Guitar set up neck issues (pic included!)

[overdriven07]

I'm having some issues setting up my guitar. I bought an Ibanez JTK3 and the set up was pretty weak. Right off the bat, I noticed the neck and action were way off. The strings were practically touching the frets near the nut, but were way high at the higher frets. There was a LOT of fret buzz. I've never set up a guitar before, but I've been playing for a while and I figured I could at least make enough adjustments to make it more playable. I adjusted the truss rod to the "proper" specifications (I read 0.5mm at the 8th fret with capo on 1st fret and pressing down where the neck meets the guitar) and I lowered the bridge to get the action to ~4/64". Now the neck seems more bowed and is slightly protruding from the body. Also, I'm still getting fret buzz (albeit less than before). I apologize for the crappy picture, I had to take it with my cell phone. That's the neck protruding slightly from the body. Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated!

 

[curtis]

I'd get Dan Erlewine's book - there's a lot to getting it right.

sounds like you may have a raised hump at the heel end, may well need a fret dress. Its worth investing in decent tools and info - pays back way more than it costs if you put the time in,
cheers,
steve

 

[StackTrayce]

So, just to be clear, the neck was not showing above the body before, correct? If you are getting fret buzz primarily at the lower frets it might be a nut issue if you have been unable to fix it with bridge and truss adjustments. Either that or it needs fret work as curtis said. Just some thoughts.
One question I have for others is is it normal for jet kings to have the neck show above the body like this? I would also consider checking how tightly the neck is set, it may be that the truss rod adjustments were able to lift the heel end up like this because it is not sufficiently tight in the pocket.

 

[StackTrayce]

Also, just saw this in another thread. This is a check you might want to do for proper nut height: http://www.frets.com/FRETSpages/Musician/GenSetup/NutAction/nutaction.html

 

[examiner]

Assuming all of your neck bolts are tight, you might need to shim the neck to achieve the proper neck angle, then start over with your setup. Based on that photo, start shimming in the front of the neck pocket.