ESB-4 - first build - ultimate newbie

[Sonic Mountain]

Have you looked at how straight the neck is? You can make a simple tool to check this, but a steel ruler will do to start.

If there is a lot of 'back bow' then the strings will touch the end of the neck.

Are you able to check that for us?

Also - I see you are in France, are you translating yourself or using google? I only ask because I want to try and write in clear terms.

[Roger79]

Ok I'll check that and send pictures and feedbacks..

(I speak english by myself ! Well, i'm trying )

See ya !

[Sonic Mountain]

Haha, all good. You are doing fine, I don't mean to cause offence. Some of your phrasing was different, I just wanted to make sure

[Roger79]

Ok, so I took some new photos.
It's not easy to have a good view of my problem, tell me if you want more.

When I look to them, I see some others troubles :
- the bridge's pre-drilled holes are not well placed (not aligned with the neck)
AND/OR :
- the neck's pocket (body part) was not cut right (see previous post)

Maybe I won't be fair on this one but : why and how these kind of things cannot be perfect when sold ? What's the point if we need to re-drill, or cut/fill wood (especially veneers) ? It'd be better without holes at all, so it's on us.

Sorry, fell better now

So ! As you can see bellow, I really need to lower my neck if I want a chance..



What it should be (I think) :


And, another struggle :


To be continued..

PS : I checked the neck with a metal ruler : it's almost ultra straight. For me, not any big issue this way.

[Fretworn]

Wow! that bridge isn't centred is it. That might be part of the problem, if the bridge isn't at the apex of the body where it should be. I know you've already put a lot of work into this, but I would be emailing Adam about replacing the kit. The factory has stuffed up the bridge placement.

[fender3x]

Fretworn makes a couple of good points. My ESB-4 alignment was also off a little.

One problem for us non-Aussies is that shipping costs can make replacement pricey for the seller and buyer. One reason I tried to fix mine ;-) Also, I did not see the problem until well into the build.

On the bridge placement, it may be that the looseness in the pocket allowed the neck to get a little out of alignment. From the last group of pics you sent I also think it's possible that the neck was not seated properly. I actually hope this is the case, because it will make getting the glue unstuck easier.

Mine was a tight fit and I had to pound on it a bit to push it all the way into the body, and then use a big clamp to get it seated deeply. If you didn't do that there may be some gaps between the neck and the body. That would make for a weak joint, but might make it easier to get un-glued...

Once the neck comes off it will be easier to diagnose the alignment problem in dry fit.






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[Roger79]

Hi folks !

It's been a while, but I finally managed to separate the neck from the body \o/, and without to much damages !

First, I have to say that this glue is a very good glue. I will recommend it for sure : extremely solid !
Second : at this point, I really don't care about my finish. I just want it to make sound, I'll think later about using TruOil or car paint.

So !
Now I have again two separate parts, time to ask again for huge questions :

1. I'm lowering the neck's end, by sanding the body's pocket, and the neck itself. Is there a way to check or to measure its height from the back of the body ? Or just lower it so the fretboard touch (gently) the body ?

2. My bridge is definitely not right. But I'm sad because I drilled the through-strings holes based on the bridge location.. So, shouldn't I align the neck, instead of redrill everything ? If you see what I mean..

Thanks for your help !
Cheers

[fender3x]

I need to find a couple of resources on-line, but congrats on getting the neck off successfully. That's a big thing. When you get a chance maybe you can say how you did it?

One thing you will need is a Meter-Stick that you can ruin. I found one cheap out of aluminum which is good because it does not warp.

I think there are a few steps to diagnosing the problem with alignment, so don't sand much before doing some dry fitting and measuring.

More soon!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[fender3x]

One thing to do is start looking for some tutorials on how to set the neck for your guitar. This is relatively short and I found it helpful:

http://www.byoguitar.com/Images/prod...structions.pdf

I also found this from someone who is probably on this forum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgFziirkk80

In the youtube, notice that he uses the clamps for gluing. I would recommend them for making sure that the neck is firmly seated in the pocket. One of the things that I wondered is you might not have had the bridge end of the neck pushed down as deeply as it should have been. If you use a clamp to push that end into place you will know whether it needs some sanding, or if you just did not push it down quite had enough.

A small portion of the fretboard extends past the bridge-side end of the neck. Mine was about 3mm higher than the guitar top when it was properly seated. It does not need to be flush with the top of the guitar. In fact, that would be too low. Usually when the neck is seated properly the angle will be about right. You only need to do some sanding if you cant get the neck angle right without leaving a gap under the neck.

If yours is like mine it should fit VERY tightly. I had to use a lot of muscle and a big clamp like the one in the video to get it properly in place. I was tempted to tap the top of the neck with a rubber hammer to the bridge end to seat properly.

Your pics showed more gap aroudn the edges on the side and at the bridge end of the neck than mine had. I am not talking about the fretboard. I am talking about the where verticle wood of the neck meets the verticle part of the pocket. There should be very little gap there.

Once you have dry fit the neck as well as possible into place, then check the bridge alignment again. If the neck is tightly in place, and there is no wiggle and it is still not aligning, you’ll need to move the bridge. But the first thing is to make sure the neck seats as well as possible and that the neck angle will align properly with your bridge. The angle I am talking about here is the one measured wtih the carpenter’s square in the PDF. (Although any straight edge will do, as long as it is long enough (at least 1m or 1yard).

If you can’t dry fit it in place with a proper angle wihtout leaving a gap under the neck you may need to do some careful sanding under the neck… but do the dry fit first and then sand carefully. An angle that is a little high (but lower than it is now) is better than too low.

If you do have to move the bridge it’s not as bad as it sounds--particularly if you don’t mind painting a solid color. Will post something about how to do that shortly.

[Roger79]

Hey Fender3x !
First, let me thank you for the time you're spending on my problem !

When I first glued the neck I used two clamps to hold them together (using a piece of wood with marks for frets). I tried before, and every time the gap between the fingerboard and the body was the same..

Regarding the neck's pocket, I think it has always been to big : the neck fit in it, but I don't have to use strenght.. and there are some gaps on both sides of the neck.

Right now, I'm sanding everything to "repair" small damages from the ungluing ! Then I'll take photos and try to align the neck !

I keep in touch !
PS : to remove the neck I used a thin knife, a hammer and some white vinegar oh and full weight at the end on my bass !! It was so creepy..

See ya !