Anyone Use a Capo to Adjust the Action?

I know that using a capo is SOP when dialing in your neck relief, but does anyone use a capo when adjusting the action on their Tele?

I use this method on all my guitars including Bass. I made note in case I forget, lol.

Added: If you don't have a straight edge and you think that the capo will exert enough pressure to actually bend the neck to throw off your reading try this, at the the 3rd string use your one hand to press it at the 1st fret and the other hands first finger to press the last fret while stretching your thumb to test the clearance at the 8th fret. Personally I have done this many times and with experience with bending moment it's not really enough to affect the measurement. I've checked my setting afterwards using a straight edge and measured no substantial difference. Remember to always have all the strings up to pitch when making this adjustment and measuring it.

Suppose I should add: I run one of my guitars extremely close clearance at the first fret so I filed the original nut which was way high for my liking. My preference is the 6th string if plucked hard makes a wee bit of buzz noise. I measured about .005" in. clearance here the rest follow suit.

Note: I only work on my guitars

Remember how you play determines how you set-up, IMO.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/536/Truss_Rod_Adjustment.JPG

I know that using a capo is SOP when dialing in your neck relief, but does anyone use a capo when adjusting the action on their Tele?

I do not. It's used by some, but for the life of me, I have no idea why.

I'm not saying that it is wrong to use a capo (at the 1st, presumably) when adjusting the action - but, it makes no sense.

If you don't play with a capo in place permanently, there is no reason to use one when setting action.

I use this method on all my guitars including Bass. I made note in case I forget, lol.

Added: If you don't have a straight edge and you think that the capo will exert enough pressure to actually bend the neck to throw off your reading try this, at the the 3rd string use your one hand to press it at the 1st fret and the other hands first finger to press the last fret while stretching your thumb to test the clearance at the 8th fret. Personally I have done this many times and with experience with bending moment it's not really enough to affect the measurement. I've checked my setting afterwards using a straight edge and measured no substantial difference. Remember to always have all the strings up to pitch when making this adjustment.



I think you may have "action" and "neck relief" confused. The "action" step occurs immediately after the "neck relief" step, aka truss rod adjustment, occurs. Oops...

I do not. It's used by some, but for the life of me, I have no idea why.

I'm not saying that it is wrong to use a capo (at the 1st, presumably) when adjusting the action - but, it makes no sense.

If you don't play with a capo in place permanently, there is no reason to use one when setting action.

I think I read somewhere that using a capo to adjust the action eliminates a miscut nut from the the equation, but I can't seem to support that with any evidence.

a tuned guitar string makes a straight line from the nut to the bridge saddle. there needs to be some amount of nut relief and neck relief to accomodate string excursion (typcially, from the big strings). when a capo is used it decreases the action because it "relieves" some of the nut and neck relief. if the guitar was properly set up, with good nut/neck reliefs, there should be little or no change to the playing action when a capo is used up in the "cowboy zone" (first three frets), but there will be less action if the capo is placed down further to the 5th or greater frets as then the neck relief is bypassed - this *might* bring in some big string excursion buzzing.

Pencil and rubber band.
Not for adjusting the action.
A method of measuring neck relief.
Not into capos as a rule.

1st and 17th fret, check space in between for a straight line up your neck.

Not me. I set the nut up so that the slots are fret height. It then plays exactly the same as if you had either a zero fret or a capo on fret 0 or if you were playing a baritone guitar with a capo on 2 all the time.

I do that first, then the neck relief, then the saddles.

I think I read somewhere that using a capo to adjust the action eliminates a miscut nut from the the equation

The first step in a setup is to address the nut slots, which are notoriously high coming out of the factory - they have to be in order to leave room for adjustment for playing styles and preferences (that's the justification, anyway, but 99% of players want action that's as low as possible without buzzing, the few who want heavy strings and bang away on a high action could get new nuts, but I digress).

Anyway, my point is that you shouldn't need to "take the nut out of the equation."

And BTW it might be that you read that bit about the capo someplace utterly unreliable, like the online Fender "user manual." We know better here on the tdpri...

I read that "online manual"... it doesn't specifically say to use the capo during "action" adjustment, but since that section immediately follows the relief adjustment section, folks may "assume" that the capo remains fixed for setting action (since they do not specifically tell you to remove it)... but... obviously... it should NOT be there when setting action.

I do it to take the nut out of the equation when I set string height, relief, ect. Then I file the nut so the string sits at the same height over the first fret open as it is over the second fret when capoed at the first fret.

I do not. It's used by some, but for the life of me, I have no idea why.

I'm not saying that it is wrong to use a capo (at the 1st, presumably) when adjusting the action - but, it makes no sense.

If you don't play with a capo in place permanently, there is no reason to use one when setting action.

I must say that I agree with you. It just doesn't make sense to me.

The problem is: I've been using one ever since I started doing my owmn setups year ago! :oops:

Then I file the nut so the string sits at the same height over the first fret open as it is over the second fret when capoed at the first fret.

This is the key point, I think. If you don't do THIS part, then capo'ing the 1st fret won't yield accurate results.