Is there anyway to tighten up a set neck?

joro

The Pie Guy
I have a cheapie Epi SG with a set neck that is loose.....
I can whole pitch bend with my fretting hand.....

seems to me must be a loose neck....but, how do you tighten up a set neck?
 
***********sigh***********


I aint' feelin' the love fellas........was it a stewpid question?
 
Where do you feel the looseness?

Is the neck isn't moving at all at the joint where it meets the body when you press on the fretboard with your hand?

Maybe just a cheap neck.....
 
Where do you feel the looseness?

Is the neck isn't moving at all at the joint where it meets the body when you press on the fretboard with your hand?

Maybe just a cheap neck.....

say i lean into a chord (push hard with my fretting hand)......it will move all of the strings out of tune and it will stay there until I push it back......perhaps it is just a POS neck on POS guitar......I never had this problem with my Les Paul Epi though.....
 
I would think if it was moving that much, you should be able to see some separation at the neck joint (if it is the neck joint).
 
I can bend more than that on some guitars. If you can physically see no separation and the the thing holds tune don't worry about it. If it is coming apart it will start to become unstable tuning wise, the action will be all over the place and eventually it just let go and it will be in two parts..
 
There really isn't any visible separation but, it shouldn't bend and stay..it should bend and return...am I right or wrong?
 
There really isn't any visible separation but, it shouldn't bend and stay..it should bend and return...am I right or wrong?

it should but there are other reasons why it may not return to original pitch other than neck joint. If it doesn't return at all or is way out of tune when it does you need to investigate further. To do that we need more information. How far out of tune is it? Is it all strings|? etc... In all likelyhood if the neck joint is that weak it won't hold tune long enough to be usable..
 
That's just it.......

it is all strings...
it goes close to 2 cents out and def noticeable....

it will go back into tune if I push back....
here is the weirdest thing...all the strings stay in tune to each other throughout this whole process....

I know something is wrong...I just don't know what.
 
truss rod adjustment has nothing to do with it.

2 cents is nothing. The most likely cause is slack over the nut and saddles. It's normal. learn not to lean on it so hard.
 
Are you sure you aren't just pressing too hard and bending the strings? If the frets are taller than the ones on your Paul, it would be easy to have a bad habit. (I had this problem when I started playing again after 15 years)
 
Are you sure you aren't just pressing too hard and bending the strings? ........................................

yes...I am sure......the neck moves and stays moved until I push it back.....it's not the strings.....
Muttley....I had my doubts also and was waiting for some reply such as yours....thanks...........


I just need a better guitar I suppose.........
 
If you're not seeing any cracks in the finish around the neck joint or any movement there, then you most likely have a poorly routed truss rod cavity. If there was room for the nut at either end to shift and then it stuck there until forced back, that might produce the symptom you're talking about. Try loosening the truss rod until there is no tension on it and see if you can repeat the problem. If it still does it, it's not the truss rod.
 
If you're not seeing any cracks in the finish around the neck joint or any movement there, then you most likely have a poorly routed truss rod cavity. If there was room for the nut at either end to shift and then it stuck there until forced back, that might produce the symptom you're talking about. Try loosening the truss rod until there is no tension on it and see if you can repeat the problem. If it still does it, it's not the truss rod.

Do not do this.
 
Why not? In hindsight, I guess I should've added "take it to your local tech, if you're not comfortable with this procedure".
 
Why not? ......................

Because it is not the truss rod, or the slot, or the tension on the neck or anything to do with the truss rod. You don't understand what the truss rod does or how it is installed and what it affects. Removing the tension on the neck in one go can cause significant issues and should never be done unless you KNOW when it can be done safely. The OP doesn't, and he would be performing a pointless operation that would achieve nothing and could at best harm an already dodgy setup and at worst cause structural problems.

I repeat don't do this.
 
Well, I certainly don't want to pick a fight being new here and all, but if you want to know what I do or don't understand about it you can Google me. My company is called CNC Guitar Parts. Please don't think I'm plugging it. Our customers are manufacturers.
 
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