What do you consider a straight neck?

[astrozombie]

through my own experiments I've come to realize that a guitar will never sound the best it can with an absolutely straight neck. That measurement just can't be "0".

I find that something like .003''is much more realistic.

Do you agree?

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

.003 is a pretty straight..i like a little relief in my neck though.. perhaps .015...

 

[Mincer]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

There needs to be some relief. In fact, I never even seen a perfectly straight neck. There is always some movement in there.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Ideally, you would wish a neck to be straight while you are planing it or, say, levelling frets.

In use, under tension, a forward bow is desirable. A neck that is straight under string tension could still be playable with no string/fret rattle by setting the bridge saddles high. Most people will not like this arrangement.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Mine are usually set with around .010" relief at the 7th fret, with a capo at the 1st, and the string held down at the body fret (17th...ish...).

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Glenn. Which Dan Erlewine guitar repair/set-up book(s) did you buy a few years back? The information that you need should be right there.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

I like 7.328 Microns.

(which is approximately two Poopteenths).

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

I use that traditional old British mechanical engineering unit, the gnat's.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Use a laserbeam....

 

[Dahla]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Mine are usually set with around .010" relief at the 7th fret, with a capo at the 1st, and the string held down at the body fret (17th...ish...).

+1

Exactly how I do it too.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Honestly....all this numbering nonsense is just rubbish....
Go with what the guitar can do, and figure out what strings that makes it behave well.
Necks are not the same, some are just soft POS necks that never will work in any way, others are dead stiff sticks that can acommedate low low action, but will not sound good and so on!

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

I don't know the number off the top of my head, but I do know that I like medium low action. To do that, I need a slight neck bow, otherwise I'd have to jack up the bridge a ton.

 

[aleclee]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Straight is straight. If you're measuring relief, that would be 0. If you only like a little relief, you prefer a little relief. Very few people like a truly straight neck: most of those who claim to either don't know what they're saying or they're saying it badly.

For my touch and strings, I start at about 0.009" and dial it in from there to whatever feels best.

 

[dave74]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

This is one instance where metric is just better IMO.
For me a relief of .5mm (the red dunlop tortex) is my standard setup.

My suggestion is to capo the first, hold the last straight down (no sideways bending), then just hold the pick right up to the gap and compare it with your eyes right there close.
Helps a lot if you're looking at it against a white background.
If you're sitting and holding the guitar in playing position (like you should) you can simply use the white sock on your foot as the background for a good clear view of the gap compared to the pick's width.

Personally, since I now know what .5mm looks like I just eyeball it these days.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

I tend to measure in butt-hairs, but I rarely get around to it. But I do like me some relief.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Honestly....all this numbering nonsense is just rubbish....
Go with what the guitar can do, and figure out what strings that makes it behave well.
Necks are not the same, some are just soft POS necks that never will work in any way, others are dead stiff sticks that can acommedate low low action, but will not sound good and so on!

Too sensible for the internet.

But yeah, every guitar is wood, and wood is unpredictable. I have never understood trying to apply text book rules and measurements to guitar necks. If you know what you're doing, you treat every instrument as an individual case. Measure the end result if you want, don't start with measurements.

There must be so many people out there playing buzzy instruments, convinced they have great tone because all the spec's are 'text book correct'.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

Geometry is not a matter of opinion. Neck relief, however, is.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

every guitar is wood.

Not so. A few guitars are metal. A few are GRP. One very special one is made from the same stuff as The Emperor's New Clothes.

wood is unpredictable.

Some times, it never shows up at all.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

^Well as said, if you got a soft neck....you are screwed in anyway possible...it will bend one way and the the other way, it will react instantly to weather changes, the rod cannot keep it stable.....why do you think that they use all kinds of extra rods of all kinds of funny materials?!
To hide that the neck is made out of not so good wood...if the wood is from a quality piece it will last a very very long time with alittle maintenance...

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: What do you consider a straight neck?

^^Yeah buy a Martin...and it is made out phenol something!