Is my neck bowed too much or do I need to lower my bridge?

Stroker · #1 08-07-2007, 11:20 PM

I followed the instuctions on adjusting my trussrod from the Gary Willis link in the trussrod and action sticky and then the rest of the setup in the Sadowsky link. Problem is I have my bridge saddles are as low as they can go and my action is way high, like a 1/4 inch at the 12 fret. Whats up?

Foamy · #2 08-08-2007, 12:04 AM

Dare I say it?? You may need to shim the neck. Maybe. Search around here for a few threads on shimming and then decide.

Cochise · #3 08-08-2007, 04:45 AM

How was the action before you adjusted it, and what were you trying to achieve? How much relief do you have? What bass is it? Have you made any other changes (new bridge etc)?

pkr2 · #4 08-08-2007, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stroker

I followed the instuctions on adjusting my trussrod from the Gary Willis link in the trussrod and action sticky and then the rest of the setup in the Sadowsky link. Problem is I have my bridge saddles are as low as they can go and my action is way high, like a 1/4 inch at the 12 fret. Whats up?

If the relief is within tolerance and you have 1/4" string height, You probably will have to shim the neck.

The rule for when to shim the neck is quite simple. If the saddles are as low as they can be adjusted but the action is still too high, a shim is in order. All that you are doing is centering the range of the saddle height adjustments by changing the neck to body angle..

Shimming the neck serves ONLY ONE purpose, and will not correct intonation, relief or splotchy finish problems!!!!!

It does work extremely well for it's intended purpose, though.

Phalex · #5 08-08-2007, 07:37 AM

Hold down the E string at the first and last frets. If you have about an 1/8" of clearance or less between the string and the twelfth fret the neck sounds about right. If it's more than an 1/8th it might be a relief issue.

pkr2 · #6 08-08-2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

Hold down the E string at the first and last frets. If you have about an 1/8" of clearance or less between the string and the twelfth fret the neck sounds about right. If it's more than an 1/8th it might be a relief issue.

I'm guessing that the "1/8 inch" is a typo.

A more realistic starting tolerance is about the thickness of a credit card or a business card.

The whole idea is to have the smallest amount of relief that permits buzz free playing.

A lot is said about using cards as a relief indicator. It works well and serves a good purpose but it should always be understood that this is only an initial adjustment. The final adjustment should be made by adjusting for the least amount of buzz in the first few frets

The TR adjustment has a lot of forgiveness for misadjustment by having too much relief, but very little for not having enough. In other words, a misadjusted TR (too much relief) wont stop a bass from playing "pretty good". It will, however, keep that bass from playing like butter. It's definitely all in the details.

Phalex · #7 08-08-2007, 09:09 AM

Nah, actually I meant 1/8th. I was originally told it should be a 1/16th but I got a lot of fret noise.

Somewhere between a minimum of 1/16th and a maximum of 1/8 inch. Does that read better?

pkr2 · #8 08-08-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

Nah, actually I meant 1/8th. I was originally told it should be a 1/16th but I got a lot of fret noise.

Somewhere between a minimum of 1/16th and a maximum of 1/8 inch. Does that read better?

Still way too much. probably between .008" and .020". That measurement is in the thousandths of an inch.

Phalex · #9 08-08-2007, 09:33 AM

Tell you the truth, I don't know exactly where it is. It doesn't buzz anymore, and that was the idea.

Stroker · #10 08-08-2007, 12:10 PM

Like I said I adjusted it according to the Gary Willis link which has you seting the releif to the thickness of a credit card. I would say mine is closer to a business card and could probably use just a touch more as it buzzes like every third time I play the first fret but I was planning to leave it till I get some new strings to see if that helps. I think shimming the neck sounds most logical. Sounds pretty easy to, or is there a trick I should know?

ManDroid3ass7 · #11 08-08-2007, 02:32 PM

another thing rather than shimming the neck is to sand down the string saddles in your bridge. to do this take circular filer and work it down. it will make it a new true steel color but it will work. i learned this when doing a school project for bass nw! haha

Stroker · #12 08-08-2007, 04:53 PM

How much do shims cost? I assume I'll need to shim the pickups too? Wouldn't this be the ideal time to add a ramp?

ManDroid3ass7 · #13 08-08-2007, 06:21 PM

i wouldnt shim anything yet have you had a local music store look at it yet? that may be your best bet cuz it could be a cheap and easy fix

Stroker · #14 08-08-2007, 08:36 PM

I'm gonna take it to a luthier to get a chip fixed anyway. I am just was wanting an idea of what I might want to do and if I should attempt this myself. I am mechanicaly inclined (I have no problem building 500HP motors) so i am mainly wanting to know if there are any hidden problems doing this. Of coarse when I drop it off and talk to the luthier I might find out it to be just about as cheap to let him do it.

Pilgrim · #15 08-10-2007, 03:20 PM

Shimming is easy. One trick is to use layers of masking tape, and that way you can position the "shim" where you want and progress in extremely small increments of thickness. You can even taper the shims from thickest at the body end to thin at the neck end of the cavity by making successive layers shorter.