2 birds 1 stone-neck shim

aznrambo481 · March 3rd, 2008, 12:27 AM

There were 2 problems with my squier '51(in fact there are more, but these are related

). First off, the saddles screws would come loose. There was not sufficient downwards force on the saddles to keep the little screws snug and happy. Sure, this could've been solved in a number of ways (loc-tite or crushing the threads), but i was way too lazy. Second off, the little screws stuck out about 2-3 mm from the saddles, making long play uncomfortable since I rest my palm there.

Last night, I had an epiphany... I should shim the neck! I took a piece of board (thickness of a cereal box) and taped it to the part of the neck base closer to the bridge. This caused the neck to tilt back. With a tilted neck, the saddles must be raised to compensate. At perfect action... the screws were mostly flat with the saddles. Also, the screws did not come loose anymore since the higher saddles provided a sharper break (more downwards force) that kept them nice and snug. If any of you have cheap annoying 6-saddle bridges, you should give it a try!

rhinocaster · March 3rd, 2008, 12:34 AM

I had a similar experience when my RS Guitarworks Tele showed up. It was used and I ordered it from a reputable shop, but when it arrived it had the neck shimmed at the furthest point from the neck heel. It was a THICK shim and there was a big gap between the neck and the body. Oddly, the saddles were down against the bridgeplate. I'm thinking, "Why is this neck shimmed?"

I pulled the shim out of the neck, re-set the action, and the guitar is perfect! A nice mid height to the saddles. Why did someone stuff all that crap in the neck pocket? I'm still confused.

Congratulations on getting your guitar working correctly!

markinlondon · March 3rd, 2008, 12:39 AM

That's exactly what I did with my '51. Improved it no end for about an hour's effort as well as allowing a lower action.

boris bubbanov · March 3rd, 2008, 12:29 PM

A fellah here a TDPRI solved this problem a long time ago, by the name of Mike Levitt. I'm thinking November of the first year the Squier 51 was introduced.
The cold fact is the 51 stock bridge assembly as designed is a total mess, and that's why the guitar was discontinued, IMO. The strings and the saddles are competing for the same real estate, and the strings, which should only be pressing the saddle hard down onto the bridge plate, spends almost as much effort levitating the saddles, hence all the junky sounds, loose height screws, inability to intonate, and saddles actually falling over when played hard. There is nothing short of converting the guitar to string through that can rehabilitate these saddles, again my opinion.
Go to Institute of Noise, Squier 51 Modders Forum and see all the guys switching to this 3 brass barrel mod, that Mike invented.
Stop killing the 51 Spring songbirds with stones, I mean shims.

March 3rd, 2008, 12:27 AM	#1 (permalink)
aznrambo481 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla, California Age: 17 Posts: 2,868 6 Photos	2 birds 1 stone-neck shim There were 2 problems with my squier '51(in fact there are more, but these are related ). First off, the saddles screws would come loose. There was not sufficient downwards force on the saddles to keep the little screws snug and happy. Sure, this could've been solved in a number of ways (loc-tite or crushing the threads), but i was way too lazy. Second off, the little screws stuck out about 2-3 mm from the saddles, making long play uncomfortable since I rest my palm there. Last night, I had an epiphany... I should shim the neck! I took a piece of board (thickness of a cereal box) and taped it to the part of the neck base closer to the bridge. This caused the neck to tilt back. With a tilted neck, the saddles must be raised to compensate. At perfect action... the screws were mostly flat with the saddles. Also, the screws did not come loose anymore since the higher saddles provided a sharper break (more downwards force) that kept them nice and snug. If any of you have cheap annoying 6-saddle bridges, you should give it a try! __________________ Check out my bands, and feel free to PM me comments on them! The Eclectics (guitar/vocals) SLIP (bass)

March 3rd, 2008, 12:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
rhinocaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oregon Age: 44 Posts: 1,370	I had a similar experience when my RS Guitarworks Tele showed up. It was used and I ordered it from a reputable shop, but when it arrived it had the neck shimmed at the furthest point from the neck heel. It was a THICK shim and there was a big gap between the neck and the body. Oddly, the saddles were down against the bridgeplate. I'm thinking, "Why is this neck shimmed?" I pulled the shim out of the neck, re-set the action, and the guitar is perfect! A nice mid height to the saddles. Why did someone stuff all that crap in the neck pocket? I'm still confused. Congratulations on getting your guitar working correctly! __________________ Just because I "Don't" get it doesn't mean I "Won't" get it!

March 3rd, 2008, 12:39 AM	#3 (permalink)
markinlondon Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Wellington, NZ Age: 48 Posts: 426	That's exactly what I did with my '51. Improved it no end for about an hour's effort as well as allowing a lower action. __________________ Helping to invent english country dance guitar since 1981.

March 3rd, 2008, 12:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
boris bubbanov Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA + in the past Posts: 8,579	A fellah here a TDPRI solved this problem a long time ago, by the name of Mike Levitt. I'm thinking November of the first year the Squier 51 was introduced. The cold fact is the 51 stock bridge assembly as designed is a total mess, and that's why the guitar was discontinued, IMO. The strings and the saddles are competing for the same real estate, and the strings, which should only be pressing the saddle hard down onto the bridge plate, spends almost as much effort levitating the saddles, hence all the junky sounds, loose height screws, inability to intonate, and saddles actually falling over when played hard. There is nothing short of converting the guitar to string through that can rehabilitate these saddles, again my opinion. Go to Institute of Noise, Squier 51 Modders Forum and see all the guys switching to this 3 brass barrel mod, that Mike invented. Stop killing the 51 Spring songbirds with stones, I mean shims. __________________ Bubban0v