set neck problems on semi hollow bass

Hi - I've glued the neck on/removed it 3 times as the strings are flat on the fretboard - I've raised the bridge to its maximum height - then the posts pull out of the body - really the neck is not the problem - the back of the body, where the bridge sits, slopes downward - the bridge actually sits lower then the fretboard. I eventually made a trapeze arrangement - from a potato masher! so the strings dont attach to the bridge. The strings go over the bridge putting no stress on the posts but still no good - anyone got some advice??? also I cant upload a pic - keep getting the pitbull.com image upload failed . . .must say this site is a bitch to get around . . .Attachment 43442Attachment 43443Attachment 43444

Hi noproblam,

as far as the pictures go, they cannot be too large in pixel size . Try reducing the size of the pictures. Some folks also use external sites to manage their pictures. (And yes the site is a bit clunky to navigate)

Take a look at (this very old link):
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=2616

The bushings pulling out of the ESB-4 has been a long standing problem, partly due to the angle of the body where they go in, but mainly (I think) because the solid wood block down the middle is very soft (probably Paulownia) and it just doesn't grip the splines well enough. If you've finished putting the finish on, I'd just epoxy the bushings into the body. The bushings aren't the longest bushings there are either. I started building one of these kits and found some extra long bushings (30mm IIRC). I had to drill the holes a bit deeper to match. I didn't finish the guitar as the bloke it was meant for b**gered off and so gave it to my friend JimC to finish. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...highlight=JimC

But I did buy a Hipshot bridge to replace the kit one, which isn't the best bridge in the world. That doesn't solve the bushing problem on its own, but it does make for a more solid string anchor.

With the kit bridge, you're best getting the bridge sitting parallel to the strings rather than to the body, as this reduces the upward force slightly on the two rear screws, so more of the force is forwards rather than upwards.

hhmmm - the bushings arent the problem - the bridge isnt high enough at its maximum height - strings are on the neck no matter how high I raise the bridge - seems to me the neck is at an angle right where the strings 1st hit the neck - after I've taken the p/up out so the strings dont rub across the top..dunno - I think the slope on the base of the neck, where it sits in the pocket is wrong . . I'll do some pics and might help -

Attachment 43458 - does this help? - bridge as high as it can go -actually Ive raised the bridge to a ridiculous height to make the strings parallel with the neck - its the pocket/neck - just a bad design or someone in china was having a bad morning . .

It’s the first ESB-4 I’ve heard of with a neck angle issue, (though the bushings pulling out is common) so it is more likely to be a factory machining error. Unless things have changed recently, the various factories Pit Bull get their kits from don’t use CNC machines but hand routing using templates and a large proportion of the workforce is young unskilled labour. The templates wear over time so tolerances can get sloppy if the template isn’t replaced on time.

Or as the neck and the body neck pocket routs are matched using the same template, the wrong neck for the body has occasionally been sent out, though this is rare (the pocket and neck should have the same number or symbol pencilled on them).

If you’ve taken the neck off before, then it looks like you’ll need to do it again and either put an angled shim under the neck heel, or have a go at adjusting the bottom of the neck heel directly to angle the neck so it points down towards the body a bit more.

I’d certainly raise the issue directly with Pit Bull Guitars.

Thanks for the advice - I have raised the issue with PB and they sent me here as theyre not builders - If the factories are not using CNC routing I can see why the neck/pocket dont match. I guess part of the whole DIY guitar building is to solve these problems yourself - which is what I'll do - either a shim or reshaping the neck heel. For now I'll stick to bolt on necks.

That would be my advice with the state of the kits coming out of China at the moment. The set neck kits are a bit too variable for my liking. Fine if you are lucky, a lot of work if not.

Watch Crimson Guitar videos. I thought at first Ben was a arrogant so-n-so in his earlier videos but after watching his later videos he has some very interesting ideas and mad skills. He just recently adjusted a set neck angle with a plane.

I am at the start of building 3 set necks, an SG and 2 Explorer wannabees, and have adjusted the neck angle so I can use a through body string set up. All you need to do is shim the neck to the right angle, take the shim thickness and mark the neck with a pencil and I used a small plane and adjust the angle to lower the rear of the neck. More than likely you will shim the edge closest to the head so as to lower the angle, so you mark the end closest to the bridge and that is the end to remove the wood. Its a bit fiddly and you need a good vice or some way of holding the neck but just take it slow and check your progress a lot and I finished the base with a piece of 240 sandpaper glued down to a piece of wood.

When I was using the sandpaper I would scribble on the base with a pencil and see where I was removing the wood and made sure it was flat and square to the sides. It probably took me a couple of hours or a little less on each neck to get them right but I have nothing else to do so it was time well spent plus there was plenty of breaks as I don't like to rush as that is when the guitar neck becomes a tomato stake.

Some set necks are easier to adjust that others. The big hollow body and the LP style kits are far more awkward because they don't just sit nicely in a pocket but have angled overhangs at the sides which also need the angles adjusting. And making sure those angles are all the same isn't the easiest of jobs.

Before I found Pitbull there was another guitar kit supplier here in Oz, which have since stopped supplying kits and are just a guitar builder, I bought a 335 clone that needed the neck adjusted. It is a hollow body with curved surfaces and if it was a flat top it would have been easy to use a router and adjust the angle but seeing as it was hard to hold I could have either shimmed the pocket or made a jig and use a router. Making a jig interested me more than a shim so jig it was.

I used a old piece of a kitchen top as it was a flat base to begin with and built a way to have my router move parallel to the top face and it also gave me a way to measure the guitar body to set up the correct angle and level. I used wedges to adjust the body so I could get the pocket level and adjust the amount of taper I needed. I also made up some form of clamping so once the wedges were in place I clamped it down to the base on the top of the guitar. I also use some blocks around the outside to stop any movement. Once setup I then used the router to remove the material and then slide the neck in and then adjusted the mating face of the guitar to suit the new angle. There was some hand fitting needed but it was part of the process.

The adjustment of the front faces that are butted against the body was a simple use of a pencil and ruler. Place the neck into the body so it sits on the base and slide it in until it hits the face and measure the gap and draw a line parallel to the body on the neck. You could also use some feeler gauges as it maybe easier to just make up a pack of feelers that can be used to run a pencil line on the neck, depending on the size of the gap. Either use a wood chisel or a sharp knife, depending on the amount of wood to be removed and remove the wood until both faces are against the body. You could use the same feelers to check how much is needed to be removed so the faces sit against each other. Take it slow and check regularly and if you take too much out of one side than the other then use some wood filler. Own your mistake and make it a feature. If you remove too much from one side then remove more from the other side to balance it out and use a darker filler so it looks like it was supposed to be there. There is nothing written down anywhere that says the ends have to butt up against the body if you make a mistake. As long as the scale length is right, filler can be used.

By the look of the pics there is only about 1-2mm of adjustment so if that isn't enough then you will have to shim the front, hence why I said you need to measure what and where you need it but until you measure you don't know where or how you will fix the problem.

If you are going to shim the front then that is different process but not impossible. I had to shim the front of a SG clone and all I did was measure the amount needed, using some cardboard and paper that I could measure reasonably accurately, got a piece of plywood that I used when building model planes as it was a very fine grain wood used which was better than normal plywood. Luckily I needed to adjust the neck by 2mm which was what I had for my planes. As it was tapered back towards the bridge I used a hacksaw blade and cut some grooves in the wood that tapered from 2mm to flush with the base as reference points. I then glued the ply into the pocket and once the glue dried I then used a file and wood chisel to taper the ply, using the slots I cut earlier as a guide, so the whole insert contacted the neck. It is a slow and boring job but in the end it is very possible you will end up with a playable guitar.

Anything I say is just a guide and is how I would approach and fix a problem due to how I think due to my experience and training. I also speak from what I have at hand and if necessary I will expand my tools to fit a problem that cannot be solved or would be easier to solve with a new tool. I probably have more tools and machines at my disposal than most here but sometimes we get bogged down with wanting to use some fancy tool/machine when you can get by with a simple cheap file, hacksaw or even a sharp knife.

The cost of the kits reflect in the quality you can expect. If I had the money I would buy a body and neck from Warmoth's or another supplier but seeing as it costs over US$700+Postage then I can't really complain about what we get here. The return policy here is incredible and if the problem with the kit is beyond your skill base then you can ask for a replacement. Hence why they always ask you to do a mock assembly to check for problems. Out of all the kits I have bought from here and other sources there has never been a problem that was impossible to fix if you have the skills and don't get overcome by what has to be done and are not afraid to ask for help.

I have over 40 years of experience in machining, both manual and CNC. I am a qualified toolmaker, worked for military and Scientific organisations and have been reading these forums for as long as I have known about this company. In my personal opinion and with the years of experience in training, it may upset some of you, some people who buy the kits don't have the skills to make a kit but they are still willing to have a go and hence this is the reason why this forum exists. The knowledge here is incredible, sometimes not 100% correct but it is a good place to start. In the end it is up to the individual to take all the ideas and pick something they can work with due to their work place, tools available and skill base. If it is beyond you then own it, sell the kit, throw it away, you do you but never blame the kit.

I think you can certainly blame the kit in some instances where things are consistently wrong or say T-O-M bridge mounting holes are a long way out of place. You certainly shouldn’t expect perfection but there's no excuse for not getting the fundamentals right.

Good advice thanks
:cool: