Do neck shims affect tone?
They have been used regularly by the top manufacturers of bolt-on guitar necks for over sixty years. Shims are not evidence of sloppy manufacturing. Nor do they affect tone or sustain of your guitar in any way. Final note – Some luthiers and guitar techs say that only “full pocket” shims should be used.
Does my neck need a shim?
If your guitar plays well and the saddles offer enough adjustment range for you to set the action correctly, you don’t need to change anything. However, if the angle is too low and you can’t move the saddles down any further, the neck needs a shim.
How thick should a neck shim be?
The 0.5° should be enough for most jobs but it’s nice to have the option of something bigger (the bigger one is useful for the offset Fenders when you’re deliberately trying to raise the bridge height).
What can I use to shim my neck?
Typically, people will make a shim from a piece of cardboard, (business card), plastic (old credit card/guitar pick) or wood (lolly sticks or similar) and will insert it between the back pair of neck-screws and the end of the pocket. Bad.
What is the purpose of a neck shim?
A shim when referred to guitar neck usage is for all intents and purposes a thin spacer. In rare instances a shim is sometimes called a wedge, but the standard terminology used by luthiers for a thin wedge is to call it a shim. What is the purpose of a neck shim? To adjust the angle or pitch of the neck.
What does shimming a neck do?
Guitar neck shims are usually thin strips of wood, cardboard, or plastic placed between the neck heel and neck pocket of the guitar. Altering the shape and placement of neck shims changes the front or back angle of the guitar neck to the body. This is also referred to as the “break angle” of the neck.
Why would you shim a guitar neck?
The angle between the neck and body of a guitar sets the plane for the bridge saddle’s height, so is an absolutely critical part of your instrument’s setup. Having a bolt-on neck offers a great chance to change this angle with relative ease by fitting a shim.
Is a straight guitar neck okay?
Having a straight neck makes for a better playing instrument, but not all guitars and playing styles allow for a completely straight neck. Therefore, some relief is acceptable, and often necessary. Due to the elliptical vibration of a string, a little relief may prevent buzzing in the first and second positions.
How do I know if my guitar neck is too straight?
First set the tail end of the guitar on your toe and look down the neck towards the bridge. Look under the low E string across the top of the frets. Comparing the line of the neck to the line of the E string, try to see if the neck is as straight as the string or if the neck looks bowed away from or towards the string.
Why would you shim a neck?
If your saddles are bottomed out, but you’ve still got a high action, we might want to shim. Also, shimming a neck is sometimes done to purposely raise the bridge in order to get a better ‘break angle’ (and therefore more ‘downforce’) over it.
Should a guitar neck have a slight bow?
Should a Guitar Neck Have a Slight Bow? Most guitar necks sound and play best with a slight bow in them. This allows for a low action, comfortable playability, and proper fret clearance.
What does shimming guitar neck do?
Should guitar neck be totally straight?
Guitar necks are supposed to be as straight as the guitar can handle, however, not every guitar is capable of having a straight neck without intonation issues, fret buzz, or unwanted noises. A straight neck is in between a convex (too much relief) and a concave curve (backbow).
How do you tell if your neck is bowed?
Look at the relationship between the string and the fret board at around the 7th fret: if the string is touching the fret then the neck is straight or even back bowed, and if there is a gap then the neck is bowing forward.