Why has straightening my Strat's neck solved it's choking problem?

Lewy

One of my strats has been on the naughty step for a while because it developed a choking issue on the top string from probably around the 10th to 14th fret. We're talking a 9.5" radius neck and having to have the action approaching 2mm to get clean 3 semitone bends on the High E. Kind of pissed me off because I didn't feel I'd played it so much to have materially worn the frets since it last played great and didn't have this problem.

So I took it out again today to give it another look over and noticed it had a fair amount of relief on the neck. Maybe .012" - .014" I knocked that down to around .005" and the high up choking went away. I started tentatively lowering the action and now with an action of around 1.5mm there's no choking anywhere.

I'm pleased, but also curious. How come reducing relief solved that issue?

ps. sorry for the mixed measures (mm, thou etc!)

axisus

Well I choke more when my neck isn't straight.I think that says something.

BillDL

Does your strat have the adjustment on the heel of the neck or the headstock?  The reason I ask is that I have found the two different types to be more and less responsive on different parts of the neck.  Not my a lot, but just enough that it can make a difference to the clearance of the strings at the body end of the neck.

Lewy

BillDL said:

Does your strat have the adjustment on the heel of the neck or the headstock?  

It’s at the heel end.

ICBM

Sometimes odd things happen with the way the neck resonates relative to the string vibration when you tighten the truss rod, which stiffens the neck as well as straightening it.

I know that sounds like a ‘it’s magic’ explanation, but I’ve come across similar things enough times to just accept that if the result is good, don’t over-think it .

Lewy

ICBM said:

Sometimes odd things happen with the way the neck resonates relative to the string vibration when you tighten the truss rod, which stiffens the neck as well as straightening it.

I know that sounds like a ‘it’s magic’ explanation, but I’ve come across similar things enough times to just accept that if the result is good, don’t over-think it .

Haha I’m going with it!