rallen Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hello, I have a 20 year old Custom and wanted to know about the neck and its adjustment (if any). I could ask for a Gibson specialist to have a look at it, but before I do, I thought I'd ask here. Looking at my guitar from the pickups to the top, the neck has a fine curvature on the side of the bottom E, but on the other side it starts off entirely straight and then bends outwards - we are talking millimetres of course and only possible to detect if you line your eye with it. The hidden screw/nut on my guitar is completely loose, ie I can undo the nut with just finger strength. I have no idea what it does but I suspect it adjusts the neck shape somehow. Currently the strings are: Top E string about 2.5 mm away from the metal fret at the 15th fret Bottom E string about 1.5 mm away from the metal fret at the 15th fret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 http://www.athensmusician.net/archive/2001-05-01_geneimbody1.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 If you see more curve on one side than the other then it could be a really badly warped neck which almost never happens. On the other hand, there is something of an optical illusion created by heavy strings compared to light ones, particularly if the distance off the fretboard is not the same. Just take it to a well recommended pro for a setup and you'll be fine. Otherwise you can read until the day is long about setups but don't try it the first time on a nearly vintage Custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 rallen, it can be very deceiving trying to sight down a neck - particularly one with binding. It's best to have it checked out by a good tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Don't mess with it the first time around. Take it in. Get it perfect then use that as a baseline when you do you own adjustments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 This actually happened to my Sonex. Long story short, I hadn't opened up its case in years and the guitar was a wreck. I did what I could with it (rewired it, cleaned the frets, replaced the pots, fixed the switches, etc.), but I didn't mess with the neck. I'd take Bluemoon's advice, which is exactly what I did. My tech made it perfect for $40... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallen Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Yes I will have it seen by a specialist, can you recommend anyone around Surrey (Cobham, Oxshott, Esher, Leatherhead, even Guildford) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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