Setup advice

5redlights

Hi 

Just looking for a quick bit of advice on a partscaster that I can't seem to get right on setup. 

It's fretting out in middle frets. Frets are level and I've relaxed the truss rod to allow relief to the extent that there's not really any resistance on turning, but it's not really bowing and is still straight. It's a new neck, so should I try tightening up first and then relaxing from that point? Would a shim on headstock side of neck pocket help? 

Thanks 

WezV

i wouldn't shim the pocket that way.  I might raise the action at the bridge until the strings started to pull the neck into relief

ICBM

Shimming that way won’t do anything other than make the action too high.

You may have to create a tiny bit of artificial relief by deliberately fret dressing it with the truss rod tightened.

Paul_C

I always keep turning the truss rod after things go slack just in case it's a double-action rod (unless it's obviously not one).

The other simple way of introducing a little relief is to try some heavier strings, but beyond that ICBM's suggestion is the best solution.

ghad

I had this problem on a fat vintage style warmoth neck with a suspected broken truss rod. No relief even when completely loose. So I shimmed the top half of the neck pocket with some cereal box. I tapered the shim by sanding it to try retain full contact. It titled the headstock ever so slightly and created some artificial relief. I could then lower the action at the saddles. I was worried I'd have to just bin the neck, however, it's worked extremely well and guitar infinitely more playable with the additional "relief". Still extremely resonant. Perhaps more resonant than pre-shim.

BillDL

What gauge of strings do you currently have fitted?

With absolutely no tension on the strings is the neck in a back-bow with the truss rod completely relaxed?

A notched straightedge is usually best for determining this as it is checking the actual wood of the fingerboard for straightness rather than just the top of the frets, but if it's a new neck from a company that makes good quality parts the frets would usually be consistent enough in height to use as a straighness check either with one of the strings or a long straightedge across them.

Most maple Fender style necks will go into a pretty good relief with 9s or 10s if they are first set absolutely straight with no tension.  If your neck is starting from a back-bow it may not be possible to achieve enough relief with "standard" gauge strings (9s or 10s) unless you have a 2-way truss rod.

I would be tempted to raise the action and leave it strung up to standard tuning for a few weeks with no tension on the truss rod and check it daily to see whether it is starting to pull forward into relief.