Simple Guitar Repairs: How To Align A Bolt On Neck

Doug Knight
May 30, 2013
DIY, Lessons
0

I spent several years, back in the 80s, refinishing, rebuilding and repairing guitars. As an accomplished woodworker with a full
production shop at my disposal, and, being a guitar lover, this seemed like a natural progression to me at the time. Unfortunately, I had
to keep up with making a living building cabinets and furniture so the guitar business never really got off the ground. I did gain lots
of experience, though, and since my thinking is that guitar players should know about their instruments, and be able to maintain them,
unless you have the luxury of your own private guitar tech, I would pass on some of what I learned.

Were going to start with Bolt-on Neck Alignment.

This is a pretty common problem on Strats, Teles, Ibanez, Jacksons any guitar that has a bolt-on neck. Its a simple adjustment but it
does require some knowledge of the guitar/neck attachment and how it works. You would think that the design of these guitars would
eliminate any error in their assembly, being as how both the bodies and the necks are CNC (Computer Numerical Control) produced,
and made to pretty exacting standards. Well, not necessarily so, as youll see

Figure 1 is my Ibanez G10. While doing a routine inspection on the guitar, I came across figure 2.

Look at the distance between the high E string and the edge of the fretboard at the 22nd fret. Now look at the low E string at the same
fret. See the difference? This is fairly common with mass produced guitars and was probably within specs at the factory as the guitar
plays very well, which would be the main criteria. My first reaction to a guitar is its playability. If I dont like it, then I look to see why
it doesnt play well.

Figure 3 shows about 3.5mm from the side of the fretboard to the high E string at the nut.
But a whopping 5mm at the 22nd fret! There is definitely a problem.

The first order of business is to be sure there isnt something else wrong. If you
dont find a broken or improperly placed bridge, which should show up in playability, the neck is our prime suspect.

Detune the A, D, G and B strings down to slack, or remove them entirely. Tune the two E strings down to the point just before they
lose tension you need them to be straight so you can use them as a gauge.

Loosen the neck bolts just enough so you can move the neck but it will stay where you put it. Loosen a little and try to move the neck.
Loosen a little more if you need to.

It didnt make any difference to my guitar. In figure 6, I had to jam a feeler gauge in beside the neck to hold it in place. Having this
tension on the neck is not good. We want the neck to sit in place comfortably and not fight to return to a comfortable but wrong,
position. Since I have new strings on the guitar, I loosened them enough so I could pull off the stop bar and get the strings out of the
way. Then I removed the neck screws.
Loosen all the screws little by little until you get the joint tension off. After that, you can just remove them. Be aware that the neck
will fall if you support it as in figure 7.

Low and behold what have we here? A shim! That was unexpected but Im
not surprised. Figure 8 shows what I found under the neck. There are several reasons for this, the most prevalent being extra finish on
the end of the neck pocket that didnt get removed so the neck wont fit the template without a shim. What? See the big black spot on
the body right next to the word shim in figure 8? Thats a hole, used to hang the body for painting. The neck covers it in front and
the plate covers it in back no harm, no foul. The whole neck pocket gets painted and when the guitar goes through assembly, the
neck guy has to scrape the extra off to mount the neck. In order not to expose any wood or chip the finish, they dont scrape it right to
the top edge of the pocket. You can see the painted edges where the neck heel fits in as well.

Its quicker to just toss a small shim in there to align the neck than it is to meticulously play with the paint to get the guitar to fit the
design template (something that measures the neck to body angle) so the rest of the guitar will go together properly. After all, the neck
guy is probably on a quota system and cant waste time hand making this guitar. Im willing to bet that youll find a shim or two out
of the custom shops, too.

Put a dot of wood glue on something it wont stick to and use a toothpick to grab just a dab of it and glue down the shim, unless you
are a glutton for punishment and want to work the pocket so the neck fits better.

The typical neck screws are about 1.5 to 1.75 long and about a #8 in diameter. You can see by figure 11 that they are threaded into
the body as well as the neck which accounts for the neck not wanting to move. So, we need to relieve the body holes so the neck has
some play.
We want to remove most of the threads in the body but well leave just a tad there. We dont want too much play in the holes, just a
little. Figure 12 shows the screw threads peeking out from behind the drill bit just a tiny bit. Well try this and we can always drill
bigger if we have to. This 9/64ths looks like the right one, though.

Were only going to drill the two bottom holes, as indicated in figure 13, and see how that works.
After drilling, clean out the pocket and reinstall the neck. Snug the screws up, and restring as before when we measured the string
clearance. You can leave all the strings off except the two Es, just in case you have to drill more.

Being overly optimistic, figure 14 shows my result looks pretty good.

Lets check the micrometer

A touch over 3mm at the nut. Thats a good sign.

Hey just over 3mm at the 22nd fret! Success!

Tighten the screws slowly and evenly, so you dont move the neck. When theyre tight, recheck the measurements to make sure the
neck didnt move. Now, you need to do a set-up on the guitar: truss rod adjustment, string height (action), intonation, pickup height
adjustment. Dont know how to do that? No problem Ill be covering all those things in the near future. Stay tuned, right here at
Guitar-Muse, the site for complete guitarists.

Simple Guitar Repairs Part 4: The Simple Guitar Setup

Doug Knight
June 20, 2013
DIY, Lessons
0

Previously on Simple Repairs

Number 3 showed you how to disassemble your Tune-O-Matic bridge, clean it, lubricate it and put it all back together. No parts left
over, I hope. You did take the opportunity to do an inspection and clean up the rest of the guitar while the strings were off, right?
Good.

Basic Hard Tail Guitar Setup:

Lets talk about the tools youll need. Usually, either a #0 or #1 Phillips screwdriver, an Allen or nut driver to fit your truss rod, an
Allen or small flat blade screwdriver to fit your bridge and pickup adjustment screws, a short ruler that measures right from the end,
and a straightedge that will reach from the guitars nut to the last fret or just short of the bridge.

Youll need some strings on and tuned to pitch to perform the truss rod adjustment. I let the strings pull the neck where they will, then
adjust the rod to put the neck where I want it. With the strings up to pitch, you can easily adjust, retune and play. See how much fret
buzz there is and loosen the rod a touch if you need more relief (bend).
Figure 2 shows where the truss rod is adjusted on most guitars. This one takes an Allen wrench while others will take a socket or nut
driver. Turn clockwise to straighten the neck and counter-clockwise to let the strings pull more relief into the neck. The trick here is to
get the neck as flat as you can, as checked with the straightedge along the frets, then back off on the truss rod about 1/4 turn for relief
in the neck.

If your truss rod nut wont turn, dont force it. Squirt some penetrating oil down in the threads and let it soak for a while. If you still
cant turn it, take it to the repair guy. You do not want to break the rod or tear the other end out. Ive had to deal with this a time or
two (especially in Florida, where Im from) and there is no pat remedy.

The standard Tune-O-Matic bridge is adjusted with the thumbwheels underneath the bridge casting. This one has a screwdriver slot on
top of the oversized studs as shown in figure 3.
Figures 3a and 3b show my string action setup. Use what you like for measurements. Cant get the strings low enough without buzz?
Add a little more relief in the neck. An eighth of a turn will make a big difference. No string buzz, but the strings are still too high?
Take some relief out of the neck. Unfortunately, there is no universal setup that works for everybody. You just have to play with these
two adjustments until you get it where you like it.

Remember to measure from the string bottom to the fret top. Gibson uses 1/64 on the high E at the first fret and 1/32 on the low E,
same fret. 3/64 on the high E at the 12th fret and 5/64 on the low E at the 12th fret as their factory setup. You can start there and adjust
the string height and truss rod to get the combination you like. There is no right or wrong number.

If the strings are too high they will pull out of tune when you press them down. Too low and they wont ring true as they will touch
frets above. Its all compromise for playability.

Figure 4 shows another thing which will affect your setup fretboard radius.

The Tune-O-Matic is set to the radius of your guitar, unless someone did something dumb. The only height adjustment is on each end
but they do affect each other slightly so, once again you need to fiddle around and fine tune.

If you have another similar bridge that has adjustable saddles, youll need to make sure they are adjusted to the radius of your last fret.
You probably dont have the neat little gauges I have but Ill show you how to make your own. Simple and free! Unfortunately, it will
have to wait until next time.
Keep playing with these adjustments and see if you can get in the ballpark. Its a pain the first time but it gets much easier with
experience.

Simple Guitar Repairs Part 3: Cleaning Your Tune-O-Matic Bridge

Doug Knight
June 18, 2013
DIY, Lessons
0

Cheap Trick #1

You can waste that valuable string money on fancy music store bought neck
supports if you want to, but I have another way to go that has worked for me for years and is the best price I know of free!

I lay an old towel down on the table/workbench/counter whatever surface Im using to protect the guitar and then roll up another
towel to support the neck as shown in figure 1. I fold the towel in half lengthwise and roll it up to make a roll about 12 long and the
perfect diameter for every guitar Ive ever messed with.

Cleaning a Tune-O-Matic Bridge

I usually perform this type of maintenance at string changing time. I also do a complete inspection any time I buy a guitar and then a
thorough cleaning and setup once I get it home. Sometimes, I dont get to that for a month or two, though.
Remove the strings however you do it. I use figure 2 and then cut the string around the first fret or so.

Figure 3 is a version of the Tune-O-Matic that Ibanez uses. Its a little more robust than the old one that Gibson used for years,
although I think their new ones are modified to be more like this one. They do use individual screw retainers on the newer bridges,
though.
Figure 4 illustrates the method to remove the retainer.

Once you have the retainer off, pry the saddles out as shown in figure 5. Be careful not to bend the screw heads.

Figure 6 shows the removed saddle. Its best to keep these in order so they go back to the same locations in the bridge body. Remove
the screws and give each a good cleaning with lighter fluid (naphtha) or alcohol, and an old toothbrush. Once dry, lubricate the screw
threads with a drop or two of 3-in-1 oil and run the screws in and out to distribute the oil evenly.

My saddles were so bad I had to soak them overnight in lighter fluid and then I threw them into a can of Lucas Motor Oil Additive to
penetrate the parts so I could take them apart! That did the trick. Theyre smooth as silk now, but they were a horrible mess of
corrosion from sweat when I started. Sometimes, you have no choice but to get new saddles from the music store if theyve been
neglected for too long.

If you look closely at figure 7, you can see the tips of the screws in the center of the bearing holes on the three to the right.
Once you have the saddles, screws and the body castings all cleaned up, reinstall the saddle assemblies by putting the pointed end of
the screw into the bearing hole and popping the screw down into the slot with your thumb. The slanted side of the saddle should be on
the pointed end of the screw. See figures 9 & 10.

The retainer isnt particularly delicate but use care not to kink it. The retainer keeps the screws from turning so make sure that its
contacting the heads so they dont turn easily.

Figure 10 shows just what the bridge should look like when its clean and properly set-up. Some of you may have found your D, A
and E string saddles turned around. Gibson does this to provide more room for string intonation on the lower strings. If yours were
that way, reinstall them that way if you want, especially if they were at the limit of their travel on the back side.
Youll need the room to intonate the strings. They are designed to be used the other way but, if you dont have a string breaking
problem, leave them alone.

Next time. well start a setup on the guitar and Ill show you how to make your guitar play just the way you like it. A good setup will
turn a clunker into one sweet ride.

Simple Guitar Repairs 7: Cleaning your Strat Saddles

Doug Knight
July 15, 2013
DIY, Lessons
2

Here we are at number 7 already. In this piece, we are tackling an MIA Stratocaster. This Strat has the new 2-post bridge with the new
cast string saddles. The Trem works great and the saddles are a breeze to adjust and stay where you put them. I will cover the six
screw pivot bridge later as I dont have one for pictures sorry.

Im going to show you a few tricks to make these guitars really play great. Any Strat (or copy) with cast or rolled steel saddles and a
2-post tremolo will be covered here. The vintage Strats and the Squiers with the six screw pivot on the trem are easy to do except that
the saddles do 2 strings at once. They are a little more finicky in setup because you cant get really good intonation on them, easily. I
will cover a few tricks in the future.

Remove the strings after inspection and dont be afraid to remove your neck and inspect everything. Figure 2 shows my neck is right
on the money but I removed it to check for a shim that I could eliminate. Yay! There wasnt one.
The hole in the neck plate is how you adjust the Micro-Tilt. Solid wood to wood contact gives the best sustain, though. My Micro-Tilt
is backed off all the way.

If you look closely, you can just make out what looks like a Yo on the 6th and 7th line of the inspection tag. So, my neck was
approved by Ya and Yo

back in 1987. A bunch of comedians in Cupertino, CA! Its an 88 alright.

Once you have all this foolishness out of the way, flip the guitar over, take off the trem back plate and loosen the claw screws so you
can remove the springs.

Once the springs are off, the 2-post bridge will fall out so be prepared so it doesnt land on your big toe. Its heavy.
Its really a pain to get a good arc on the string saddles because of their size. I apologize for this bad example but I will do better when
I put it back together.

Take the string saddles off and mark them with a Sharpie so you dont get them mixed up. Youll want to remove all the height
adjustment screws, too, so we can clean them and soak them in oil.

You can see in figure 8 that the tension springs are shorter than the screw so the springs wont go flying if you arent paying attention.
Way better than the old days let me tell you.
Figure 9 shows an important point you want to pay attention to when you reassemble. The longest screws go in the center (3rd and 4th
strings) and get progressively shorter as you go out. My Strat only has two sizes.

You dont have to cover the saddles. This stuff is so thick that you can just pile it up on them and it will sink into the holes.

Were going to let these soak for a while to penetrate the screw threads and the threads in the saddles. The steel screws are where any
rust problems will show up. If you have a problem removing any of the screws, squirt some liquid wrench on the offending ones and
let them soak.
Whatever you do, dont break off a screw inside the saddle. That will mean a trip on the internet to Stew-Mac, or your favorite guitar
parts house, unless you have a friend in the business with a music store, for new saddles and screws.
Im leaving you soaking see you next time.

Simple Guitar Repairs 2: Stripped Screw Holes

Doug Knight
June 6, 2013
DIY, Lessons
1

Ive got a couple of cheap tricks to save your bacon and your money this week.

I recently inspected the electrics on one of my guitars and was rewarded with 3 stripped screws on the plastic cover. These can do
some damage to you if they work out enough to get caught on your clothes when performing, to say nothing of all the crap an insecure
cover can let into the electric compartment. Luckily, this is a quick and easy fix.

First, remove the offending screws, of course, then grab a couple round or flat toothpicks and stuff them in the hole, figure 2. Dont
fill it up, you just want to decrease the diameter.
Snap the toothpick(s) off flush with the surface and

screw the screw back in place. It should tighten right up good as new!

You can use wooden matches too, but the toothpick is harder wood and will even work for neck screws if you add a little wood glue in
the hole as well. This works for door hinges, cabinet hinges, anything where the screw threads in the hole have been stripped but the
surrounding wood is undamaged.

This next tip is more of a poor mans remedy than an actual repair. I wanted to secure a guitar strap that had become a little
worn at the attachment hole without the expense of a strap lock so, I made my own.
Youll need 4 washers (1/4 washers work well) and a screwdriver. Just sandwich the strap under the strap button with the washers.
Make sure the screw is long enough to be secure with this added thickness under the button. If not, youll have to replace it with a
longer one.

The advantage to this is that the strap wont come off. The disadvantage to this is that the strap wont come off unless you unscrew
the buttons.

The strap is thoroughly secure. I wouldnt use this to fix a strap that is torn on the bottom of the hole or so worn that it cant be
secured soundly. Its not worth dropping the guitar!
Okay, thats it for #2. See you next week.

Simple Guitar Repairs 8: Reassembling a Strat Bridge

Doug Knight
July 25, 2013
DIY, Lessons
1

Sorry to leave you hanging in the oil-soak phase last time but, editorial requirements are sometimes a priority. So, lets pick up where
we left off

Scrub down your bridge plate and tremolo block. Those three big screws toward the rear remove the block for cleaning or
replacement. Note in figure 12, how the pivot edges on the plate fit into the grooves on the studs.

As figure 13 shows, you are looking for vertical play, although you shouldnt have any play. This is a floating bridge (like a Floyd
Rose) and should not contact the body when properly adjusted. The stud height check requires that the plate be against the body and
the plate pivot points be firmly seated in the grooves on the studs. The plate should be in full contact with the body, not high in front ,
back or sides. Raise or lower the studs to achieve this. I know that adjusting a floating bridge by making it touch the body is contrary
to common sense, but it is the right thing to do.
Figure 14 illustrates the area to look for wear on the bridge plate. Check the studs, too. If either of these show significant wear, replace
both the bridge plate and the studs.

Figure 14a shows the bridge working on my guitar. Notice the gap at the front of the plate.

Figure 14b shows another angle of the same conditions as figure 14a.
In figure 14c, the bridge wont lay flat against the guitar, which it should if it is adjusted right. I adjust my bridge just a tad low
because I like it there. It took 20 years to perfect this setup on my guitar and I am so used to it that most new Strats feel strange to me.
The exception was that Select ($2,000 + change).

Heres my reasoning:

I like low action, but I also like sustain in my tone from the guitar, something the Strat is not truly great at. (The reason why the rumor
mill has it that Eric Clapton blocked the trems on his old Strats more sustain.)

George Blanda, Chief Engineer of R & D at Fender, and designer of the this tremolo says to set the studs so the bridge plate is 3/32
off the body all over and make the neck match the bridge by adjusting the Micro-Tilt neck. This takes the wood-to-wood contact out
of the neck joint, in my opinion, reducing the already lackluster sustain. (The neck would only contact the guitar body at the very top
of the pocket and through the tilt adjustment screw. There would be very little solid contact between the neck and body.) I dont like
this idea at all but thats not to say that you cant do that if you want. Fenders setup instructions on line say to use my method. So
whos right? Everybody!

My bridge is 3/32 off the body at the back when set up, as youll see later on, to keep everything as close to the body as possible. I
like the tone in that position. All things considered, Christine will sing, growl and bite the way she is set up. Your setup affects the
tone of your guitar. Longer studs mean more harmonic resonance for a tone with richer harmonics as everything vibrates when the
strings vibrate. (Otherwise, clip-on tuners wouldnt work right?)

I know youre saying, More harmonics mean a more complex tone! Yeah, but its also more wimpy in that it doesnt have that blast-
through-the-mix tone. Its one of those subjective things that you like or hate. Your choice. This is just my opinion, guys. If you like
that tone, go for it. Ive said it before, there is no right setup.

Use any small tool that has a hook-like end, see figure 15, even a small wire will work. You are going to insert it into the string holes
and feel for a catch edge on the bridge plate. Removing the block will let you see this area directly and smooth it up if you need to. If
you have a string breakage problem in the bridge, this is the likely cause.
Figure 16 shows the way to do this. If you find a burr, use a round file to smooth it up. It is not necessary for the holes in the block and
the holes in the plate to perfectly match. The transition just has to be smooth.

Were ready to assemble the bridge. (Now is the time to install those graphite saddles or brass trem block youve had your eye on.)

Fish all your parts out of the oil bath and lay them on a towel to drain. I soaked the threaded end of my trem arm, too. The new
(2012+, I think) arms arent threaded so a drop of oil later will take care of them. Roll the pieces around on the towel to remove as
much oil as you can. Youll notice this stuff is sticky to the touch.

See figure 18. Reinstalling the intonation screws, will push the oil in those holes back along the threads no problem.
Note the spring length difference in figure 19. The shorter screws go to the thicker strings, typically the low E and A. They are more
compressed because those strings need to be longer for intonation.

When you reassemble the saddles to the bridge, bring them down until the spring is just applying tension to the saddle. If you know
your neck radius at the heel, you can set the saddles to that radius but it is very hard to get it close without the strings on.

Once you have the bridge assembled, break out the Dawn and wash all that sticky oil residue off your hands. Wipe down the bridge
to get as much off as you can but I promise it wont stay sticky.

Our next step is to get the bridge in place. Follow the directions in figure 21 to make it easy. The claw should be backed out enough
that you can put the springs on by hand.
We have a couple of things to do before we put the strings on so Ill let you contemplate those until next time when we dive into the
Forbidden Innards of the guitar. Ha, Ha, Ha, Haaaa

Simple Guitar Repairs 6: Adjusting Pickup Poles

Doug Knight
July 8, 2013
DIY, Lessons
0

View all of our guitar DIY articles here!

Adjusting Pickup Poles

Adjusting the pole pieces on your pickups is crucial to good sound and can be the clincher to that tone youve been searching for.
Once again, there isnt a hard and fast rule to this adjustment. In fact, Gibson actually says to adjust the pickups to taste and dont even
give you a place to start.
The key is to set the pole pieces to follow the fretboard radius at the bridge but, you also need to stay away from the strings enough so
the magnets in the pickup dont pull the string out of tune. Yeah, I know another of those numberless adjustments.

Adjust the poles with a small screwdriver or an Allen wrench, whichever pits your pickups.

I start with 1/16 from the top of the pole to the string, both on the treble and bass sides. Fender recommends 4/64ths for humbuckers,
which is 1/16.
To measure that, depress the string at the last fret and measure at the pole piece as in figure 3. You could also set the poles to the
radius (12 in this case) and move the whole pickup up and down to get the 1/16th. I prefer to leave the pickup coil covers exposed by
about 3/16ths and adjust the poles themselves.

Figure 4 shows the bridge pickup being adjusted for the same measurement. Accomplish this the same way as the neck pickup, fret the
string at the last fret and adjust for clearance.

The number I gave you is just a starting point. Now you can adjust for the sound you want from your guitar. You can even tune your
tone by boosting the lows or boosting the highs by how close the poles are to the strings. If you get too close, the magnetic field from
the pickups will pull the strings sharp. I suggest you put the poles to 1/16 and lower the poles you want to de-emphasize, rather that
raise any higher.

Even though all of these adjustments, neck relief, action and pickup height, are subjective, they serve to make the guitar your own. Its
your guitar, make it play the way you like it, not the way some tech head says it should be. Once you get it right, measure and write
down all the measurements so you can repeat it. Dont rely on your memory.
Tools:

I have been remiss. I should have talked about this in Simple Guitar Repairs Number 1 but, better late than never!

The Guitar Toolbox Essentials shown has some of the tools in my toolbox, which is separate from the toolboxes I have out in my
garage. In the top row, l to r are, pliers, #1 Phillips, #1 flat blade, Allen wrenches, 6 ruler and long nose pliers.

In the second row, miniature diagonal cutters, feeler gauges, #0 Phillips, #0 flat blade and medium sized Crescent wrench.

I keep all this, and more, in a $6.00 Plano tackle box from Walmart.

CruzTOOLS makes a very nice guitar players tool set but it runs about $60.00. My set is mostly stuff from Harbor Freight or the
hardware store (mixed and matched) and I doubt Ive got $40.00 in it. Just go collect a few tools from the sale bin at the home center
and youll be good to go.

The ruler I use, shown in figures 3 and 4, is from Craftsmen, and is probably one of the most expensive things in my box. It measures
right from the end and down to 64ths. You need one like that for string height, neck relief and pickup height. Youll find another
10,000 uses for it once you have one, guaranteed. If you bought a new guitar, the necessary Allen wrenches may have come with it
(truss rod, pickup and bridge adjustments). Not all guitar manufacturers do this, though, so a good set of ball end Allen wrenches is
pretty handy.

Pick up the tools you need for your guitar(s) and dont buy stuff you dont need. You can also gather them as you need them, too.
See yall in Number 7