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New Neck-Setting String Radius?


tchipman

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I'm getting my new Warmoth neck on June 14th. I was going to have a tech install it, the tuners, the Earvana nut etc, but it sounded like it might cost as much as the neck, so I'm buying a few tools and will attempt to do it myself. Does anyone here know how the bridge on the Strat should be set to compensate for the compound radius on the Warmoth neck. The radius starts at 10 and ends up at 16 at the bottom. I'm buying the radius gauges and an action measuring tool so it should be pretty simple. I just don't know where to set the bridge (what radius)Strange question I know, when the asked the salesman at Warmoth he said "just the standard set up" Well should it be 10,12, or 16? Anyone?

Tim

All my stuff is here: www.timothychipman.com
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O.K., I've owned a guitar with a Warmoth neck and compound-radius fretboard since what, '87 I think; it starts at a 10" radius ® at the 1st-fret, and the last fret will be a 16" r. Every so many frets, the radius gets just a little bit larger, making the fretboard just a little bit flatter.

 

The arc described by the strings and the frets has some fanning-out going on, as well, so I don't know as simply setting the bridge at a 16" r will be quite right.

 

What I'd do...

 

The nut-slots should also describe a 10" r, like the 1st fret does. Perhaps not dead on, there's an art to fashioning nuts so that a guitar plays, feels, and intonates right. Probably good to let a pro do that, if you don't have the experience I'd have a pro do the nut for me!).

 

The bridge saddles could be set-up for a 16" r, and then you should check the height from the top of the fret to the underside of each string at the 12th-fret, and last-fret. "Fine-tune" the action for each string individually, using the height from the frets as your guide. You'll want to stay close to the same height per each one, but not necessarily the exact same; the measurement can grow slightly from the High-E to the Low-E, but only in tiny increments.

 

Being a Strat, you'll want to go with as little relief as you can get by with, too; arrow-straight if you can live with that. Too much relief, and a Strat's neck begins to act like an acoustic-bow, sapping tone and sustain bit by bit.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Thanks Kevin,

I'm installing the Earvana nut myself, I think. The base of the nut has to be flush with the fingerboard so it requires a little filing.Then after that you install the top with screws. Are you familiar with Earvana? I'm really anxious to hear if it does what it's suppose to. I'm going to get about $50 or $60 dollars worth of tools and try it myself. Setting each string height is what I thought might be necessary and that's another reason I'm going to try it myself. I'm only paying about 350 for the neck, tuners , and nut and to have a tech spend the kind of time necessary to do it right would probably cost at least that much. And right now I need another hard drive ( probably a Glyph 120 gig) because I'm quickly running out of space on my internal. So I need to watch my pennies.

Tim

Ps I agree strongly with the straight neck

All my stuff is here: www.timothychipman.com
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Well, the top-side of the Earvana nut is pre-fab'd, right? Does it conform to a 10" r? If not, you'll either have some strings too close to the 1st-fret, or too high; buzzing and/or poor intonation and stiff playability in the open/1st position would result. The nut has to conform to a 10" r, or be derived from a 10" r (often the basses are intenionally slightly higher than the trebles to give them a little more "breathing space", but the incremental differences are quite fine).

 

Then it's just a matter of setting the action for each string the way I outlined above.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Thanks Again Caevan,

My tech guy just got back to me with a closer idea of what it's going to cost and it's more reasonalbe than I had imagined. So I'll let him do the work. You're right about the top part of that nut. The base is suppose to be flush with the fingerboard and then the top piece just screws on. Is there anyone out there using the Earvana nut? I REALLY hope it works. If not it's off to Buzz Fieten. I really want something that's in TUNE all the way up and down the neck.

Tim

All my stuff is here: www.timothychipman.com
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Hi Hot,

I'll be leaving tomorrow for a week of wakeboarding on "Bull Shoals". Then when we get back the neck should be here and as soon as I get it put together I'll post some pic's. What can I do with my old neck? Maybe I'll build another guitar and set it up for slide. (that's one thing I know nothing about, but would love to learn)Do you play slide at all?

Bye

Tim

All my stuff is here: www.timothychipman.com
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