. You're playing it. Setup specs are of little use if the result is a guitar that's uncomfortable in your hands. Shoot for whatever works for you. I haven't paid for a set-up in decades. I do it all myself and never looked up the manufacturers' set-up specs, and every guitar I own plays just fine. Obsessing over numbers will get you nowhere, especially if it turns out that the "0.024" recommendation is the correct, published number. It's obviously too high for your taste...then what?

[Palico]

"... its odd that this spec is a well kept secret"---

Originally it wasn't. Too many people out there telling us they were guitar techs who knew

what they were doing, ended up showing us that they didn't. So we ended that. You wouldn't

believe the botched jobs that ended up on my bench.

 

 

I can for certain understand that warbles etc.... could have to do with setup. I tune my strings to half down tuning as the band does half down on every thing. So if we do a Drop C song, we actually playing it Drop B. The Variax side doesn't work as well with this tuning as it did in standard. If y'all work on a new version of the Variax in the future might be worth keeping in mind, it's a guitar and people are going to want to change the real tuning/ setup etc.... For me it's okay as I use mainly use it as a normal guitar, and it's a great as guitar in general without the Variax side of things. And it's not off enough on the Variax side to concern me for the few places I use that.

 

Still at the end of the day, people are going to change the setups on these, seems it would be better if they knew what the factory specs where for them.

[cruisinon2]

Still at the end of the day, people are going to change the setups on these, seems it would be better if they knew what the factory specs where for them.

Well in this particular instance, and for reasons I've already detailed, it's neither here nor there, because one simply does not need "factory specs" to do a proper set-up. However in general terms, allowing the stupidity and ineptitude of the lowest common denominators among us to dictate a policy that denies EVERYONE access to information, is just plain stupid, and it solves nothing. Choking off the exchange of information helps no one. Ever. The suppression of knowledge had never yielded positive results, and often results in problems far worse than whatever was wrong in the first place. Yet this is now how society "solves" problems. "Zero tolerance" and blind adherence to policies that are doomed to accomplish nothing from the start. This is but a small example of how we are actually engineering failure on a huge scale.

 

Withholding set-up specs will not prevent idiots from damaging their guitars...it's nothing but wishful thinking.

[psarkissian]

"Withholding set-up specs will not prevent idiots from damaging their guitars...it's nothing but wishful thinking"---

Maybe,...  but the number of botched set-up jobs ending up on my bench, dropped like a greased bowling ball shortly

after we stopped that.

[amsdenj]

There are often recommended starting points for most guitars that will make them pretty playable for a broad range of styles and personal techniques. These aren't all that different from guitar to guitar if the tuning is standard and the scale and fretboard radius are similar. So for a JVT-69(S) for example, you could start with Fender's recommended factory settings for a Strat.

 

What to do next is the hard part. It starts with the player and the songs (as does a lot of thing having to do with music). Players can be categorized into different dimensions on a scale. Some of the dimensions might be hard/soft picking style, pick used (hard/round vs soft/sharp), pick hand position neck/bridge, pick angle (forward/neutral/back/varying), rake vs. alternate picking style, etc. All these effect how the action should be setup. Generally heavier, rounder picks, with heavier pick attack will require higher action because there's more string vibration and therefore more potential for fret buzz.

 

Next is the songs. If you're playing blues with a lot of bends, jazz with a lot of complex chords, fast scales and arpeggios, or high speed/precise metal, you might prefer different action. Generally faster, more complex chords and scales benefit from lower action while lots of expressive bending and hand vibrato for blues might need higher action and more string bite into your finger.

 

So the questions might be 1) how to make adjustments to get neck relief and string height to a particular point and 2) how to adjust from there to fit the range of playing styles and preferences.

 

If you have pretty large frets, then bending might not depend that much on string height. So maybe this approach will work. Setup the guitar to typical factory specs and make sure there are no issues with the truss rod not being able to control neck relief, and the neck angle is sufficiently correct that the bridge saddles and bridge height are within a reasonable range. This is especially important for the JVT-69 bridge which should be set flat, and the bridge height determines how much you can raise the strings with the tremolo bar.

 

Then lower the strings until the fret buzz becomes pretty noticeable and unacceptable - you've got the strings a low as you can go. Now raise the strings up a little at a time, checking by playing, until the fret buzz becomes acceptable. Be sure to check string bends because fret buzz will get worse when you bend a string, especially on a neck with a low fretboard radius.

 

This will give you the lowest action with acceptable fret buzz for you with your pick and playing style. Then play a while and adjust from there. If the guitar plays too hard, lower the action and try to lighten your picking style to control fret buzz. If the guitar feels too soft and you don't feel like you can really dig in without the strings fretting out, raise the action a little.

 

There's also the play between neck relief vs string height. Neck relief provides a pocket in which the strings can vibrate without hitting the frets. The higher the string guage and the harder it is plucked, the greater that pocket needs to be. You can use a flat neck with higher string height, or more relief possibly with lower string height. These will feel different and the fret buzz might be different. It might take some experimentation to see what works best for you.

[cruisinon2]

"Withholding set-up specs will not prevent idiots from damaging their guitars...it's nothing but wishful thinking"---

Maybe,... but the number of botched set-up jobs ending up on my bench, dropped like a greased bowling ball shortly

after we stopped that.

I take it all back... clearly it's a magical concept. Aristotle is kicking himself for not thinking of it first.

[BillBee]

I take it all back... clearly it's a magical concept. Aristotle is kicking himself for not thinking of it first.

 

Hahahaa!!! One would think we could throw some equations at it to optimize the angle of deflection while we are at it.

 

Seriously though, if the OP has not a clue in regards to "guitar setup",  a spanking new JTV would not be a recommended ship to take on that Maiden Voyage more so if there is a warranty to be voided. There must be a beater axe laying around to experiment on unless this is his first and only guitar. We all took baby steps at one time.

[brue58ski]

 The suppression of knowledge had never yielded positive results, and often results in problems far worse than whatever was wrong in the first place.

 

You don't have any kids, do you. It's easier to suppress the knowledge that there is candy in the cupboard than the verbal siege that results from a two year old knowing it's there.

 

That's a statement that sounds right but the word never is a bit strong.

[cruisinon2]

You don't have any kids, do you. It's easier to suppress the knowledge that there is candy in the cupboard than the verbal siege that results from a two year old knowing it's there.

 

That's a statement that sounds right but the word never is a bit strong.

Not a good analogy...I have 3 kids. And even if I didn't, lying to a toddler about your stash of Hershey bars, and refusing to divulge the recommended set-up specs for a guitar because you think it will prevent simpletons from deciding that the best way to lower the action is stapling the strings to the fretboard...are hardly analogous. ;) It's 4th grade arithmetic vs. differential equations. Stupid people are gonna f*ck things up on their own, with or without your help. Handcuffing those of us who are sentient, because you think it will protect the Forest Gumps of world from themselves, is asinine. Let them play in traffic. Eventually the problem solves itself. No one should have to suffer fools...

[FlyingsCool]

The guitar is brand new and it should be near perfect setup as it was tested and setup up before shipping. ...  Learning is part of the fun.

 

These aren't fully tested mil spec parts.  At this price, their basically big box manufacturers and "perfect" setup will be extremely rare.  Pretty much they build 'em to a pattern, slap em together, do a little setup sort of, and ship 'em out the door.  It may be a little better than that, but I wouldn't expect much. 

 

Assuming you're not a luthier yourself, I suggest you find a local luthier you trust and have him/her check out all your guitars.  You may be surprised what you learn.

 

My bet is the monetary gain is non-existent of keeping you going to "authorized service centers" and keeping specs "secret".  It's a guitar, the string setup specs are pretty common.  I'm sure it has much more to do with liability and warranty costs, they don't want every schmuck trying to screw with their guitar, and then take it to Line 6 after they've messed it all up....

[brue58ski]

Not a good analogy...I have 3 kids. And even if I didn't, lying to a toddler about your stash of Hershey bars, and refusing to divulge the recommended set-up specs for a guitar because you think it will prevent simpletons from deciding that the best way to lower the action is stapling the strings to the fretboard...are hardly analogous. ;) It's 4th grade arithmetic vs. differential equations. Stupid people are gonna f*ck things up on their own, with or without your help. Handcuffing those of us who are sentient, because you think it will protect the Forest Gumps of world from themselves, is asinine. Let them play in traffic. Eventually the problem solves itself. No one should have to suffer fools...

 

Well, not telling them about the candy is not lying. That would be a "suppression of knowledge.. The ONLY comment I responded to ONLY said,

 

" The suppression of knowledge had never yielded positive results, and often results in problems far worse than whatever was wrong in the first place."

 

My comment was to point out that sometimes it does yield positive results. And since you do have kids, I have a hard time believing you haven't "suppressed" some knowledge to them. Just to make things easier. If you have never done that, you should write a book. And just to make sure you know, I was just funnin'. I think you realize that but I'm just making sure. And I still am. I wasn't trying to come up with some earth shattering revelation or anything. Just joshin'.

 

Regarding string height, I don't know that there is, nor that they really need to even have, an official string height let alone tell what it officially is. It's mostly about player style and preference. Jazz and chords, kinda high, speed metal, kinda low. And that's just generic conventional wisdom. I'm guessing there are many people who do the opposite of that and there are oodles of places that will give you their opinion of what the string height should be. But having said all of that, if there is an offical string height, why not give it out?

 

Now for some actual info. Most places on the internet say an average electric guitar string height is 1/16" (.0625") on the high E string side and 3/32" (.09375") on the low E string side.

 

Here's something from Gibson that I thought was informative

 

Hi I'm David the final inspector at Gibson Memphis. I can give you the factory spec info. on our setups. You will need a mechanics rule to do this properly.

 

To check neck relief: fret the low E at the first and 15th fret (not 12th) reach to the 7th fret and tap string. There should be a small space between string and fret - no thicker than a piece of paper. Do the same with the high E.

ACTION: fret low E at first fret and measure the distance from the bottom of the to the top of the 15th fret. It should be 5/64". Do the same with the high E, measurement should be 3/64". Now measure the string height at the nut; underside of the string to the top of the fret. Low E and A should measure 2/64", D and G =1.5/64" and B and high E = 1/64". If string height at nut is correct, recheck string height at 12th fret with strings open. Measurement for low and high E's should be the same as measurement taken at the 15th.

 

Pickups: Fret low E at 22nd fret and measure pickup height from underside of string to point on pickup closest to string. Bridge pickup should be 3/64", neck pickup should be 4/32". Fret high E at 22nd fret, distance for both pickups should be 3/32".

 

Play test: Play every string at every fret checking for buzzes. Bend High E string 1 and 1/2 steps, beginning at the sixth fret and ending at 22nd, checking for "choking" and to make sure string stays in nut notch.

 

I like this website as well.

 

http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/action.htm

[psarkissian]

Gibson specs will be useless. These aren't Gibsons, and I don't know of any Gibsons

that have piezos or active electronics. String height-to-pick ups have to be set so that

warbling won't occur and get amplified by the piezos when in model mode.

 

Have to cuddle this cat under the chin a little different than other cats. They are not entirely

the same.

[brue58ski]

Gibson specs will be useless. These aren't Gibsons, and I don't know of any Gibsons

that have piezos or active electronics. String height-to-pick ups have to be set so that

warbling won't occur and get amplified by the piezos when in model mode.

 

Have to cuddle this cat under the chin a little different than other cats. They are not entirely

the same.

 

The impression I got from the OP is that he was looking for the specs for the action/string height above the 12th fret or from whatever fret you measure. Thought the Gibson thing was a good place to start for that. I do see how the string to pickup height would be different (I actually missed that). Please ignore that.

[cruisinon2]

Directed to no-one in particular:

 

YOU. DON'T. NEED. ANYBODY'S. SPECS. For this, or any other guitar. Set-up preferences are exactly that... preferences. The only thing that isn't subective is intonation. The rest is up to you.

 

This is fortunate, because we're never going to get any specs anyway. And not for nothing, but for those who have no idea what they're doing, specs are about as useful as an elevator in an outhouse. But I digress...

 

I can get away with low action and a neck that's nearly pin straight, because I use a heavy gauge (11's...sometimes 11-52) and I've got a fairly light touch. I like the tight feel this provides. Obviously this won't suit everyone...but that doesn't mean I've set it up "wrong", no matter what some spec sheet dictates.

 

If your pickups are close enough to the strings to screw up the modeling, then they're also very likely to be pulling on the strings enough to make intonating the guitar difficult, if not impossible...especially for those who have a 69, as single coils tend to have pretty strong magnets. Obviously, this would be an issue even in the absence of modeling. In other words, it's a guitar. Treat it like one.

[brue58ski]

The distance from the pickups to the strings can affect the string/piezo interaction so it is important. I would guess the closer the strings are to the pickup, the more the magnetic field of the pickup can affect the string/piezo interaction. Would be nice to know what Line 6 has determined what the closest it should be is. But I get why they don't tell us.

[cruisinon2]

Would be nice to know what Line 6 has determined what the closest it should be is. But I get why they don't tell us.

We'll is not exactly theoretical physics...if you're really determined to find out the magic number, raise the pickups until you have a problem. Then back them off gradually until problem goes away. POOF! That's as close as they can get. But don't tell anyone... Lord only knows what horrors might descend upon us all, should info this dangerous get out in the open.

[brue58ski]

We'll is not exactly theoretical physics...if you're really determined to find out the magic number, raise the pickups until you have a problem. Then back them off gradually until problem goes away. POOF! That's as close as they can get. But don't tell anyone... Lord only knows what horrors might descend upon us all, should info this dangerous get out in the open.

 

Yeah, I was actually going to try that. When I do, I'll post what I find.

[Rocco_Crocco]

Once I get the truss rod right, I just find the string-height spot where I start to hear some fret buzzing, then increase the height until its gone. Then I test the modeling with the piezos. I usually have to raise the height a little more to get the modeling to sound good, especially the acoustic.

 

If the string height is higher than you want, and the truss rod is right, and you still have buzzing, than you need fret work.

[psarkissian]

Truss rod,...

-Fall away between fret-8 and fret-9 is standard with most guitars. Best bet starting point.

-Adjust in 1/8-turn increments. Hard turn one way, then the other is the quickest way to warp a neck.

-After adjusting, give it the afternoon to settle in. This is not an immediate setting like string action or string distance from pick-ups.

-Use the correct size hex head tool for this. If you strip it, you're done. Either you will have a boat oar, or the neck will have to be swapped out.

 

[CipherHost]

Gibson specs will be useless. These aren't Gibsons, and I don't know of any Gibsons

that have piezos or active electronics. 

 

Gibson Custom Limited Edition Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess‎

[psarkissian]

Nice LP.

[brue58ski]

So I tried adjusting the pickups on my JTV89F and there is definitely an effect when the pickups get closer. I have chosen to essentially lower each pickup as far as it will go. The pickups are fairly powerful so it doesn't appear to affect the volume. Couldn't tell you about any tone difference. This was a very quick test.