Luthiers, little help please

[happydude]

My Squier project is almost done. The body finish is complete, the tuners were changed to Grovers. I opted to re-wire the whole pickguard assembly, new pots, switche, and Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups myself. That worked out ok, little problems here and there (excess dripping solder actually blocked off the neck position on the selector switch).

I encountered a couple of problems. The main problem is, after I re-strung the damn thing, I noticed it was basically fretting out along along the fretboard, the action was just way too low. First order of business was to raise the saddles, which worked out ok but now they're angled quite steeply (see photo). The set screws cannot go much lower or else they're going to fall out. I attempted to re-adjust the truss rod but in doing so I bowed the neck enough so that at the upper frets the action is high while at the lower frets near the neck the action is low. I have to un-string it, re-adjust the truss rod (as well as fix some pickguard issues), but how the heck do I adjust the action properly or are the saddles supposed to be like that? The saddles on my Godin sit much higher in the bridge while these Squier saddles sit virtually flush with the bridge without set screw adjustment.

Thanks all, pictures of complete project later.


http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g123/happydude20/Photo1-2.jpg

[Hamm Guitars]

Your neck angle is too steep.

If the neck is shimmed, and you are using the same shim it has either moved towards the headstock or it is upside down (if it is ramp shaped).

If you have no shims there are a few things to check:

1. Is the neck seated in the pocket? If there is a space nearest the bridge end it might be becasue your neck screws are threaded into the body - they should just drop through the body otherwise they can have a jacking effect. If this is the case, drill out the body holes for the neck screws so they pass through without grabbing wood.

2. The screws are loose - this is not likely as the neck would tend to pull the headstock in under tension.

3. the pick guard is too tight and 'shimming' the neck. Also make sure that the overhang on the fretboard isn't resting on anything that is changing the neck angle.

4. The neck heel or neck pocket has been ramped. This can be fixed depending on how much wood has been removed.

otherwise, put a small shim on the headstock end of the neck pocket.

[fraser]

hi-
you need to shim your neck-
loosen the neck, and slide a piece of something in there, like a business card or guitar pick.
put the shim at the headstock end of the neck pocket- this will angle the neck upwards away from the body, and your strings will sit higher, then you can lower your saddles. thats the way fender designed them- nice:smile:
i like to use a shiom that spans the width of the pocket, for a solid fit, as well as a bit of window screening to prevent it from slipping.
once you get the neck angle right, then tweak the truss rod-
good luck

[fraser]

well fancy meeting you here hamm, you fast typer yu-:wave:

[Hamm Guitars]

That's the beauty of having wifi internet access on my cell phone...

I'm getting good on this tiny keyboard.

I'll be around after tuesday, we should hook up and you can try out that piece of pine....

[happydude]

Thanks for the help guys but I quit. In re-wiring the 5-way I screwed up the wiring on the switch itself. Now, in the neck/middle position only the middle is audible (tap testing the pickups ) and when it's in the neck only position it cuts in and out. Excess solder that found it's way, damn you gravity, into the 5-way has messed it up. I'll need a new 5-way.

I've come to the conclusion that guitar building is way the hell out of my league and after some blood, some sweat (though I blame the humidity), and a rapid depletion of my wallet I've decided (I think) to part this sucker out and just buy another Strat and leave it the hell alone.

I have gained a new respect for you guitar builders though, this aint easy!

[martyb1]

Don't weaken now
Just take your time.There seems to be nothing to loose at this point.Shimming the neck is pretty easy.As for the soldering,that just takes practice.Just think of it as a challenge and how good you will feel when you meet it :smile:

[happydude]

The soldering is easy enough, it was just one mistake that cannot be fixed without a new switch (I really should not have undertaking careful soldering at 10pm). I just don't see how I can fix this without more $$ and more time.

I didn't change a thing to the neck or neck pocket, just the tuners and a re-finish on the body. Now people are talking about shims and whatnot. I can barely string a guitar. In fact, I just changed the strings on my Godin for the first time three days ago... the results are not so good.

I'll just chalk it up as a learning experience and take my losses gracefully. Shit happens :D .

[Hamm Guitars]

All of my 5 position switches have two independant sets of contacts, so if you screwed up one side, you might still be able to wire it using the other side of the switch.

Otherwise, wire a pickup or two directly into the volume/tone... there are lots of different ways to wire it without throwing more cash at it.

Necessity is the mother of invention....

[martyb1]

The soldering is easy enough, it was just one mistake that cannot be fixed without a new switch (I really should not have undertaking careful soldering at 10pm). I just don't see how I can fix this without more $$ and more time.

I didn't change a thing to the neck or neck pocket, just the tuners and a re-finish on the body. Now people are talking about shims and whatnot. I can barely string a guitar. In fact, I just changed the strings on my Godin for the first time three days ago... the results are not so good.

I'll just chalk it up as a learning experience and take my losses gracefully. Shit happens :D .

Sounds like you either got some finish buildup in the pocket or the neck is just not seated on the bottom of the pocket.Buying a new switch and soldering it in will be much cheaper than getting someone else to do it for you.Now that you have seen your mistake,I doubt you will do it again.As for the neck,check the pocket for finish of foreign material

[happydude]

It's going to Hamm for some work, I have learned much for the next attempt... thanks again folks, great folks on the board here.

[fraser]

It's going to Hamm for some work, I have learned much for the next attempt... thanks again folks, great folks on the board here.

yup thats it right there, with these things you learn by doing, screwing up, then redoing etc. im not a tech or a luthier, just a guitar guy, but i learned through necessity- like the time i threw my guitar into a malfunctioning amplifier and the strings crushed a couple of frets around the middle of the neck. i was broke, and i needed that guitar to work, so i refretted it lol- wasnt a great job, but my next was better-
hamm will set er straight for you-

That's the beauty of having wifi internet access on my cell phone...

I'm getting good on this tiny keyboard.

I'll be around after tuesday, we should hook up and you can try out that piece of pine....

awesome andy- if i dont get time during the week, then well hook up on the weekend- looking forward to seeing it and getting started on it.
ive just realized that working on electrics is much more fun than working on those crazy old acoustics im fond of.:smile: