I've been working up to fix a bow on a neck I'm using on a build and your easygoing Bob Ross demeanor really eased my anxiety about tackling this. I'll probably watch this several more times.
Scott, I just want to thank you again for your most excellent work on my G&L El Toro. I'm really enjoying it and I appreciate the video. I hope it helps others with similar issues. Dan
I put clamps on after heating the neck with a heating pad to 120°F for over an hour and left the clamps on for a week... The wood memory returned to a bow in no time. I am repeating the process, but I am going to leave the clamps on for a month.
Nice work! I'm trying to assess a neck that I really want to tweak and while I dont need to take this approach - I learned about the thought process some here! Again thanks!
Excellent video,thank you. I have a 85 Ibanez and neck wont straighten that easy,39 years of no tension,when i try to get it perfectly straight the neck makes a cricky sound. It may be time for a heat lamp and clamps,lol.I done hundreds of neck set up,but never heard a tension rod make cricky sounds like it want to break. Thanx. Blessings.
Very nice job and thanks for the video! Man, the sustain on that bass at the end is very nice. I appreciate your section on the heating - I'm in the process of fixing my rescue bass that has a one piece maple neck/fingerboard with too much relief/bow. And, there is a bump at the first fret, like the one in this video. The truss rod uses the hex socket, but I'm not sure if the nut is removable.
Will this technically work on a Martin D18 acoustic without a rod…??? Thanks for video.. I’m working on bridge bulge right now… Thinking about what you did here…
How well does something like this work with (I’m still watching the video) a guitar with what has been diagnosed as a bad truss rod? I’m in the process of leveling a neck on an Epiphone from the early 2000s. I’ve clamped it as seen Stew Mac’s video on truss rod adjustment and I’m going to let it stay clamped for a week or two. Apply a little heat intermittently and try to level it. Because it has some relief but too much. The bridge has to be set higher than normal to make it playable. Hence the attempted leveling.
@@harpethguitar thanks mate. I'm borrowed my wife's hair dryer instead of a heat lamp! Wish me luck. Do you happen to know if it is even possible to max out a '95 US standard tele truss rod? It's hard to get a definitive answer because there's a bit of variation in truss rod design. If so, I'd like to try adding a washer but when I loosen it the nut gets tight so it seems I can't get it out or get it tight enough! Grr!
Take it slow. Clamp it for a day or two. Repeat the process 2 or 3 times. you will be amazed what heat and pressure will do to wood! 😀 Do not use a heat gun, heat lamp or hairdryer on a maple fretboard. You could blister the finish. In a week or two you should be playing it again.
@@harpethguitar I heard that nitrocellulose lacquer (as on my reissue tele) won’t start melting until more like 190°F does that seem right to you? I’m doing the neck jig with a carefully applied clothes iron, infrared thermometer, steel tubing, clamps and cauls. Slow and steady is good advice I agree… We will see how I do. Thanks for the great video.
I'm highly opinionated on reshaping necks because I've done cold clamping as well as heat pressing and the general consensus of repairmen is that they don't like heat pressing or cold clamping a neck. The resolution is you can successfully reshape a neck with great long term results, however, getting the neck bowed at the exact right spots so it does the work rather than the truss rod can take a half dozen attempts. No reputable repair shop is going to want to face the music where they had a guitar for 2 weeks for heat based correction and owner who brought in a $200 neck is handed a $600 bill, and IMO this is why most advise against the strategy. Relative to all this though, I will still insist that truss rods are not intended to be load bearing, they are structural reinforcement. *This means the wood should be providing 70-80% of the counter force to the strings and the russ rod should be at most providing the other 30%.* I have some flawless, paper thin necks and the truss rod nuts on those guitars don't even feel like they're threaded on when I adjust them and yet 1/16 of a turn makes an obvious shift in one direction or the other. I will also insist you should have the truss rod nut completely loose if you are using heat, and at the point you've decided it has waited long enough, tighten it to moderately snug and then very slowly cool the neck down. Like I said, in the end, you may need to do it a half dozen times until you have coordinated the clamps, the rigid plain and the shims to the exact right spots and in that, it's a process few repairmen are going to be willing to employ. It's also a situation where you may need to repress the same neck 6 months later or 3 years later, but from what I've heard from others that swear by this is that's something to be prepared for. In the end, most of us would be willing to do anything to save our beloved instrument even if it was 50 bucks in a thrift store.
@@harpethguitar What kind of light is that? A reptile light? Any info on wattage etc would be very helpful! I bought a telecaster custom MIM neck and it has a natural relief warpage. I have 8s on it but its still too much relief. I've been considering doing something like this for some time.
4/64th is 1/16th of an inch..0.625"... Which equates to 6/4 of a millimetre (1.5mm)......... I thought you Americans knew your fractions??!!! Really nice work on the frets and neck 🙂
I've been working up to fix a bow on a neck I'm using on a build and your easygoing Bob Ross demeanor really eased my anxiety about tackling this. I'll probably watch this several more times.
Scott, I just want to thank you again for your most excellent work on my G&L El Toro. I'm really enjoying it and I appreciate the video. I hope it helps others with similar issues.
Dan
Rock’n’ Roll!!!!
🤘😎🤘
I put clamps on after heating the neck with a heating pad to 120°F for over an hour and left the clamps on for a week...
The wood memory returned to a bow in no time.
I am repeating the process, but I am going to leave the clamps on for a month.
I don’t know if 120°F is warm enough, I think somewhere between 130 to 150° is a better starting point…
Thank you Scott. A very professional 1st class repair tutorial, well filmed and narrated.
Thank You! 😊
This was great! Thank you for posting this. I really like how you colored the shim with the burnt umber dry stain.
Great video and work. From a pro guitar tech this was amazing to learn.
Thanks Eric!
Nice work! I'm trying to assess a neck that I really want to tweak and while I dont need to take this approach - I learned about the thought process some here! Again thanks!
Right on!
Excellent video,thank you. I have a 85 Ibanez and neck wont straighten that easy,39 years of no tension,when i try to get it perfectly straight the neck makes a cricky sound. It may be time for a heat lamp and clamps,lol.I done hundreds of neck set up,but never heard a tension rod make cricky sounds like it want to break. Thanx. Blessings.
Thank you
You're welcome
Very nice job and thanks for the video! Man, the sustain on that bass at the end is very nice. I appreciate your section on the heating - I'm in the process of fixing my rescue bass that has a one piece maple neck/fingerboard with too much relief/bow. And, there is a bump at the first fret, like the one in this video. The truss rod uses the hex socket, but I'm not sure if the nut is removable.
Thank You 😊
good info
Good video, thanks....
Great video, I wonder if the cost of this is worth it and maybe to buy a new neck is the same
Will this technically work on a Martin D18 acoustic without a rod…???
Thanks for video..
I’m working on bridge bulge right now…
Thinking about what you did here…
Yes in conjunction with a refret. I use fish glue in the fret slots and clamp it this way to cure 😉
I'm interested. I have a Fender Jazz Bass that has a neck issue.
How well does something like this work with (I’m still watching the video) a guitar with what has been diagnosed as a bad truss rod?
I’m in the process of leveling a neck on an Epiphone from the early 2000s. I’ve clamped it as seen Stew Mac’s video on truss rod adjustment and I’m going to let it stay clamped for a week or two. Apply a little heat intermittently and try to level it.
Because it has some relief but too much. The bridge has to be set higher than normal to make it playable. Hence the attempted leveling.
I see a lot of vintage guitars and use this very regularly with great success
@@harpethguitarGreat. What wattage is the bulb that you’re using? Thanks again.
250 watt
@@harpethguitar Cool thanks!
How long is the result last by clam therapy to straith the neck...?
Wru located in in Rancho Cucamonga Ca
Anaheim
@@harpethguitar can you refret a jazz bass neck?
@@mikegomez5821 yes! I’m in Nashville TN now
Hey from Australia. Thanks for the video. I'm trying to do this for a '95 US standard tele. You suggest a temp of about 150; is that Celcius?
Fahrenheit, actually 175° wouldn’t be too much
@@harpethguitar thanks mate. I'm borrowed my wife's hair dryer instead of a heat lamp! Wish me luck. Do you happen to know if it is even possible to max out a '95 US standard tele truss rod? It's hard to get a definitive answer because there's a bit of variation in truss rod design. If so, I'd like to try adding a washer but when I loosen it the nut gets tight so it seems I can't get it out or get it tight enough! Grr!
Take it slow. Clamp it for a day or two. Repeat the process 2 or 3 times. you will be amazed what heat and pressure will do to wood! 😀
Do not use a heat gun, heat lamp or hairdryer on a maple fretboard. You could blister the finish.
In a week or two you should be playing it again.
@@harpethguitar thanks again. Don't worry, it's a rosewood fretboard. I can't wait to see the improvement.
@@harpethguitar I heard that nitrocellulose lacquer (as on my reissue tele) won’t start melting until more like 190°F does that seem right to you? I’m doing the neck jig with a carefully applied clothes iron, infrared thermometer, steel tubing, clamps and cauls. Slow and steady is good advice I agree… We will see how I do. Thanks for the great video.
When you talk degrees..... Are you talking F Or C?
Fahrenheit
What is the wattage for the head bulb?
250 watt
Will this method work on a set neck guitar as well?
Of course! In the next few months I’ll post videos of a Gibson bass and a Guild acoustic. Cheers
I'm highly opinionated on reshaping necks because I've done cold clamping as well as heat pressing and the general consensus of repairmen is that they don't like heat pressing or cold clamping a neck.
The resolution is you can successfully reshape a neck with great long term results, however, getting the neck bowed at the exact right spots so it does the work rather than the truss rod can take a half dozen attempts.
No reputable repair shop is going to want to face the music where they had a guitar for 2 weeks for heat based correction and owner who brought in a $200 neck is handed a $600 bill, and IMO this is why most advise against the strategy. Relative to all this though, I will still insist that truss rods are not intended to be load bearing, they are structural reinforcement. *This means the wood should be providing 70-80% of the counter force to the strings and the russ rod should be at most providing the other 30%.*
I have some flawless, paper thin necks and the truss rod nuts on those guitars don't even feel like they're threaded on when I adjust them and yet 1/16 of a turn makes an obvious shift in one direction or the other. I will also insist you should have the truss rod nut completely loose if you are using heat, and at the point you've decided it has waited long enough, tighten it to moderately snug and then very slowly cool the neck down.
Like I said, in the end, you may need to do it a half dozen times until you have coordinated the clamps, the rigid plain and the shims to the exact right spots and in that, it's a process few repairmen are going to be willing to employ. It's also a situation where you may need to repress the same neck 6 months later or 3 years later, but from what I've heard from others that swear by this is that's something to be prepared for. In the end, most of us would be willing to do anything to save our beloved instrument even if it was 50 bucks in a thrift store.
Looking to get this done to my 73 microfrets spacetone. Frets are super low from factory. Does this usually require a crowning afterwards?
Usually yes. Re-crown
Are you heating it from below as well as from above with the lamp? In other words will the lamp be enough to heat a neck?
I don’t heat the bottom because the high temperature can cause the finish to blister. 🙏
@@harpethguitar What kind of light is that? A reptile light? Any info on wattage etc would be very helpful! I bought a telecaster custom MIM neck and it has a natural relief warpage. I have 8s on it but its still too much relief. I've been considering doing something like this for some time.
I use a 250 Watt incandescent heat lamp from Lowe’s.
It’s kind a like the heat lamp that keeps the french fries warm at McDonald’s
@@harpethguitar Awesome thank you!
4/64th is 1/16th of an inch..0.625"... Which equates to 6/4 of a millimetre (1.5mm)......... I thought you Americans knew your fractions??!!! Really nice work on the frets and neck 🙂
Are you German?
1/16 of an inch is not 0.625" - 0.625" is 5/8 of an inch (10/16)
One sixteenth of an inch is 0.0625"