NECK WARP:Preventions

[JamesChia]

I´ve heard that I can´t leave the guitar unstrung coz it´ll mess up the neck,

what about when the high e strings breaks(and no spare string to replace for the moment)?



Another thing that´s been bothering me is the humidity issue. I´ve read that high humidity(in sg especially) will cause the neck to warp pretty quickly.



So what kinda preventions must be taken?



Any help would be greatly appreciated!



James

 

[subversion]

My first take on this issue is to invest in aguitar stand. Don’t lean your guitar against the wall, that’s what many people do & then they complain of neck warp. If your guitar’s headstock is of the angled kind (Eg: ibanez/ epi/ gibson), don’t put it flat on the ground. If it’s affordable to you, invest in a guitar hard case.



I’ve left my guitars stringless & I don’t see neck warping. Maybe they were strung with light gauges…



However, keep your guitars from direct sunlight & air-con. I’ve been to peoples’ places & noticed them leaving their guitars under direct air-con. If you transfer your guitar from an air-conditioned envt to a non-aircon venue, leave your guitar in its case unopened for about 10min, then open the case & let it ‘stabilize’ for a while longer b4 you pick it up & play.



Periodically, sight your guitar’s neck to see if it warps. If it does, tweak the truss rod A.S.A.P.

 

[JamesChia]

Thanks for the advice! I´ve got a les paul and i leave it on the floor all the time, with the neck supported by a thick rolled up towel(i place it right behind where the nut is). I believe it´s the right thing to do?



btw how do u inspect a neck for warp? too much backbow?



James

 

[live33]

Hi!



well, it´s a better idea to have the guitar standing or kept in a fitting hardcase, so as to eliminate any pressure on the neck. As for your case, where you´re resting the neck on a towel with the guitar on the ground, if the towel is rolled too thick, the weight of the guitar body will be exerting a downward pressure on your neck and that´s no good. A good guitar stand is wise. Be careful about your finish and the guitar stand lining, though. Some finishes dun go well with vinyl...



just my 2 cents worth. Cheers!

 

[subversion]

ditto live33. luthiers are careful not to ´shift´ the weight of the guitar to the neck while working with it when placed horizontally on the work bench. all in all, a guitar stand is a worthy investment.



you can sight the neck from the nut down or from the neck-body joint up. a little concave warping is healthy, aka- neck relief. it prevents eliptical buzz when the strings are plucked. the releif gets excessive when bends are choked, but this isn´t a conclusive check.



a technical measure would be to capo the the first fret & press the string down @ the 14th fret of the G string. proceed to check for relief between the 7th-9th fret. a >1mm relief is a little too generous.