I kicked off a discussion on warped necks by talking about what a warped neck is not. I suppose, after that, I should really talk about what a warped neck
‘Warped neck’ is too much of a blanket term. At a minimum, it’s too broad and, at most, it’s lost all utility altogether.
So, what I’ll do is take a look at the possible ways in which a guitar or bass neck might ‘warp’. Then, each of those differently types of warp can be discussed.
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Actually, before we even get to that, let’s start with trying to define the word itself. In this context, ‘warp’ means some unwanted deformation in a neck —whether through bending, twisting, or shearing. This covers a lot of ground so let’s get started.
This is the most common ‘deformation’ of a guitar or bass neck. String tension pulls on the neck and forces it into a bow shape.
Most guitar and bass necks will probably have some small amount of bow in them all the time. That’s actually a good thing — most players’ styles will benefit from just a little up-bow. We call this neck bow ‘relief’.
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Modern instruments generally have the advantage of an adjustable truss rod that allows us to counter-balance the strings’ pull and control the amount of relief in the neck.
Some instruments, mainly vintage examples, may not have an adjustable truss rod and may rely on some other method to provide passive strengthening against string tension. This is typically a rod or beam of stronger material, inlaid in the neck, beneath the fingerboard.
So, we have to mention the heat-treatment option discussed last time. It’s definitely on the menu of possible solutions but it comes with its own caveats. Have a re-read of the last article on heat-treating necks for more context.
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Other potential fixes revolve around fret and fingerboard work. If we can 'level’ the fingerboard and/or frets, we can remove some or all of the bow.
For relatively minor bows, it might be possible to level just the frets and give a straighter plane along their tops. Most of the time we’re considering this sort of repair, however, the bow is too big to deal with only in frets.
Removing the frets and levelling the wood of the fingerboard is the next logical step. This might get you where you need to be (and remember that you might not desire a perfectly straight neck at the end of this process — a little relief is usually just fine). Using something like the Erlewine Neck Jig to hold a guitar neck in a particular position while you level the fingerboard can give great results.
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There are some considerations, of course. You have to be cautious about how much wood you’ll remove from the fingerboard. You don’t want to end up with a fingerboard tapering down to nothing at one end. Fret slots will likely need to be made deeper in places after you’ve levelled and you may have to replace (or remove and reinstall) inlay.
Careful refretting, using fret wire with a selection of wider tangs can be a big help in correcting this sort of up-bow. I’ve talked about this sort of corrective compression refret before and you can check that out for more info. The short version is, wider fret wire tangs forced into narrow fret slots can force the neck back against the up-bow.
Much of the time we’ll end up using a combination of a corrective refret and the levelling techniques above to straighten out a neck.
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In some cases, we might apply the levelling technique to the neck itself. The fingerboard is removed and the neck is fully or partially levelled. We may follow with some additional levelling on the reattached fingerboard and even some corrective refretting.
The cons of this are that it’s much more work and therefore more expensive. Levelling on the neck can also alter the shape very slightly and require work to ‘blend’ the edge of the fingerboard back in (more on this next time as this is running long). You’ll likely have some finish touch-up required.
One big pro in this operation is that, with access to the ‘internals’ of the neck you can choose to add some reinforcement against re-bowing in the future. Whether that be a stronger truss rod (adjustable or static) or something like carbon fibre beams, you can do a lot to strengthen a neck here.
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It’s definitely worth mentioning that even instruments with adjustable truss rods can sometimes pull into too much relief — more than the truss rod can correct.
While the fixes described above are all valid in these cases too, before setting off down that road, it’s worth trying to ‘help’ the truss rod do its job.
Tighten up the truss rod in order to keep it in this position. You’re helping the truss rod by doing the actual neck bending/correction so that little adjustment nut doesn’t have to do all the work. Once it’s snug, the job of
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Even in the absence of some clamps and tools, you could have a friend hold an instrument on the edge of a counter while you apply some downward force at the headstock to straighten it somewhat.
By the way, all of this should be performed with slack (or removed) strings —don’t fight things more than you need. And, is it necessary for me to tell you to be careful and take no risks you don’t feel comfortable with? There is a potential to damage your guitar here so I’ll state the obvious: Be careful. Take the guitar to a trusted repairer if you’re not sure about anything.
So, like I said, this is starting to get long. I’ll split out the remaining neck warp issues and discuss them over the next week or two.In this guide, the Music Shop in house experts will teach you how to adjust your truss rod, as well as what the purpose of this guitar part is and why you might need to adjust it.
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If you feel uncomfortable doing this, feel free to get in touch with us, or pop into our shop in Bath for help.
The tension in the strings of your guitar exerts a huge bending force on the neck, which, combined with environmental conditions like temperature and humidity, can cause bowing of the neck.
Most guitars have an adjustable truss rod, running the length of the neck that can be adjusted to counteract the force caused by the pull of the strings, as well as strengthening the neck and help stabilise the necks straightness.
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If your truss rod is too loose, it will result in a concave neck bow, (action too high) and a truss rod that is too tight will result in a convex neck hump (action too low and causing fret buzz).
The truth is that the truss rod is a simple device that has one purpose: to counter the pull of the strings. That is it.
There are a few golden rules to obey when adjusting a truss rod. First, only use the rod to keep your neck as straight as it needs to be…do not use it to adjust your action!
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Second, only use the proper adjustment tool. If you do not know what this is, check with the manufacturer or visit a good guitar tech, like us!
Start by sitting with the guitar in the playing position. Make sure you are in standard tuning and put a capo on the first fret. If you do not own a capo, you can simply fret the strings, but this may make things a little more difficult.
Next, fret the Low E string at the 14th fret. You are using the string as a straight edge to read the curve. Check the height of the string over the 6th fret. Gently taping the string to the fret makes the size of this gap clearer.
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The bigger this gap, the more bow you have in the neck. It's a good idea to check the centre strings and treble strings as well to give you an idea of the necks overall bow.
It is possible to have a neck that is straighter on one side than the other. If there is no gap at the 6th fret, your neck is either dead straight or has a Convex - hump (back bow).
A buzzing of the strings open and within the first two frets is a definite indication of back bow. If you are touching at the 6th, let the string go and see if there is a gap at the first fret. The greater this gap, the greater the amount of back bow.
Guitar Neck Relief Guide
Having a straight neck makes for a better playing instrument generally, but not all guitars and playing styles allow for a completely straight neck. Therefore, some relief is acceptable, and often necessary.
Due to the elliptical vibration of a string, a little relief may prevent buzzing in the first and second positions. If you have a strong picking hand and tend to be an aggressive player, you can exaggerate the movement of the string and may need some relief, and higher action. Players with a lighter touch often have
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