Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

[MetalManiac]

Something just occurred to me as I was in the process of setting up my '57 Stat tribute assembly.

Concerning the neck, My Strat neck is too low for the right action , as the saddles sit too high- the neck is a compound radius Warmoth, so it should be able to have the lopwest possible action., but I may be able to raise it to desired height by cranking the truss rod all the right.

Or I have the option of a shim, or I could crank the truss rod partially to the right, and also use a shim.

Would it be better on neck stress to not have the truss rod cranked fully,. or does it not matter?

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Lowest possible action is something you might want on an Ibanez or a Jackson but makes completely no sense on a real strat.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Lowest possible action is something you might want on an Ibanez or a Jackson but makes completely no sense on a real strat.

I disagree. Why have (like I do) 6100 frets, and a Compound radius if you don't want better playability. I'll sacrifice action for tone, after all, it's just a modern parts assembly, it ain't gonna have the tone of a real '57, but at least it can play like a modern guitar. I love my action super-low w/o having to resort to scalloping or anything.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Truss rod is to adjust relief. A side effect is the action. Most of your action setting will come from the saddles and nut height, working together. If the nut's too low, you'll get a lot of buzzing on the first frets, especially with open chords/notes.

Shimming the neck will help with action, but again, they get closer to the frets at the nut. Shim the neck to increase its angle, raising the bridge off the body like a Les Paul-type, more than to adjust action itself.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Scalloping has absolutely nothing to do with low action. Otherwise, do as you please.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Lowest possible action is something you might want on an Ibanez or a Jackson but makes completely no sense on a real strat.

Why? Don't they come with decent enough fretwork? :9:

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Why? Don't they come with decent enough fretwork? :9:

Because you can only get Troo Strat Tone (TM Patent Pending Copyright Cork-Sniffers LTD) by having really high action and large strings, silly.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Because you can only get Troo Strat Tone (TM Patent Pending Copyright Cork-Sniffers LTD) by having really high action and large strings, silly.

I HATE the tone of heavy strings! Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons use 7 or 8s! Hendrix used 9s. They had no problems getting a good tone. Unless you are tuning down like SRV or something. Then you need heavier strings.

I use 9s most of the time. You can get a nice snap out of the string.

Same with high action. Unless you are playing rudimentary blues licks while posing in the mirror, set your guitar up to play effortlessly.

Back to the OP; your truss rod should be adjusted so your neck is pretty much straight. Some people like a little relief. Personally I set my necks dead straight and only add a little relief if I'm fretting out. But that doesn't happen with well leveled frets.

Why are the bridge saddles so high? Lower them! That's how you set your action. If lowering them doesn't get the action low enough, then shim the neck. This increases the neck angle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

I disagree. Why have (like I do) 6100 frets, and a Compound radius if you don't want better playability. I'll sacrifice action for tone, after all, it's just a modern parts assembly, it ain't gonna have the tone of a real '57, but at least it can play like a modern guitar. I love my action super-low w/o having to resort to scalloping or anything.

well.. i believe your strings need to have a bit of room to breath to sound the best..
.. i will not sacrifice one for another but I will balance the two.. Reason my jackson is set up with the action it has.. not low but not really high either.. just measured it at 1.75mm@12th fr./6th string and I always use 10-46's. last time I measured the neck relief, it was at around maby .015.. Perhaps I could make it straighter but the guitar plays well enough

to get the lowest possible action.. you might need to adjust the bridge or nut height,neck angle,relief and if its a FR type of bridge.. perhaps shims for the individual saddles or shim for the locking nut...

edit>> forgot fret dress.. these all play a factor in setting up a low action



to each their own though

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

make the neck straight. this will require a higher saddle height and the issue will resolve itself.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

Start from the very beginning.




Or you can start on the 6th video. Note that truss rod adjustment is more difficult if you have one of those Strats with the 8th fret that keeps movong around.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Setting up a Strat Guitar- Neck Concern

I'm not sure if i'm reading the OP correctly ... my understanding of what is being said is that the overall thickness of the neck heel/ fretboard/ fret heights at the body end is too low, meaning the saddles can't be lowered enough to get an acceptable action. If i'm right, I've had the same issue on a Tele because the fretboard had been planed down.

IF I've got that right, a flat shim covering the entire base of the neck pocket to elevate the neck is an obvious cure. But it has occured to me that there is another option, one which would negate the need for the shim.

Re-rout ONLY the base of the neck pocket so that it is no longer parallel to the back & front of the body, but very slightly angled so that the neck sits slightly tilted backwards at the headstock, almost like the way a Les Paul neck sits into it's body, sending the strings to a greater height at the bridge, thus allowing the saddles to be set higher. The angle would be very slight ... carefully set up the router pattern so that at the inner (bridge) end of the pocket, no wood is removed, and the most wood (probably less than half a millimetre) is removed at the outer (headstock) end of the pocket ... and obviously between those two points, a smooth flat surface is created.

The angle created would probably be so slight that re-drilling the body or neck mounting holes would not be neccesary. But it would bring the strings at the bridge to a higher point, meaning the saddle adjustments will come back into play in the way they should. This method will avoid the use of a shim, and retain the integrity of the neck to body join.

If I've misunderstood the original premise, I apologise and this post can be ignored. If i'm right, I will graciously accept the Nobel Prize, or a sack full of cash. Oh okay, a burger will be fine. Or even just a lay-away deposit on a burger.

Sheesh you drive a hard bargain.