Any tips on making neck play faster / more comfortable

[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 :lmao: -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%.

 

[Mincer]

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

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 speaker 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 Missle. None of this will be noticed by a beginner or intermediate player or probably an expert hack :lmao: -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%.

I appreciate the advice. I had just never even considered it, but it can be part of a yearly thing for me (I go through all of my guitars every July).

 

[nexion218]

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?

I've also had great success with a car sratch remover/polish kit I found in a local store. I hadn't bought it for that purpose, but some time ago I figured I should give it a go and it worked. The kit had a 1000ish grit sandpaper, a piece of soft cloth and two tubes of paste: one is labelled the scratch remover, the other is a polisher. Worked great, but in my experience one should be cautious with these pastes as they can seep underneath the frets despite the most meticulous of tapings. So due to mess it makes I usually use once a year and after that I try to keep up the shine with some dry stuff, like a jewelry polish cloth.

 

[donaldr]

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

1000 grain sandpaper 4-5 times on the back of your neck will make it really smooth without altering the finish too much. That's what I've done to my Squier VM Jazz 5 and it becomes a joy to play.

 

[NegativeEase]

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

1000 grain sandpaper 4-5 times on the back of your neck will make it really smooth without altering the finish too much. That's what I've done to my Squier VM Jazz 5 and it becomes a joy to play.

definitely will work, and that is super super super fine grit -way more that the equivilent 4/0 steel wool and or very finest grit scotchbrite pad (but not white) that people love when making shredders -so don't be afraid to try go down to 800 or 600 grit -if 1000 isn't noticeable enough on feel.

4/0 steel wool = 400 grit sandpaper
3/0 steel wool = 280 grit
2/0 steel wool = 180 grit
2/0 steel wool = 120 grit

White Scotchbrite = 1200 grit (it has no abrasive)
Gray Scotchbrite = about 400 - 600
Maroon Scotchbrite = about 220-280
Green Scotchbrite = about 150 - 180

 

[Phantasmagoria]

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

Just rub it on & buff a bit with an old t-shirt...amazing on frets & fretboard.