charvel neck curve question

[Fragle]

hi all

i have a question concerning the neck of my charvel.
well, usually guitar necks have a slight curvefrom fret 1-7 or so, right? so basically, frets 1-7 are higher than the other frets. well, the neck of my charvel has that curve, too, but there is also a slight curve from fret 15-22.
to put it in other words, the neck istn totally straight, but both ends are slightly higher than the middle section so to speak.
i dont think thats really "normal", because none of my other guitars have this. but on the other hand, i dont really see a problem with it with exeption of the action - but i prefer a not ultra-low action anyway, so thats not really an issue for me. by the way, the intonation is dead on.

so please give me some info whether i have to fix that or if i can leave it as it is if it doesnt bother me

greets
fragle

ps: a bit off topic, but anyways: is it possible to remove the plastic cover on the bridge jackson pu with the strings on? otherwise i'd wait until the next string replacement and then remove it....**** floyd rose ^^

[1trussell]

Re: charvel neck curve question

You've got a little bit of relief in the neck. That can be fixed by loosening the truss rod (unless we're talking about a warped neck). As long as the curve isn't too extreme, it shouldn't be a problem. If it feels good and it intonates perfectly, I wouldn't mess with it. Besides, I actually prefer a little relief in my necks.

[Newc]

Re: charvel neck curve question

Actually relief is when the neck is too loose; you want to tighten the truss rod slightly to make it bend backwards a bit. Some like 'em straight as an arrow, but I leave mine slightly loose to allow lower action on the high frets.

Newc

[Fragle]

Re: charvel neck curve question

but afaik the tuss rod does only adjust the curve from frets 1-7 or so. but i'm talking about that slight curve high up at fret 18-22 or so. as i said above, this is something that doesnt appear on any of my other guitars.

its kind of hard to illustrate, but i'll try it:

usually, the neck is shaped like this

\\\------- so the low frets are slightly higher than the others

my neck looks like this

\\\\-----//

get what i'm trying to say? as i said, its hard to show.


greets
fragle

[Grandturk]

Re: charvel neck curve question

What you are describing is relief and hump.

Adjusting the truss rod will change the amount of bow in the neck. Depending on the neck, the truss rod will affect the entirety of the neck, or only portions of it. In general, you'll see the most dramatic change at the end of the neck.

Adjust the truss rod first and you may see your second problem goes away as well.

Hump is a rise in the end of the fretboard, usually near the heel, where moisture may have pentrated the neck and swollen the wood. This is generally only fixable by planing the fretboard and refretting.

[Newc]

Re: charvel neck curve question

I've owned necks whose truss rods were so loose that the first and last frets were even in height but the middle frets were "sunken". Adjust the truss rod to fix it. Bolt-ons will have a more pronounced hum at the higher frets due to the proximity to the neck pocket - the tension of the neck bolts is keeping that end of the fretboard from curving forward, whereas a neckthrough will have a less visible hump closer to the heel, being that it has no extra counter-pressure like a bolt-on does.

Newc

[1trussell]

Re: charvel neck curve question

[ QUOTE ]
Actually relief is when the neck is too loose; you want to tighten the truss rod slightly to make it bend backwards a bit. Some like 'em straight as an arrow, but I leave mine slightly loose to allow lower action on the high frets.

Newc

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I meant. My brain farted. [img]/images/graemlins/fart.gif[/img]