Straightening a bowed neck: Correction and Reassembly

The final part of correcting this very problematic neck. I unveil my cunning plan to get the improperly cut truss rod channel corrected and get this neck straightened again.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes29 June 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

Straightening a bowed neck: Truss Rod Operation

Last time we removed the fingerboard to assess what had gone wrong with a bowed neck and a truss rod that had burst through the back. And we’ve figured out what was wrong.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes16 June 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

Straightening a bowed neck (with some complications)

Straightening a badly bowed neck is one thing. When the truss rod is misbehaving enough to burst out the rear of that neck adds an extra layer of complication.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes15 June 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

The Problem Levelling Necks

Repairing some types of neck deformation can require working to level (sand or plane) the neck itself with the fingerboard removed. This brings its own considerations, though.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes16 April 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation, level, fingerboard

Warped Guitar Necks: Part 5 - Twisted Necks

In this episode of Warped Neck Weekly, we’re looking at some of the nastier examples. Say hello to the Twist and the Crook.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes13 April 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation, twist, twisted neck

Warped Guitar Necks: Part 4 - The 'Other' Bows

More on warped necks. We’ve looked at regular old ‘up-bow’ so let’s take a peek at back-bow and some of the other similar neck deformations.

Check it out…

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes6 April 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

Warped guitar necks: Part 3 - Defining things and Bow

When someone says a guitar neck is ‘warped’, that can mean a lot. Let’s start by looking at the most common way a neck can deform: Up-bow.

Check it out…

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes23 March 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

Warped Guitar Neck

You’ve heard the term ‘warped neck’. Maybe you’ve heard it talked about in forums where it’s code for ‘your guitar should probably be scrapped’. Maybe you’ve heard it in person where it code for much the same.

But what does a warped neck mean? Well, let’s start with what it’s not.

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes9 March 2020guitar, bass, repair, luthier, warp, bow, neck, neck deformation

Can my Neck Take The Strain?

Is it necessary to drop a guitar’s tuning to prevent its neck from bowing or deforming under string tension? Should we tune lower and use a capo to preserve our guitar necks?

The answer is no. Mostly. Read on…

OpinionGerry Hayes19 November 2019neck, bow, relief, string tension, repair, setup, action, neck relief, guitar, bass, acoustic, 12-string

A Truss Rod is Not for Adjusting Action

Rant time. Again. You’d think I enjoyed ranting.

Let me state this clearly: Truss rods are NOT for adjusting action. Let no one tell you otherwise.

Read on…

SetupGerry Hayes6 June 2018setup, guitar, bass, relief, bow, action, low, neck

Setup FAQ: A Round-Up

I've run through a lot of frequently-asked setup questions over the last few weeks. I figured it might be useful to round them up and present them as a list so they're a bit easier to find.

SetupGerry Hayes29 May 2017setup, setup-faq, sketchy setups, guitar, bass, action, intonation, relief, neck, bow, guide, instruction, how-to

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