You show the greatest amount of relief falling at the 12th fret. Usually, it should be closer to the middle of the fretboard, around the 6th or 7th fret. How much relief do you have?

I don't know how much relief I have, it arrived this way from a secondhand purchase. Looks like from what you and others have said that it needs pulling back a bit? cheers!

Hi,
...right, I have pressed down the 'E' string @ the 1st & 22nd frets; also 1st & 20th frets; ...then measured the gap between the top of the 12th & 10th frets respectively and underside of the string; the gap observed is approximately .25 - .30 of a 'mm'. in ALL these kinds of measurements! I have a steel ruler and observed that all the frets are flat & level. With the current bridge/saddle height the gap between the top of the 22nd. fret and the middle of the 'E' string is about 5mm (UNFRETTED). So, is this all OK please?

Also, @ the 12th. fret (unfretted) low 'E' string, gap is about 2.75mm.

cheers!

Freeman posted a link to his set up method. His advice is always worth listening to, and I generally follow the same sequence he uses.

When dealing with the relief I usually shoot for .1 - .2 mm of relief, this is subject to the condition of the frets, and the technique of the person playing.

For electrics I measure my action at the 17th fret, while holding the strings down at the first fret with a capo. I like the low E to be about 5/64" or almost 2mm, and on the high E 4/64" or roughly 1.6mm. Again how high or low you go depends on the technique of the player.

My personal preference is generally erring a little on the high side.

I don't like either of the two graphic images above to show relief because it shows that the fretboard plane goes down into a trough which it then has to climb back out of. The relief should be a gradual sloping profile starting at zero at the nut all the way to the body joint. No point X along the fretbaord should ever be higher than any of the points -X behind it. In those images for example the 14th fret is higher then the 7th which means the string has to 'climb' back out of a hole. I'm probably not explaining this well.

I don't like my image either and I try my darnedest to keep it from happening, but unfortunately that is pretty common. With most necks the tension pulls relief in up to the heel where then neck suddenly gets very stiff and doesn't bend. Whatever happens there is a function of how the guitar was built what I try to do is make the fretboard extension follow the tangent of the end of the relief. By absolutely minimizing the amount of relief (which requires pretty darn perfect frets) and maybe paying attention to that transition area when the neck is built the affects can be minimized. I use that diagram more to show what is going on that anything absolute.

When I set up a guitar I have one last test that I always make. I fret each string at each fret and check the next fret clearance all the way up the neck. As long as that clearance stays the same or gets bigger I know the neck will play buzz free. It may not be optimal but at least it is pretty good. If the gap gets bigger in the center of the scale, then gets smaller as I approach the joint I've got the situation in the drawing - too much relief, a hump a the joint. I can work on that.

slope

I think your drawing is a deliberate exaggeration, to show what is happening, to show what is going on? (as was mine).