neck bow

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 03:14 AM

Hey,

so this has been bothering me for a while now. I have a '08 gibson les paul studio, and the neck is extremely bowed/curved. It started curving/bowing the moment the neck leaves the body (17th fret) - can this be fixed by adjusting the truss rod, or do i have a serious problem?

bobarino · 01-04-2012, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockerbsbn

[...] extremely bowed/curved [...] serious problem?

sounds like it...

BigAl · 01-04-2012, 03:18 AM

A quick truss rod adjustment will do the trick, just don't leave it bowed or you may cause other problems.

Keep in mind that the guitar will probably need setting up after the adjustment (intonation, action etc.).

Zack · 01-04-2012, 05:05 AM

Zack · 01-04-2012, 05:11 AM

oh wait, a les pauls neck isnt parallel like a stratocaster, is that what you mean?

number27 · 01-04-2012, 05:38 AM

push the big e string on the 1st fret and the 11 fret .
what is the space between the string and the 5th fret ?
push the big e string on the 1st fret and the last fret .
what is the space between the string and the 10th fret ?

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zack268

how do you put up pictures?

Quote:

Originally Posted by number27

push the big e string on the 1st fret and the 11 fret .
what is the space between the string and the 5th fret ?
push the big e string on the 1st fret and the last fret .
what is the space between the string and the 10th fret ?

they're both pretty minimal, as far as i can tell...1mm, tops?

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 04:21 PM

pics attached. the one with the weird line on the neck is me holding a ruler to show the curvature

Archtop 13 · 01-04-2012, 04:28 PM

How is it curved? The action looks pretty low. ? I don't see any curve? Take a picture looking down the neck from the headstock

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 04:50 PM

if u look at the two horizontal ones, i think u can see that the nut is rather forward (dunno if thats the right term) compared to being in a straight line from where the neck and the body meet. the ruler picture shows that too

is this what you were looking for?

Maccadude33 · 01-04-2012, 05:03 PM

I can't see any abnormal bowing in these pictures. Your fretboard and the top of the neck look to be in line with the rest of the body. The back of the neck isn't supposed to be flat, if that is what you are asking. The neck is naturally "curved" so that you can easily move your hand around. Now if there is an abnormal curvature or bow, then yes, you could loosen the truss rod a bit. But if you're not having any intonation or stability issues, and it plays comfortably, then I see no reason to adjust it. Just my two cents.

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maccadude33

I can't see any abnormal bowing in these pictures. Your fretboard and the top of the neck look to be in line with the rest of the body. The back of the neck isn't supposed to be flat, if that is what you are asking. The neck is naturally "curved" so that you can easily move your hand around. Now if there is an abnormal curvature or bow, then yes, you could loosen the truss rod a bit. But if you're not having any intonation or stability issues, and it plays comfortably, then I see no reason to adjust it. Just my two cents.

huh really? i can see it in person, i feel like the pictures make it a little harder. so the neck shouldn't be straight then?

RichBrew · 01-04-2012, 05:34 PM

Are you talking about straightness along the fret board, or the uniformity of the neck dimensions?

RichBrew

Trea · 01-04-2012, 05:37 PM

I think he's talking about neck angle? It looks fine to me, but as others have said take some actual measurements.

River · 01-04-2012, 05:40 PM

Looks fine to me. Near-perfect, even, from what one can tell from a photo.

RichBrew · 01-04-2012, 05:41 PM

I think you may be right, Trea, in which case everything looks good to me from the supplied photographs.

RichBrew

Maccadude33 · 01-04-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockerbsbn

huh really? i can see it in person, i feel like the pictures make it a little harder. so the neck shouldn't be straight then?

I think Trea is right. LP necks and headstocks are set at a slight angle going away from the body.

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichBrew

Are you talking about straightness along the fret board, or the uniformity of the neck dimensions?

RichBrew

er...what? haha sorry, confused 17 year old here! i think straightness? like shouldnt the fret board be straight? my is rather bowed

smorgdonkey · 01-04-2012, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockerbsbn

er...what? haha sorry, confused 17 year old here! i think straightness? like shouldnt the fret board be straight? my is rather bowed

It should be straight or near straight. The person who said:

"push the big e string on the 1st fret and the 11 fret .
what is the space between the string and the 5th fret ?
push the big e string on the 1st fret and the last fret .
what is the space between the string and the 10th fret ?"

is showing you how to tell 'how bowed' the neck is. A string is straight so if you fret at 1st and at the last then you see the biggest gap at the 10th...that gap is how 'off from straight' the neck is.

AngryHatter · 01-04-2012, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maccadude33

I can't see any abnormal bowing in these pictures. Your fretboard and the top of the neck look to be in line with the rest of the body. The back of the neck isn't supposed to be flat, if that is what you are asking. The neck is naturally "curved" so that you can easily move your hand around. Now if there is an abnormal curvature or bow, then yes, you could loosen the truss rod a bit. But if you're not having any intonation or stability issues, and it plays comfortably, then I see no reason to adjust it. Just my two cents.

Loosen = more relief?

twitch · 01-04-2012, 06:24 PM

It needs to be bowed a little, OR the frets filed at an ever decreasing slope so you dont have any dead frets. You can straighten the neck, but chances are youll have dead frets unless you set it up with an uncomfortably high action. Bottom line, yes, a little bow is the way it should be.

AngryHatter · 01-04-2012, 06:26 PM

Actually I think he is looking at holding the guitar vertical and imagine a line extending down from the plane of the nut.
I think he is wondering why they aren't parallel, why the nut is back, behind the body, so to speak, as that plane would intersect the body somewhere in the middle.

Seceded · 01-04-2012, 06:42 PM

You're new to Les Pauls aren't you?

P90SFAN · 01-04-2012, 07:37 PM

He's talking bout the set neck angle to the body. That's why he put the ruler along the body and has it pointing down the neck.

If he was trying to show the bowing of the fretboard from string tension he would have laid the ruler on its edge on top of the frets.

rockerbebn, you do not adjust the neck set with the truss rod. Truss rod is for adjustment of "neck relief" which is the very slight curve on the top of the fretboard when your strings are all tuned up.

If your neck set angle is a problem (doubtful) you will have to see a luthier (guitar builder) or service center. Best way to evaluate you neck set angle would be to take the guitar in to a shop and compare it to other les pauls.

sibyrpunk · 01-04-2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockerbsbn

er...what? haha sorry, confused 17 year old here! i think straightness? like shouldnt the fret board be straight? my is rather bowed

Do you mean the neck is twisted at the nut?

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngryHatter

Actually I think he is looking at holding the guitar vertical and imagine a line extending down from the plane of the nut.
I think he is wondering why they aren't parallel, why the nut is back, behind the body, so to speak, as that plane would intersect the body somewhere in the middle.

no no i understand that. If anything, I think the nut should be further back when held vertical.
I'm trying to say that, say if i made the guitar's body and neck disappear, and put the base of the fretboard flat on the ground, the nut/headstock area of the fretboard would be much higher than the base. does that make sense? I know that les pauls have an angled neck.
Sorry if I'm being unclear! but i really appreciate all of your input

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seceded

You're new to Les Pauls aren't you?

well I've had mine for four years, but it's the only one I've had, and only recently have I had the realization that I can set it up myself and such. I've worked with the action and pickup height, dropped the bridge, and stuff like that, but never messed with the truss rod or the neck itself.

River · 01-04-2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockerbsbn

no no i understand that.

Sorry, but I really don't think you do.

If the guitar plays well, fuggedaboutit. You're fine. If it doesn't, don't touch a damned thing, and take it to a good tech.

ACELUEK · 01-04-2012, 08:35 PM

Which one are you talking about??

Kirrt · 01-04-2012, 08:47 PM

Sorry OP, but I think I have no idea what you're talking about

rockerbsbn · 01-04-2012, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by River

Sorry, but I really don't think you do.

If the guitar plays well, fuggedaboutit. You're fine. If it doesn't, don't touch a damned thing, and take it to a good tech.

alright ill go with this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACELUEK

Which one are you talking about??

haha fine i have no idea what i'm talking about, ill accept that. ACELUEK, it looks just like the 'up-bowed one'- maybe not as extreme, but yeah

01-04-2012, 03:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
rockerbsbn Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	neck bow Hey, so this has been bothering me for a while now. I have a '08 gibson les paul studio, and the neck is extremely bowed/curved. It started curving/bowing the moment the neck leaves the body (17th fret) - can this be fixed by adjusting the truss rod, or do i have a serious problem?

01-04-2012, 03:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
BigAl Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 3,180 Thanks: 125 Thanked 71 Times in 23 Posts	Re: neck bow A quick truss rod adjustment will do the trick, just don't leave it bowed or you may cause other problems. Keep in mind that the guitar will probably need setting up after the adjustment (intonation, action etc.).

01-04-2012, 05:05 AM	#4 (permalink)
Zack Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Melbourne australia Posts: 3,740 Thanks: 456 Thanked 52 Times in 20 Posts	Re: neck bow

01-04-2012, 05:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
Zack Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Melbourne australia Posts: 3,740 Thanks: 456 Thanked 52 Times in 20 Posts	Re: neck bow oh wait, a les pauls neck isnt parallel like a stratocaster, is that what you mean?

01-04-2012, 05:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
number27 Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 42 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: neck bow push the big e string on the 1st fret and the 11 fret . what is the space between the string and the 5th fret ? push the big e string on the 1st fret and the last fret . what is the space between the string and the 10th fret ?

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01-04-2012, 04:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
Archtop 13 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Vermont USA Posts: 1,235 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 3 Posts	Re: neck bow How is it curved? The action looks pretty low. ? I don't see any curve? Take a picture looking down the neck from the headstock __________________ ------------------------------------------- http://www.bluebellyguitars.com FACEBOOK Link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-B...66137280086032

01-04-2012, 05:03 PM	#11 (permalink)
Maccadude33 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 285 Thanks: 2 Thanked 15 Times in 1 Post	Re: neck bow I can't see any abnormal bowing in these pictures. Your fretboard and the top of the neck look to be in line with the rest of the body. The back of the neck isn't supposed to be flat, if that is what you are asking. The neck is naturally "curved" so that you can easily move your hand around. Now if there is an abnormal curvature or bow, then yes, you could loosen the truss rod a bit. But if you're not having any intonation or stability issues, and it plays comfortably, then I see no reason to adjust it. Just my two cents.

01-04-2012, 05:34 PM	#13 (permalink)
RichBrew Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Dorsetshire (UK) Posts: 1,756 Thanks: 125 Thanked 12 Times in 5 Posts	Re: neck bow Are you talking about straightness along the fret board, or the uniformity of the neck dimensions? RichBrew __________________ https://soundcloud.com/richbrew/kaxi-doni http://richbrew-dailygrind.blogspot.co.uk/

01-04-2012, 05:37 PM	#14 (permalink)
Trea Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 518 Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: neck bow I think he's talking about neck angle? It looks fine to me, but as others have said take some actual measurements. __________________ 1993 Les Paul Classic Tobacco 2010 Les Paul Traditional Pro Goldtop 2008 SG Special Faded Worn Brown 1985 Ibanez RS420SB 2010 American Standard Stratocaster, CFM 1991 Gibson J30 2011 American Special Telecaster Martin 000CX1E

01-04-2012, 05:40 PM	#15 (permalink)
River Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rural Colorado, USA Posts: 54,553 Thanks: 745 Thanked 847 Times in 77 Posts	Re: neck bow Looks fine to me. Near-perfect, even, from what one can tell from a photo. smorgdonkey and HRC like this. __________________ River Bottom Blues Band - Music Home of the River Bottom Blues Band

01-04-2012, 05:41 PM	#16 (permalink)
RichBrew Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Dorsetshire (UK) Posts: 1,756 Thanks: 125 Thanked 12 Times in 5 Posts	Re: neck bow I think you may be right, Trea, in which case everything looks good to me from the supplied photographs. RichBrew __________________ https://soundcloud.com/richbrew/kaxi-doni http://richbrew-dailygrind.blogspot.co.uk/

01-04-2012, 06:24 PM	#21 (permalink)
twitch Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Columbus, IN Posts: 275 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Re: neck bow It needs to be bowed a little, OR the frets filed at an ever decreasing slope so you dont have any dead frets. You can straighten the neck, but chances are youll have dead frets unless you set it up with an uncomfortably high action. Bottom line, yes, a little bow is the way it should be. __________________ 02 Gibson Les Paul Standard 07 Epiphone Les Paul Standard 05 Epiphone Les Paul Custom 03 Jackson DKMGTFF 94 Alvarez AED-200 Line6 Spidervalve HD100 MKII

01-04-2012, 06:26 PM	#22 (permalink)
AngryHatter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 13,049 Thanks: 35 Thanked 107 Times in 44 Posts	Re: neck bow Actually I think he is looking at holding the guitar vertical and imagine a line extending down from the plane of the nut. I think he is wondering why they aren't parallel, why the nut is back, behind the body, so to speak, as that plane would intersect the body somewhere in the middle. RichBrew likes this.

01-04-2012, 06:42 PM	#23 (permalink)
Seceded Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Southern, Ma Posts: 1,923 Thanks: 37 Thanked 118 Times in 11 Posts	Re: neck bow You're new to Les Pauls aren't you? __________________ "I'm On The Nightrain!" Guitars: USA - Gibson 1958 RI plaintop VOS MIC - Epi Slash Plus Top 50's wiring MIK - Epi Ebony Custom W/ BB's "Crowd Pleaser" Pickups

01-04-2012, 07:37 PM	#24 (permalink)
P90SFAN Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: A big rock in the middle of the Pacific Posts: 79 Thanks: 7 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: neck bow He's talking bout the set neck angle to the body. That's why he put the ruler along the body and has it pointing down the neck. If he was trying to show the bowing of the fretboard from string tension he would have laid the ruler on its edge on top of the frets. rockerbebn, you do not adjust the neck set with the truss rod. Truss rod is for adjustment of "neck relief" which is the very slight curve on the top of the fretboard when your strings are all tuned up. If your neck set angle is a problem (doubtful) you will have to see a luthier (guitar builder) or service center. Best way to evaluate you neck set angle would be to take the guitar in to a shop and compare it to other les pauls. __________________ 10' Gibson R6 Goldtop Darkback 08' Gibson LP Standard Ebony 11' Gibson Midtown Ebony Marshall JVM 410C 03' National Steel "EN" Resonator 10' Yamaha FS720S Ebony Acoustic

01-04-2012, 08:35 PM	#28 (permalink)
ACELUEK ACE FREHLEY'S BASTARD SON Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern CA Posts: 3,241 Thanks: 132 Thanked 196 Times in 76 Posts	Re: neck bow Which one are you talking about?? P90SFAN, Thumpalumpacus, Seceded and 1 others like this. __________________ '08 Gibson Explorer '01 Gibson LP Standard Tobacco '10 Gibson LP Traditional Plus Desert '10 Gibson LP R8 VOS Lemon '12 Gibson LP Ace Frehley VOS Budokan '12 Gibson SG 61 Reissue '09 Epiphone LP Standard Plus '10 Epiphone SG G-400 '11 Epiphone Limited Edition Thunderbird IV Bass A few other guitars..... Marshall DSL100 & VM 2266CB, Pignose, Crate BV120 Eleven Rack, Kemper KPA http://soundcloud.com/aceluek http://www.youtube.com/user/Earnhardt12345

01-04-2012, 08:47 PM	#29 (permalink)
Kirrt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,031 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Re: neck bow Sorry OP, but I think I have no idea what you're talking about

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