Official Luthiers Forum!

First let me say I'm not a luthier but very interested in the craft... please forgive any "stupid" questions I may ask while I'm learning. Now to the point... I just picked up a pre-lawsuit Ibanez ES-345 copy (Ibanez model #2495) in nice shape. The problem is that with the bridge at it's lowest setting the strings are still about 1/2" away from the fretboard where the neck and the body meet! From what I understand a common fix is to shim the neck but I doubt if that's the correct method when there's this much of an adjustment necessary. What I have done is make a "dummy" neck so I could calculate the correct neck angle and I've found that it looks like 10mm of material would need to be removed from the back of the neck joint. What is the correct procedure for this type of adjustment? Any help would certainly be appreciated... thanks.

Is this a set-neck or a bolt-on neck? In either case the angle needs steepening. It would seem much easer to add a wedge laminate to the neck than to remove material from the mortise at an angle.

It's a bolt on neck but it looks as if a shim of this size will raise the neck heel fairly high off of the top of the guitar.

If you raise the bridge end of the neck you lower the nut end. If the bridge is at its lowest position and the sting clearance at the bridge end of the fretboard is 1/2" but the 1-5 fret clearance is good you have to both raise the fretboard and correct the angle. if you angle the mortice you will rase the bridge end of the fretboard but lower the nut end of the neck. This will rase the action the nut but lower the action at the bridge end of the freetboard. It is a balancing act. If the action at the nut is good then you have to adjust to keep it good while still raising the other end to achieve good action there. I don't see you being able to accommodate nearly a half inch without having to raise the neck some if your bridge is bottomed out.

I think I need pictures I didn't realize lowering the angle of the mortise would effect the string height at the nut... that's why I'm here asking questions. I didn't want to start hacking away just to find out I messed up something else! Looks like I'll need to take it in for professional help... thanks for the info.

This is not to scale by any means but showes that changing the only the neck angle rases the bridge end and lowers the nut end and how that affects the string clearance at both ends

Wow... what service... the diagram helped a lot... thanks! Like you said, it's a balancing act. Once I take it in I'll find out what the recommended fix is, but I'm guessing it'll be a little shimming and cutting.

Also, make sure the truss rod is adjusted for proper neck relief before making any other adjustments.

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

Actually the amount of change is so severe that think it is best to lessen the truss rod then tighten it to just in friction with no string tension but leaving the fretboard plane flat its full length. Then resolve the neck set and fretboard plane issue with the fretboard flat. Once this is done confirm minimum string clearance is good at second and twelfth frets and the set the neck relief and intonate. I think its best to have the fretboard flat and level while seeking the proper angle and adjustment height to make this neck work out with the bridge height limitations. Once the basic neck height and fretboard plane is achieved, then we will worry with set-up as neck relief is really a function of the set-up.

Also I would move the bridge to medium height position so that you have adjustment as the guitar changes over time. if you do the adjustment in the bridge low position then you have only one way you can adjust.
This of cource will mean that the neck will have to adjust height a bit more. butit is better to be able to adjust the bridge in more than one direction.

Also being that this is a bolt-on I would not glue what ever wedged shim you make to the neck or mortise, but rather make it from a very hardwood like rock maple and leave it removable at a later date for fine tuning after you have the guitar where you want it. Just ad bolt holes to the sim bor the bolt to go through.