Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

[evh_slash]

I have a Petrucci JPM Ibanez parts-o-caster Replica that I assembled from scratch ala Warmoth /EVH . The neck is a JEM prestige style profile with Jumbo 6100 Gold EVO frets, mildly scalloped frets, lacquered maple neck + maple fretboard and the guitar has a Lo Pro edge trem with 2 springs.

The frets have been polished and levelled by a luthier & I've set her up to E standard with:
- D'addario gauge 8.5 - 39 Strings
- Bridge is set nice and low, set very fluttery
- 2 springs in a / \ formation to reduce spring tension
- Low Nut action (removed the locking nut brass shims so the action at the lower frets is less)
- Stewmac 1mm Neck pocket shim to tilt the neck back to lower the action further at the upper frets (max angle they offer)

For some reason, I just can't seem to get it to play as smooth and comfortable as any of my other guitars ... No matter how low & slinky I set it up. The strings always seem to feel tight and my fretting hand seems to fatigue a little quicker on this guitar .

Fast legato, sweeps and riffing/rhythm playing feels very liquid and is not a problem at all BUT I'm finding it really hard to transition across the neck / move my hand around the neck (position shifts) and particularly sliding - vibrato seem to feel a bit awkward . Slides on the G string for example can feel quite bumpy which might make me release at the wrong fret or stop my slide halfway in its tracks and vibrato / bends can ache my hand and require more effort than usual .

I thought these Ibanez Jem style necks were supposed to be super fast and 'shred friendly' but I guess maybe there isn't a one size fits all when it comes to this ! I'm also strongly considering sanding down the finish... Anyone have any other ideas ?

 

[LonePhantom]

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

Is it a gloss or satin lacquer? If it's glossy it could be a bit stickier, and harder to move around on. But going by the things you mentioned, it may be that the neck shape doesn't gel with you.

 

[misterwhizzy]

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

8.5 strings feel tight? You and I play differently, my friend.

 

[evh_slash]

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

I'm not sure the exact finish of the neck but it could definitely be softer/smoother ! I also think the fret crowning isnt great upon closer inspection .. What do you think ?

 

[evh_slash]

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

8.5 strings feel tight? You and I play differently, my friend.

Only on this guitar for some reason... On my other guitars I am ok with 9 - 46 Hybrid sets.

 

[NegativeEase]

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

Here is what you need to make any guitar shred,

 

[LonePhantom]

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

How are the tremolo springs configured? The tightness could be attributed to the type of springs, and their configuration.

 

[ICTGoober]

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

NEVER use steel wool on a guitar - especially if it's electric.

Use Scotchbrite.

 

[Edgecrusher]

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

NEVER use steel wool on a guitar - especially if it's electric.

Use Scotchbrite.

Is there a particular reason why? I do it on frets, i just tape off the board and pickups and it seems to do the job just fine.

 

[nexion218]

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

Does the job fine, its the metal dust that causes the problem. Taping off the PUPs is an OK solution though. But be aware that invisible steel dust will be everywhere and you don't want that in your pickups... What I found usueful lately was silver jewelry polishing cloth. Perfect for fine tuning the mirror shine on frets. :bling:

 

[ICTGoober]

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

Is there a particular reason why? I do it on frets, i just tape off the board and pickups and it seems to do the job just fine.

A: It rusts easily. Just what you want on your bench, your floor, or on your guitar.

B: It's magnetic. It will get in your electronics and short them out, all it takes is a little static and you'll never figure out why your axe died.

C: It's frangible. The stuff crumbles into little pieces that worm their way into everything. The crumbs can hurt your fingers.

In short, it's evil. It contaminates everything.

Scotchbrite is made of plastic and abrasives. It works better, lasts longer, comes in more grits, and has none of the bad characteristics of steel wool.

 

[Edgecrusher]

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

A: It rusts easily. Just what you want on your bench, your floor, or on your guitar.

B: It's magnetic. It will get in your electronics and short them out, all it takes is a little static and you'll never figure out why your axe died.

C: It's frangible. The stuff crumbles into little pieces that worm their way into everything. The crumbs can hurt your fingers.

In short, it's evil. It contaminates everything.

Scotchbrite is made of plastic and abrasives. It works better, lasts longer, comes in more grits, and has none of the bad characteristics of steel wool.

Gotcha, my habit of steel wool has always been that it cuts differently on metal than the abrasive pads do and I can get it to conform to shapes easier. That being said I havent used it for awhile now i use polishing wheels with jewelers rouge and a dremel.

 

[orpheo]

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

 

[NegativeEase]

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

A: It rusts easily. Just what you want on your bench, your floor, or on your guitar.

B: It's magnetic. It will get in your electronics and short them out, all it takes is a little static and you'll never figure out why your axe died.

C: It's frangible. The stuff crumbles into little pieces that worm their way into everything. The crumbs can hurt your fingers.

In short, it's evil. It contaminates everything.

Scotchbrite is made of plastic and abrasives. It works better, lasts longer, comes in more grits, and has none of the bad characteristics of steel wool.

By the way, I agree with all of these points ICT Goober. Scotch Brite composite steel wool pads should be used -I was just being lazy and googled Steel Wool pic.

Also, regular Steel wool is like glitter. It will never go away. Before COmposite wool pads, I would tape off the pickups and metal etc before using regular pads -total pain in the ass.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

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

I like removing the neck, taking it down to bare wood, then doing the oil & wax finish. They come out super sexy. Did that to my RG 7 string and PRS SE Custom. Bare maple + oil & wax is the best.

 

[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.