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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| Hey Everyone, new member here. I posted in my introduction asking about setups, but I think I might need a neck reset. My local luthier shaved the bridge down on my 1861 to compensate for a low saddle, however, the neck did have a lot of relieve, I guess he did this to compensate for the low saddle. With Nick B.'s advice I used shims to temporarily raise the saddle so I can adjust the neck properly, whick worked great. However, the neck appears to be angled upward. According to frets.com, I definitely need one. I based my assumption on this article:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/Setup/NeckAngle/nec...
But, my bridge looks a lot thicker compared to the on in the picture used in the straight edge method. My string heighs at the bridge are 25/64" on the bass side and 22/64" on the treble. My other measurements on the guitar are that the relief is basically flat and the string height on the bass side is 6/64" and about 4.5/64" on the treble. I'm waiting on a new saddle and pickup from the factory before I do anything. My saddle will still be fairly low with the shaved saddle, but based on my measurements does anyone think I need a reset? |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 19
Location: NH | That particular article doesn't talk about string break angle over the bridge. That also should be considered. I think there is another article at that site that does cover that.
If you are happy with the action, intonation and sound I would play it and put the neck reset money into the Adamas Fund.
Ken |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| The break angle is pretty shallow (I think), especially the high E, but it was almost flat before I adjusted everything. The better angle made the guitar much louder. It's tough to see the high E in these pics, but it's there:
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj316/elessar820/IMG_4752.jpg
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj316/elessar820/IMG_4751.jpg
I'm still waiting for the new saddle and pickup, the old pickup wasn't making contact, so I rigged it with a piece of copper wire, but now it doesn't work at all. In the meantime, the current setup plays nicely. |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| I put the new pickup and saddle in last night. The saddle needs to come down more, but it's flush with the pickup. Can I grind some of the pickup holder down to accommodate more saddle work? I definitely need a reset. Maybe I'll just hold off on the saddle until I do it. I don't have the cash to do it and the guitar has seen better days so I'll probably give it a shot on my own... any pointers? |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| Well, the reset is definitely happening this weekend. I don't have the work space at home, so I figured I can use my Dad's workshop for some much needed space. After reading this thread:
http://www.ovationfanclub.com/megabbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=27...
I feel pretty confident in my abilities. I do have a few questions though. Since my bridge was lowered, should I set the angle to the new bridge height or should I go to that back of the bridge for the full, correct angle? The front of my bridge measures at 8/32" and the back is 10/32". The height of the low E at the bridge is 14/32", which from what I understand isn't too bad, but that is after the bridge work that was done. The action settled in at 8/64" on the bass and 6/64" on the treble side. I'll take pictures of the whole process and do a step by step write up and post it here... unless I totally screw up. Wish me luck, and any pointers would be appreciated, except for don't do it. Ha. |
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Joined:
November 2009
Posts: 177
Location: Milford, MI | Good luck and take your time. Not sure about the angle. Be very careful breaking the fretboard over hang loose. And make sure you take the neck bolt/bolts out first. I'm sure you know that. Take your time, think ahead, and you will be fine.
A lot of people here have much more experience than me. I hope they help out. |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| Thanks. I'm pretty going by what you did. Hopefully I'll have the same results. |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| I mean pretty much. Do you remember how many pieces of business card you needed for the shims? |
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Joined:
March 2012
Posts: 21
| Started the reset today. Unfortunately it didn't come off cleanly. A nice size piece of the top under the pocket broke off. Luckily my dad is a pretty good woodworker and fit a piece of pine in the gap and epoxied it together. I'll have to shave it down tomorrow and do the reset. I think I realized my mistake, based on Tremor's thread, I forgot the beer. I can't post pics tonight, hopefully tomorrow or Monday. Plan B is swapping my PRS Custom 24 for a CE
24 plus cash that I was going to put towards a Balladeer
1112. |
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How Do I Determine If I Need A Neck Reset?
