Shimming the Neck. Has this ever happened to you?

Let's say you've just joined your neck to your body and the saddles are way lower than they should be. You need to raise them 1/8" before the screws are low enough that they stop cutting your hand.

So you go about the process of shimming the neck and put it all back together and it's still not right. Now you're faced with the prospect of taking it apart and doing it all over again.

I know I've done this several times and it's drag, but I think I may have figured something out that will help.

What if you could get your hands on a "Shim Pack" with a chart explaining what color shim to use to achieve any specific saddle height adjustment without any of the guess work?

You could in fact know exactly which shim to choose and nail the proper adjustment on the first attempt.

And these shims were made out of Vulcanized Fiber to the exact dimensions of the vintage ones used in 60's Fender guitars.

Would this be useful to you?

I think I can make shims out of scrap material, and do the whole job without spending any money at all. Also do it in less time than the shopping trip would take.

I wonder if having shim stock like .010,.020, .030, etc and a chart telling what elevation the bottom of the neck would achieve from a level surface would be more helpful. As you know, you have other variables to contend with, pocket depth, bridge thickness, saddle height, neck heel thickness, etc. This way you are only dealing with neck geometry. Just a thought. In a shop where time is $, I bet you could sell them.

I do a lot of set-ups and see a lot of people asking about shims and thicknesses.

I'm coming from the perspective of something like this. A guy has a guitar with the saddles sitting really low and the height adjustments screws are sticking out the top of the saddles a good 1/8". He'd like to shim the neck to get the saddles at the proper height but doesn't know exactly how to go about it.

If this person had a "Shim Pack" or Shim Kit with a chart that would tell him which color shim to use in order to get the right saddle height, it might be useful to him.

I don't see this as very beneficial to experienced luthiers, but for those who like to take the guess work out of the equation and nail it the first time, it might be useful.

A vintage repro shim pack might be cool to for those making relics or wanting to use the original, authentic material in their guitars. Not that it matters from a tonal or performance perspective, but, well, some people just like it when everything is "correct."

I think beginners and experienced tinkerers alike might enjoy a quick and easy solution to getting the neck angle right the first time. I could be wrong. Been wrong lots of times before! :mrgreen:

I think your idea is very good. Any time I've ever shimmed a neck it was locate a business card, tagboard, or veneer or something suitable, drill holes, etc. I just don't know how one could do it in one try given all the different combinations on their existing guitar. I think just having the shims made up is half the battle and that is where your idea comes in.

I think your idea is very good. Any time I've ever shimmed a neck it was locate a business card, tagboard, or veneer or something suitable, drill holes, etc. I just don't know how one could do it in one try given all the different combinations on their existing guitar. I think just having the shims made up is half the battle and that is where your idea comes in.

What I am considering doing is installing one shim at a time, starting with .010 thick and then measuring the difference it makes at the bridge. Then I'll remove that shim and replace it with a .015 thick one, and measure the difference at the bridge, and so on. Then I'll make the chart.

When I write the results into a chart, it will tell the person what shim thickness to use for the amount of adjustment they'd like to make.

I see the process going something like this:

1) Measure the height of the adjustment screws sticking out above the saddles. In this case, let's say it 1/8"

2) Look on the chart included in the shim kit package and select the shim thickness that, when installed, will require a 1/8" height adjustment to get the action where you like it.

3) install the correct shim from the chart, string 'er up and adjust the saddles. They will be right in range of the desired height.

This may not be a perfect solution, but having 4 different thicknesses of pre-cut and shaped shims in .005 increments is very convenient and will make it incredibly easy for a lesser skilled tinkerer to shim the neck on their own.

I think this might also be very appealing to the vintage crowd.

Yes, that would be good.

Hey, even better, how about a 3 bolt neck with microtilt? Now THAT would be a money maker, say what?

I would get shorter screws... or shorten them with a dremel tool. I always try to get the best wood to wood contact without air gaps in the neck pocket.

I actually have the opposite problem on a recent build where the saddles are raised quite a bit and the action is still very low.

I would get shorter screws... or shorten them with a dremel tool. I always try to get the best wood to wood contact without air gaps in the neck pocket.


+1 Actually I leave the screws stick up. They make a good anchor for your palm while muting stings.

Your chart would have to account for the distance from the shim to the outer screws, as well as the shim thickness. This distance is not necessarily always the same, and 1/8" difference would produce a major height difference at the saddles using the same thickness shim. Even .02-03" would make a measurable difference. There is a lot of "lever" going on in a +/- 3" fulcrum.

I would get shorter screws... or shorten them with a dremel tool. I always try to get the best wood to wood contact without air gaps in the neck pocket.

I actually have the opposite problem on a recent build where the saddles are raised quite a bit and the action is still very low.

Some feel that maximum contact is the way to go. Others find it doesn't matter.

In the case of your saddles being too high, a little shim out towards the neck would fix it right up. Or, start sanding. :mrgreen:

Your chart would have to account for the distance from the shim to the outer screws, as well as the shim thickness. This distance is not necessarily always the same, and 1/8" difference would produce a major height difference at the saddles using the same thickness shim. Even .02-03" would make a measurable difference. There is a lot of "lever" going on in a +/- 3" fulcrum.

My chart would be based on actual measurements taken from a standard Fender 3" neck pocket. This isn't going to be dead-on exact, but it would be a lot closer than one's "best guess."

I'm getting to be pretty good at guessing. Another gold analogy... Whenever I can shoot out from the crap and get close to thre green, some folks think it is because I am good, but really it is because I suck and have been in so many crappy lies.