Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

[MetalManiac]

Basically, I have a cool old Ube4r-Strat that has a Juke neck. Its got a Gotoh Floyd, and I have set it up where the action is too high off the nut but still playable , still high in the middle, but reasonable and remains real playable up the neck, and towards the heel gets action almost perfect.

Its a flatter radius w/ jumbo frets. Thing sounds like a million bucks. Actually, its a high end guitar that cost about 2K when new. Got it for 240.00 and have put in another 75.00 bucks, including Ti posts.
Right now, It has almost zero relief. Truss rod seems to be functional.

Setting the Trem flat / correctly really helped.

What I am wondering is should I dial more relief into the neck, which would raise the already high action in the middle, but maybe allow me to lower the trem, and even take a shim off the nut to bring the high action off the nut down some? Is it all a a wash with the bent neck?

 

[uOpt]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Can you be more specific about what "twisted" means here and how much it is uneven, in which direction?

Maybe post a 3D model file?

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Can you be more specific about what "twisted" means here and how much it is uneven, in which direction?

Maybe post a 3D model file?

Thank you for replying. I appreciate it. Its all w/in the description about the nature of the twist. I am thinking to leave it be. When I got it, action was 10 miles high. I thought the truss rod might be broken, but no.

I got it down to a real cool player, but far form ideal.

I think at this point if I mess with one parameter, it'll just throw off another. I guess in short, there is a back-bow, and the neck heel sode plays fine, but in the middel its tpoo hihg, and at the nut it is still too high , to wheer I have to raise the trem to get playable action.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

A back bow is when the action is high at the nut and heel but low at the 12th fret. It can sometimes be addressed by adjusting a dual action truss rod. What you describe sounds more like a neck angle issue where the action is fine at heel/nut and borked at the other end.

A twist is when the action varies across the width of the neck at the nut with an opposite variance at the heel.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Thanks. That sounds right .. I think I did a shim on this, maybe that was at fault.Sounds like a back bow, but the thing is, there is literally NO relief now , thats why I was wondering about trying to screw the trussrod in the opposite direction form tightening for more relief? But that would raise the already high action on the middle.
The action is fairly unifrom across the width of the neck.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

This thread might be a bit low on actionable information.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

This thread might be a bit low on actionable information.

Yeah, its vague, sorry.Wish I could be more concrete. The actual situation in tenous to me.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Yeah, sounds like your describing a bow more than a twist.

A twisted neck is like when you ring out a towel, a bow is like...well, a bow.

Pictures would help

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

If it has a back bow that won't pull up under string tension (and assuming it is a single-action truss rod, not a two-way), a heat press can be used. On the other hand, if it's twisted like a corkscrew around the truss rod (discernible by sighting down the neck), the only real way is to pull the frets out, level the fretboard with a radius block, and then refret it (which could require deepening the fret slots).

 

[greekdude]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

A back bow is when the action is high at the nut and heel but low at the 12th fret. It can sometimes be addressed by adjusting a dual action truss rod. What you describe sounds more like a neck angle issue where the action is fine at heel/nut and borked at the other end.

A twist is when the action varies across the width of the neck at the nut with an opposite variance at the heel.

Back bow usually is when it is like this :

buzzing from nut to 12th, ok-ish from 12->24

never saw smth like what you are describing.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Action cannot be high (directly) at the nut as a result of bow.

Come on people.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Action cannot be high (directly) at the nut as a result of bow.

Come on people.

Yup, high at the nut is high at the nut, and there's only one reason for that particular issue ... the nut is too high.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

I sometimes get a high nut.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

After further consideration, and thanks to your inputs, looks indeed like the neck is "corkscrewed " as Crusty mentioned it could be.

Clarifying the state of the neck, it does appear that teh neck has good action on the frets near the heel ( high frets?) , and gets progressively worse till at the nut its very high, but the low E is way higher than the High e.

Now, at the nut, despite the fact the strings are high, it still does not want to play notes perfectly. I may try and tweak the truss rod for a bit more relief, truss seems to be working, but that might do next to nothing, maybe even upset the apple cart- for one thing there isn't much travel left on the trem studs to bring the action down any further if the strings near the heel are raised much more.

I'm pleased at the purchase, been looking for this guitar for awhile since I sold mine- they seldom come up used anymore, they fly way under the radar- wish I could tell you waht it is, but I'm trying to track down another , this time in perfect shape for a good deal. Actually, I'm proud that I was able to get it playing like it does now after I jury rigged it. When I received it, the action was Denver Co. high, and I thought it was a goner.

Again, thanks for all your help. Think I'll just learn to live with it and its a delight to play as is. Now to maybe slam some Filtertrons in it.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Not a pic in sight.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

if it is bowed, then that should be easy to sort out with a good setup.
If it is twisted, you need a new neck.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Neck was twisted, but workable.

Well, thanks, and since this is already at the top, - More pure and total of the usual dumbassery by me tonight juts now. It had been set up to play well enough -really ok to my liking, then I went and tried to adjust it again after a neck readjust , and I forgot that the %(*^%( Gotoh studs have a locking part w/in them tha I had locked already, so I ended forcing it ( same way I busted the original post) & probably stripping out a stud thread thread and it no longer plays as well on the high side still acceptable, but nowhere near as good Son of a %$&*^*&!. I'm a sad pathetic littel man, but I guess most of you might have already guessed that.

Would not be a big deal except this is an 80's guitar, and when I busted the original post, I had to order some Titanium posts form Hungary-only ones I could find on a thorough web-wide search- 60 bucks! I can't afford that@!

Dumbass dumbass dumbass!! I'm so bummed. Profoundly bummed.

Now where am I gonna find a new stud (I mean stud-post) short of buying a whole new Gotoh Floyd? I seriously doubt the titanium post thread stripped, but even if it did,that would be okay, I could order another post , Cannot find any of those stud posts parts anywhere. And as a sweet bonus, the first fret near the nut is playing significantly better too after the neck readjustment. I can die happy now.

EDIT- MERCIFUL GOD PEOPLE!! Turns out the Ti "Huantang" stud post flaked. The stud itself is fine .Noone left the cake out in the rain after all. She's p[laying real good( except for a high fret on the High e side 21st area) I reinstalled the one old original Goth stud and is working like day one. I guess Old Japanese steel is as good or better than new Hungarian Titanium?

RE-EDit- to be fair to Hauntang( spelling?), I don't know if the thread pitch on the old 80's Gotoh Floyd type locking tremolos is the exact same as the new units. I know the locking nuts are different. The other Ti post looks to be working well, but IDK.




Re-RE- EDIT- I got in touch with the maker of the Titanium Studs, which actually spelling is "HANTUG" on Ebay, which is a manufacturer on ebay of high grade metal guitar parts. He said the Stud Post threads would be the same on my older 80's model as the newer model Gotoh Locking trems.
Hantug very graciously offered to replace the stripped stud, so thats great,I'll have a full set. Just need Schaller string locking nuts, and this guitar is golden, but yeah, with a slight twist but better tan I had hoped for and still plays great-not perfect, and sounds fabulous.

and everyone lived happily ever after, the end.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

View attachment 72436

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

Is this on the walnut strat that we tweaked the trust on when I was there?

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Setting up a twisted neck on Super strat advice

If its truly twisted just get rid of it, unless your have a big steamer (jokes!) and the knowledge to get it back straight. It's not worth trying to setup a guitar with a twist. OR you could be like some of the shops here and say 'well its twisting in your favour'