Revelation RJT60/12 Neck Relief Spec?

[ThoughtExperiment]

Hello everyone, I'm a long-time lurker who just joined up today to ask a very specific question. Does anyone here know the neck relief spec for a Revelation RJT60/12?

I've tried the 'contact us' on the Revelation gtrs website and got tumbleweed...I've had this guitar (in Seafoam green if you're interested) for about 10 years and all I've done to it is the occasional re-string, but I recently decided it's time I gave it a little more love. Never liked the trem, so I'm finally bolting the bridge to the body because I could never get enough tension on the springs to hold the bridge down. I'm also switching gauges down a little to 9 - all my other guitars are strung wih 10s apart from the Jazzmaster which has 11s (thanks to setup advice found on this website )

Also thanks to this website I've conquered my fear of truss-rod adjustment so I'd like to make sure my RJT60/12 neck relief at least is to spec.

So, any suggestions?

[Jonesie]

I'd throw the spec out the window. Just adjust the neck relief until it plays how you want it and doesn't buzz (too much.) I run all my necks flatter than manufacturers recommend, because I don't mind a little buzz when playing acoustically.

[andy_tchp]

Yeah agreed.

'As flat as possible' is my preferred spec. Probably ends up around 0.005" for guitars with well levelled frets.

I'd initially aim for 0.010" then see how it responds on a 12 string.

[ThoughtExperiment]

Thanks guys, I hear what you're saying but I like to at least start from the factory spec. My assumption is that the spec is the point at which the forces exerted by the strings (and trem springs, if present) and the truss rod are all in balance, so I prefer to tweak from that point if necessary. I admit I'm still a little scared of overdoing the truss rod adjustment

Having said all that, in the absence of any response from the manufacturer, I've gone ahead and set the relief to .010" (as per Jazzmaster). Plus, I'm pretty sure that the .009 strings I've fitted are lighter than those that were on the guitar when I bought it. It's playing ok, no serious buzzing, no dead spots, and the tuning seems more stable thanks to my bridge butchery

The only thing I'm not sure about is those lighter-gauge strings - I usually play .010s but I'm surprised by how much lighter these feel. It certainly makes 12-string playing easier, and luckily I'm not a heavy-handed player, but I'm not sure if I like the feel...Suppose I'll give it a while - because if I change back up to 10s I'll have to adjust the verdammt neck relief again

[LVC]

I've tried the 'contact us' on the Revelation gtrs website and got tumbleweed...

IIRC Revelation went belly up a few years ago. The Covid supply chain disruptions happened at the worst possible time for them.

Alan Entwistle's designs are now sold under the Vintage Revo brand. They are made in the same factory and are very similar to the Revelations except for a few spec variations.

[andy_tchp]

Thanks guys, I hear what you're saying but I like to at least start from the factory spec. My assumption is that the spec is the point at which the forces exerted by the strings (and trem springs, if present) and the truss rod are all in balance, so I prefer to tweak from that point if necessary. I admit I'm still a little scared of overdoing the truss rod adjustment

You're overthinking it I'd suggest.

'The spec' (ie the number Fender and some other manufacturers publish) is an arbitrary measurement that should allow a guitar to play with a reasonable action (insert assumptions about the fretwork being in decent shape) without a bunch of fret buzz and also allow decent intonation across the whole length of the neck (insert further assumptions about the state of the nut slots not being way too high like they are on most mass produced instruments here).


The instrument is either well setup or it isn't; sounds like it's pretty good shape now.

[ThoughtExperiment]

...You're overthinking it I'd suggest....

Guilty as charged Not the first time I've been accused either...

Yeah, I checked the frets and they seemed nicely level - a few sharp edges which I'm pretty sure have appeared with age, but they cleaned up easily enough. Also, and this is the first time in ages I've seen this, the guitar has a 'zero' fret so I didn't feel the need to check the nut slots, which is a relief (no pun intended). So far I've only actually checked the intonation with a tuner at the twelfth fret, but it sounds good all over the neck.

So anyway I'm pleased with it now. Which is just as well, because a brand-new electric 12-string is now well out of my reach

[ThoughtExperiment]

I've tried the 'contact us' on the Revelation gtrs website and got tumbleweed...

IIRC Revelation went belly up a few years ago. The Covid supply chain disruptions happened at the worst possible time for them.

Alan Entwistle's designs are now sold under the Vintage Revo brand. They are made in the same factory and are very similar to the Revelations except for a few spec variations.

Thanks for the info
That would explain the lack of response, although it would've been nice to update the Revelation Guitars website to reflect the situation. I expect they had other issues on their minds at the time, to be fair. Although it is still possible to buy a brand-new Revelation guitar (several models) from eBay - maybe it's old stock? I checked out the Vintage Revo models, they look a little more upmarket than the Revelations, and they seem to have turned up the quirkiness factor too - a little more expensive but I'd say still reasonably priced. Interesting...