I have been making guitars since I was twelve, and I am old and grey now (:) and have NEVER heard of this, although I am fully aware that a tight clean fitting neck will get good sustain. This is a neat and worthy tip and has a lot of logic behind it, thanks for sharing, you just made the world a better place to live :)
Joe Pregiato Because the movement is so small there’s no need to alter anything. Screw on a neck under no tension and it’s not at optimal closeness to the body. Do the same under string tension and it’s being pulled tight. You cannot see the amount as it’s too small. The logic behind it is solid.
I just did this to my Roadhouse Strat. It made a loud crack and some crunches. The low E dropped a half step in tuning, and the high E dropped about a third of a step. After re-tuning, tightening, and re-tuning again, it has gained a bunch of sustain, and also has more acoustic volume and presence. Great stuff! Thanks for the tip!
I’ve just tried this in an Ibanez RG1570 and the results are amazing. I’ve owned this guitar for almost 20 years and it only weakness was always the poor sustain. I heard the noise when loosing the first screw only and now it feels like a completely different guitar. I’m extremely thankful, man, thank you very much!!!!!!
This worked for me on a 90s RG DX-270, it actually does increase the felt vibration. Sustain wise, it seemed to clean up a few off sounding hums when playing at high gain.
Tried this on a strat-style guitar with poor sustain; it had some sustain - a few seconds - power chords died pretty quickly. Got the slight pop you described on the two top bolts (actually when I loosened the second one). Sustain more than tripled, to nearly 10 seconds on open E chord. This is with same amp setting and other conditions as similar as I could get them. Did nothing on my other bolt-on but it already sustained well. Not a very scientific test but I'm happy.
I thought I knew every trick on guitar sustain, but this one was new to me. I tried it on 2 of my MIJ strats and telecaster. WOW it really worked. What an improvement in sustain. I'm blown away by this. Thanks so much for sharing!
Pure magic. Did it on my 79 strat that has a big brilliant tone (ash, hardtail, 12s) but did fall apart completely when you really went to town SRV style. All three screws popped after something like 1/5 of a turn, retuned, tightened...different guitar lol. It mended two dead spots and a wolf note at the same time. Absolutely recommended.
It works! I have a G&L Tribute ASAT. Followed your procedure (very well explained), heard the pops. Tightened and tuned. Tuning dropped one full note. Sustain is remarkably improved. I removed the pick guard prior as the fit is close to assure full neck contact. Brilliant. Thanks!
This totally worked on one of my Strats. On this guitar I have to take off the neck in order to adjust the truss rod so it’s been taken off quite a bit. The sustain has improved as well as the low end. Thanks!
What you’re actually doing is causing at least 2 of the screws to come into full contact with the through holes in the body which will give much better energy transfer between parts than if the screws are centered in those holes and only make contact at the screw heads to the brackets with no significant contact with the body. The reality is that because of manufacturing tolerances neither is completely attainable. But using this technique it makes sense that you are maximizing the potential to transmit energy through the screws to the body which should indeed make the system more efficient and thus have less attenuation (i.e. more sustain). For the same reason it also makes sense that the results will vary depending upon how perfectly the guitar was made. The really interesting part (at least to me) is if my theory is correct; a guitar made perfectly to target dimensions will come from the factory with the least contact between screws and body (because everything will line up perfectly) and thus have the least sustain. And one made sloppily will have the most contact and thus sustain. This seems counterintuitive as a design goal but makes perfect sense per the above. BOOM! Mind blown... If after tightening the screws your tuning is now flat then you actually accomplished something in the process. The nut is now closer to the bridge, though, so you’ll need to adjust the intonation to accommodate that change. If your guitar holds tune during this process nothing happened and it’s already up against the screws.
If the neck can move enough for the shank of the screw to come into contact with the headstock side of the holes in the body, you’ve got a serious neck fit problem. He’s talking about a mm or less.
Probably the best tip I have ever tried for improving my Strat., I have been through this process 5 times now and still getting some very distinctive creaking. I agree that this might be somewhat subjective, but I think the sustain and even the sound have improved significantly. Thanks to you Guitar Guts!
Used this today on my Ibanez Gio 7-string and noticed a huge difference. I didn't hear any cracking or popping sound on the neck when I was doing the quarter turns, but I definitely did notice an immediate difference in sustain and being able to feel the vibrations in the body. It did go a little flat, but after tuning and re-intonating my guitar, it sounds and plays much better. Thank you so much for this tip!
Wow, just did this to my Fender custom shop strat and it's made a huge difference, I can feel the body vibrate much more but even more noticeable was the extended vibration on chords felt in my left hand. I carried out the procedure exactly as directed. On the forth screw when released slightly there was a significant pop sound. Re tuned and tightened all bolts. Not only has the sustain improved but the tone has too. Thanks for this advice. I assumed as I bought it new and it was a custom shop it would have been set up.
excellent. you'd think they would set them up but why do it for free when you will bring it in later and they can charge you for it. they just grab it out of the box and hang it up by the neck. most of them I've noticed are not even in tune. so i think it's always a good idea to make sure everything is adjusted and tight periodically. it's not like it takes a long time and it couldn't be much easier.
Re: "you'd think they would set them up" - well there would be no future sales if you were totally satisfied with an instrument! Great story Stephen, and hope you enjoy the shit out of that guitar. Some people don't realize the advantage of doing some adjustments (they act frightened about changing the arbitrary factory setup) or even having a full go-over (they don't want to pay an experienced guitar tech to yield maximum guitar-playing joy & the hidden value of their investment.)
Amazing how well this easy tip worked on my guitar. Tried it on my Reissue Strat which had poor sustain on the 1st an 2nd string above the 12th fret. My guitar responded just as described. When loosening the screws 1/4 turn the neck made some noises. The strings went flat about 6 cents. I tuned the guitar back up to pitch, then tightened the screws. The sustain is now about twice as long as before on the upper frets. Thanks!
That's exactly what I was thinking. Here's my opinion on this whole thing. The manufacturers of bolt on guitars by now should have developed a way for the neck to be more precicely fitted to the body. Especially guitars costing around $500 or more. We did send people to the moon and they returned to tell about it, yet we can't have tight fitting guitar necks. It's not a mass production issue either, it's failure to develop a simple fool proof way of making the fit tight when the two elements are joined and screwed together.
as a carpenter i have to say a word for the manufacturers. wood inherently is a material, that can´t be milled as exactly as you want it to. sure, you can make sure, it´s been stored the right way, has dthe right humidity, etc and all this helps. but it still will move and there still is a certain roughness of the woods surface, that´s caused by it being wood. before being a carpenter i was trained as a patternmaker. nowadays only few wood is used für making foundry patterns. but at the time we almost exclusively used wood. in our final exam we had to make a pattern as exact as 2 tenth of a mm. this actually is possible, but doesen´t make any sense in real life. first off, it´s very tedious and secondly through use, temperature and humidity the wood will change, grow or rather shrink and all that work put into it was just a waist of time. the best way to solve a problem ist to know yo9ur material. so advice as this video is far more useful than trying to fit something, that´s going to change anyways.
Although every Japanese Fender Strat neck joint I've seen mates perfectly & the neck also fits other Japanese Fender Strat bodies. American manufacturing just sucks sometimes. Even Fender CS can muck it up, despite starting with CNC-made parts. Yes, maple can lose moisture and shrink laterally so the poking fret ends need to be dressed off. But we're talking about making a brand new neck and body that fit snug. It can be done.
A wedge shaped neck heel would solve the problem. As a wedge gets pulled into a wedge shaped slot/cut out it tightens naturally. The only thing to work out is the angle of the wedge to get maximum contact without causing the body to split from too much tension.
I've seen a lot of problems with machined angles. If the angle of either piece is off ever so slightly (1/2 degree), then the actual contact area will land in a different spot. It will never seat correctly. I give you credit though for thinking outside the neck pocket.
I was taught this trick about ten years ago as it does work, but it also throws your intonation off when you do it. It’s good to do once then leave it alone in my experience.
Okay check it out, I just got finished with this. I know for a fact that this worked substantially . Playing The Devil's Advocate let's assume it could be the power of suggestion. I have a digital clip-on tuner set to clip mode as opposed to Mike mode. By the time I got finished it took me about three times longer to tune because the previous string would not stop resonating. I never mute the string after I strike it when I'm tuning because I always want to see how long it resonates. Add to that I could definitely hear and feel the difference. Anyone would , its DRAMATIC !! First time I did it I noticed a little difference but the neck didn't feel right. Above the 12th fret just didn't feel right or sound right. So the next time I did it I I loosened the claw Springs first so my trem was floating about 1/3 of an inch and tuned it. I wanted less tension on the neck.The first time I was hesitant to go a quarter of a turn and did about 1/8 even with that I was hearing crackling. The second time I went a complete quarter-turn, it sounded like a bowl of rice krispies, tuned it to pitch and this time I made sure to tighten the two screws closest to the body first. And I probably left 1/16 of a turn on the table . Then I tightened the rear screws the same way. Back to the front tighten them back to the rear. This time when I tuned my clip-on tuner it just wouldn't stop reading the prior string. I had to do a little light intonation and aside from the sustaine it resonates almost like a... and I know this is an exaggeration but like a hollow body. Don't get on my case I said almost. Its a 98 or 99 mex Strat. about 2 weeks ago I changed out the 3 trem springs for 5 vintage ones and decided to leave the rear plate off and that made a huge difference. This was a special issue and came with Tex Mex p/u. Earlier today I went to get an estimate on a bone nut but now fuck it I'm set. Anymore sustain and I'm gonna get naked and violate this thing.
Well, I'll be damned! Did this on my Squier Stratocaster and the improvement was noticeable! Thanks so much for a simple & free modification/improvement!
Tried it on two guitars. Tele USA worked brilliantly, loosened the screws got the “noise” and then better sustain (wasn’t bad before) Strat made from various parts mainly Squier etc, no noise but sustained before and sustains now. Thanks for the tip!
I was skeptical first. I tried this on a Squier Stratocaster I've had for over 30 years which had poor sustain. I always attributed the lack of sustain to the light weight body. I was even considering buying a heavier body! I tried this procedure and it resulted in a substantial improvement to the guitar's sustain. I now love this guitar!!!
Great tip! Thanks for it. Might just want to point out that if you notice a change in pitch after the neck resets in the pocket, then besides retuning you should definitely check the intonation and adjust it as necessary. If it moved enough for an audible pitch change then you may need further adjustment at the bridge. To check this, plug into a tuner, tune up, then check the pitch of a 12 fret harmonic versus the fretted note at the 12th fret. With proper intonation, these should be the same pitch. If not, you need to adjust the bridge saddle for that string. Might want to check this before loosening the neck bolts to know where you started from.
Dude, you just brought my chinese telecaster from hell to heaven. I can't freaking believe the difference, Been playing for 40 years, never saw such magic thing to happen in a few minutes. The sustain, the intonation, the natural resonance with the unplugged instrument, it's like day and night. I have no words to thank you enough. It even corrected my high E string that was always been to close to the edge.
Can't believe how much it helped me! After hearing the cracks on the neck and re tuning it, my Strat just sounds so much better. The sustain increased by a bunch and for some reason that just made the sound quality much better and brighter. Thanks!
Thanks, Great reveal. I've heard this before, yet you've explained it perfectly! This technique mates neck resonance to the body via it's string tension. It could be advantageous to sand off paint in the body cavity if it's mixed with sawdust. I've had one's that were pretty thick.
Wow! I’ve been playing for 25 years but am not great at performing setups etc. I’d never heard of this approach and just did it on my Fender AVRI 65 JM and blimey!!! It worked a charm! Thank you.
I just finished the process, I tried on muy strat, and the results are great! It Took me no more than 15 minutes, the sustain increased i´d say around 30 percent of what the guitar had before. Great Tip!!!!
This is such an easy fix of some real tone issues. I have replaced saddles, tone block, sanded under the tremolo, and some other thing and still had iffy sustain, especially in the higher strings. I did this trick in under a minute, and my guitar sounds better. Increased sustain. The change in intonation is very slight, and will take about 20 minutes to adjust at most. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for passing this tip on. I'm doing several builds and can vouch for doing this adjustment on both new and previously-assembled instruments. The results do vary and, although this is subjective, at worst there's only been a slight or no change. At best, there's a very audible "improvement" - even my tuner registers more sustain. And the guitars feel more locked-in, somehow.
Guitar Guts, THANKS! Made a huge difference on my telecaster. Loosened the screws like your video shows and when I loosened the last screw there was a definite pop. Retuned and reset my intonation and could definitely tell there was more sustain. Thought well if once is good maybe twice would be better (in the back of my mind I suspected that the two screws in the back would resist some). Sure enough I again heard the "pop" when the wood shifted, not as loud or distinct, but it was there. Rechecked my tune/intonation and sure enough it was off. One other thing I noticed, my tuner worked better! I purchased this tuner shortly after the guitar and it would always bounce around when I tuned my guitar and I never felt that I was "exactly" in tune. The reading would move, sometimes more than others, between a little sharp to flat. Thought I needed a new one, but now, the tuner is rock steady and it allows me to get a more accurate and tuning. So thanks again. P.S. After reading some of the other comments and their self righteous opinions I've decided to add this note. I am so sure that it worked on MY guitar that I'm going to do this as an ongoing part of my guitar maintenance. My thought is that if wood is affected by various environmental conditions to the extent that I have to retune then over time (6-12 months) it may also affect the neck joint. Also, since a lot of guitars have different types of wood for the neck and body, they will respond differently over time. Thanks again!
I sprinkle my strat with graveyard dirt(1oz) and 3 tears from a virgin and then I dance around it while shaking a chicken foot. Boom, sustain for days!
So I tried this on my Strat and it made a MASSIVE difference. I even got a pop on the very first bottom screw I loosened. Both the sustain and the tone were night and day. I was shocked at what a difference this made. After I loosened all four bolts less than a quarter turn each and checked the tuning it had dropped down almost a half step. That's how big of a shift the neck made in the pocket. I did have to adjust the intonation after this as well. But the difference is incredible.
Thank you so much, the screws all popped on my Fender Pro II Guitar. I also pulled on the whammy bar to stretch the strings even more before I loosened the last two (top screws) heard a lot of creaking. tightened all back up flipped the Guitar back over and retuned. Sustain was incredible. Thanks again! If I had not tried this, I would have never believed it. But it makes sense and it works.
Ever heard of John Page? He used to work for the Fender Custom Shop; he actually designed the "Squier Bullet" guitar that is pretty much the most popular entry-level guitar of all time. He now has his own company and he has said that throughout the many decades of being a luthier, what he ended up figuring out is that, in order to get the best possible contact between the neck and the body on bolt-on guitars, he puts some kind of specially designed receiver nut ends inside of the neck itself that the bolts go into -- apparently this alone not only makes them easier to manufacture (in terms of consistency) but also ensures the sustain and overall contact is top notch every single time, when compared to just a bolt / screw going into the neck wood. Grover Jackson also swears by this exact same idea, although I believe he has his own designs for the bolts and receiver nuts. Lee Anderton mentioned this in a video where he was talking about the time he met Jackson; and I've met John Page and asked him about the same thing. John is such a wonderful guy!
I have seen some terrible Fender CS guitars just like I've seen some horrible Bill Nash guitars. They just go out sometimes. But some of these guys at Fender do have some neat tricks to make a fine axe.
Those "specially designed receiver nut ends" are called threaded inserts, and are used all the time in guitar and furniture manufacture. If you have a graphite neck, you already know all about these pretty common, and widely used, even in guitar manufacture, pieces of hardware. The best part about them is that you can take off and replace a neck on a guitar over and over, essentially making it possible to be a travel guitar to just throw in your suitcase or carry-on.
@@michaelcarey9359 Ha ha! I just relied to a guy (the white mustang) about using threaded inserts. I need to find a source for the thicker neck plates because with them and the inserts you can snug the threaded bolts down without loosening the neck holes like you would with wood screws. Guitar guts tip will work during the new positioning of the neck to accommodate the inserts. Old holes can be plugged, the neck realigned and clamped and then the new locations for the inserts marked.
I tried this on my Mexi-Strat. I proceeded carefully, erring on the side of caution. After very slightly loosening the neck, I let it sit for a moment while wondering if it needed one more slight turn, when I heard a most satisfying creak, and a slight noise from the trem strings. I tightened it up, and could immediately feel the improved exchange of resonance through the body. This simple trick really worked! Thanks!
For me, the whole appeal of playing a bolt-on guitar or bass is to not have so much sustain. Some time back, I took a Strat and a LP and timed them both. There is not enough of a difference to justify hacking the neck pocket. The other consideration is if you need to shim the neck angle or use the micro-tilt, there will be a break in contact to the body. Your videos are very good and the info is also very helpful. Sometimes I prefer a bolt so that I have more control over my tone with my hands. You have to work a Strat. A low action Les Paul with Humbuckers almost plays itself and it can get away from you depending on how much gain you're using. Each serves their own niche. It really depends on what kind of music you're playing and which guitar best serves the song. I don't use effects. Everything I need is in the cord, the amp and my hands.
wow. this seriously made a difference on my guitars. i heard mine creak as soon as i loosened the screws and it went out of tune. after re-tuning it was noticeably louder!
If the neck cranks from side to side, get some thin, hard veneer, maple works well and you can find scraps on eBay often sold for marquetry for very little money. Take the strings and scratchplate off, look at how the neck fits in the pocket when aligned and look for gaps between the neck and neck pocket. Remove neck, and place veneer shims where the gaps were, refit the neck. It should be a tight fit, tight enough to support the weight of the body without bolts. Check alignment with a ruler. Bolt neck back on, string and test. You may need to sand the veneer to get a perfect fit or to adjust alignment. You may need to remove a little material from the scratchplate where it overhangs the neck pocket. If you're ever likely to remove the neck again (neck heel truss rods spring to mind) then glue the veneer in place. Use a glue that sets hard, hide glue (either the traditional mix with water and heat kind, or Titebond's cold-applied ready mix work ok). I wrap the neck in one layer of cling film (is that saran wrap in the USA?) and refit and bolt it as soon as the veneer is placed for maximum clamping force, leaving the edges of veneer that would protrude from the pocket untrimmed. When it's dry, I remove the neck, remove the cling film and any squeeze-out, then trim the veneer flush with the body. You can now refit the neck a final time and perform the trick above. If the neck requires frequent removal for truss rod adjustment or if the screw threads in the neck heel do not hold well, consider a brass bushing in the neck and a machine screw to hold.
There's 4 extra screws on all my bolt on...Those neck arnt going anywhere. i also glue it...after I know the neck has proper tilt. For the tail...I also install longer screws with wider blades...so it'll grip....grip. i also jam glue into the screws holes...to make the wood harder...so the screws has something HARD..HARD to grip to... it also reflects the vibration back to the strings...more. In other words...longer sustain. That's also how people are fixing cheap acoustic guitar. They basically add more wood and re enforce the bridge with something harder. It's not rocket science... it's the same reason Gibson put maple caps..just harder wood around the bridge..but you can harden the wood around the tune O matic studs simply by add glue to the wood to make it harder..
This is a great tip. I have two very well-behaved Mex Strats that I did this on and I heard the "pop" on both as the neck heel snugged down tighter into the neck pocket. I noticed a distinct improvement in sustain and vibration transfer from the neck to the body. Give it a try.
Heard this trick years ago, tried it back in the day, it didn't do shit, and i can not recommended loosening the screws on your bolt on neck. Just an old guys opinion.
Yep, I was looking for this comment. Other then the obvious of having good contact points on the nut slots and saddles, bottom line is: If you want good sustain, 1. PRACTICE. 2. Use decent pickups with the right pickup height, and 3. Buy a good amp. Maybe with acoustic guitars it makes a difference. It's like Eric Johnson saying the type of battery in his guitar pedal crafts his tone. Um, nope. People hear want they want to hear.
BLOWN AWAY! Can’t believe I’ve never heard of this. My ‘06 MIM Strat body with Warmoth neck replacement tone & sustain has improved immensely! Playing unplugged, I could never get the tone of this guitar to resonate at the neck pocket like my other Strats & bolt-ons do. Now, it not only sounds better at said point -but all the way down the neck to the lower frets! Like you -I can actually FEEL it. Since it worked so well I did it to all my bolt-ons regardless of whether they had good sustain or not. I mean -why not?! The results where not as perceptible on my American Strat & Custom built guitar, but though I can’t scientifically calculate the difference... to my ear they’re as good or better as ever. Nice informative video -so well done! The one thing not mentioned is that you will need to re-intonate afterward, as the saddles have now moved ever so slightly closer. They’ll probably need to be moved back a touch. In other words, if your intonation is off after performing this procedure -if you need more proof than just your ears- ...it’s another way to prove IT WORKED! I will ALWAYS do this to bolt-ons moving forward. Thank you!
Just finished this 10-second "mod" on my Road Worn Strat and heard several little cracks/gives as I unscrewed the four screws. Strummed afterwards and my jawed dropped. It practically tripled the sustain and resonance up and down the neck. Thank you so much for sharing this solid-gold tip! I'm still in disbelief at how much difference it made.
Hi, Tried this on my Mexican Strat and it seems to have worked! Noodling around on it afterwards I'm getting sweet feed back on the ends of sustained notes, bent and not. And this playing in my living room on a Peavey Rage at very low volume!! Yes thought about the intonation, sounds OK by ear will check and adjust if necessary later. Thanks for the simple mod that actually did something!!
I've seen John Cruz (Fender Masterbuilder) do this, so it's not B.S. if done correctly. Going to try this on a MIJ Fender Tele that plays great but lacks sustain. Thx
I’ve never seen a MIM Strat or Tele have proper clearance holes in the body for neck screws. This explains hairline cracks in the heel joint and unclosable gaps between the neck and body. An 11/64” drill bit should open the holes in the body up enough for the screws to pass through and pull the neck flush to the body. Removing the neck sticker helps too, as it prevents 100% contact between the two. Your video is spot-on, but if the holes have proper clearance, the results are even better. Simply carefully drill open the holes , put back together, string it to pitch and loosen the screws a quarter turn . Retighten screws, tune to pitch and enjoy. Great vid. Thank you.
If you want the ultimate sustain possible from the neck pocket simply take the neck off, put some carpenters glue sparingly into the neck pocket them place a single layer of newsprint paper on top of the glue & bolt the neck back on. Quickly place your first & 6th string back on, check your neck alignment before the glue sets. If you have to remove the neck afterwards a sharp rap on the neck will break the glue bond without taking any wood with it, you will have to scrape the remnants of paper & glue off before re-installing the neck.
I did this just now and loosened the pick guard screws first. I had very little movement, but I feel that it could only improve the guitar. First I tuned, then barely loosened all 4 screws; tuned again to have the right tension and tightened the screws. The tuning remained constant and the screws are very secure. I'm happy. Thanks for the tip. I will remember it.
sounds like a very good idea. If the neck is not seated properly as we learn over many years. it affects to sound some or alot. thanks for the tip. going to do it on my guitars. Nothing to loose.
0_0 thank you so much for this tip!!! I did this on all my bolt ons, I notice and feel a HUGE difference (some more than others) and you can really hear and feel the difference even just unplugged. I definitely think some new custom guitar companies know this tip (not gonna name any) because doing this tip just made my guitars have that bit of sustain and power that those guitars had in the feeling of playing them! One guitar has one of those truss rods where you have to remove the neck...and since I adjusted that the guitar wasn't feeling right and had some intonation issues and it bummed me out, I did this tip and it just helped it sit sooo much better into the guitar and play n sing as it should! Helped the intonation problem (which was bizarre, the high e being sharp no matter what) immensely. Such a simple tip and concept but very effective IMO :)
So i have a tele, normal sustain, undid 1/8 turn the bolts heard some creaks and a smal thump where the neck kinda set itself inside the socket, i do feel the tone a bit more lively, less dull to be honest, the sustain also increased, so it's not a myth, and i do apreaciate the tip ty
My experience : I have received a Tele which neck was not fully bolted when I got it (the neck screws had ever so slightly loosened during the transport). I tightened the screws fully with the string tension on and the sustain is colossal ! \m/
Thank you! Did this just now and herd a definite shift and noticed an immediate improvement in sustain, wasn't huge but it was there. My brand new MIM was had shifted in the neck 3 or 4 times in the first week of buying, no huge obvious gaps but I stumbled across your post while looking it up so tried it and tightened up the screws at the same time
Remember that the intonation will need to be readjusted on the bridge if the neck is moved forwards. Otherwise, interesting. The concept is sound from an acoustic point of view.
@@howaboutnoname so here´s how it was, i just picked my trusty phillips screwdriver then use an 8th of a turn the smaller the better (also check your pickguard they might get in the way), as soon as i unscrew the first 2 bolts the i heard a small crack like something unbinding followed by thump then i worked the other 2 with no reaction. Long story short it does work, it gave my tele some kind of "sparkle" before the high pitched sounded like dead, i though it was ok since my tele it´s inexpensive $150, but DAMN it sounds good with this hack, sustain seems to be the same but the notes are more present with more contrast, I APROVE THIS TIP, best guitar hack ever. srry 4 long post
When I watched this video in an effort to resolve the lack of sustain on my Harley Benton T-Style I was very skeptical. I made up my mind to give this method a try and, sure enough I heard the "creaking" of wood when I loosened ever so slightly the two screws closest to the headstock. A small creak occurred at each screw. I then followed the directions, re-tuning and then tightening the screws. The sustain has increased quite noticeably. Thank you for posting this fantastic tip!
1 year later and I finally found this video again. i have done all my bolt ons and several other's also and it is utterly amazing how mudh of a sustain difference this makes. Everytime I show them they can't believe the concept and results.
i cannot believe the difference this made to the sound and feeing of my stratocaster....less than a quarter turn on each screw, and a small creak as i turned each screw.....intonation has improved 100%, and is now rock solid precise.....amazing, thank you......straightend my guitar right out, it is no longer limping along
Actually, if you think about it, a gate actually applies negative sustain, if you think of a compressor applying positive sustain; the gate cuts off the signal faster than it would on its own.. . . I know that is not what he is talking about:-) Fred
I tried this on 4 of my bolt on neck guitars and it did noticeably increase the sustain on all but 1 of them. Thanks for the tip. I'll add this as an option for my customers.
I don't know if this would work BUT I think your on track with your thinking. Perpendicular screws will exert the best downward pull, along with an adequately thick neck plate. With cheap guitars I don't think they will bother to be this careful. If you have the opportunity to reinstall the neck threaded inserts (they aren't that hard to do) You could first plug the old neck holes. Use clamps to hole the neck in the position you want along with centering it with the bridge, then, mark the holes and drill them for the inserts. I think this would be the optimum way to do it. I've done this on my own guitars and it also means that you can unbold the neck for shipping or storing and when you bold it back on it holds the setting
I worked in the wood mill at fender. We simply used drill presses straight into metal jig templates when drilling these holes. The angle was 90 degrees perpendicular to the top of the body with no offset of the workbench. The jig holes were straight otherwise the bits would’ve been bent and compromised. Which would happen if the operator didn’t blow the dust and debris off the table and it made the body sit at a slight angle. We had a simple tool that would help us check if the holes were the right distance and angle down to a quarter inch or so. If it didn’t sit flush, it would get doweled and redrilled. But yeah, Fender is about large production so having it at a slight angle requires the body to be at an exact angle and position in relation with the drill every time and it’s just easier to have a press operator drill straight so they don’t waste time orienting things and wearing or breaking drill bits. We would personally sharpen our bits periodically but even the sharpest ones will catch and burn the wood if plunged on the tiniest deviation.
Didn't know this was a thing, I bought an American original stratocaster which has a trust rod in the heel after fiddling with the set up multiple times and finally happy I put the neck back on and after playing didn't make the connection that the Strat felt dead and just had no sustain. I actually put it on the market because of it, but aesthetically couldn't because it's so pretty, so I Googled, "Strat feels dead" this tip came up, watched your video and I cannot believe how much sustain I've regained into my Strat, this strat will be played into the ground now, thank you!!!!!!!!
Tried this on my Rickenbacker that doesn't have a bolted on neck and nothing changed because it doesn't have bolts and there's nothing I can do. So I cut the neck off it. You ruined my guitar. I hope you're happy.
QueeferSutherland Greetings to all out there... I am a very “LUCKY” Guy.... I bought a Guitar manufactured in 1991 eight years ago... it is a mint condition Rickenbacker 66O Tom Petty Limited Edition Solid Body 12 string...... I have # 97 of a production run of only 1OOO Tom Petty 12’s ... It’s neck is a little wider than what Rickenbacker is used to building, per Toms Request... other than that it is basically the guitar that Tom is wearing on the cover of DAMN THE TORPEDOES... The Rickenbacker 12 string that Tom used for the album cover art actually belongs to Mike Campbell ... mine even has 6O’s spec pick-ups 7.4 K ohm scatter - wound toaster top pick-ups... The 66O Rickenbacker being a solid body has a little weight to it, however I don’t mind due to the fact the dang thing will ring jangle and sustain for days with that neck through body design... it is also very easy to play even easier than some peoples 6 strings I have played... My RIC has an arrow straight neck and ultra low string action... so very little pressure is required to play it... I play it for hours some nights... Oh yeah, by the way.... The guy I bought TOM off of freaked when he saw pictures of me actually playing it and enjoying it... he said the entire time he owned it, he kept it locked away in its case under his bed... he told me he played it a few times... other than that it was a case queen... reason why it’s now 27 years old NO Body damage NO scratches at all not even micro scratches ... it sincerely looks and plays like a brand new RIC... Only reason the guy sold it in the first place to me for $4OOO.oo is the Fact that he wanted his dream bass guitar, a Geddy Lee Bass... I myself would prefer owning the Tom Petty 12... It Has The Sound... BYRDS, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers ......
It'a not theory no contact will = less sustain … Thats why Neck thru guitars sound so good it takes away the joint set or other wise. Fender Masterbuilders will do this.
i dont own a guitar factory. i aint trying to save pennies on screws. There's 8-10 screws on all my bolt on.lmao For the tail...i aint trying to save money on that either....There's LONGER screws with wider thread. I also jam a shit load of GLUE in to the screws holes or stud holes ...it makes the wood HARDER... Tighter and harder...So it dosnt loose energy as fast... In other words it'll resonate longer
Great tip, always been looking for ways to get better sustain, I've had 3 73 Strats, a 75, a reissue 57, & it's always been a desire for more. The best guitar I had with great sustain was a Daion Electric neck through made in Japan, yes many of us would jump clear over a Korean or Taiwan Guitar, Stereo etc... to jet to a 70's or 80's made Japanese guitar. I've heard that creek or pot many times loosening the screws on Fender style guitars, this makes so much sense, you want the tightest fit possible, the only way to get close to a Gibson with a glued in neck. Great Video.
I really thought that was voodoo stuff. Actually it worked damn well on my Telly. After the screwing the tuning was little lower, which I understand as an evidence, that there was really something changing regarding the construction. Thank you for sharing!
Great information that you put out there. A commenter below pointed out that the G&L guitar and bass manual has printed version of this neck pocket re-home procedure.
After tuning and tightening the screws, tuning becomes high, so it is difficult to say that the neck moved anywhere ... I think it's a placebo, more or less ...
Holy sh*t . It works! I didn't want to believe it. An improvement in tone and sustain. It worked on all of my guitars and on my basses . A whole lot cheaper than boutique cables. Thanks man
Thank's for sharing, rarely a neck heel may touch the pick-guard before making contact with the body wood in the neck pocket but a bit of abbrasive paper will remedy that. All tips are appreciated cos as time goes by and you get to play instruments different design or origin the same rules always apply(un this case bolt necks). There must be thousands of Fender and fender style guitars out there that would make their users happier with this effective tweek .I bet even custom made/shop guitars miss this basic set-up tip.
I hope this doesn't sound condescending but the main ingredient in getting good sustain is in your vibrato,all the great guitarists that we all love or should love like Clapton,Page,Beck, Brian May,Gary Moore,BBKing, all have killer vibrato ,it takes a lot of practice I have been working on it for fifty years after I first heard Leslie West play at Woodstock when I was very young and just started to play guitar ,Vibrato is so important and it comes from practice
Not necessarily. In fact, theoretically your vibrato may cause less sustain because you are modulating the pitch of the string while it is vibrating. Take any object in motion and modulate its frequency of motion and it will become unstable. Every single one of the players you mentioned plays through high powered amplifiers at very loud decibel levels where feedback becomes part of the equation, and when a guitar feeds back at the fundamental frequency and not one of the upper harmonics, it just sounds like sweet, smooth, never ending sustain. I can make my PRS SE single cut sustain indefinitely at rehearsal/gig volume levels, but it's not going to do that at conversation level volumes. The sustain bring discussed here is the natural sustain of the guitar when it's not plugged in, and I can absolutely guarantee that nobody here has sat two feet in front of every player you mentioned to hear how their vibrato makes an unplugged electric solidbody guitar sustain longer. While I've never witnessed a player's technique actually increase the sustain of a guitar, I certainly have seen poor technique decrease sustain. So discounting feedback induced sustain from amplification, I'm sure all of the players you mentioned benefit from better than average technique in their sustain, but it's certainly not a result of vibrato. This trick does have merit though, and companies like Yamaha have been experimenting with increasing sustain with neck joints and attachment methods.The latest incarnation of the Attitude bass (Billy Sheehan's signature bass) is the perfect example of this, where they use two longer screws at an angle that hit the neck at its heel and pull the neck tightly into the pocket towards the bridge. Billy has mentioned that by loosening or removing those screws causes a noticable lack of sustain compared to them tightened.
you make some good points but I have to disagree with your statement about "the natural sustain of a guitar" There is no natural sustain of any guitar ,guitars only sustain when a player with good vibrato makes it sustain,you tend to minimize that players like BB King and Clapton can make even acoustic guitars sustain,it's my contention that the most important component of achieving sustain is a good vibrato and there is no quick fix but good luck with your product
Jack Starr Of course there is natural sustain to a guitar. Put it on a stand or the floor and pluck a string and walk away. Hear that note sustaining and eventually decaying out? That's obviously not your vibrato doing that. And if sustain is only created by vibrato, then a static note with no vibrato would just die out? Of course not. What your vibrato is doing is helping generate movement on the string, partially by the friction of the string rubbing against the fret and partially by the string moving from your hand. Anyone can do this, regardless of capabilities or level of technique. You can do it by tapping a note with your right hand and rubbing it against the fret. Hell, you could probably do it with a toe. It's not a magic technique of legendary guitarists, it's simple physics. But the whole truth is that many components factor into sustain: construction, resonance, weight, amplification, compression, strings, and the simple ability to hold a note. Vibrato certainly helps, but if it were the primary component then it would be harder to hold a note without vibrato and that's just not the case. Theoretically, an open string should always vibrate longer than a fretted one, as long as there are no issues with the instrument, again removing vibrato and technique from the equation. If you can stack enough of the variables in your favor (including good technique and vibrato!) you're going to have an easier time sustaining notes. And inversely, if enough variables are stacked against you, you're going to have. harder time. Give Clapton or BB a Harmony with 50 year old rusted strings, a cracked neck, a pinging nut, a wimpy bridge and garbage wood and that singing vibrato just ain't happening. In other words (TL:DR), it's way more than just one thing, but every little thing helps. And if you still can't get sustain after stacking everything in your favor, get a Sustainiac! They're amazing, even though I feel like I'm cheating when I play one... but they're still awesome!
you are right if you pluck a string and walk away that note sustaining will eventually decay out until it becomes inaudible , but , the main cause of its decay or sustain is the force that was used to pluck it or pick it which can also be translated to the players touch or vibrato and that is all in the touch ,how many times have you heard people say"that guy's got a great touch" and how many times have you heard people say "that guy could make any guitar sound good" etc I guess the point I am trying to make in case there are young players reading this is that, there are no shortcuts,if you want to have good sustain and vibrato than you should work on it because pedals and amps can do so much and in my opinion good vibrato is the most important thing a player can have ,I am still working on getting the vibrato I would like ,but you can check out my song on you tube called "Blue Tears Falling" and give me your opinion , have a great day
Lots of set up tricks are simple and basic, and obviously dont apply as hard and fast rules. Lots of variables. Thx for posting this. Gives a tone critic another option without invasive remodeling.
This video reminds me of those clickbait videos. Luthiers hate him, guitar stores fear him. See how he changed a $100 guitar to a $10,000 guitar! With one weird trick!
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i’ll be honest. i’m impressed that you were able to take the process of turning some screws and dragged it on for 10 minutes
I think Billy Sheehan incorporated this into his bass by two extra screws pulling the neck into the pocket but it’s the same idea .
@cloud04189 I'ma be honest. Shut up. Dick
I have been making guitars since I was twelve, and I am old and grey now (:) and have NEVER heard of this, although I am fully aware that a tight clean fitting neck will get good sustain. This is a neat and worthy tip and has a lot of logic behind it, thanks for sharing, you just made the world a better place to live :)
Loosening the neck to body screws improves the tone.
Since you're not re drilling the holes, how are you tightening anything?
Joe Pregiato
Because the movement is so small there’s no need to alter anything.
Screw on a neck under no tension and it’s not at optimal closeness to the body.
Do the same under string tension and it’s being pulled tight.
You cannot see the amount as it’s too small.
The logic behind it is solid.
Heard of this ,involving a little bump on the carpet after, years ago and have done successfully to my own guitar.
Me too
I just did this to my Roadhouse Strat. It made a loud crack and some crunches. The low E dropped a half step in tuning, and the high E dropped about a third of a step. After re-tuning, tightening, and re-tuning again, it has gained a bunch of sustain, and also has more acoustic volume and presence. Great stuff! Thanks for the tip!
I’ve just tried this in an Ibanez RG1570 and the results are amazing. I’ve owned this guitar for almost 20 years and it only weakness was always the poor sustain. I heard the noise when loosing the first screw only and now it feels like a completely different guitar. I’m extremely thankful, man, thank you very much!!!!!!
I can't wait to try this tomorrow.
@@HavendaleBlvd80 has this worked?
This worked for me on a 90s RG DX-270, it actually does increase the felt vibration. Sustain wise, it seemed to clean up a few off sounding hums when playing at high gain.
Tried this on a strat-style guitar with poor sustain; it had some sustain - a few seconds - power chords died pretty quickly. Got the slight pop you described on the two top bolts (actually when I loosened the second one). Sustain more than tripled, to nearly 10 seconds on open E chord. This is with same amp setting and other conditions as similar as I could get them. Did nothing on my other bolt-on but it already sustained well. Not a very scientific test but I'm happy.
Thats my Sunday afternoon gone - I don't actually know how many bolt on necks I have!
Got the same result here, did this on an Ephiphone SG and the sustain tripled!
I need to loose all screews(1/4 turn) until the pop wright?
Worked on all three of mine. Even a new american standard. Didn't triple, but added sustain for sure.
I thought I knew every trick on guitar sustain, but this one was new to me. I tried it on 2 of my MIJ strats and telecaster. WOW it really worked. What an improvement in sustain. I'm blown away by this. Thanks so much for sharing!
Pure magic. Did it on my 79 strat that has a big brilliant tone (ash, hardtail, 12s) but did fall apart completely when you really went to town SRV style. All three screws popped after something like 1/5 of a turn, retuned, tightened...different guitar lol. It mended two dead spots and a wolf note at the same time. Absolutely recommended.
This ruined my guitar, !! the first note i played on it is STILL SUSTAINING!!! i cant play anything else.
Did it stop bruh
Legend says it is still sustaining.
Hahaha. Nice.
As Frank Zappa said: "It sustains for weeks!"
Yeah it stopped until I went to the crossroads
I just did this to one of my Charvel San Dimas Prom Mod guitars and popped and creaked like a SOB and added a lot of sustain. It works
It works! I have a G&L Tribute ASAT. Followed your procedure (very well explained), heard the pops. Tightened and tuned. Tuning dropped one full note. Sustain is remarkably improved. I removed the pick guard prior as the fit is close to assure full neck contact. Brilliant. Thanks!
This totally worked on one of my Strats. On this guitar I have to take off the neck in order to adjust the truss rod so it’s been taken off quite a bit. The sustain has improved as well as the low end. Thanks!
What you’re actually doing is causing at least 2 of the screws to come into full contact with the through holes in the body which will give much better energy transfer between parts than if the screws are centered in those holes and only make contact at the screw heads to the brackets with no significant contact with the body. The reality is that because of manufacturing tolerances neither is completely attainable. But using this technique it makes sense that you are maximizing the potential to transmit energy through the screws to the body which should indeed make the system more efficient and thus have less attenuation (i.e. more sustain). For the same reason it also makes sense that the results will vary depending upon how perfectly the guitar was made. The really interesting part (at least to me) is if my theory is correct; a guitar made perfectly to target dimensions will come from the factory with the least contact between screws and body (because everything will line up perfectly) and thus have the least sustain. And one made sloppily will have the most contact and thus sustain. This seems counterintuitive as a design goal but makes perfect sense per the above. BOOM! Mind blown...
If after tightening the screws your tuning is now flat then you actually accomplished something in the process. The nut is now closer to the bridge, though, so you’ll need to adjust the intonation to accommodate that change. If your guitar holds tune during this process nothing happened and it’s already up against the screws.
If the neck can move enough for the shank of the screw to come into contact with the headstock side of the holes in the body, you’ve got a serious neck fit problem. He’s talking about a mm or less.
Probably the best tip I have ever tried for improving my Strat., I have been through this process 5 times now and still getting some very distinctive creaking. I agree that this might be somewhat subjective, but I think the sustain and even the sound have improved significantly. Thanks to you Guitar Guts!
It works great for both Strats and Telecasters. It's one of the things I do to every new guitar on setup.
Used this today on my Ibanez Gio 7-string and noticed a huge difference. I didn't hear any cracking or popping sound on the neck when I was doing the quarter turns, but I definitely did notice an immediate difference in sustain and being able to feel the vibrations in the body. It did go a little flat, but after tuning and re-intonating my guitar, it sounds and plays much better. Thank you so much for this tip!
unreal. did this on my Tele.. I'm now smiling from ear to ear - the sustain has tripled. Unbelievable !!
science?
OK, so I just did this on my 71 tele, a guitar that's sounded dead for 47 years. It works! The guitar just came alive. Thanks for sharing this!
I have done this with several Guitars and it definitely Works!!! Some of the Best Advice I have heard, thanks again
Melbourne, Australia.
Wow, just did this to my Fender custom shop strat and it's made a huge difference, I can feel the body vibrate much more but even more noticeable was the extended vibration on chords felt in my left hand. I carried out the procedure exactly as directed. On the forth screw when released slightly there was a significant pop sound. Re tuned and tightened all bolts. Not only has the sustain improved but the tone has too. Thanks for this advice. I assumed as I bought it new and it was a custom shop it would have been set up.
excellent. you'd think they would set them up but why do it for free when you will bring it in later and they can charge you for it. they just grab it out of the box and hang it up by the neck. most of them I've noticed are not even in tune. so i think it's always a good idea to make sure everything is adjusted and tight periodically. it's not like it takes a long time and it couldn't be much easier.
Re: "you'd think they would set them up" - well there would be no future sales if you were totally satisfied with an instrument!
Great story Stephen, and hope you enjoy the shit out of that guitar. Some people don't realize the advantage of doing some adjustments (they act frightened about changing the arbitrary factory setup) or even having a full go-over (they don't want to pay an experienced guitar tech to yield maximum guitar-playing joy & the hidden value of their investment.)
Amazing how well this easy tip worked on my guitar. Tried it on my Reissue Strat which had poor sustain on the 1st an 2nd string above the 12th fret. My guitar responded just as described. When loosening the screws 1/4 turn the neck made some noises. The strings went flat about 6 cents. I tuned the guitar back up to pitch, then tightened the screws. The sustain is now about twice as long as before on the upper frets. Thanks!
I always loosen the pickguard screws, before the neck screws. If the pickguard overlaps the neck pocket, it'll prevent the neck from seating properly.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Here's my opinion on this whole thing. The manufacturers of bolt on guitars by now should have developed a way for the neck to be more precicely fitted to the body. Especially guitars costing around $500 or more. We did send people to the moon and they returned to tell about it, yet we can't have tight fitting guitar necks. It's not a mass production issue either, it's failure to develop a simple fool proof way of making the fit tight when the two elements are joined and screwed together.
as a carpenter i have to say a word for the manufacturers.
wood inherently is a material, that can´t be milled as exactly as you want it to.
sure, you can make sure, it´s been stored the right way, has dthe right humidity, etc and all this helps.
but it still will move and there still is a certain roughness of the woods surface, that´s caused by it being wood.
before being a carpenter i was trained as a patternmaker.
nowadays only few wood is used für making foundry patterns. but at the time we almost exclusively used wood.
in our final exam we had to make a pattern as exact as 2 tenth of a mm.
this actually is possible, but doesen´t make any sense in real life.
first off, it´s very tedious and secondly through use, temperature and humidity the wood will change, grow or rather shrink and all that work put into it was just a waist of time.
the best way to solve a problem ist to know yo9ur material.
so advice as this video is far more useful than trying to fit something, that´s going to change anyways.
Although every Japanese Fender Strat neck joint I've seen mates perfectly & the neck also fits other Japanese Fender Strat bodies.
American manufacturing just sucks sometimes. Even Fender CS can muck it up, despite starting with CNC-made parts.
Yes, maple can lose moisture and shrink laterally so the poking fret ends need to be dressed off.
But we're talking about making a brand new neck and body that fit snug. It can be done.
A wedge shaped neck heel would solve the problem. As a wedge gets pulled into a wedge shaped slot/cut out it tightens naturally. The only thing to work out is the angle of the wedge to get maximum contact without causing the body to split from too much tension.
I've seen a lot of problems with machined angles. If the angle of either piece is off ever so slightly (1/2 degree), then the actual contact area will land in a different spot. It will never seat correctly. I give you credit though for thinking outside the neck pocket.
I was taught this trick about ten years ago as it does work, but it also throws your intonation off when you do it. It’s good to do once then leave it alone in my experience.
Okay check it out, I just got finished with this. I know for a fact that this worked substantially . Playing The Devil's Advocate let's assume it could be the power of suggestion. I have a digital clip-on tuner set to clip mode as opposed to Mike mode. By the time I got finished it took me about three times longer to tune because the previous string would not stop resonating. I never mute the string after I strike it when I'm tuning because I always want to see how long it resonates. Add to that I could definitely hear and feel the difference. Anyone would , its DRAMATIC !! First time I did it I noticed a little difference but the neck didn't feel right. Above the 12th fret just didn't feel right or sound right. So the next time I did it I I loosened the claw Springs first so my trem was floating about 1/3 of an inch and tuned it. I wanted less tension on the neck.The first time I was hesitant to go a quarter of a turn and did about 1/8 even with that I was hearing crackling. The second time I went a complete quarter-turn, it sounded like a bowl of rice krispies, tuned it to pitch and this time I made sure to tighten the two screws closest to the body first. And I probably left 1/16 of a turn on the table . Then I tightened the rear screws the same way. Back to the front tighten them back to the rear. This time when I tuned my clip-on tuner it just wouldn't stop reading the prior string. I had to do a little light intonation and aside from the sustaine it resonates almost like a... and I know this is an exaggeration but like a hollow body. Don't get on my case I said almost. Its a 98 or 99 mex Strat. about 2 weeks ago I changed out the 3 trem springs for 5 vintage ones and decided to leave the rear plate off and that made a huge difference. This was a special issue and came with Tex Mex p/u. Earlier today I went to get an estimate on a bone nut but now fuck it I'm set. Anymore sustain and I'm gonna get naked and violate this thing.
sir this is a wendys
@@broseph421 I'm not familiar with that term .
@@broseph421 🙀🤣
Wow what a difference. 2 tele's and a strat. Instant improvement on each one! THANK YOU!!!
This really works. It not only increases sustain but also resonance substantially. Amazing.
Well, I'll be damned! Did this on my Squier Stratocaster and the improvement was noticeable! Thanks so much for a simple & free modification/improvement!
Tried it on two guitars. Tele USA worked brilliantly, loosened the screws got the “noise” and then better sustain (wasn’t bad before) Strat made from various parts mainly Squier etc, no noise but sustained before and sustains now. Thanks for the tip!
I was skeptical first. I tried this on a Squier Stratocaster I've had for over 30 years which had poor sustain. I always attributed the lack of sustain to the light weight body. I was even considering buying a heavier body! I tried this procedure and it resulted in a substantial improvement to the guitar's sustain. I now love this guitar!!!
Body weight has nothing much to do with sustain .
I just did it, to be honest I was afraid to make something nonsence, but it works! Thank you!
Great tip! Thanks for it. Might just want to point out that if you notice a change in pitch after the neck resets in the pocket, then besides retuning you should definitely check the intonation and adjust it as necessary. If it moved enough for an audible pitch change then you may need further adjustment at the bridge. To check this, plug into a tuner, tune up, then check the pitch of a 12 fret harmonic versus the fretted note at the 12th fret. With proper intonation, these should be the same pitch. If not, you need to adjust the bridge saddle for that string. Might want to check this before loosening the neck bolts to know where you started from.
I'm glad you wrote it on that post-it. I completely unscrewed my neck the first go-around.
Been doing this for years ever since I saw this video. It works too well. It's not even a minor difference; it's super noticable.
Dude, you just brought my chinese telecaster from hell to heaven. I can't freaking believe the difference, Been playing for 40 years, never saw such magic thing to happen in a few minutes. The sustain, the intonation, the natural resonance with the unplugged instrument, it's like day and night. I have no words to thank you enough. It even corrected my high E string that was always been to close to the edge.
Makes total sense. Thanks for taking the time to share this info and explaining it very well!
Can't believe how much it helped me! After hearing the cracks on the neck and re tuning it, my Strat just sounds so much better. The sustain increased by a bunch and for some reason that just made the sound quality much better and brighter. Thanks!
Thanks, Great reveal. I've heard this before, yet you've explained it perfectly! This technique mates neck resonance to the body via it's string tension. It could be advantageous to sand off paint in the body cavity if it's mixed with sawdust. I've had one's that were pretty thick.
Wow! I’ve been playing for 25 years but am not great at performing setups etc. I’d never heard of this approach and just did it on my Fender AVRI 65 JM and blimey!!! It worked a charm! Thank you.
I tried this on my wife's neck...and experienced sustained screaming!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Lmfaooo
Bam!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I tried strangling my guitar!
I just finished the process, I tried on muy strat, and the results are great! It Took me no more than 15 minutes, the sustain increased i´d say around 30 percent of what the guitar had before. Great Tip!!!!
I tried this on my strat. The difference was amazing. I fell in love with my guitar all over again 😛
worked very well on mine too!
I did it on my 2012 standard American strat it works, the sound n sustain increased a lot
This is such an easy fix of some real tone issues. I have replaced saddles, tone block, sanded under the tremolo, and some other thing and still had iffy sustain, especially in the higher strings. I did this trick in under a minute, and my guitar sounds better. Increased sustain. The change in intonation is very slight, and will take about 20 minutes to adjust at most. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for passing this tip on. I'm doing several builds and can vouch for doing this adjustment on both new and previously-assembled instruments. The results do vary and, although this is subjective, at worst there's only been a slight or no change. At best, there's a very audible "improvement" - even my tuner registers more sustain. And the guitars feel more locked-in, somehow.
Guitar Guts,
THANKS! Made a huge difference on my telecaster. Loosened the screws like your video shows and when I loosened the last screw there was a definite pop. Retuned and reset my intonation and could definitely tell there was more sustain. Thought well if once is good maybe twice would be better (in the back of my mind I suspected that the two screws in the back would resist some). Sure enough I again heard the "pop" when the wood shifted, not as loud or distinct, but it was there. Rechecked my tune/intonation and sure enough it was off. One other thing I noticed, my tuner worked better! I purchased this tuner shortly after the guitar and it would always bounce around when I tuned my guitar and I never felt that I was "exactly" in tune. The reading would move, sometimes more than others, between a little sharp to flat. Thought I needed a new one, but now, the tuner is rock steady and it allows me to get a more accurate and tuning.
So thanks again.
P.S. After reading some of the other comments and their self righteous opinions I've decided to add this note. I am so sure that it worked on MY guitar that I'm going to do this as an ongoing part of my guitar maintenance. My thought is that if wood is affected by various environmental conditions to the extent that I have to retune then over time (6-12 months) it may also affect the neck joint. Also, since a lot of guitars have different types of wood for the neck and body, they will respond differently over time.
Thanks again!
I sprinkle my strat with graveyard dirt(1oz) and 3 tears from a virgin and then I dance around it while shaking a chicken foot. Boom, sustain for days!
same virgin or 3 different virgins?
That only works for a little while.
Brad K hahaha I don't think I ever had a problem with sustain, not even on acoustics.
Brad K Cheeky Bloke !
Up here in these hills where I live, it would be hard to find three of them!
Whoa. Didn't think it would work, but it sure as heck did on my strat! Amazing! Thanks for the tip!
So I tried this on my Strat and it made a MASSIVE difference. I even got a pop on the very first bottom screw I loosened. Both the sustain and the tone were night and day. I was shocked at what a difference this made. After I loosened all four bolts less than a quarter turn each and checked the tuning it had dropped down almost a half step. That's how big of a shift the neck made in the pocket. I did have to adjust the intonation after this as well. But the difference is incredible.
Thank you so much, the screws all popped on my Fender Pro II Guitar. I also pulled on the whammy bar to stretch the strings even more before I loosened the last two (top screws) heard a lot of creaking. tightened all back up flipped the Guitar back over and retuned. Sustain was incredible. Thanks again! If I had not tried this, I would have never believed it. But it makes sense and it works.
Ever heard of John Page? He used to work for the Fender Custom Shop; he actually designed the "Squier Bullet" guitar that is pretty much the most popular entry-level guitar of all time. He now has his own company and he has said that throughout the many decades of being a luthier, what he ended up figuring out is that, in order to get the best possible contact between the neck and the body on bolt-on guitars, he puts some kind of specially designed receiver nut ends inside of the neck itself that the bolts go into -- apparently this alone not only makes them easier to manufacture (in terms of consistency) but also ensures the sustain and overall contact is top notch every single time, when compared to just a bolt / screw going into the neck wood.
Grover Jackson also swears by this exact same idea, although I believe he has his own designs for the bolts and receiver nuts.
Lee Anderton mentioned this in a video where he was talking about the time he met Jackson; and I've met John Page and asked him about the same thing. John is such a wonderful guy!
I have seen some terrible Fender CS guitars just like I've seen some horrible Bill Nash guitars. They just go out sometimes. But some of these guys at Fender do have some neat tricks to make a fine axe.
Those "specially designed receiver nut ends" are called threaded inserts, and are used all the time in guitar and furniture manufacture. If you have a graphite neck, you already know all about these pretty common, and widely used, even in guitar manufacture, pieces of hardware. The best part about them is that you can take off and replace a neck on a guitar over and over, essentially making it possible to be a travel guitar to just throw in your suitcase or carry-on.
@@michaelcarey9359 Ha ha! I just relied to a guy (the white mustang) about using threaded inserts. I need to find a source for the thicker neck plates because with them and the inserts you can snug the threaded bolts down without loosening the neck holes like you would with wood screws. Guitar guts tip will work during the new positioning of the neck to accommodate the inserts. Old holes can be plugged, the neck realigned and clamped and then the new locations for the inserts marked.
I tried this on my Mexi-Strat. I proceeded carefully, erring on the side of caution. After very slightly loosening the neck, I let it sit for a moment while wondering if it needed one more slight turn, when I heard a most satisfying creak, and a slight noise from the trem strings. I tightened it up, and could immediately feel the improved exchange of resonance through the body. This simple trick really worked! Thanks!
For me, the whole appeal of playing a bolt-on guitar or bass is to not have so much sustain. Some time back, I took a Strat and a LP and timed them both. There is not enough of a difference to justify hacking the neck pocket. The other consideration is if you need to shim the neck angle or use the micro-tilt, there will be a break in contact to the body. Your videos are very good and the info is also very helpful. Sometimes I prefer a bolt so that I have more control over my tone with my hands. You have to work a Strat. A low action Les Paul with Humbuckers almost plays itself and it can get away from you depending on how much gain you're using. Each serves their own niche. It really depends on what kind of music you're playing and which guitar best serves the song. I don't use effects. Everything I need is in the cord, the amp and my hands.
i thought this was absolute nonsense at first, but i tried it and im shocked at how much difference it makes! thanks!
I've done this for years... I call it 'cracking the knuckle' of the guitar...
I like that
Just like making a white knuckled fist to land a heavier punch
wow. this seriously made a difference on my guitars. i heard mine creak as soon as i loosened the screws and it went out of tune. after re-tuning it was noticeably louder!
If the neck cranks from side to side, get some thin, hard veneer, maple works well and you can find scraps on eBay often sold for marquetry for very little money. Take the strings and scratchplate off, look at how the neck fits in the pocket when aligned and look for gaps between the neck and neck pocket. Remove neck, and place veneer shims where the gaps were, refit the neck. It should be a tight fit, tight enough to support the weight of the body without bolts. Check alignment with a ruler. Bolt neck back on, string and test. You may need to sand the veneer to get a perfect fit or to adjust alignment. You may need to remove a little material from the scratchplate where it overhangs the neck pocket. If you're ever likely to remove the neck again (neck heel truss rods spring to mind) then glue the veneer in place. Use a glue that sets hard, hide glue (either the traditional mix with water and heat kind, or Titebond's cold-applied ready mix work ok). I wrap the neck in one layer of cling film (is that saran wrap in the USA?) and refit and bolt it as soon as the veneer is placed for maximum clamping force, leaving the edges of veneer that would protrude from the pocket untrimmed. When it's dry, I remove the neck, remove the cling film and any squeeze-out, then trim the veneer flush with the body. You can now refit the neck a final time and perform the trick above. If the neck requires frequent removal for truss rod adjustment or if the screw threads in the neck heel do not hold well, consider a brass bushing in the neck and a machine screw to hold.
There's 4 extra screws on all my bolt on...Those neck arnt going anywhere.
i also glue it...after I know the neck has proper tilt.
For the tail...I also install longer screws with wider blades...so it'll grip....grip.
i also jam glue into the screws holes...to make the wood harder...so the
screws has something HARD..HARD to grip to...
it also reflects the vibration back to the strings...more.
In other words...longer sustain.
That's also how people are fixing cheap acoustic guitar. They basically
add more wood and re enforce the bridge with something harder.
It's not rocket science...
it's the same reason Gibson put maple caps..just harder wood around the
bridge..but you can harden the wood around the tune O matic studs
simply by add glue to the wood to make it harder..
k
This is a great tip. I have two very well-behaved Mex Strats that I did this on and I heard the "pop" on both as the neck heel snugged down tighter into the neck pocket. I noticed a distinct improvement in sustain and vibration transfer from the neck to the body. Give it a try.
Heard this trick years ago, tried it back in the day, it didn't do shit, and i can not recommended loosening the screws on your bolt on neck. Just an old guys opinion.
Yep, I was looking for this comment. Other then the obvious of having good contact points on the nut slots and saddles, bottom line is: If you want good sustain, 1. PRACTICE. 2. Use decent pickups with the right pickup height, and 3. Buy a good amp. Maybe with acoustic guitars it makes a difference. It's like Eric Johnson saying the type of battery in his guitar pedal crafts his tone. Um, nope. People hear want they want to hear.
BLOWN AWAY! Can’t believe I’ve never heard of this. My ‘06 MIM Strat body with Warmoth neck replacement tone & sustain has improved immensely! Playing unplugged, I could never get the tone of this guitar to resonate at the neck pocket like my other Strats & bolt-ons do. Now, it not only sounds better at said point -but all the way down the neck to the lower frets! Like you -I can actually FEEL it. Since it worked so well I did it to all my bolt-ons regardless of whether they had good sustain or not. I mean -why not?! The results where not as perceptible on my American Strat & Custom built guitar, but though I can’t scientifically calculate the difference... to my ear they’re as good or better as ever. Nice informative video -so well done! The one thing not mentioned is that you will need to re-intonate afterward, as the saddles have now moved ever so slightly closer. They’ll probably need to be moved back a touch. In other words, if your intonation is off after performing this procedure -if you need more proof than just your ears- ...it’s another way to prove IT WORKED! I will ALWAYS do this to bolt-ons moving forward. Thank you!
Just finished this 10-second "mod" on my Road Worn Strat and heard several little cracks/gives as I unscrewed the four screws. Strummed afterwards and my jawed dropped. It practically tripled the sustain and resonance up and down the neck. Thank you so much for sharing this solid-gold tip! I'm still in disbelief at how much difference it made.
Hi, Tried this on my Mexican Strat and it seems to have worked! Noodling around on it afterwards I'm getting sweet feed back on the ends of sustained notes, bent and not.
And this playing in my living room on a Peavey Rage at very low volume!! Yes thought about the intonation, sounds OK by ear will check and adjust if necessary later. Thanks for the simple mod that actually did something!!
It worked!!
Praise the LORD!!!
Thank you.
Chris Carreno
Great tip! Would have never thought of this. I have about 8 new projects to do all of a sudden. Thanks!
I've seen John Cruz (Fender Masterbuilder) do this, so it's not B.S. if done correctly. Going to try this on a MIJ Fender Tele that plays great but lacks sustain. Thx
I've seen Fender guys do it do. Solid advice.
How did it go? Did you hear more sustain?
I’ve never seen a MIM Strat or Tele have proper clearance holes in the body for neck screws. This explains hairline cracks in the heel joint and unclosable gaps between the neck and body. An 11/64” drill bit should open the holes in the body up enough for the screws to pass through and pull the neck flush to the body. Removing the neck sticker helps too, as it prevents 100% contact between the two. Your video is spot-on, but if the holes have proper clearance, the results are even better. Simply carefully drill open the holes , put back together, string it to pitch and loosen the screws a quarter turn . Retighten screws, tune to pitch and enjoy. Great vid. Thank you.
If you want the ultimate sustain possible from the neck pocket simply take the neck off, put some carpenters glue sparingly into the neck pocket them place a single layer of newsprint paper on top of the glue & bolt the neck back on. Quickly place your first & 6th string back on, check your neck alignment before the glue sets. If you have to remove the neck afterwards a sharp rap on the neck will break the glue bond without taking any wood with it, you will have to scrape the remnants of paper & glue off before re-installing the neck.
Two Beers A
nice tip.. youre getting a lot of the advantages of a set neck and tightening the pocket with no permanent change to the guitar
I did this just now and loosened the pick guard screws first.
I had very little movement, but I feel that it could only improve the guitar.
First I tuned, then barely loosened all 4 screws; tuned again to have the right tension and tightened the screws.
The tuning remained constant and the screws are very secure. I'm happy.
Thanks for the tip. I will remember it.
sounds like a very good idea. If the neck is not seated properly as we learn over many years. it affects to sound some or alot. thanks for the tip. going to do it on my guitars. Nothing to loose.
* Nothing too loose * FTFY.
0_0 thank you so much for this tip!!! I did this on all my bolt ons, I notice and feel a HUGE difference (some more than others) and you can really hear and feel the difference even just unplugged. I definitely think some new custom guitar companies know this tip (not gonna name any) because doing this tip just made my guitars have that bit of sustain and power that those guitars had in the feeling of playing them!
One guitar has one of those truss rods where you have to remove the neck...and since I adjusted that the guitar wasn't feeling right and had some intonation issues and it bummed me out, I did this tip and it just helped it sit sooo much better into the guitar and play n sing as it should! Helped the intonation problem (which was bizarre, the high e being sharp no matter what) immensely.
Such a simple tip and concept but very effective IMO :)
So i have a tele, normal sustain, undid 1/8 turn the bolts heard some creaks and a smal thump where the neck kinda set itself inside the socket, i do feel the tone a bit more lively, less dull to be honest, the sustain also increased, so it's not a myth, and i do apreaciate the tip ty
You really got me thinking with this video. I'm about to fix my old Electra using these tips you've posted. Thank you for the video man!
My experience : I have received a Tele which neck was not fully bolted when I got it (the neck screws had ever so slightly loosened during the transport). I tightened the screws fully with the string tension on and the sustain is colossal ! \m/
Thank you! Did this just now and herd a definite shift and noticed an immediate improvement in sustain, wasn't huge but it was there. My brand new MIM was had shifted in the neck 3 or 4 times in the first week of buying, no huge obvious gaps but I stumbled across your post while looking it up so tried it and tightened up the screws at the same time
Remember that the intonation will need to be readjusted on the bridge if the neck is moved forwards. Otherwise, interesting. The concept is sound from an acoustic point of view.
Great video! Well explained with all the ups and down.
no joke, added resonance and some high end to my telecaster
I was waiting for a telecaster coment, now im confident to do it
@@Quimerateck how did it go?
@@howaboutnoname so here´s how it was, i just picked my trusty phillips screwdriver then use an 8th of a turn the smaller the better (also check your pickguard they might get in the way), as soon as i unscrew the first 2 bolts the i heard a small crack like something unbinding followed by thump then i worked the other 2 with no reaction.
Long story short it does work, it gave my tele some kind of "sparkle" before the high pitched sounded like dead, i though it was ok since my tele it´s inexpensive $150, but DAMN it sounds good with this hack, sustain seems to be the same but the notes are more present with more contrast, I APROVE THIS TIP, best guitar hack ever.
srry 4 long post
When I watched this video in an effort to resolve the lack of sustain on my Harley Benton T-Style I was very skeptical. I made up my mind to give this method a try and, sure enough I heard the "creaking" of wood when I loosened ever so slightly the two screws closest to the headstock. A small creak occurred at each screw. I then followed the directions, re-tuning and then tightening the screws. The sustain has increased quite noticeably. Thank you for posting this fantastic tip!
Glad it worked out for you. Some guitars, I notice a difference after, some I can't really tell.
Step 1. Remove neck
Step 2.Apply generous coat of liquid nail
Step 3.Clamp neck on with vise
Step 4.Throw guitar away and get another one
Thanks for the tip I have eliminated all of my guitars problems solved CHEERS!!!!
May I recommend hide glue in the neck joint to give your Fender that real 1959 Gibson tone.
TheMighty Chabunga lolololololololoololllolllol. Lololololololol
Don't forget to tighten the truss rod as tight as you can get it.
jonas brave 😂😂😂😂
1 year later and I finally found this video again. i have done all my bolt ons and several other's also and it is utterly amazing how mudh of a sustain difference this makes. Everytime I show them they can't believe the concept and results.
Iv done that on my guitars for 30 years everytime iv hade them apart so its an old trick😀
i cannot believe the difference this made to the sound and feeing of my stratocaster....less than a quarter turn on each screw, and a small creak as i turned each screw.....intonation has improved 100%, and is now rock solid precise.....amazing, thank you......straightend my guitar right out, it is no longer limping along
I have an Ibanez I'm going to try this on. That thing has negative sustain.
Maybe that could be a new pedal effect.
Negative sustain? So it wouldn't that stop vibrating before you'd played it? I mean you wouldn't hear a thing would you?
Thanks for taking me so literally! :)
No problem
Actually, if you think about it, a gate actually applies negative sustain, if you think of a compressor applying positive sustain; the gate cuts off the signal faster than it would on its own.. . . I know that is not what he is talking about:-) Fred
I tried this on 4 of my bolt on neck guitars and it did noticeably increase the sustain on all but 1 of them. Thanks for the tip. I'll add this as an option for my customers.
if the holes in the neck were factory drilled at a slight angle it would do this automatically. I wonder if anyone's ever tried this.
I don't know if this would work BUT I think your on track with your thinking. Perpendicular screws will exert the best downward pull, along with an adequately thick neck plate. With cheap guitars I don't think they will bother to be this careful. If you have the opportunity to reinstall the neck threaded inserts (they aren't that hard to do) You could first plug the old neck holes. Use clamps to hole the neck in the position you want along with centering it with the bridge, then, mark the holes and drill them for the inserts. I think this would be the optimum way to do it. I've done this on my own guitars and it also means that you can unbold the neck for shipping or storing and when you bold it back on it holds the setting
I worked in the wood mill at fender. We simply used drill presses straight into metal jig templates when drilling these holes. The angle was 90 degrees perpendicular to the top of the body with no offset of the workbench. The jig holes were straight otherwise the bits would’ve been bent and compromised. Which would happen if the operator didn’t blow the dust and debris off the table and it made the body sit at a slight angle. We had a simple tool that would help us check if the holes were the right distance and angle down to a quarter inch or so. If it didn’t sit flush, it would get doweled and redrilled. But yeah, Fender is about large production so having it at a slight angle requires the body to be at an exact angle and position in relation with the drill every time and it’s just easier to have a press operator drill straight so they don’t waste time orienting things and wearing or breaking drill bits. We would personally sharpen our bits periodically but even the sharpest ones will catch and burn the wood if plunged on the tiniest deviation.
Very insightful, thank you. And I really like your analytic approach and clear explanation.
Does a video about improving sustain. Provides no before/after sound clips.
Quite right . Sustain is something you hear not talk about.
Joe Allen valid point sir.
Maybe this is why...
th-cam.com/video/BdZPGbDSYaM/w-d-xo.html
Didn't know this was a thing, I bought an American original stratocaster which has a trust rod in the heel after fiddling with the set up multiple times and finally happy I put the neck back on and after playing didn't make the connection that the Strat felt dead and just had no sustain. I actually put it on the market because of it, but aesthetically couldn't because it's so pretty, so I Googled, "Strat feels dead" this tip came up, watched your video and I cannot believe how much sustain I've regained into my Strat, this strat will be played into the ground now, thank you!!!!!!!!
Tried this on my Rickenbacker that doesn't have a bolted on neck and nothing changed because it doesn't have bolts and there's nothing I can do. So I cut the neck off it. You ruined my guitar. I hope you're happy.
QueeferSutherland Same :(
Sad history, you should send it to Netflix, they could make a full season of that.
QueeferSutherland Greetings to all out there... I am a very “LUCKY” Guy.... I bought a Guitar manufactured in 1991 eight years ago... it is a mint condition Rickenbacker 66O Tom Petty Limited Edition Solid Body 12 string...... I have # 97 of a production run of only 1OOO Tom Petty 12’s ... It’s neck is a little wider than what Rickenbacker is used to building, per Toms Request... other than that it is basically the guitar that Tom is wearing on the cover of DAMN THE TORPEDOES... The Rickenbacker 12 string that Tom used for the album cover art actually belongs to Mike Campbell ... mine even has 6O’s spec pick-ups 7.4 K ohm scatter - wound toaster top pick-ups... The 66O Rickenbacker being a solid body has a little weight to it, however I don’t mind due to the fact the dang thing will ring jangle and sustain for days with that neck through body design... it is also very easy to play even easier than some peoples 6 strings I have played... My RIC has an arrow straight neck and ultra low string action... so very little pressure is required to play it... I play it for hours some nights... Oh yeah, by the way.... The guy I bought TOM off of freaked when he saw pictures of me actually playing it and enjoying it... he said the entire time he owned it, he kept it locked away in its case under his bed... he told me he played it a few times... other than that it was a case queen... reason why it’s now 27 years old NO Body damage NO scratches at all not even micro scratches ... it sincerely looks and plays like a brand new RIC... Only reason the guy sold it in the first place to me for $4OOO.oo is the Fact that he wanted his dream bass guitar, a Geddy Lee Bass... I myself would prefer owning the Tom Petty 12... It Has The Sound... BYRDS, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers ......
QueeferSutherland put it back on with some duct tape, and put aluminum foil on the fretboard -
QueeferSutherland LMAO that was awesome!
Very cool tip. I've always been skeptical of magic mods that affect tone and sustain and such, but this one makes total sense and is logical.
The only way to prove your theory is to do an A/B comparison video and we can hear the difference
Measuring time also works
An A/B comparison wouldn't prove anything. You would have to do a before and after using the same guitar.
It'a not theory no contact will = less sustain … Thats why Neck thru guitars sound so good it takes away the joint set or other wise. Fender Masterbuilders will do this.
i dont own a guitar factory. i aint trying to save pennies on screws.
There's 8-10 screws on all my bolt on.lmao
For the tail...i aint trying to save money on that either....There's LONGER
screws with wider thread. I also jam a shit load of GLUE in to the screws
holes or stud holes ...it makes the wood HARDER...
Tighter and harder...So it dosnt loose energy as fast...
In other words it'll resonate longer
I'll remember to never buy a used guitar from you.
Great tip, always been looking for ways to get better sustain, I've had 3 73 Strats, a 75, a reissue 57, & it's always been a desire for more. The best guitar I had with great sustain was a Daion Electric neck through made in Japan, yes many of us would jump clear over a Korean or Taiwan Guitar, Stereo etc... to jet to a 70's or 80's made Japanese guitar. I've heard that creek or pot many times loosening the screws on Fender style guitars, this makes so much sense, you want the tightest fit possible, the only way to get close to a Gibson with a glued in neck. Great Video.
some put a long screw at an angle to grab the neck and pull it in
Sounds like a bad idea unless the guitars truss rod doesn't go all the way through to the heel. Most fenders definitely do go down to the bottom.
Felix Blacksher f
I really thought that was voodoo stuff.
Actually it worked damn well on my Telly.
After the screwing the tuning was little lower, which I understand as an evidence, that there was really something changing regarding the construction.
Thank you for sharing!
Nice tip, but this video is about 5 times longer than it should be
Then turn it off after watching 20 percent bozo...
That's why I'm telling everyone about it. Had I known I would do that.
Bozo
Thanks Made me laugh!!!
Thats what she said.
salemyr now that's an accurate statement right there!
Great information that you put out there. A commenter below pointed out that the G&L guitar and bass manual has printed version of this neck pocket re-home procedure.
After tuning and tightening the screws, tuning becomes high, so it is difficult to say that the neck moved anywhere ... I think it's a placebo, more or less ...
Holy sh*t . It works! I didn't want to believe it. An improvement in tone and sustain. It worked on all of my guitars and on my basses . A whole lot cheaper than boutique cables. Thanks man
Lol they ruined my Strat I just played one riff
And started to put it down but it’s been sustaining for hours!
Thank's for sharing, rarely a neck heel may touch the pick-guard before making contact with the body wood in the neck pocket but a bit of abbrasive paper will remedy that. All tips are appreciated cos as time goes by and you get to play instruments different design or origin the same rules always apply(un this case bolt necks). There must be thousands of Fender and fender style guitars out there that would make their users happier with this effective tweek .I bet even custom made/shop guitars miss this basic set-up tip.
I hope this doesn't sound condescending but the main ingredient in getting good sustain is in your vibrato,all the great guitarists that we all love or should love like Clapton,Page,Beck, Brian May,Gary Moore,BBKing, all have killer vibrato ,it takes a lot of practice I have been working on it for fifty years after I first heard Leslie West play at Woodstock when I was very young and just started to play guitar ,Vibrato is so important and it comes from practice
Not necessarily. In fact, theoretically your vibrato may cause less sustain because you are modulating the pitch of the string while it is vibrating. Take any object in motion and modulate its frequency of motion and it will become unstable. Every single one of the players you mentioned plays through high powered amplifiers at very loud decibel levels where feedback becomes part of the equation, and when a guitar feeds back at the fundamental frequency and not one of the upper harmonics, it just sounds like sweet, smooth, never ending sustain. I can make my PRS SE single cut sustain indefinitely at rehearsal/gig volume levels, but it's not going to do that at conversation level volumes. The sustain bring discussed here is the natural sustain of the guitar when it's not plugged in, and I can absolutely guarantee that nobody here has sat two feet in front of every player you mentioned to hear how their vibrato makes an unplugged electric solidbody guitar sustain longer.
While I've never witnessed a player's technique actually increase the sustain of a guitar, I certainly have seen poor technique decrease sustain. So discounting feedback induced sustain from amplification, I'm sure all of the players you mentioned benefit from better than average technique in their sustain, but it's certainly not a result of vibrato.
This trick does have merit though, and companies like Yamaha have been experimenting with increasing sustain with neck joints and attachment methods.The latest incarnation of the Attitude bass (Billy Sheehan's signature bass) is the perfect example of this, where they use two longer screws at an angle that hit the neck at its heel and pull the neck tightly into the pocket towards the bridge. Billy has mentioned that by loosening or removing those screws causes a noticable lack of sustain compared to them tightened.
you make some good points but I have to disagree with your statement about "the natural sustain of a guitar" There is no natural sustain of any guitar ,guitars only sustain when a player with good vibrato makes it sustain,you tend to minimize that players like BB King and Clapton can make even acoustic guitars sustain,it's my contention that the most important component of achieving sustain is a good vibrato and there is no quick fix but good luck with your product
Jack Starr Of course there is natural sustain to a guitar. Put it on a stand or the floor and pluck a string and walk away. Hear that note sustaining and eventually decaying out? That's obviously not your vibrato doing that. And if sustain is only created by vibrato, then a static note with no vibrato would just die out? Of course not. What your vibrato is doing is helping generate movement on the string, partially by the friction of the string rubbing against the fret and partially by the string moving from your hand. Anyone can do this, regardless of capabilities or level of technique. You can do it by tapping a note with your right hand and rubbing it against the fret. Hell, you could probably do it with a toe. It's not a magic technique of legendary guitarists, it's simple physics.
But the whole truth is that many components factor into sustain: construction, resonance, weight, amplification, compression, strings, and the simple ability to hold a note. Vibrato certainly helps, but if it were the primary component then it would be harder to hold a note without vibrato and that's just not the case. Theoretically, an open string should always vibrate longer than a fretted one, as long as there are no issues with the instrument, again removing vibrato and technique from the equation. If you can stack enough of the variables in your favor (including good technique and vibrato!) you're going to have an easier time sustaining notes. And inversely, if enough variables are stacked against you, you're going to have. harder time. Give Clapton or BB a Harmony with 50 year old rusted strings, a cracked neck, a pinging nut, a wimpy bridge and garbage wood and that singing vibrato just ain't happening.
In other words (TL:DR), it's way more than just one thing, but every little thing helps.
And if you still can't get sustain after stacking everything in your favor, get a Sustainiac! They're amazing, even though I feel like I'm cheating when I play one... but they're still awesome!
you are right if you
pluck a string and walk away that note sustaining will eventually decay out until it becomes inaudible , but , the main cause of its decay or sustain is the force that was used to pluck it or pick it which can also be translated to the players touch or vibrato and that is all in the touch ,how many times have you heard people say"that guy's got a great touch" and how many times have you heard people say "that guy could make any guitar sound good" etc I guess the point I am trying to make in case there are young players reading this is that, there are no shortcuts,if you want to have good sustain and vibrato than you should work on it because pedals and amps can do so much and in my opinion good vibrato is the most important thing a player can have ,I am still working on getting the vibrato I would like ,but you can check out my song on you tube called "Blue Tears Falling" and give me your opinion , have a great day
You are right Jim, I am done, not another word from me ever about sustain
Lots of set up tricks are simple and basic, and obviously dont apply as hard and fast rules. Lots of variables. Thx for posting this. Gives a tone critic another option without invasive remodeling.
This video reminds me of those clickbait videos.
Luthiers hate him, guitar stores fear him. See how he changed a $100 guitar to a $10,000 guitar! With one weird trick!
LOL.....
Wow, I just tried this out. Hats off to you, sir. The difference was INCREDIBLE. Thank you!