Warped Guitar Necks: Part 5 - Twisted Necks
So, we’re drawing towards Warped Neck Endgame. We talked about what a warped neck is NOT; discussed the common heat-treatment repair method; looked at up-bow, back-bow, ski-jumps, and distortions. Now it’s time for twists and crooks.
Twisted guitar necks
We probably all have a decent mental image of what a twisted neck might be. It’s likely to look something like this:
The neck is rotated around its long axis so the entire fingerboard is no longer on a consistent plane. Twist can be in either direction.
Looks pretty awful, right?
Yeah, well, not necessarily.
A twist in a neck doesn’t always cause a ‘practical-terms’ problem. In fact it’s entirely possible that smaller twists may go completely unnoticed.
You see, even though the overall fingerboard isn’t ‘flat’ any more, it’s very possible that each individual string still has its own consistent plane. This might be hard to visualise so try picture a one string guitar. If the fingerboard either side of that string is higher or lower, the path from nut to bridge for just that string might be just fine.
Don’t believe me? Well, check out Torzal Guitars’ Natural Twist bass*.
Awesome, right? Jerome Little of Torzal Guitars makes instruments with a purposely twisted neck. This twist can have ergonomic benefits for players, reducing hyeprflexion and helping prevent or relieve repetitive strain injuries. The twisted neck allows for a more natural position for a player’s hands.
And the instruments still work great because each string has its own straight-line plane between nut and bridge. Jerome’s standard twist is 35º of total rotation (20º one way at the nut and 15º the other way at the bridge).
Why have I spent so much time telling you that a twist might be just fine? Because, I know that many people drop the ‘warped neck’ thing into conversations all the time. And I know that, at some point, you (or someone with your guitar) will close one eye and sight along the neck from the headstock. Then there will be worry, and discussions about twists and warps and guitar apocalypses. But, if your guitar plays fine, your guitar is fine. Worry about these things when something’s wrong and don’t go looking for a problem.
So, all of that said, what’s the fix?
Repairing twisted guitar necks
Well, if there is a problem — if a twist is inconsistent and affects playability in some way — we’re likely looking at trying to address things with some form of levelling.
Again, that might be a fret level for a minor issue, moving to levelling the wood of the fingerboard, or even fingerboard removal and working on the neck itself.
Of course, the problem is that the neck might continue its twist after you’ve have it levelled out. I don’t think anybody can say with certainty whether that will happen or not. Sorry. And, unlike the bowing issues, the standard neck reinforcement probably won’t be so effective in cases of twisting.
If a twisted neck is causing a problem (and, to reiterate, do be sure it’s causing a problem), our options are a little more limited and our certainty of a lasting positive outcome may not be as great. That’s not to say there’s nothing that can be done, though. Discuss the potential for levelling out the twist with your repairer and make a call that’s right for you and for the instrument. Don’t forget the new neck option where appropriate for bolt-on instruments.
Crook and spring
No, it’s not some hipster company selling artisanal, single-source beard oil on the internet; crook and spring are terms for the last neck warp.
Actually, to be fair, I’d never come across the term ’spring’, and had always referred to this as ‘crook’. Thanks to Richard for introducing me to spring and making it so that I have to mention both here for fear of getting it wrong. 😉
Crook is similar to bow but it occurs along the neck’s ‘side’ rather than along the ‘face’. To be honest, I believe it’s very rare. I think I’ve only ever seen one or two instances. And, continuing the honesty thing, it’s not something I’ve ever had any success with. All of the various methods discussed over the last while aren’t really appropriate. If any reader’s had luck with this, I’d love to know about it but, failing that, I’m afraid this is the one instance where a ‘neck warp’ might be — while not the end of a conversation — at least the beginning of a difficult one. Sorry.
But, I suspect that almost none of you will ever have the face this particular problem so, silver linings…
And that’s mostly it for warped necks. I’ve a couple of slightly related things that I want to talk about but that’s pretty much it for now. I know that I’ve been wittering on about this topic for a while but I really hope it’s been useful.
Actually, I really, really hope it helps to cut down just a little of the ‘your neck’s warped, pal’ dismissals that have been annoyingly common on forums and in real life.
*Image is copyright Torzal Guitars. Used by permission. With thanks to Jerome Little.
This article written by Gerry Hayes and first published at hazeguitars.com
