Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

[Mincer]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Is there a particular grade of Scotchbrite that you recommend?

[playas]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Could it be that the jumbo frets are the problem? Personally I don´t gel with them, they make a neck feel uncomfortable for me.

Also the finish on the back of the neck can make a big difference to how comfortable moving about the fretboard will feel as LonePhantom mentioned.
Some finishes will be stickier than others, from your description I´d say the frets themselves might be getting in your way if you´re not used to them.

[IMENATOR]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

IMHO these things help

* Unfinised neck
* Cleaning the fretboard
* Fretboard radius, bigger = flatter = easier to bend. I really liked the compound radius of my 2014 Charvel.
* String separation that is best for tour hands. Closer strings like a strat make it easier to sweep pick but it may be harder to play some clustered chords.
* Spend enough time practicing with that guitar and don't play any other guitar for maybe a month. I think this is the most important tip, you need to build the muscle memory for it.

[NegativeEase]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Is there a particular grade of Scotchbrite that you recommend?

Mincer,

Start with the equivilant of 0000 steel wool (i think it's call "Very fine" in the PADS) and go up and down the back of neck 10-20 times. nice and easy -you are just knocking the tacky part of the finish and oils from playing - it will immediately fell very good to the palm.

I like to go to 000 next which I think is called fine in the the PADS -this gets into the finish pretty good. If you go this step the guitar will start really feel speedy.

I will get a part number for you when I land -I have to go by Lowes on the way home.

[Mincer]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Mincer,

Start with the equivilant of 0000 steel wool (i think it's call "Very fine" in the PADS) and go up and down the back of neck 10-20 times. nice and easy -you are just knocking the tacky part of the finish and oils from playing - it will immediately fell very good to the palm.

I like to go to 000 next which I think is called fine in the the PADS -this gets into the finish pretty good. If you go this step the guitar will start really feel speedy.

I will get a part number for you when I land -I have to go by Lowes on the way home.

Actually I am wondering which one to use to clean/buff the frets.

[ICTGoober]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

I keep 3 grits - dark gray (very rough) for stripping finishes with liquid stripper. Maroon is my main "go-to" for most abrasive jobs. Then the very fine light gray is for just smoothing and polishing. Works great on the back of the neck with light pressure. For frets - use the maroon. By the way - I only buy 3M.

[NegativeEase]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Actually I am wondering which one to use to clean/buff the frets.

Ha, sorry. In my experience, (but I don't work on frets everyday like pro luthier like ICT Goober) you can knock it down with fine, but you always finish with the 0000 equivalent of a Scotchrbrite pad (Very fine I think is the designation)

I have a Dremel buffing wheel that takes the frets to a whole other level.

[Mincer]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Ha, sorry. In my experience, (but I don't work on frets everyday like pro luthier like ICT Goober) you can knock it down with fine, but you always finish with the 0000 equivalent of a Scotchrbrite pad (Very fine I think is the designation)

I have a Dremel buffing wheel that takes the frets to a whole other level.

I wonder if I have the buffing wheel in my Dremel kit. What's it look like?

[ItsaBass]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Those frets look terrible to play on IMO. Is this your only guitar with frets that big and blocky?

It looks like they could really use to have some major crown put on them, and to have the fret ends heavily dressed, and even possibly beveled more deeply (IMO). The ends should look roughly like the the end of a pill capsule that has been sliced in half lengthwise. The larger frets are, the more this matters. My fingers would be running into and hanging up on those fret ends like mad.

P.S. FWIW, angling your vibrato springs increases tension; it doesn't decrease it. The springs are stretched a farther distance when angled than if they were not angled. This isn't your problem, though.

[evh_slash]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

@ICTGoober: you are absolutely right.

@Topicstarter: the shim is absolutely unnecessary. it's only there to get the action right if the neck angle is screwed up. It won't do anything for the action at the highest frets, IF you have set up the neck curve correctly.

About your predicament. I wonder, what is the action like? Are the frets polished? What is the neck curve?

And don't say 'those are fine', I need measurements. like: the action at the 12th fret, high&low E is respectively 0.8mm and 1.3mm. that's low. The neck curve is measured between fret 1 and 17 0.25mm: that's flat. (that's 0.01 inch if I did my math right, converting from sensible system of measurement to banana's per billion rounds fired, uhm... i mean imperial )

So yeah... get that sorted first and then come back to us so we can give you better aid

Action 2.2mm at Low E and 1.75mm at the High E, Curve 0.3mm relief, Shim is 1 degree for tiltback . I'm getting buzz / choking notes if I go any lower than that ! The neck pocket was definitely pretty deep before, without the shim the action was something like 3mm @ the 24th fret even with the bridge fully lowered !!

[NegativeEase]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

I wonder if I have the buffing wheel in my Dremel kit. What's it look like?

The soft white ones ONLY on frets-these will polish the fret beautifully and clean up the very very fine mars and abrasions barely visible, but don't use anything harder in the kit without building a custom jig for planing because a Dremel cannot be controlled on a flat plane. I blue tape the entire fret board before I do most anything.

[Mincer]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

The soft white ones ONLY on frets-these will polish the fret beautifully and clean up the very very fine mars and abrasions barely visible, but don't use anything harder in the kit without building a custom jig for planing because a Dremel cannot be controlled on a flat plane. I blue tape the entire fret board before I do most anything.

I have a few of those wheels. Haven't used them yet.

[NegativeEase]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

I have a few of those wheels. Haven't used them yet.

They will only clean up the final micro stuff -which is why it will shine and play so smooth after -but you have to get the larger stuff knocked down with very fine scour pad before the dremel white pad is effective (equivalent of .0000 wool)

[Mincer]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Do you use any compound when you buff the frets, or just the bare pad?

[NegativeEase]

Re: Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

Do you use any compound when you buff the frets, or just the bare pad?

Depends on the condition of the frets, I have a jewelers loop and mononocular with a light that I check my frets with so it's easy to see the micro ruts that subtlely affect playing -if there are lots of little micro cuts/ruts from over-using a certain riff or key -I'll use a dab of the finest compound or a very gentle toothpaste (which is often better) -but generally speaking, a dry hit will clean the burs that a scour pad, steel wool, and fret file won't. I try to do it once a year on my regular 4 guitars I gig or record with.

In my experience, a guitar with a perfectly optimized back of neck and ultra smooth frets (assuming the string tension and height nut and bridge are set up for the playing style) takes a guitar to another level. I first became aware of that playing a guitar handmade by Mike Pedulla -a crazy lightbulb went off that there was a whole 'nother level above the high end guitars I had played in stores and borrowed.

I don't want to scare players on here -the thread is about optimization and I'm just voicing how to may your guitar feel like a damn Buggati or Missile. None of this will be noticed by a beginner or intermediate player or probably an expert hack -but Mincer, knowing your playing style, interests, influences, and experience a bit, I suspect you will feel this type of hyper optimization. -Also, no regularly gigging player should be worried about missing out if they don't have the time -it's the last 1-3%.