You can test it yourself, just get some big fishing sinkers, pound them flat, and double stick tape them to see if it has a noticeable effect before you spend any money on a custom job.
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Circle K strings vs. "the dead zone"
- Thread starter Mystic Michael
- Start date
The other thing to try is lighter tuners. What we're trying to do here is change the resonant frequency of the neck to mitigate the dead zone. Yes, heavier weight will change the resonant frequency and damp vibrations, but using lighter tuners and making the neck stiffer by using a gauge heavier strings and tweaking the truss rod will also change the resonant frequency, raising it out of the dead zone. Another way is to put a small spacer or shim in the neck, again, not so much you noticeably changed the geometry of the neck at the bridge requiring a completely new setup, but just enough to "decouple" the neck from the body so they don't resonate together.
That almost seems to be the opposite of what most say to try. At least as far as strings go, since I've never tried to change tuners, in my experience, lighter strings have worked best. I actually have a .45 G coming to replace my .49 because I've come to found that anything heavier than .45 makes the dead spot more obvious.
It's all about change. You have found the right combination of string tension, truss rod tension and other factors that work for you on your neck. Yes, sometimes lightening up everything, including the strings and truss rod, will work also. No two necks are alike, and so no single cure works all the time. It all has to be experimented with: strings, truss rod settings, tuners, extra weight here or there, tightness of neck screws, shims, even heavy or light bridges, to find the combination that eliminates, or at least lessens, the dead zone.
The whole point is to change the resonance. Don't keep trying more of the same, as it will simply result in the same dead spot. Make something lighter or heavier, but don't do one of each so the changes cancel each other out, and you're back to the same dead zone. Try one step or one change at a time. If it gets worse, go the other way. If it gets better, then try the next item and repeat the process to see how much more "deadness" can be eliminated.
Just now revisiting this topic after a year and a half "sabbatical". Am in process of finding a local machine shop that can fabricate a metal plate for the rear of the headstock on both instruments.
With regard to inserting a spacer or shim in the neck, if you mean putting between it between body and neck at the bolt-on joint, I can't do it. The Icons are neck-through instruments.
MM
Before you go to the time and expense, you can see if it will work by going to a sports store, purchasing a roll of golfer's lead tape, and apply it one strip at a time incrementally to the back of the headstock to see if adding mass to the headstock helps. If it does, then you can decide exactly how much and either leave the tape or have a plate machined accordingly. And if not, you can peel the tape off and you are only out a few bucks for a roll of tape rather than the expense of a machinist and a part you won't use.
Having enjoyed golfing until my hip gave out, I keep a roll of the lead tape for a variety of uses, from what it was designed for, golf clubs, to temporary patches on leaks on my brass instruments until I can get them to my tech, to weight experiments like this thread, and many others. If you have to peel it off, just remember to dispose of it environmentally correctly as it is lead.
As in Carvin Icon? Yes. Well. Is it a one-piece neck or the multi-piece option? If it is a one-piece, then I would go the other way: a little heavier strings, tighten the truss rod accordingly, and use HipShot UltraLite tuners, or even lighter if you can find them to try to raise the resonant frequency.
I'll give it a try.
Yes, Carvin Icons. Each has a five-piece maple/walnut laminated neck-through.
As you suggested earlier (or was it in a separate thread?), experiment with one element at a time. I will try the lead tape. I will also experiment with strings - am considering DR Sunbeams, Kalium Hybrids, and Dunlop Nickel Super Brights. And I will tweak the truss rod as necessary.
MM
Hmm. 5-piece necks are not usually prone to dead spots, or at least they don't seem to be as severe as a one-piece neck. That is one reason many manufacturers either laminate the neck, or with G&L, saw it in two and re-glue it, to get a different stiffness or combine resonances to even them out. Have you asked Carvin directly about it? Their customer service folks are easy to contact and helpful.
I doubt they would do anything about it now, as I'm well past the warranty expiration date. Besides, to my knowledge virtually all manufacturers treat dead zones as a sort of hit-or-miss, mystery of nature kind of thing: ya puts yer money down and ya takes yer chances.
MM
