#1
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Neck resets - projection methodology
Hi , thanks for reading.
Its well known to check if an acoustic guitar needs a neck reset, in short, to run a straight edge along the neck, with strings under tension preferably, and see where the end of the straight edge ends in relation to the bridge top, preferably just clearing it by a whisker. My question is, with many bridges having a top face contour, i.e. sloping down from the bass side towards the treble side, where does one take the neck projection check ? |
#2
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If a reset is needed it will really show up in how high the strings are from the frets. Most of the time it's too high. Ron |
#3
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Not all bridge profiles match fretboard profiles, so every instrument is differen
I typically sight between d and g, that tells me the relationship of neck to bridge. Using side e's for me is ajudgement call to a neck being twisted or possibly not set correctly Steve
__________________
Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#4
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__________________
Leonard 1918 Gibson L-1 1928 Gibson L-4 (Blond w/Ebony Fret-board) 1930's Kalamazoo KG-32 1930's Gretsch F-50 1934 Gibson L-7 1934 Gibson L-50 (KG-11/14 Body Shape) 1935 Gibson L-50 (Flat-back) 1935 Gibson L-30 (Flat-back) 1942 Gibson L-50 (WWII Banner Head) 1948 Gibson L-50 1949 Epiphone Blackstone "a sharp mind cuts cleaner than a sharp tool" |
#5
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Thankyou Ron.
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#6
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Thankyou Steve.
I thought that would be the case, and then finalise the action with the saddle. |
#7
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Thankyou Leonard and ALL
Im doing this reset on a 50 year old 12 string. The original bridge had been taken down to under 1/4" and the saddle was only peeking over the top of saddle slot. My main issue at present stage is guessing final heel angle sanding amounts with a new 3/8 " (average) bridge height bolted to the body through the rear peg holes. Front 6 strung up , over-tensioned by 2 steps. I thought Id overset the neck at one stage , but there are so many variables , and so much neck movement under tension and "in the rack" jig for a few days. |
#8
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Forget about the straightedge. There are four things you should be concerned with.
1) Relief. 2) Action. 3) Saddle height. 4) String height above the top at the bridge. If achieving the desired action causes #3 or #4 to be too low, then a reset is indicated. Note that relief is not affected by a reset, but does affect the assessment of the action. That is why it should always be adjusted first. |
#9
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As a general rule, I always check relief and fret levels first . In this case, I beam dressed the frets and have minimal relief under the string tension applied. I like the neck relief to be as minimal as possible unless the player is a heavy strummer. I aim for .004 - .006, starting with the nut. |
#10
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A straight edge is still a good gauge to make judgement though imho. I use that method to set the neck angle when building a guitar but it is done without string tension on. The idea being that the slight airspace you leave above the bridge will be gone once string tension is applied and the top bows up accordingly.
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#11
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Thankyou Redir,
Its a bit of a nuisance stringing up, and you need a jig to hold it all, but sometimes neck woods can have hidden soft spots or just be a bit rubbery. Re soft spots, Qld Maple from Australia is a nice neck wood but according to Professor Google, the tree can be home to a bug that creates hidden soft spots. |