7/8 Tele -- "Must shim"?

tcwota

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I just put together my second Warmoth 7/8 tele. The first had a 7/8 neck and this second one a Mustang/Jaguar. Both have required a "reverse" shim as the bridge adjustment screws cannot go high enough to clear the frets. Bridge is a Hipshot Telecaster Retrofit Bridge (stainless steel for bridge pickup hum reduction).

Is this normal? Am I overlooking something obvious? It seems odd that a Warmoth body and a Warmoth neck would need shimming from the get-go.
 
It does not seem normal.

Perhaps check...

1.The neck pocket, particularly in the corners for any finish or fuzzy wood left over from routing that may be stopping the neck from seating correctly...
2. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its  thickness that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?
3. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its positioning  that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?

It is best to dry fit a neck to the body before committing to final positioning and screwing down of a pickguard. Often however folks just screw pickguards onto a body without considering the neck fit (or in some cases before the neck is even in their possession).

Perhaps unscrew the pickguard and see if the neck can seat better.

Here is a link to an example of when I am fitting a pickguard and dry fitting the neck to make sure there is proper positioning of the pickguard.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32923.msg464406#msg464406
 
stratamania said:
It does not seem normal.

Perhaps check...

1.The neck pocket, particularly in the corners for any finish or fuzzy wood left over from routing that may be stopping the neck from seating correctly...
2. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its  thickness that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?
3. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its positioning  that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?

It is best to dry fit a neck to the body before committing to final positioning and screwing down of a pickguard. Often however folks just screw pickguards onto a body without considering the neck fit (or in some cases before the neck is even in their possession).

Perhaps unscrew the pickguard and see if the neck can seat better.

Here is a link to an example of when I am fitting a pickguard and dry fitting the neck to make sure there is proper positioning of the pickguard.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32923.msg464406#msg464406

As long as your pickguard isn't intruding into the neck pocket, and isn't weirdly thick, you certainly can attach it before the neck arrives without any negative consequence.
 
I have run into Warmoth strat neck heels(two out of three) that were out of spec (as in too thick) from the get go. I took one to a well respected luthier and he confirmed this. I also measure with a caliper to be sure. I also swapped the necks in question onto three different Fender guitars( one being a custom shop closet classic) to make sure I wasn't seeing things, and did the reverse with the Fender necks. The best thing to do is MEASURE and contact Warmoth if it is out of spec.
I personally decided to sand down the neck heels very slowly myself till they were close enough that I didn't have to have my bridge adjusted upwards like a kids plywood bicycle jump. On one of the necks I still have I had to sand the turtle off to make it fit properly.
Also, for the record I did all this before Stratamania was even a forum member!
 
tcwota said:
Is this normal? Am I overlooking something obvious? It seems odd that a Warmoth body and a Warmoth neck would need shimming from the get-go.

No, it's not normal as far as I know.
I've done two 7/8 Strats and one 7/8 Tele all with Mustang necks and I didn't have any problem with string height at the bridges.
I've also done a Mustang and a Jaguar also with Mustang/Jaguar necks and they too worked like they should.


 
At the end of the day, things made of wood have variation. Wood expands and contracts, saw blades get sharpened and cut differently. As long as things can be made to intonate and be playable that is what matters. But if something is way off when MEASURED, then there could be a problem. Warmoth is a great company and I have another one of their necks coming, and am ok if I have to mod it slightly, if not all the better.
It is wood.
 
Thanks for the replies. The pickguard isn't affecting anything and I sure didn't see anything in the pocket that would prevent the neck from sitting right. The reverse shim works fine; it's just slightly ugly (I could stain it to be a closer match, I suppose). Certainly not worth sending back, anyway. I agree with Cowbell about playability, which I have. Just seemed odd!
 
Cowbell Fever! said:
stratamania said:
It does not seem normal.

Perhaps check...

1.The neck pocket, particularly in the corners for any finish or fuzzy wood left over from routing that may be stopping the neck from seating correctly...
2. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its  thickness that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?
3. The pickguard. Is there anything in terms of its positioning  that could be causing the neck from sitting correctly?

It is best to dry fit a neck to the body before committing to final positioning and screwing down of a pickguard. Often however folks just screw pickguards onto a body without considering the neck fit (or in some cases before the neck is even in their possession).

Perhaps unscrew the pickguard and see if the neck can seat better.

Here is a link to an example of when I am fitting a pickguard and dry fitting the neck to make sure there is proper positioning of the pickguard.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32923.msg464406#msg464406

As long as your pickguard isn't intruding into the neck pocket, and isn't weirdly thick, you certainly can attach it before the neck arrives without any negative consequence.

Sure, if you know where to position it and know all is in tolerance to specifications you can, though I prefer a detailed approach.
 
I fully set the neck before installing the pickguard at all (so I would know exactly where the pickguard SHOULD go). So I don't know. I had the shim ready to go because I was expecting to need it based on the last one, but still, I don't understand it. But all's well that ends well.
 
On the plus side, it's gorgeous. Trans brown gloss on roasted maple.
 

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Good on setting the pickguard. Just wanted to rule it out as recently it caused someone else a similar problem.

I am wondering if the Hipshot bridge used which seems quite low profile has less adjustability than other T style bridges leading to the shims being needed.
 
stratamania said:
I am wondering if the Hipshot bridge used which seems quite low profile has less adjustability than other T style bridges leading to the shims being needed.

It's listed as having the range from bottom of strings to face of guitar adjustable from .25 to .42" ... does that seem normal? The plate thickness seems normal and the saddles seem "normal", and I haven't really seen any tele bridges with a thicker plate (nor would I really want one, I guess).
 
tcwota said:
stratamania said:
I am wondering if the Hipshot bridge used which seems quite low profile has less adjustability than other T style bridges leading to the shims being needed.

It's listed as having the range from bottom of strings to face of guitar adjustable from .25 to .42" ... does that seem normal? The plate thickness seems normal and the saddles seem "normal", and I haven't really seen any tele bridges with a thicker plate (nor would I really want one, I guess).

It does seem a little on the lower side of adjustment. So it could be that.
 
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