The 28, part 2
Nut: I did a pretty massive nut re-slotting. The course spacing is performing much better than the stock setup. After playing it for a few days, I realized I was fighting the nut on some courses. This week, I used feeler gauges to hone in on the proper nut slot depths. Clearance at the first fret is now .010" on all courses. This feels and performs much better.
Action: After finishing the nuts, I did a further and very slight adjustment on the truss rods. For my action, there can't be any relief in the neck. This is now the case on both necks. I also removed a saddle shim that Emerald installed on the left bridge. Now, the action on both sides measures out at just under 1/32", or about .028", on the treble sides. The bass side on the right is a tiny bit higher than it should be, but that can be addressed when I make the new bone saddles.
String gauges: To do an experiment, I am simultaneously comparing two different sets of string gauges. Both sets are fully nickel wound; all strings by John Pearse. The comparison is not only for action, but also for tonal response. The left neck has a string set that is a bit lighter than the right neck. For example, the low three bass diapasons are:
- Left side: C = .100, F = .080, A# = .060.
- Right side: C = .105, F = .085, A# = .064
There are other gauges on the left that are lighter than the right. I like how both sets sound and respond, and there is a bigger difference in tone than I had expected. At the moment, I don't have a preference between the two sets for tonal response, as both are excellent: both speak well, respond well, and have a clear and full articulation. It's difficult to verbalize sound, but an approximation is that the set on the left has a tiny bit more definition, while the set on the right has a measure more resonance.
Overall, the setup process is going quite well. More to come.
-kk
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