What do you guys shim a strat neck pocket with?

I've used just about everything. Once I got it set up to where I knew how thick the shim should be, I'd trim it to fit the pocket (e.g., cut the business card or trim the plastic from a credit card). Even if you insist on wood / "quality," I'd go cheap until you're sure how thick it has to be. That's the beauty of a bolt on neck - not that big a deal to make a fix.
 
Business cards, I rarely need more than one thickness, never more than two.

Mark Wein said:
I'm actually digging the sound of this guitar with my Deluxe and Scott Henderson RC Booster. I used it in a class tonight and was very happy with the result.
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HOLY CRAP, how big is your neck pocket that you used a Deluxe and a pedal as a shim?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
 
Here you go -- shimming the neck with this will immediately add immeasurably to your playing prowess, but at the cost of your soul:

6bb80a71c10ca7fba83e96feb6e91017.jpg
 
Mark Wein said:
When someone uses, say, a matchbook cover or guitar pick, it leaves a gap between the body and neck. Over time, the screws holding the neck force it to fill that void. As a result, the neck warps and the end of the fretboard looks like a ski jump
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Sounds like something someone thought up in the bathtub one night and seemed to make sense to them. It just doesn't happen that way in the real world.
 
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Wyatt said:
Sounds like something some thought up in the bathtub one night and seemed to make sense to them. It just doesn't happen that way in the real world.
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Thats the thing. In over 30 years of playing guitar I had never heard of this before (I've also never had a guitar that needed shimming) but I thought it was good to ask. Because thats what the internet is for :tongue:
 
I just saw an interesting shimming technique at this link that Warmoth e-mailed to me.

http://blog.warmoth.com/2016/03/16/cheap-tricks-ten-inexpensive-tips-for-working-on-guitars/

– You can also use masking tape to build a neck shim that is a perfect wedge shape. Luthiers often build shims from wood, but I have found masking-tape shims to be just as robust, and when you think about it, they are actually made of wood too! Plan on making a few shims to get the spacing of your tape just right. The first time I did this it took me four tries. The last time it only took me two. Once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly. Here is how you do it:


A masking tape shim. This one has been used with a Warmoth neck, as evidenced by the turtle impression now visible.
  1. Lay the neck you are going to use down on a piece of paper, and trace the perimeter of the heel. Now you have a guide that shows the exact size and shape of your neck pocket (assuming they fit together well).
  2. Leaving about an extra inch around your tracing in all directions, cut your piece of paper down to a smaller size that’s easier to handle. Then turn the piece of paper upside down so that your guidelines are on the underside. You do NOT want to stick your masking tape over the side with the tracing…you will need to see it later in step 7.
  3. Put a piece of masking tape on the paper so that is covers the entire area of your tracing.
  4. Now put another piece of masking tape over the last, but move it back about 1/8″ of an inch from edge you want to be the thin end of the shim.
  5. Now put another piece of masking tape over the last, moving it back about another 1/8″ of an inch from the edge of the previous piece. (For a thinner shim, move each successive layer of tape back further than 1/8″….maybe 3/16″ or 1/4″.)
  6. Continue in this fashion until these “stair-stepping” pieces of tape have progressed the entire length of the shim. If you’ve done it right, they should form a perfect wedge.
  7. Now flip the shim over and use your original tracing and a pair of scissors to cut the shim down to a shape that fits perfectly in your neck pocket.
  8. Use a paper punch to punch out holes in the shim where the neck screws will pass through.
  9. Enjoy your new shim!
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Mark Wein said:
I was reading this article and he was fairly specific that you didn't want a shim that doesn't fully support the neck: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19686-guitar-shop-101-how-to-shim-a-bolt-on-neck?page=2

For starters, don’t use paper or plastic, and above all, only use a “full-pocket” shim. Here’s why a full-pocket shim is essential: When someone uses, say, a matchbook cover or guitar pick, it leaves a gap between the body and neck. Over time, the screws holding the neck force it to fill that void. As a result, the neck warps and the end of the fretboard looks like a ski jump. Next thing you know, the fretboard has to be sanded to remove the warp and then refretted. If you’re lucky, the neck will have a thick enough fretboard to allow resurfacing. If not, the neck is a total loss. Either way, it’s going to cost you hundreds of dollars.

To avoid these problems, use a full-pocket shim that fits inside the entire neck pocket and is shaped like a thin wedge, with the slightly taller end facing the bridge This raises the end of the fretboard just a bit, which is what you want when correcting a neck angle that’s too low.
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This has always been my problem with the majority of shims.

The neck heel and neck pocket inteface is the most important partof a bolt on guitar and a thin piece of card at the back of the neck pocket is just about the last thing you want to do.

Stew Mac now does accurately cut angled full pocket shims:

StewMac_Bolt-on_Neck_Shims.jpg


However recently I've seen a brilliant idea.....that I now can't find that uses easily available items to achieve the best possible contact. I'll see if I can find it
 
I just got my guitars back from my tech. He had to shim my tele and he used a piece of maple veneer that he cut and shaped to slip right in.
 
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