I took apart an old Strat copy, my first guitar. It's actually quite good but it was laying around for a while and now the body seems to have swollen due to humidity. The neck pocket was always way too tight but now trying to get the neck in would damage the lower part of the pocket which is very thin if you know what I'm talking about. I will have to realign the neck and route out the neck pocket some more. Any tips how I could do that without breaking the bank? How do I make sure everything is dead center? I thought about building a jig with aluminum beams or something. I will buy a precision ruler to make sure it's dead straight but I have never built such a jig. Any tips and ideas? How would you go about it?
14
-
1Why on Earth would you need to split the two in the first place? It's not something we generally do!– TimCommented Jul 4 at 9:10
-
1If the neck nearly fits you might try sanding the pocket down very carefully. A good fit is hard to achieve. Else — if you really want good results, why not take it to an electric guitar builder?– LazyCommented Jul 4 at 9:54
-
Also if the body has issues due to humidity the neck might as well. A professional will be able to check that. You might spend a lot of money and effort on tools and stuff to get a mediocre result that is not really playable because the neck is warped.– LazyCommented Jul 4 at 9:56
-
1@Lazy - far easier to sand (or whatever) the neck rather than the pocket.– TimCommented Jul 4 at 10:00
-
1Take it to the desert for a while. I’m actually only half kidding, if there is swelling from humidity maybe somehow dehumidifying it would solve the problem.– John BelzaguyCommented Jul 4 at 14:10
|
Show 9 more comments
1 Answer
If you really must get them together again, and using a vice won't help them re-unite, it's best to fettle the end of the neck - it's more accessible than the inside of the pocket, and using 100 grit would be a good start. And easier to take the same few thou off each side. Some soap will help lubricate it all, too.
-
Yes but as I said the guitar has some problems anyway. I need a perfectly flat surface to make some measurements to determine if the alignment is correct. It's not just about getting the guitar neck in there. I also need a generally very flat surface to measure other stuff. I know granite that is certified flat can be bought but I don't know how much a piece that is about 1 - 1.5 meters long would cost me. Commented Jul 4 at 22:08
-
This honestly sounds like it's not a diy. A good luthier will be able to sort it, albeit at a cost - maybe more than the guitar's worth. But a visit would be my first plan, if this was my first foray into guitar mending.– TimCommented Jul 5 at 7:25
-
1@EbonyPope - you don't necessarily need a surface that is certified flat. The first few electric guitars I built needed to be taken apart, shims added, reassembled numerous times and they play amazingly well now. I'm saying you can easily tweak into final alignment.– Doktor Mayhem ♦Commented Jul 5 at 12:31
-
I have some experience with electrics don't worry. Telling me to bring it to a luthier won't help since I want to do it myself. People nowadays are way too reliant on others. No wonder most boys couldn't do a simple tire change nowadays. Also I need that surface to measure several other things. Not just my guitar. It's just something I need as a reference point. "Just take it to a luthier" isn't an option and not why I posed the question in the first place. Commented Jul 6 at 12:47
-
@EbonyPope - notice I covered myself - 'if it was my first foray'! Should have mentioned this in the question?– TimCommented Jul 6 at 13:16