Action Change

[Chad]

I noticed my new Sam Dimas 1S 2H has a definite bow in the neck towards the nut. Action is fine and plenty of room to lower,but is it good to have a visible relief I believe you called it? I ask cause its not visible on my other guitars.
And I'd do just about anything on my guitars except mes with the truss rod myself.

A string makes for an easy straightedge. Try depressing (or put a capo on) the low E string at the 1st fret, then also press down the string at the fret nearest where the neck joins the body. Then look at the gap between the string and the top of around the 7th fret. Generally most folks like this to be somewhere between totally straight (no gap) and .015". You can use a plain string to get an idea of what that thickness is. I've always heard that business card thickness is about right, but I prefer to measure with tools. If you have more gap than that, then your guitar could probably be made to play better with a truss rod adjustment.

[straycat]

I would lower the bridge just a tad and not adj the truss rod if its dead on now.
Sounds to me like the heavier string guage has pulled the trem up a little so maybe tighten the spring claw a touch before you lower the bridge.

[Tricky]

I would lower the bridge just a tad and not adj the truss rod if its dead on now.
Sounds to me like the heavier string guage has pulled the trem up a little so maybe tighten the spring claw a touch before you lower the bridge.

+1

Look at the bridge. Is the back end cocked up? LOL

If the trem isn't setting level anymore and the back is higher, then the new strings have put more tension on the springs & raised the action. If this is the case, tighten the spring claw screws a little & re-tune. Continue doing this until the trem is setting level.

[Tricky]

A string makes for an easy straightedge. Try depressing (or put a capo on) the low E string at the 1st fret, then also press down the string at the fret nearest where the neck joins the body. Then look at the gap between the string and the top of around the 7th fret. Generally most folks like this to be somewhere between totally straight (no gap) and .015". You can use a plain string to get an idea of what that thickness is. I've always heard that business card thickness is about right, but I prefer to measure with tools. If you have more gap than that, then your guitar could probably be made to play better with a truss rod adjustment.

+1
Don't waste your cash on an expensive straightedge. The quoted method above works great. Feeler gauges are cheap & can be had at your local auto parts store.
The heavier the string gauge &/or the harder the picking technique, the more relief you will need. If you are using 9s with a light picking technique, less relief.
.010-.011 at the 7th fret using 10s with average picking technique is a good starting point. Just don't go cranking down on the truss rod. A quarter turn does a lot.

Also, bad picking technique can cause string buzz.