HELP ME TDPRI!!!!

Put a small shim in the neck pocket on the headstock end of the pocket. Google 'fender neck shim how to' for advice on...how to.

 

First...those are *great* pictures. Thanks for taking the time to show exactly what's going on. Many players can learn a thing or two from you.

You need a thin shim in the neck pocket, here:



Cut a strip about 3/8" wide from a business card and poke a hole in each end for the neck screws. Some people will claim business card robs the guitar of creamy endless sustain, but that's all a bunch of hooey. Ideally you'd use a piece of thin wood veneer for this, but business card works fine.

Reattach the neck with the shim sandwiched in there. It will slightly change the neck-to-body angle and allow you to drop the saddles back down from the stratosphere where they are now.

 

When shimming I'm always wary of causing a 'bump' in the board over time. Instead of card I use good quality paper and cut 2 or 3 'shims' ie: full length, 2/3 length and 1/3 length- and stack them to form a wedge that fully supports most / all the underside of the neck.
100% agree about the sustain-robbing hoojie-moojie. Good luck!

 

This totally sounds like a situation of the neck sitting high in the pocket. Height of frets might be part of the problem as well. Good advice on a front shim in the pocket, but I really think a business card thickness will be too much. I’ve always had good luck with the mylar material from a drumhead. You can double that up if necessary.

 

I hear that these business cards keep the tone just fine......

 

Get a fret rocker or last resort a credit card and check the frets see if they are level

 

Arr right putting a shim in there will mean you will have to raise the saddles even more check the thickness of the neck check the depth of the neck pocket if the issue is there i would remove some wood from the body neck pocket easy to fix with veneer if you go too far

either use a router or a flat block of hardwood with some 60 grit paper super glued to it rock it back and forth in the neck pocket

Dont remove any wood from the neck unless you are confident enough to get it dead flat

 

Forget the nonsense about paper/cardstock being fine for a shim material. None of those people would buy a new guitar with a sheet of that material covering the bottom of the neck in the pocket. It's OK, but why use something mediocre when you can easily use a harder, denser material, such as the mylar that was suggested. Sure, you can probably get away with some paper crap if you want, and if getting away with something, rather than using something more likely to work best over time, is all you want to do.

 

Just for clarification here - the shim being discussed was, in effect, a reverse shim - re-read post #3 to get the concept. I'd be inclined to recommend a shim before anyone takes a tool to a neck pocket without some practice. Just my two cents. Well maybe 1.5

 

...take a look at post #3 to see where the shim is suggested to be placed. Yes, in this case on the two neck bolts closer to the nut as opposed to the two that are closer to the bridge.

 

Yes. It makes a big difference because it's close to the 'pivot' point in the neck pocket. Eight inches away at the bridge, that tiny difference translates to a big difference in saddle height.

 

It's a method that has been around a long time. Since you are already adept at measurement, take measurements before and after and see what happens. Then you can gauge whether the shim needs to be more or less. If you don't like the idea of a business card (even if it works), you can buy a fancy wooden version at Stew Mac for 8-9 dolla. The fact that you can order a pre-made shim from Stew-Mac suggests it's a well-known remedy.

https://www.stewmac.com/tonewoods/e...itar-necks/stewmac-neck-shims-for-guitar.html