Warped/bowed neck on USA G&L ASAT. What to do?

Loobs

Hello all,

About a month ago while on holiday in Italy I bought a US G&L ASAT special. It was a good price, in good condition and in the store everything seemed to be hunky dory.

After getting it home, I noticed that some of the strings buzzed horribly when played open - touching the first fret. I took it to a tech and he told me the neck was warped/bowed (lengthwise), that the truss had been almost completely untensioned and there was little he could do apart from raise the bridge. He did this, and now the action is nice up near the neck but pretty bloody high above the 12th fret. Too high to be comfortable for lead playing.

I paid 650 euros for the guitar. New they're about double that. I asked G&L what a new neck would cost, and they quoted me 550 USD for the most basic spec (satin lacquer, nickel fretwire). I'm reluctant to order a new neck, firstly because 550USD seems pretty high, and secondly because, sod's law, the thing won't be right even once it arrives.

So, my options are either to take the guitar to someone to have the neck straightened with heat - which'll involve a refret, presumably (also v. expensive and risky) - sell the guitar, take a hit on the price, or buy a new neck. Or part it out. Naturally, G&L replacement necks are basically non-existent and Fender necks aren't compatible.

So, any advice would be welcome? It could be such a nice guitar and I'm pretty bummed out about this.

Winny_Pooh

Hard to say without seeing in person, a fret dress can help if you don't mind a medium to high action. But parting it out is perhaps less of a loss at this point.

guitarfishbay

If you part it out someone will probably buy the neck to practice fixing it anyway.  I'm guessing there's no way you can return the instrument at this point, bummer when this happens.

Richardj

Most used guitars come with at least a three month warranty surely.  Have you contacted the store you bought it from?  Obviously there could be the hassle of shipping, but if they were prepared to deal with it that would be a good thing.

WezV

A heat treatment won't need a refret after, but may need a level and dress.

problem is the repair can revert as tension in the wood may want to warp it again

richardhomer

You could try very heavy strings tuned above concert pitch for a few weeks to see if it can be persuaded to straighten out.

Do you know how old the guitar is? My experience is that problems like this tend to develop quickly - necks which stay straight from the off tend to remain that way.

ICBM

In my experience any form of heat or tension treatment is a waste of time in the long term - the wood just doesn't want to be that shape, and it will revert to its natural state eventually.

If it's not too bad, it's possible to deliberately dress relief into the frets. If it's too bad for that, it may be worth having the neck planed straight - which obviously involves refretting (and refinishing, if it's a maple board) and can sometimes involve work on the inlays, depending on how much wood needs to be taken off. In the worst case this is probably getting close to the cost of a new neck though.

blueskunk

Gutted man. Maybe get a nice neck custom made from feline or other top builders? 

Loobs

ICBM said:

In my experience any form of heat or tension treatment is a waste of time in the long term - the wood just doesn't want to be that shape, and it will revert to its natural state eventually.

If it's not too bad, it's possible to deliberately dress relief into the frets. If it's too bad for that, it may be worth having the neck planed straight - which obviously involves refretting (and refinishing, if it's a maple board) and can sometimes involve work on the inlays, depending on how much wood needs to be taken off. In the worst case this is probably getting close to the cost of a new neck though.

Yeah, that's an option. 

Thanks all for replying. I'm gonna take it to another luthier and see what he says. Dressing relief into the frets seems about the most pain free way to do it. Even G&L themselves advised against shelling out for  the neck, which is pretty admirable. Major bummer. 

Musikraft make G&L compatible necks, that's another option. It'll be around 250 dollars, I guess. 

Is planing possible on rw boards? 

streethawk

G&L taking the michael quoting you that amount for a replacement neck (not like you're changing it on a whim).

Musikraft apparently do G&L necks.
http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5610

Loobs

Aha. Base price $205.

https://musikraft.com/product-info.php?pid196.html

Loobs

I emailed them this morning (couldn't see the page) and their rep tells me they've just stuck it back up. Shame about the naff headstock shape. 

ICBM

Loobs said:

Is planing possible on rw boards? 

Yes on a solid or 'slab' type board, probably not on a round-lam or 'veneer' board - from the website pics the G&L is a slab. If anything it's easier since it won't need the board refinishing. The only remaining issue could be the inlays, although dots are the least likely to be a problem.

Loobs

But you're looking at a refret too. Sounds like a very pricy job. 

richardhomer

streethawk said:

G&L taking the michael quoting you that amount for a replacement neck (not like you're changing it on a whim).

I agree with this - a member on here got a new neck from Suhr (due to a cosmetic fault which didn't affect playability) free of charge, on a guitar which he had bought used.

I know Leo was renowned for not wasting money - but I bet if he were still around they'd do the 'right' thing from a moral stand-point.

ICBM

Loobs said:

But you're looking at a refret too. Sounds like a very pricy job. 

Not much worse than the refret itself if the inlays don't need to come out and be re-fitted. Many luthiers will lightly plane the board when doing a refret anyway.

Loobs

richardhomer said:

streethawk said:

G&L taking the michael quoting you that amount for a replacement neck (not like you're changing it on a whim).

I agree with this - a member on here got a new neck from Suhr (due to a cosmetic fault which didn't affect playability) free of charge, on a guitar which he had bought used.

I know Leo was renowned for not wasting money - but I bet if he were still around they'd do the 'right' thing from a moral stand-point.

I'm not sure G&L are responsible for this though, are they? The guitar is also about 20 years old. 

richardhomer

Loobs said:

richardhomer said:

streethawk said:

G&L taking the michael quoting you that amount for a replacement neck (not like you're changing it on a whim).

I agree with this - a member on here got a new neck from Suhr (due to a cosmetic fault which didn't affect playability) free of charge, on a guitar which he had bought used.

I know Leo was renowned for not wasting money - but I bet if he were still around they'd do the 'right' thing from a moral stand-point.

I'm not sure G&L are responsible for this though, are they? The guitar is also about 20 years old. 

Probably not....

Danielsguitars

Rather than dress relief in frets what about taking frets out retention the neck and level the board flat and the refret

Won't youend up with low frets 

victorludorum

richardhomer said:

streethawk said:

G&L taking the michael quoting you that amount for a replacement neck (not like you're changing it on a whim).

I agree with this - a member on here got a new neck from Suhr (due to a cosmetic fault which didn't affect playability) free of charge, on a guitar which he had bought used.

I know Leo was renowned for not wasting money - but I bet if he were still around they'd do the 'right' thing from a moral stand-point.

It seems to me that the shop have pulled a fast one here and that's why it was cheap.

Re-fret and plane I reckon. I did this myself with a Squier neck and it worked ok. Cosmetically it looked a bit funny as the side dots weren't level, but it was a cheapo neck anyway. I was pretty amazed that I pulled it off bearing in mind I only had a radius block to do it with. Beginners luck probably.

Loobs

If the replacement neck from Musikraft is a hair over $200, wouldn't this be the wisest option?

Repair guys charge through the nose for jobs like this.