Hi All,
I am working on a guitar as a hobby project and I am in need of your assistance. Please excuse my poor guitar anatomy knowledge when describing the issue; if you could correct me on the proper names of parts I would be greatly appreciative. This project is a bit of a learning project for me, anatomy included.
I bought this guitar "as is" and the guy that owned it said he had never strung it up. It is a Superstrat style guitar and the neck has been replaced at some stage before I bought it.
I tried to string it up and tune it but the neck was bent so far backwards that when I put a string on, the string touches the frets at the neck/body join (at the 24th fret, possibly at the join itself. I took the neck off to investigate if there was anything wedging the neck upwards at the join but could not see anything.
Is this just an ill fitting neck or is there another issue I should look for?
Is this issue fixable or should I buy a new neck altogether?
Thanks in advance for your help!
The path of the strings is determined by the bridge and nut. If they're hitting the 24th fret, the peghead is too far back.
Get a couple of business cards or similar material and cut them to fit the width of the neck. Take the neck off, and lay the cards across the TOP of the neck pocket, farthest from the bridge. Bolt the neck back on and see how the fit is.
If it takes more than 2-3 business cards to get the strings to clear, I'd try sanding down the wood a bit on the back of the neck heel. Adjust the neck, rather than the pocket depth - you don't want to cause problems if you swap the neck out later.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
So if we are talking with the whole neck on, you're suggesting I put the cards on the headstock end of the neck pocket or if still not enough, sanding down the bridge end of the neck?
Before you take the neck off an shim it with business cards, have you tried adjusting the truss rod? That's where to begin. The truss rod is the rod that is inside the neck that can be adjusted to give you the correct bow you need for the strings to have room to vibrate. Shimming the neck with business cards is not the correct thing to do. Putting something soft in the neck joint is going to cause loss of sustain and tone.
If you are in any of the areas we offer the COMPLETE Guitar Repair & Set-Up Clinic, I highly recommend checking it out. There is so much valuable information given during the class that will help you in your guitar maintenance endeavors. Check the link for all the details:
http://supremesoundstudio.com/clinics-workshops/complete-guitar-repairset-up-clinic/
Before you take the neck off an shim it with business cards, have you tried adjusting the truss rod? That's where to begin. The truss rod is the rod that is inside the neck that can be adjusted to give you the correct bow you need for the strings to have room to vibrate. Shimming the neck with business cards is not the correct thing to do. Putting something soft in the neck joint is going to cause loss of sustain and tone.
If you are in any of the areas we offer the COMPLETE Guitar Repair & Set-Up Clinic, I highly recommend checking it out. There is so much valuable information given during the class that will help you in your guitar maintenance endeavors. Check the link for all the details:
http://supremesoundstudio.com/clinics-workshops/complete-guitar-repairset-up-clinic/
I did try adjusting the truss rod. That was the first thing I tried, unfortunately I had no luck with that. The neck is angled far too significantly for the truss rod adjustment to make a difference.
I am considering filing down the neck block rather than placing cards onto it. I am unsure how to go about this though.
I live in Australia, so it would seem that I am not in any areas local to your course. If I was local, I would be interested.
