Thanks, Kev! I was wondering about the X frets.

I saw your comments last night as well and they were spot on; I need to get these old strings off and this set up.

Cheers!

Judging from your serial number, it shouldn't be out of whack unless the previous owner did some weird shit to it. New strings, and truss adjustments really should be all it takes. Try to find Gregs video on board sighting and truss work. Good stuff there.

cheers,
kev

Here was one good truss adjustment video from Greg Howard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx8LQS7Et1g

And here was a whole string changing and fretboard cleaning video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZs99BwYvM

I'm changing the strings now! Cheers!

okay, 10 new strings later...

Changing the strings was surprisingly easy. I made sure to write down the frequency of each string on my piano tuner before I took each one off.

I put them on bass first, 6 through 10 and then 5 down to 1 on the melody side.

I watched the Greg Howard truss adjustment video, and there looked like there was a bow in the middle of the fretboard. I think I got it flat, with the truss adjuster. No obvious buzzing.

Everything sounds a million times better with the new strings! I wouldn't bet my life on my truss adjuster skills yet, but I get the concept. My melody side finally sounds louder.

Okay, rocking it out! Thanks, all!

Right on Steve! String changes can seem daunting too so I'm glad you've done it, now you've pushed your comfort envelope out that much farther.

cheers,
kev

Thanks for the help, Kev! You were absolutely right that new strings and a truss adjustment were all it needed! The guy I got it from wouldn't have done anything to it other than neglect. Cheers!

Glad you got your new strings on!

I play on the X fret all the time. If you don't have much play there, it could be that the truss is just a tiny bit too tight. It could also be that the nut is set too low. The nut needs to be low enough that the damper works but not much lower than that.

Welcome to the instrument of a lifetime.

Thanks, Greg! Your truss adjustment video was very helpful, but I was having the darndest time getting the adjuster to turn the nut in the back. Turns out, my truss adjuster is damaged (see pic) and might have come to me that way. It won't grip the nut tight enough to turn it once it starts getting pressure. I feel like the strings are very "clunky" against the frets as I get lower on the fretboard, but the top feels fine (other than the X frets). It's improved from when I got it, but I can't get the truss to go any more with the broken adjuster.

Is a replacement truss adjuster something I can order from Stick?

yes by gum you can order a new one. order two while yer at it. you can also squeeze some needlenose in the there too at the expense of the nut though...i would only recommend this once though...

cheers,
kev