Truss Rod Issues with Warmoth Necks - Difficulty Creating Upbow

[alexreinhold]

I've recently completed a Tele Deluxe build for my cousin which turned out really nice (build thread to follow). However, this is the third time (50% of my Warmoth builds) where I have encountered a truss rod issue with my Warmoth necks (2 roasted maple, 1 wenge). Essentially, in all three cases, it was barely possible to get a healthy upbow on my neck to counteract fret buzz and other issues. I have raised this issue before HERE. What happens is that when i just about reach the level of a slight upbow, I end up with so much relief that turning the truss rod does nothing anymore (i.e. there's not even pressure to be felt when turning counter-clockwise). I have had this issue with 9-gauge and 10-gauge strings on both standard E and standard D tuning.

People have suggested to place the neck upside down and hang weights on both ends for weeks but I have a hard time accepting this to be the only solution for a brand new neck.

Has anyone else encountered this issue? If yes, how did you solve it? Or am I missing something super basic?

 

[Rick]

Hi Alex,
I've encountered this a couple of times in my life, only once with a warmoth neck. I got nothing to add from last time. Something must have happened to it in the trip to europe, different temperature, humidity, I know they wouldn't let it of the factory wrong. Same as before I'd string it up with high tension strings, totally loosen the adjustment nut and let it sit for two weeks in it's new home, if that didn't work then use the bucket trick, though they have more elegant solutions. It's always worked for me. I know that feeling though, it sucks, but it can be fixed.

 

[Hodgo]

Hmm, sounds like a defect. I read your last post - I’ve never adjusted a Warmoth neck truss rod more than a full turn, usually less to get it perfectly flat for fret levelling - certainly not four full rotations as you described.

Can you describe your neck setup procedure a bit more in depth?

 

[alexreinhold]

@Rick just like you say, I can't really explain why it happens and I know the bucket trick works. But well.. 3/6 Warmoth necks is a bit much I'd say.

Hmm, sounds like a defect. I read your last post - I’ve never adjusted a Warmoth neck truss rod more than a full turn, usually less to get it perfectly flat for fret levelling - certainly not four full rotations as you described.

Can you describe your neck setup procedure a bit more in depth?

1. fully flat for leveling before bolt-on
2. once I bolt on and add strings, I adjust nut, bridge and truss rod in increments. When I encounter that the neck is too flat and I have buzzing on the mid-level frets, I usually try to add a slight upbow to alleviate fret buzz. The problem is that my "faulty" Warmoth necks provide very little to no wiggle-room between fully flat and a U-shape. Usually, the degree of U I can achieve before I "reach the end of the truss rod" is super minimal and very close to a perfectly flat neck.

 

[mayfly]

Well that sucks. I had that problem with a Rickenbacker guitar: loose truss rods, still need more neck relief.

I've had good results with using heat and clamping to move a neck a bit. My procedure is:
1 - remove all truss rod tension
2 - use a jig with three points of contact to hold the neck: One point at the headstock, one point at the body, and one point at the middle
3 - use clamps to apply pressure to the point in the middle to move the neck to where you want it. Don't over move it.
4 - (and this is the tricky one) heat up the neck and let it sit for an hour. Cool slowly. Check your progress.

For #4, if you have a convection oven that will go as low as, say, 80 degC, it's perfect. The last time I did this it was a bass neck and it would not fit in the oven (crap!). So... I heated up 4 'magic bags' in the microwave oven, draped them over the neck, then covered the whole thing with a blanket. I had to repeat this step 3 times, but in the end I got the neck straight. (I had the opposite problem with this neck: cranked truss rod, still too much neck relief for good action).

 

[Hodgo]

@Rick just like you say, I can't really explain why it happens and I know the bucket trick works. But well.. 3/6 Warmoth necks is a bit much I'd say.

1. fully flat for leveling before bolt-on
2. once I bolt on and add strings, I adjust nut, bridge and truss rod in increments. When I encounter that the neck is too flat and I have buzzing on the mid-level frets, I usually try to add a slight upbow to alleviate fret buzz. The problem is that my "faulty" Warmoth necks provide very little to no wiggle-room between fully flat and a U-shape. Usually, the degree of U I can achieve before I "reach the end of the truss rod" is super minimal and very close to a perfectly flat neck.

I would certainly return it before I ever took on more drastic measures to reshape the wood. Alternatively you could try fret leveling under tension either simulated (Erlewine Neck Jig) or real (StewMac Fretbar)

I’m not sure why the middle of the fretboard becomes problematic under tension. Normally I’m dialing back the relief once strings are on.

I will say, after every quarter turn of the truss rod I let the neck relax for a while. Could be mythos, but some of my favorite luthiers follow the same practice.