Leaderboard

New here...hoping to find some help with my Warmoth build woes!

  • Thread starter Thread starter sixstringzombie
  • Start date Start date
S

sixstringzombie

Guest
Hello all. I just joined and am hoping I can get some help with a problem I'm having with my new Warmoth Strat.  I built another one about 5 years ago and didn't have any problems. So I'm kinda baffled.

I just bought a new Warmoth neck (CBS Strat) solid rosewood, 6150 jumbo frets,  along with a chambered strat body.  So I get it all together, neck, bridge, nut, tuners. Just wanted to get it strung up and somewhat set up before I committed to the electronics. Here's where the trouble starts. I can't seem to get the action high enough for the strings to clear the upper frets. The neck has plenty of relief, my bridge saddles (6 hole vintage trem) are up as high as they'll go. No luck.  So I shimmed the neck (quite a bit actually) to tilt it forward in order to bring the frets away from the strings....no help.  The strings are resting on the upper frets. Can't even fret a note lower...just get plink plink plink since they can clear the upper frets and vibrate. Basically, from I can see my neck angle is out of whack...but I can't seem to adjust it in any way that solves the issue. Have I missed something here? I've never encountered this problem before and I'm pretty irritated to say the least. Especially in light of how much all this stuff cost me! Can anyone shed some light on what the problem might be?  I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks.  ~Steve
 
this happens to me every time i put a neck on a body and i still can never remember to check for this first... sounds really obvious, but make sure the neck is all the way down in the pocket. you probably already know to push the neck in from the top, not sliding it in from the back. i usually end up getting the neck most of the way in, assuming it's in all the way, and then when i try to string it up to see if it's alright the same thing happens; they just hit the 22nd fret. just lay the body flat on a table and push straight down on the neck at about the 15th to 20th fret and i bet you'll find there was a quarter of an inch of room under the butt end of it. hope thats it! and the rule of the forum, post lots of pictures!
 
I agree with Jay, I have installed necks and thought they were seated when in fact they weren't.  Loosen your neck bolts and jiggle the neck a bit while applying pressure on the face of the frets, if its not seated it should pop into place.

Then tighten the screws closest to the heal first, snug tight, then the front two screws.

I can't imagine that the neck pocket or the heel of the neck has been machined wrong.  As far as neck relief, your neck should be almost straight, many here like them perfectly straight, any relief should be almost impercievable.

This should all go together just fine without shims.  Good luck, let us know what you find
 
Thanks guys, I'll give that a try later when I have time. Wouldn't the screws draw the neck up tight though? If it weren't seated completed I'd think I'd get some shifting or be able to see a gap. As far as relief...the truss rod was completely loose, counter clockwise, when I received it from Warmoth. Its a modern/vintage with the usual Fender style truss rod access at the headstock/nut.
 
The screws would draw the neck towards the BACK of the guitar (AKA where your belly is)

It would NOT, as I assume they are suggesting, pull it towards the BRIDGE of the guitar.

If you tightened the neck to the point where it can hold strings, I don't think the pressure of the strings would move the neck into correct position.


BTW, I'm not being an asshat. I just like to emPHASis my syLAbys a little to much
 
Pictures of the neck pocket area, upper fingerboard and bridge would be helpful.  Let us see what you're seeing.
 
Paul-less said:
The screws would draw the neck towards the BACK of the guitar (AKA where your belly is)

It would NOT, as I assume they are suggesting, pull it towards the BRIDGE of the guitar.

If you tightened the neck to the point where it can hold strings, I don't think the pressure of the strings would move the neck into correct position.


BTW, I'm not being an asshat. I just like to emPHASis my syLAbys a little to much
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the same thing I was saying. Even if the neck isn't sitting all the way back in the pocket I would think the screws would draw it back tight into the pocket.

I had another go at it. Its definitely not a matter of the neck not being all the way down in the pocket. I think my problem is with the bridge. Its a Gotoh/Wilkinson VSV400P
media.nl


Seems it doesn't sit or adjust up high enough to clear the upper frets. It mounts and works just like a vintage 6 hole Fender trem. The only way to adjust height is this the saddles. I've got them all the way up. The only way they'll clear is if I forward shim the #$%*! out of the neck. Comparing it to my PRS with a trem, the PRS sits up quite a bit more giving clearance and the saddles are taller. This is the only issue I can really see. Going to try a different bridge and see if that solves it. I have to admit I'm pretty irritated since I've got $900 wrapped up in the body, neck, and hardware.
 
pics please! ill bet its something stupid (no offence) i miss the obvious all the time. but you shouldn't have the problem you describe as a fender 6-hole isnt any taller.
tip remove the neck and get a set of calipers, cheap plastic ones or old fashioned ones that dont take measurements will do, check the pocket for parallelism to the back of the guitar, this wont work with a contoured heal for obvious reasons. a 6-hole style trem with a flat top shouldn't have an angle to the pocket of any kind. if you have some kind of arch top or contour heal put a strait edge down th center of the string path with the neck and bridge removed. measure the space between the botom of strait edge to the bottom of the pocket with an accurate ruler. this might not work on some archtops.

if you have a .720 mod then ignore that.

i know that its obvious but check that the end of the fretboard isnt hung up on a pickup ring or pick gaurd or top of the guitar. what ever style of guitar this is on.
 
You still haven't indicated weather or not you loosened the neck bolts and re-fit your neck into the pocket.

Your statement that "wouldn't the neck bolts pull it in" isn't fixing your problem

We recomended you try that because we all have a neck heel hangup from time to time and the bolts are tight, and even the pros may not catch it till they experience EXACTLY what you are.

So in the time it takes you to argue the point here you can re-set your next and have the problem fixed, or scratch that off the list of whats wrong
 
Alfang said:
You still haven't indicated weather or not you loosened the neck bolts and re-fit your neck into the pocket.

Your statement that "wouldn't the neck bolts pull it in" isn't fixing your problem

We recomended you try that because we all have a neck heel hangup from time to time and the bolts are tight, and even the pros may not catch it till they experience EXACTLY what you are.

So in the time it takes you to argue the point here you can re-set your next and have the problem fixed, or scratch that off the list of whats wrong
Click to expand...

Actually I did indicate whether (not weather) I re-fit the neck. In my last posting I said that I'd had another go at it and it definitely wasn't the problem. I then indicated why I think its the bridge and not the neck.
 
very touchy. i'm still pretty sure he hadn't pushed the neck all the way into the pocket. i've tightened down the screws on guitars just to find the neck STILL wasn't all the way in the pocket. if it's an extremely tight neck fit the screws won't actually pull the neck in. at least not all the time. but i guess he's done asking for any help around here :dontknow:
 
dont people usually go out with a bang when this happens?
he didnt even say that he was leaving the forum or that he was offended in any way. very interesting  :icon_scratch:
 
haha now that this thread is just completely off topic i don't feel bad adding this... i HATE when i misspell something in my post. fortunately i avoid it most of the time because 1. my mac spell checks anything i type anyway and 2. i'm really anal about it. but i have to go back and edit anything i've said if i find a typo. it bothers me a lot that it says i edited my post at the bottom, but the spelling mistake bothers me even more so i just suck it up and fix it. :laughing7:
 
Hey, I make as few grammar mistakes as humanly possibly VIA double checking, but it slips through some times. But what I CAN NOT handle is people who correct other's grammar, who don't give enough of a fudge to double check their own.

Back on topic, I think this is pretty much dead....

BTW, pics or it doesn't exist....
 
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
So, what'd everybody have for lunch today?
Click to expand...
McDonald's McDouble, no onions, medium fries, 3 packs of ketchup, medium coke, drank 2/3 of it, not including ice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

joeguam
Can’t find threaded inserts…help?
Replies
7
Views
345
db82
D
David.Bernstein
New to nut filing
Replies
6
Views
539
David.Bernstein
David.Bernstein
C
Warmoth Quality Issues?
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
F Holes
F
X
General feel of a 10"-16" Compound Radius?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
2K
db82
D
J
Inconsistent intonation
Replies
9
Views
445
Rick
Rick
Back
Top