Train more relief into a neck?

[Thundermtn]

So I'm rehabbing my fist guitar, a cheap Harmony 3/4 scale super strat thingy for my kid. I have most of the major issues addressed except for the neck. The thing is back bowed past flat pretty well, even with the truss rod maxed out for relief. It's not twisted though and everything else checks out as the truss rod does appear to be working to some degree.

Currently my attempt to put more releif in a well seasoned neck was to get it into a higher humidity room, support the neck at the headstock joint and rest the body flat, and put about 15#'s of weight on the 9th fret and try to train it into shape. Will this work or is it a waste of time?

Is there a way that would work better? I should probably just case it back up but it'd be cool for my kid to get going on the same axe I did.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

You are very lucky if you have a neck that will dial in relief toa substantial degree. I've been into guitars for awhile now, and many if not most just won't give you much relief at all, unless like Gibsons or maybe stock Fenders. Warmoth's necks are notorious for dialing in little to almost no relief with their radiused necks. I expect the old japanese necks are pretty much the same.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Back bow usually requires treating the neck with clamps and heat. It is not always successful, even when done by a skilled luthier. Sometimes the fingerboard will need to be re-planed.

Sometimes a heavier than usual string set can be just enough to pull it up and get a small amount of relief. I went from a 10-46 set to EB Slinky Top Heavy Bottom on my old LP Special, and with the rod completely relaxed, it brought it up to a usable .005" relief.

Good luck!

Bill

 

[VinceT]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

So I'm rehabbing my fist guitar, a cheap Harmony 3/4 scale super strat thingy for my kid. I have most of the major issues addressed except for the neck. The thing is back bowed past flat pretty well, even with the truss rod maxed out for relief. It's not twisted though and everything else checks out as the truss rod does appear to be working to some degree.

Currently my attempt to put more releif in a well seasoned neck was to get it into a higher humidity room, support the neck at the headstock joint and rest the body flat, and put about 15#'s of weight on the 9th fret and try to train it into shape. Will this work or is it a waste of time?

Is there a way that would work better? I should probably just case it back up but it'd be cool for my kid to get going on the same axe I did.

I want to check something - when you say the truss rod is maxed out, you do mean loosened off completely, right?


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[AlexR]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Use something inflexible like a steel straightedge. Put a small shim at the apex of the hump, and clamp the two ends of the fretboard to the straightedge.

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

It's called heat pressing. Applying heat to the neck via a blow dryer or heating pad allows the lignin in the wood to slip a bit for reforming. Get the neck warm, wrap in something to keep in the heat for awhile, and clamp the desired bend into the neck. Leave it overnight. Once unwrapped, the wood will spring back a bit, but once you get it strung up to pitch, it should return to a playable shape that hopefully is again adjustable with the truss rod. You can do it, but an experienced luthier is your best bet.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Thanks everyone.

New plan.

Remove neck from the body again. Print off a correct scale radius and transfer it to a couple of 2X4's and glue and screw those together then screw a metal yard stick to the face of the form. I have a buddy that has a low temp bow oven you use for curing the fiberglass on new, but old school recurve bows. Then tie it off at one end and periodically cloth wrap/clamp it further up the neck as it heats up.

I should probably just buy a new Jackson Minion Dinky neck, but I'm curious if I can save it.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

I want to check something - when you say the truss rod is maxed out, you do mean loosened off completely, right?

Yeah, loosened so that there's enough grab to stay on the rod, barely.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

I'd just put 14s on it and hang it up.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Yeah, loosened so that there's enough grab to stay on the rod, barely.

Cool - best of luck with the oven!


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[Thundermtn]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Thanks, in theory the same principals to bend and form 50's style maple bows should work on a maple guitar neck. 180-190° for several 2-3 hour stints between tightening. If it works, cool. If it doesn't, I get to go all NGD on my kid.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Train more relief into a neck?

Ok, so that method was a two edged sword. It did work a little bit but I had to stop before I got it where it needed to be b/c the process was too fast and the fretboard began to lift @ the nut just a smidgen so I stopped. It's 30 years old so I was wondering about the glue and didn't want to keep pushing my luck any further.

Good news is that I got it flat enough to play almost perfect up to the 12th fret, past that and it's too high but it's definitely playable. I shimmed the neck a bit and that helped, it's still back bowed but only slightly. Whatever the neck single coil is actually sounds good, the humbucker isn't great but it makes noise and that's all that really counts for now. If we can learn the A, G, and E chord and pentatonic scale I'll pop for a Ibanez Mikro for X-mas and go nuts on the setup and upgrade all the normal goodies.