Telecaster problem...not sure what it is?

[mobkon]

Hey guys. My tele needs a setup, but just curious as to what needs to be done to fix this issue. The neck seems to be crooked and not lined up with the strings. As you can see, higher up on the neck the 6th string is practically off the neck while the 1st string has plenty of room. Is this micro-tilt adjustment? Im used to Gibsons mainly and never had to deal with this issue before.
Looks like theres a glitch in the last picture of the bridge...seems to have repeated a part of the picture between E-A string saddles! Weird...

Anyway, thanks for the help!

P.S. excuse the hairy leg ;)

[bottled]

Neck alignment problem? I gather this is a quick fix with the neck screws and strings loosened and a little tweak of the neck to realign in the pocket.

There was a thread ( if I could find a link...) discussing this recently with regards someone that bought a new custom classic and returned it on the basis that the neck was misaligned like yours.

Ah here we are;

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaste...isaligned.html

[lonewolf]

Fender necks often move around in the pocket over time. Sometimes it's because the neck mounting screws were not tightened down well, other times it just happens. There have been many fixes invented throughout the years, from pieces of screen wire, to bits of sandpaper, which may help somewhat. I think it's just something you have to deal with, and learn how to re-align the neck when it gets like that.

The three bolt necks are usually the worst.

By the way, don't go "gorilla" when it comes time to tighten those neck screws, or you can drive the neck plate right into the body, or strip out the holes.
Gene Warner
repairman

[lonewolf]

Sorry I forgot to mention this, but Fender dealers received schematics, parts lists, and tech notes from the Fender company, many years ago (the "70's period for sure). I have a pretty fair collection of these. One that i don't have, and wish that I did, was a drawn illustration, of just how to re-align your neck. It showed a guitar being held on edge with one hand, while another hand pushed of the headstock, to force the re-alignment. I believe it used an arrow to indicate the force of pushing.
Gene Warner
repairman

[mort]

Originally Posted by mobkon

Looks like everthing is aligned at the nut and the further you get toward the bridge, the further out of whack the strings are in reference to the center. It appears as if the neck is in line with the pickups as well, from what I can see. But once you get all the way down to the bridge, check out how far off center the bridge is from the bridge pickup. It appears as if the bridge was installed off center.

I don't know how to fix the problem, but I bet that's it. Sucks too, probably not a quicky fix type thing

[boris bubbanov]

I'm not sure what's wrong with the guitar. I'm thinking it has 3 neck bolts and needs 4.

:^)

I could be wrong. The pictures have made me dizzy. :^)

[flag72]

well to me it also LOOK'S like the bridge is at fault it look like it needs to be move toward the bottom of the guitar.the string are not inline with the bridge PU.how to fix it mmmmm probebly need's a good guitar tech to relocate the bridge assembly...

[Jack Wells]

The pictures have made me dizzy.

Me too. Any reason why you posted them up-side-down?

[Strat62]

Yep, that bridge is way off. It'll have to be removed, the holes plugged with dowels and then holes re-drilled. Only then will you be able to tell if the neck needs to be tweaked or not.

[jim_pridx]

I tend to think it might be a combination of the bridge being a little off as well as the neck pocket alignment. I might be inclined to try adjusting the neck at the pocket first just to see how far the strings will move over. Secondly, it's sometimes possible to slant the bridge saddles to one side for better alignment of the strings, Certainly, the latter isn't ideal, but it can help the overall alignment.

[homerzeppelin]

If I were you, I'd try to just adjust the neck first. I agree that it isn't the "right" thing to do, but it is worth the shot.

I have a Tele where I had the same issue. Bridge is also off center slightly. However, with some neck (mis)-alignment, the guitar now plays great and no one but me is the wiser! Hell, it might not be perfectly to print...but isn't that what "mojo" is all about!

[LoudTele]

Originally Posted by Strat62

Yep, that bridge is way off. It'll have to be removed, the holes plugged with dowels and then holes re-drilled. Only then will you be able to tell if the neck needs to be tweaked or not.

I agree. I had to do that on my first project tele.

BTW, one of the tools I found helpful in aligning was a golf ball sized laser level. I set it on the headstock aligned with the notch in the nut, and aimed it at the saddle so I got a little red dot on each fret to show me where the string would be. I guess you could use string as well, but if you have one already, you might try it.