goon
Joined: Apr 06, 2009
Posts: 81
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 02:04 PM
Hi an' that,
I saw somewhere yesterday (might have been here... but don't think so) about a Luthier's setup trick for when you're bolting your neck back on. Basically, screw all neck bolts tight, tune to pitch. Then UNSCREW each one quarter turn. You will notice that the guitar will creak slightly a few times and the tuning goes down a half pitch or so. Screw back-in and then retune to pitch.
I haven't yet done this, but the people on this forum (it could have been a telecaster forum - TDPRI - or something) were raving about this. People that did to their guitars often mentioned increased resonance and unplugged tone/volume change. Some felt/heard no difference though...
Many of you probably knew this, but I didn't, and i've been playing 13 years! 
— As an
alienated institution, the market is neither hostile nor friendly, simply detached and
cold.
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goon
Joined: Apr 06, 2009
Posts: 81
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 02:17 PM
I just did it, and no notable difference on my JM. It's a shame, because many people were loving this on the forum I read...
— As an
alienated institution, the market is neither hostile nor friendly, simply detached and
cold.
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zak
Joined: Sep 24, 2007
Posts: 2728
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 02:19 PM
This post has been removed by the author.
Last edited: Sep 28, 2009 15:59:26
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 04:43 PM
If anybody had a better sounding guitar afterward, it is likely that the neck was just making poor contact before.
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TwangOmatic
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 123
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 05:28 PM
zak
Not a very good idea to start loosening or tightening the neck screws with string tension on the neck unless you want to strip the wood and wind up with a loose neck that creaks a whole lot more than "a few times"...
That's why he said "UNSCREW each one quarter turn"
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Thunderhead
Joined: Apr 11, 2009
Posts: 201
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 06:12 PM
I also think that there wasn't good contact to begin with. You either have a level neck pocket and neck heel or not. An overcut neck pocket could also be a problem. Pick up any 70's 3 bolt Strat and give the neck a good pull toward you while playing it and it will move. You then will have to push it back in alignment, re-tighten the neck bolts and re-tune.
— www.myspace.com/thethunderheads
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goon
Joined: Apr 06, 2009
Posts: 81
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Posted on Jul 17 2009 06:42 PM
Thunderhead
I also think that there wasn't good contact to begin with. You either have a level neck pocket and neck heel or not.
Yep. It is a bit luck of the draw with neck pockets. Basically, yes, if you have a good neck pocket then you have the potential to make a resonant connection, but sometimes (because of the way you might have bolted the neck on) you may have shot yourself in the foot.
On the other hand, if you have a bad neck pocket, then you're on a losing bet bet by making it snug. I guess it's trial and error. My point really, is that the option is there.
Personally, until I hear or feel the difference, I can't really say whether this technique makes any change on resonance, but i'd really like to hear if others have made this change...
— As an
alienated institution, the market is neither hostile nor friendly, simply detached and
cold.
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SURFmole
Joined: Nov 22, 2007
Posts: 901
Portland, OR
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 12:06 AM
I'm pretty much a freak...I think everything affects tone from the choice of machine heads, strings, woods, bridge and bridge material, pickups, etc...and I don't think (or haven't personally found) that neck pockets make that much of a difference assuming you have flat wood to flat wood (neck to pocket surface). Even then, you can use a shim (like w/ most offsets), have a small air-gap, and still get a great sounding resonant guitar so I don't see what loosening and retightening a neck screw is going to do to help??
— www.apollo4.com
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zak
Joined: Sep 24, 2007
Posts: 2728
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 12:12 AM
This post has been removed by the author.
Last edited: Sep 28, 2009 15:57:56
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goon
Joined: Apr 06, 2009
Posts: 81
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 05:43 AM
I didn't notice anything change after doing it - but loads of veteran guitarists did in the thread...
— As an
alienated institution, the market is neither hostile nor friendly, simply detached and
cold.
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Woodsurfer
Joined: Feb 07, 2009
Posts: 310
Bel Air, MD USA
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 06:28 AM
Actually, I find that keeping a withered monkey's paw in the cavity next to the volume pot really helps my tone.
-- Woody
— It takes a lot of mussel memory to avoid clams.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 06:40 AM
The neck never re-fits in exactly the same position so loosening the screws under string tension might help repositioning but this would only be a handy trick if you are constantly taking the neck off and want to avoid too much intonation work.
By loosening the screws you might be reliving some tension in the wood. If you've ever had to replace a engine cylinder head you'll know it's very important to tighten the bolts in a special order. Same thing for the neck plate, it needs to be tweeked up gradually in diagonal order. So if the previous owner tightened the screws with uneven torque this loosening idea might help.
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 10:27 AM
goon
I didn't notice anything change after doing it - but loads of veteran guitarists did in the thread...
They were either bullshitting everyone else or their necks were just poorly positioned in the first place.
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 01:02 PM
JakeDobner
goon
I didn't notice anything change after doing it - but loads of veteran guitarists did in the thread...
They were either bullshitting everyone else or their necks were just poorly positioned in the first place.
This tip pops up on the gear page periodically. It is accepted as fact there. When I brought up shimming as a problem with the theory, I was assured it's all about the back of the neck pocket contact... Yeah... That's the ticket.
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TwangOmatic
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 123
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 02:38 PM
JakeDobner
They were either bullshitting everyone else or their necks were just poorly positioned in the first place.
That's the point. This trick is for cheap guitars that were poorly assembled to begin with. I did it to my squire telecaster that was visibly misaligned and you could feel it through the neck. I also have a danelectro that had a gap so big between the body and neck that you could fit a pick between them. It's no miracle tone secret it's just something to check.
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SURFmole
Joined: Nov 22, 2007
Posts: 901
Portland, OR
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Posted on Jul 18 2009 03:02 PM
zak
Can I interest you in a nice hot cup of snake oil? Or some Vintique tone-enhancing knobs? 
Absolutely not...I'm saving my money for something with proven results, like this:
http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/168
— www.apollo4.com
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BJB
Joined: Jul 28, 2008
Posts: 413
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Posted on Jul 21 2009 01:15 AM
"They were either bullshitting everyone else or their necks were just poorly positioned in the first place."
Or they were just 'hearing' what everyone else thought they were hearing. It's called 'confirmation bias', otherwise known as a case of the "Emperor's New Clothes". I'm afraid most of these 'tips' are just a matter of us hearing things that we expect to hear. Without any sort of objective measurement, these stories are just that, stories.
— If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Jul 21 2009 03:06 AM
This is a bad idea, obviously.
However, I find this "extra 0.025%" mentality very amusing. Then again I am playing a Fender Jaguar. You do this, and you learn to love the limitations: the crazy overtones behind the bridge, the buzzes of all kinds, the ridiculous scale length, the gap left by neck shims, the tremolo that absorbs so much string energy, the crazy bridge that vibrates in every possible axis and a string angle that barely holds them in place. The guitar has the sustain of a ukulele!
These are not artifacts of poor design, IMO. These are selling points.
— SSIV
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elBumper
Joined: Nov 11, 2008
Posts: 99
Valladolid
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Posted on Jul 21 2009 03:21 AM
BJB
"They were either bullshitting everyone else or their necks were just poorly positioned in the first place."
Or they were just 'hearing' what everyone else thought they were hearing. It's called 'confirmation bias', otherwise known as a case of the "Emperor's New Clothes". I'm afraid most of these 'tips' are just a matter of us hearing things that we expect to hear. Without any sort of objective measurement, these stories are just that, stories.
I think a Big guitar+amp sound is made with small things...and some changes in different places
and all these changes in sound are measured with your ears...
and if you want to be a believer observed through an oscilloscope
image
— the Panteras
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Jul 21 2009 03:30 AM
Black: so abstruse. I am having a hard time deciphering this electronics, um...Taoism. Maybe I need to start with an unhewn log?
— SSIV
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