Basic question where I am hoping for a short answer

[blakejcan]

Just built a tele body and got it all set-up. It plays well, intonates. All the good stuff. I am using a Fender standard 6 saddle adjustable bridge. Only bummer is that the height adjustment screws are pretty close to maxed out in order to get it to a medium action. It plays just fine, just looks kinda funky. I did my best to measure the neck pocket depth on this relative to my other teles and it appears to be slightly shallower from top to bottom than others. I mean......like barely. Like 1/32 of an inch. Maybe 2/32.

If I went back in and rerouted the neck pocket depth with that micro-adjustment would it then put my string action right in the middle of the adjustable range for the saddles? As opposed to the near maxed out height they are now? Thanks!

 

[beaubrummels]

Yeah, if it's thicker than a real tele, the strings need to sit higher. The only other two options I can think of are 'reverse' shim the neck, or somehow raise the bridge plate (which I've never done and don't know if it's possible to do well and still sound good/play good, so...)

 

[blakejcan]

Ok thanks. I start thinking about angles and whatnot and then get some junior high geometry nightmares. Lower neck, better alignment with a flat saddle. makes sense.

 

[jeremy]

honestly, if it plays well and intonates fine, then i wouldnt mess with it. you could route the neck pocket a bit, but i wouldnt make an issue if there isnt one

 

[blakejcan]

good call. I'll prob leave it well enough alone just because I am excited to finally play it. Mostly thinking it through for future projects. Thanks!

 

[Chistopher]

Beats having the adjustment screws stick out into your hand I guess. If you know enough to build a body, it probably wouldn't be too hard for you to build a 0⁰ full pocket neck shim. That's what I would do if that sort of thing was bothering me.

 

[GuitarDoc]

It doesn't matter how thick the body is.

What matters is the height of the strings relative to the face of the guitar. That is determined by the depth of the neck pocket (or, obviously, the adjustment of the saddles).

Typically, for a Fender type guitar (Tele, Strat) with a typical neck thickness, the neck pocket should be 5/8" deep. So if your neck pocket is less than that (by 1/32 - 2/32"), and you are needing to max out the height of the saddles, the BEST solution would be to rout the pocket deeper. A 1/16" can be all you need to make that difference in the saddle height.

 

[blakejcan]

It doesn't matter how thick the body is.

What matters is the height of the strings relative to the face of the guitar. That is determined by the depth of the neck pocket (or, obviously, the adjustment of the saddles).

Typically, for a Fender type guitar (Tele, Strat) with a typical neck thickness, the neck pocket should be 5/8" deep. So if your neck pocket is less than that (by 1/32 - 2/32"), and you are needing to max out the height of the saddles, the BEST solution would be to rout the pocket deeper. A 1/16" can be all you need to make that difference in the saddle height.

Thanks! Makes sense and lines up with what I was thinking.

Other issue is that my intonation screws are also pretty maxed out but that's because the template I used is for a vintage style bridge which has much longer screws than the 6 saddle bridge. Still works though.

 

[larryguitar]

If that neck will remain with that body permanently, you could shave the heel (and possibly angle it) of the neck to lower the string height at the bridge. More elegant than a shim, but requires permanent alteration of the neck.

Larry

 

[blakejcan]

good idea but I'd prob go back and re-route the pocket for proper depth before altering the neck

 

[GuitarDoc]

If that neck will remain with that body permanently, you could shave the heel (and possibly angle it) of the neck to lower the string height at the bridge. More elegant than a shim, but requires permanent alteration of the neck.

Larry

That's a good suggestion. That will work if it's a Tele style neck with the fretboard even with the heal of the neck. If it's a neck with the fretboard overhanging the heal of the neck, it may not fit after it's shaved. Same is true for routing the neck pocket deeper, but that's a more universal solution...the neck will still fit other guitars or if he ever needs to replace the neck, he won't need to do shaving of that neck too.

I'd just rout the pocket to where it should be.

 

[jeremy]

id lower the pocket before i shave the neck. never know what the future will hold and having a shallow neck could be an issue down the road. having a proper depth neck pocket shouldnt be an issue

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Routing the pocket a tad deeper would be doing it right.
But a reverse shim is simple and quick.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Thanks! Makes sense and lines up with what I was thinking.

Other issue is that my intonation screws are also pretty maxed out but that's because the template I used is for a vintage style bridge which has much longer screws than the 6 saddle bridge. Still works though.

When you say "maxed out", which direction are you referring to...closer to the nut or further away?
If they are as far toward the nut as you can go, you can get longer screws (as long as there is enough of the bridge base to accommodate the saddles going more toward the nut). You may also need longer springs.
If it's just the opposite of that, sometimes you can grind off some of the back of the saddle (where the adjustment screw goes into it...of course that depends on what saddles you have) or cut the spring (if you only need a tiny bit more intonation).

 

[blakejcan]

They are as far from the rear of the bridge as they can go. They still work and I have the high E right at 25.5". It's just a real stretch.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Some longer screws (and springs, if necessary) could do the trick. That's a lot simpler than if they were maxed in the other direction.

 

[Aceman]

A little neck pocket sanding is possible.
Sanding the neck heel might be easier
Reverse shim on the bridge is probably the easiest and is reversible.

 

[GuitarDoc]

You know, if you're going to rout the neck pocket anyway, lowering/deepening it by 1/16", you might as well also rout it 1/8" inch more into the body, toward the bridge, to fix the problem with your saddles being maxed.

 

[PFDarkside]

I’d definitely do a shim, and probably a stew max one to lock it in since it is reverse.

https://www.stewmac.com/tonewoods/s...MIg-vMo4DA_gIVyy6tBh3EEgpqEAQYAiABEgKy1_D_BwE

 

[blakejcan]

You know, if you're going to rout the neck pocket anyway, lowering/deepening it by 1/16", you might as well also rout it 1/8" inch more into the body, toward the bridge, to fix the problem with your saddles being maxed.

true, but. I don't want to have to re-do the holes in the body for mounting the neck. I went back and did some micro-rerouting to lower the neck pocket. Need to find time to set it back up and see if it put it back in the middle of the range. When I took the strings off one of the saddle screws actually fell out. haha. Little bit maxed out I guess.