Guitar Set-up

Someone once showed me how to set the truss rod on a bass (fret at the 17th and look for a credit card clearance at about the 8th fret). Is that right? Can I use the same rule of thumb for a guitar?

There's only two or three things I wouldn't attempt on any Guitar, and adjusting Truss rods is one of them.

You can never learn without trying... The only thing is... trust your hands and trust yourself. If you're adjusting a truss rod it is possible to break the rod... or crack the neck... so you have to be somewhat careful. But what you said about setting up a bass is probably somewhat accurate. Just fiddle around with it until you get the action you want without the buzz... When I started working on guitars I didn't know the "right" way to set up action... so I simply straightened the neck until it was flat and tuned the strings... played... then added some relief and tuned it up and played... and repeated that until I got the action I wanted without the buzz... bass' are a different animal when it comes to action though.... so good luck!

When adjusting a truss rod, do it in very small amounts. Like 1/8 of a turn at a time. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to truss rods.