Shimming a bolt-on neck

I bought a few maple headstock veneers years ago and use those.

Just trace the back of the neck to get the size, cut out the shape, sand the angle I want (pulling it along a piece of sandpaper stuck to a board), drill holes for the screws to go through, and coat with shellac.

Seems like a lot of work, but it's like 10 minutes. The shellac dries almost instantly.
 
Has anyone used the tapered shims from stewmac?

If so, I'm wondering if there is a rule of thumb for angle:string height change in thou. I would prefer to only buy one, not a set of 3.
 
335clone said:
Has anyone used the tapered shims from stewmac?

If so, I'm wondering if there is a rule of thumb for angle:string height change in thou. I would prefer to only buy one, not a set of 3.
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i don't know if those existed back in the 70's and 80's, and if they did, the internet didn't. you'd have to know about them, write to them and order a catalog. in those days i just used what was at hand.
 
335clone said:
Yeah, I get that. Still, I like the idea of a full shim with contact in the entire pocket. These shims aren't crazy expensive, but I'd like to just buy the one I need.

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_a...itar_Necks/StewMac_Neck_Shims_for_Guitar.html
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yea, i get that too. Stew Mac tends to sell a lot of their stuff to guitar shops, who could probably use all three over time because they're always working on guitars. but i get it. you want one of them for your guitar.....wtf do you do with the other 2.
 
mongooz said:
yea, i get that too. Stew Mac tends to sell a lot of their stuff to guitar shops, who could probably use all three over time because they're always working on guitars. but i get it. you want one of them for your guitar.....wtf do you do with the other 2.
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Exactly. Too small for door wedges.
 
335clone said:
Yeah, I get that. Still, I like the idea of a full shim with contact in the entire pocket. These shims aren't crazy expensive, but I'd like to just buy the one I need.
Click to expand...

How are people supposed to know what angle they need before buying?
 
I ran into this recently.

Whoever had this guitar before had stored it improperly and there was a mild forward and subtle backward bow at different spots.

whitestrat.jpg


You couldn't tell in the store, it only became evident later.

I thought of using C clamps and putting it in an oven or just getting rid of it altogether but figured I didn't need to get that extreme. So I tried shims.

I found that after trying cardboard, plastic credit card type material, polyethelene film and they were all too thick or too thin for the right neck height. The strings were way too high even with the bridge as low as it could go without the shim.

My wife had a Sephora (makeup store) loyalty card that she didn't need and was the perfect thickness for a shim (thinner than a credit card but not as flimsy as a plastic film like a kite is made of - just a bit thicker so it stays somewhat rigid) that has made replacing the neck on the strat something I might not need to do.

It raised it just enough so the action can be not-objectionable.

So the guitar actually plays decent now.

I've managed to work that out action/intonation but the string height at least is not horrible now and I play the guitar more than I did the first year I owned it.

I still think I might replace the neck someday but it is rosewood with a nice figuring pattern on the first eight frets or so, so I kind of want to keep it. But the fret edges are a bit sharp too but that can be fixed easily enough.

Oh and Fujigen? They're the people who made this thing:

ex2.jpg
 
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aliensporebomb said:
I ran into this recently.

Whoever had this guitar before had stored it improperly and there was a mild forward and subtle backward bow at different spots.

whitestrat.jpg


You couldn't tell in the store, it only became evident later.

I thought of using C clamps and putting it in an oven or just getting rid of it altogether but figured I didn't need to get that extreme. So I tried shims.

I found that after trying cardboard, plastic credit card type material, polyethelene film and they were all too thick or too thin for the right neck height. The strings were way too high even with the bridge as low as it could go without the shim.

My wife had a Sephora (makeup store) loyalty card that she didn't need and was the perfect thickness for a shim (thinner than a credit card but not as flimsy as a plastic film like a kite is made of - just a bit thicker so it stays somewhat rigid) that has made replacing the neck on the strat something I might not need to do.

It raised it just enough so the action can be not-objectionable.

So the guitar actually plays decent now.

I've managed to work that out action/intonation but the string height at least is not horrible now and I play the guitar more than I did the first year I owned it.

I still think I might replace the neck someday but it is rosewood with a nice figuring pattern on the first eight frets or so, so I kind of want to keep it. But the fret edges are a bit sharp too but that can be fixed easily enough.

Oh and Fujigen? They're the people who made this thing:

ex2.jpg
Click to expand...
Can't the truss rod take the bow out of it? I get the tilt thing needed a shim, but the bow should be mostly if not completely correctable with the truss rod. Might have to do it in small increments over time so it can settle without breaking, but I'd think it would be the solution. Unless the rod itself is permanently bent, that's it's only job in life.

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I had a Peavey Wolfgang at one point, coudn't get the action right and I was worried about all the hype about shims affecting tone/sustain etc...

Had my tech shim it and it was awesome! Action was like buttah and I never noticed any issues.

Congrats on improving your guitar!
 
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