Does my Strat need a neck Shim?
If your guitar plays well and the saddles offer enough adjustment range for you to set the action correctly, you don’t need to change anything. However, if the angle is too low and you can’t move the saddles down any further, the neck needs a shim.
Do neck shims affect tone?
They have been used regularly by the top manufacturers of bolt-on guitar necks for over sixty years. Shims are not evidence of sloppy manufacturing. Nor do they affect tone or sustain of your guitar in any way. Final note – Some luthiers and guitar techs say that only “full pocket” shims should be used.
How thick should a neck Shim be?
The 0.5° should be enough for most jobs but it’s nice to have the option of something bigger (the bigger one is useful for the offset Fenders when you’re deliberately trying to raise the bridge height).
What does a neck Shim do?
Guitar neck shims are usually thin strips of wood, cardboard, or plastic placed between the neck heel and neck pocket of the guitar. Altering the shape and placement of neck shims changes the front or back angle of the guitar neck to the body. This is also referred to as the “break angle” of the neck.
Why do you shim a guitar neck?
The angle between the neck and body of a guitar sets the plane for the bridge saddle’s height, so is an absolutely critical part of your instrument’s setup. Having a bolt-on neck offers a great chance to change this angle with relative ease by fitting a shim.
When should you shim a bolt-on your neck?
Shimming a Bolt-On Neck If your saddles are bottomed out, but you’ve still got a high action, we might want to shim. Also, shimming a neck is sometimes done to purposely raise the bridge in order to get a better ‘break angle’ (and therefore more ‘downforce’) over it.
Does guitar neck affect tone?
The neck wood affects the tone of a guitar by impacting the way that the vibrations produced by the strings behave. Denser neck woods, like maple sound brighter and have less sustain. Mahogany on the other hand, produces a warmer and darker tone with better resonance and sustain.
Why would you need to shim a guitar neck?
If your saddles are bottomed out, but you’ve still got a high action, we might want to shim. Also, shimming a neck is sometimes done to purposely raise the bridge in order to get a better ‘break angle’ (and therefore more ‘downforce’) over it.
Do saddle shims affect tone?
I find shims to greatly effect the resonance of acoustic guitars given that so much of the tone is derived from that contact. Bone saddle, no shim is the best way to go.
Why would you shim a guitar neck?