PSH-1 Build

[Simon Barden]

Looking at the side view pic, I’d say that the body end of the shim needs to be twice as tall as it is at present. Fancy making another shim?

[vivek_rc]

Looking at the side view pic, I’d say that the body end of the shim needs to be twice as tall as it is at present. Fancy making another shim?

Hi Simon, currently the Shim on the body end is 2mm



So do I need a veneer 4mm thick so that it’s double in height ? Do I glue two 2mm veneers together to get the 4mm?

Here’s a side profile of my shim

[Simon Barden]

It’s almost impossible to get a joint without a small gap as you invariably end up with the ends on the shim slightly rounded over. Glue will fill the gap. It may pay to glue the shim with a slight lip over the front on the pocket and then sand back flush.

Also glue the neck in place with a lot of clamping force to minimise the gap. Always use some wood between the clamp and the body or neck to spread the load as even the rubber bits on the clamp can mark the wood if sufficient force is applied. I’ve ended up with an assortment of 4mm thick MDF shapes as clamping blocks for mist body clamping jobs as it’s still relatively soft so unlikely to mark the body (especialy if it has finish on), plus a few hardwood blocks for those awkward areas where you can only fit one clamp in but want to press down really hard over a larger area.

[Simon Barden]

It’s the height difference between the ends, rather than the absolute height, that determines the angle of the shim. So it looks like you’ve got a shim that goes from approx. 1mm to 2mm, so a 1mm shim. You look as if a 1mm to 3mm shim would be best for you. So if necessary, glue two pieces of the wood together to allow you to make the bigger shim.

You could simply try fitting a flat 2mm thick shim under the wedged shim to raise the whole neck up a bit, (it looks like 2mm should do it) but you then end up with a 3mm block of wood at the neck pocket that you need to hide and blend in.

[vivek_rc]

It’s the height difference between the ends, rather than the absolute height, that determines the angle of the shim. So it looks like you’ve got a shim that goes from approx. 1mm to 2mm, so a 1mm shim. You look as if a 1mm to 3mm shim would be best for you. So if necessary, glue two pieces of the wood together to allow you to make the bigger shim.

You could simply try fitting a flat 2mm thick shim under the wedged shim to raise the whole neck up a bit, (it looks like 2mm should do it) but you then end up with a 3mm block of wood at the neck pocket that you need to hide and blend in.

Cool, thanks Simon. I’ll cut up another veneer same shape as the current shim and glue them together. Will then test the neck for again. Thanks for all the help!! Will come back with some feedback in a few days

[mrpearson]

Cool, thanks Simon. I’ll cut up another veneer same shape as the current shim and glue them together. Will then test the neck for again. Thanks for all the help!! Will come back with some feedback in a few days

Vivek. I have set my neck with my 1.5mm shim and pretty sure my action is ok now. Remember the kit bridge is a few mm higher than the one you have on order (it is huge)

I also slightly recessed the bridge post opening with a bit of sandpaper so the bridge posts are flush with the body when installed. (Installed these today and they look awesome and gets me a few mm). With my bridge mounted I can run a straight end from the low e saddle across the 1 fret and 22nd with pretty much very minimal gap at the 22nd fret.

Once I lower my nut during setup I reckon I will be raising my bridge up to get the correct action.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vivek_rc]

Vivek. I have set my neck with my 1.5mm shim and pretty sure my action is ok now. Remember the kit bridge is a few mm higher than the you have order (it is huge)

I also slightly recessed the bridge post opening with a bit of sandpaper so the bridge posts are flush with the body. (Install these today and they look awesome). With my bridge mounted I can run a straight end from the low e saddle across the 1 fret and 22nd with pretty much very minimal gap at the 22nd fret.

Once I lower my nut during setup I reckon I will be raising my bridge up to get the correct action.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey mrpearson, thanks for the advice, will wait to install the new bridge once it arrives and check how the 1mm shim I’ve made alters the action.

[mrpearson]

Here is a side by side comparison for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vivek_rc]

Here is a side by side comparison for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, that’s big difference, doesn’t look like I’d need the extra shim under the one I made!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Simon Barden]

You'll find the new saddle tips forwards on the posts. I used some locking post studs on mine to keep it as flat as possible, but it will still tilt slightly. Which then means that the strings have no break angle on the low saddles and is why I swapped the saddles over from the kit ridge top the new one. It's not a 100% perfect fit, but with strings on they felt solid enough.

And try not to have the two bridge positioning screws that stick out the rear screwed in at all if you can help it. There should be more than enough adjustment in the saddles so you won't need the bridge pulled back further at all. They make the bridge even more wobbly and less connected to the posts when used. I think I removed the screws completely. They seem to be a hangover kept from early days with just the stop bar or fixed intonation bridges.