Dylan Talks Tone - Neck Shims, Good Bad ?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 100

  • @TheAxe4Ever
    @TheAxe4Ever 5 ปีที่แล้ว +71

    True story. My late uncle bought a brand new Fender Stratocaster in 1958 (5 years before I was born). Brand spankin new. My older brother wound up with the guitar when our uncle passed in 1982. In 1988 I took it to a respected luthier in my hometown to be refretted. He wanted to give the guitar a thorough inspection. He removed the neck. The neck was NEVER taken off the guitar at any point. When he removed the neck (I was standing right there) the neck had been shimmed from the factory with a cardboard matchbook cover that was printed up for a “gentlemen’s club”! I figure somewhere in California. Probably a local haunt of a worker for Fender who had that laying around. When Mr. Hurley (the luthier) said he could use a wood shim when he reassembled it, I told him “no way! Put that matchbook cover back in”. He said “Good call!” Sorry for the long story but I wanted to share that.

    • @christophernoia5197
      @christophernoia5197 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Are wood shims bad? I built a parts caster and put a wood shim by stew Mac in neck pocket. Looking back, I could have just used something around the house instead. I’m assuming you and the luthier put the matchbook back in so as not to introduce any change to the neck since it had been in there for 62 years, is that correct?
      Correction: 30 years at the time it was taken apart.

    • @chrisjones1849
      @chrisjones1849 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      *Great* story on that matchbook shim

    • @TheAxe4Ever
      @TheAxe4Ever 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@christophernoia5197 No, a wood shim isn’t bad. Just not necessary. Especially at the prices Stew Mac gets for them. Then they have the tapered shims, which are a sham. 😂 To be honest the only reason I had him put the old matchbook piece back in was just to keep a cool old piece of history in the guitar. My brother still has the guitar and has promised it to me (even though I can play it anytime I want). He has been offered some crazy money for it. But it’s staying in the family.

    • @jamesfetherston1190
      @jamesfetherston1190 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      A 1958 Strat is gonna have its truss rod adjustment at the heel of the neck. Anyone doing a set up is gonna have to take the neck off to adjust the truss- which is usually a seasonal adjustment. It’s a safe bet the neck had been taken off several times when your uncle owned it.

    • @themac3421
      @themac3421 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jamesfetherston1190 Is it a seasonal adjustment? I only adjust the rods when the action feels off, and that's usually with new cheap guitars or when i buy a used/very old one...

  • @scottman68
    @scottman68 6 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    After "consulting the internet", I used a playing card to shim a neck, and the results seem to be good. The ironic part is that the guitar was one of those "Batman" Strat copies that you win as a prize at six flags... so naturally, I used the Joker in the deck as the shim.

    • @robinkhoury5579
      @robinkhoury5579 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      hahaha

    • @BlueOceanBelow
      @BlueOceanBelow ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's perfect. I hope many, many years later when someone opens it, they get a laugh out of it.

  • @thorpenator9148
    @thorpenator9148 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I just made a stratocaster/Telecaster hybrid...a neck shim had to be down to make it playable. I bought a 3 pack from stew mac. The .05 worked perfect, but stew mac gouges on these. 35 bucks for three tiny pieces of wood.

  • @dekzan
    @dekzan ปีที่แล้ว +1

    THANK YOU very much !! Shimmed a brand new Tele Vintage II 60's with doubled Fanta box papper. The saddles were so low and screws were cutting my skin. Now at normal height the screws work like stilts. The feel and sustain are now normal. 👆👆😄😄💯💯🎵🎵

  • @BaronQ
    @BaronQ 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Right on the money and total commonsense as usual Dylan, good stuff!

  • @Strumbum01
    @Strumbum01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Cereal box shim worked like a champ on my tele build!

  • @biggstile
    @biggstile 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Respect for thinking truthfully and independently.

  • @Mike-cd9cj
    @Mike-cd9cj ปีที่แล้ว

    I have shimmed 2 Ibanez RXs and it was the solution to setting my string height.

  • @DougHinVA
    @DougHinVA 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A small business card thickness shim at a neck pocket rear lowers the action about 1/32" at fret 12...the shim may be 1/3 the length of the pocket from rear to front...

  • @BryanSavage
    @BryanSavage 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Speaking truth. I've built and setup hundreds of bolt on neck guitar and 95+% have shims. The only add to this is to pay special attention to the screw holes in the neck. When you have that space between the pocket and the neck, when you tighten the screws some material will pull down out of neck. That material can keep the neck from sitting flush in the pocket when you reattach the neck.

    • @alext9067
      @alext9067 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      A light countersink on those holes will take out the material and prevent further pullouts.

  • @Vicos
    @Vicos ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I used one of my business cards cut to size and stacked to get the proper height. Now the guitar has proper action and is a joy to play. Some folks get way too anal about this stuff.

  • @charlie-obrien
    @charlie-obrien 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just built a Nashville Telecaster and I used all authentic Fender parts, a Fender Deluxe body and a high quality Fender Roasted Maple neck. These parts alone set me back over $600 and the guess what? It needed a shim. So I watched one of Dylan's other videos on the subject and along with some other YT vids and after checking the price of Stew Macs wood shims, I went to my work bench to an old piece of 220 grit sandpaper cut it 54mm by 70mm, folded it at 22mm so it would taper towards the neck (I needed lower action) and after I put the neck back on I raised the saddles and now I have perfect action for my playing with plenty of room for adjustment. It took 20 minutes, cost nothing and I never had to touch my truss rod.
    30 Years from now when some luthier removes the neck for frets or some other reason, they will find my shortcut and say, "I can't believe somebody would use such a terrible material. You sir need one of our $68 coated and calibrated shims".
    Those are 2052 prices of course, but you get my drift.
    Happy playing everyone!

  • @fmh357
    @fmh357 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Effectively using cellulose shim material as long as it's reasonably dense is more dense than the wood neck and the body itself. I like your carbon fiber shims idea though. You could market them as space age materials with superior gripping power and sell them in "$him pack$". Wink, wink.

  • @kennethcrickmore7858
    @kennethcrickmore7858 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    the physical connection between the neck and body of the guitar is for support of string tension not tonal transfer, as long as the neck joint if snug enough to be stable ,...the vibrational transfer from the strings to the body and therefore to the pickups and sustain are determined by positive bridge contact with the body of the guitar and the mass of the trem block on a strat and the plate in contact with the body on the tele.

  • @dekzan
    @dekzan ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks!

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you!!!! I am glad you enjoyed it

    • @dekzan
      @dekzan ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@DylanTalksTone A doubled cellulose was too much. Saddles are too high. Will use only one. Amazing fix. My E string saddles were low to the bottom. Guitar was unplayable.

  • @fabianvasquezjr8852
    @fabianvasquezjr8852 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Captain crunch(with crunch barries)to the rescue! Working just fine, made all the difference in the world on a parts caster I recently built. I was having trouble above the 12th fret, the attack angle was to high so I shimmed the front of the neck pocket. It brought it down just were it needed to be and brought the string highth down to 4/64th @17th fret, freaking awsome was having a hell of a time thanks bro!!

  • @jorgetrimboli
    @jorgetrimboli 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you! I did the cereal box shim in my Mex Strat and worked wonderful!

  • @jamesfetherston1190
    @jamesfetherston1190 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    People need to realize that a huge number of set neck guitars also have shims in them. They are just glued into the tenon.

  • @marknash7113
    @marknash7113 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hey Dylan just subscribed and realized this was a year old so I don't expect you'll see it but. As an engineer I would suggest an experiment. I have noticed a difference in sustain by loosening the neck bolts of a Strat while under string tension and then lets just say snugging them as tight as possible.
    Why not grab a torque wrench and do the above and then at varying torque levels and measure the sustain times? Keep them playin right!

    • @azaircooled7958
      @azaircooled7958 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      i can't believe you don't get it. your an engineer? first they tell you never use the same bolt on metal to metal
      when you take some thing apart and you should use new bolts and torque to specs. how in the heck can you think about a metal screw going back to wood at a torque spec. every time you take a screw out of wood and try to put in back in it changes the grip the wood has on it! here is your torque specs for that
      ONE HALF TURN PAST AS TIGHT AS YOU CAN GET IT.

    • @marknash7113
      @marknash7113 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@azaircooled7958 Torque is a measurement that you either achieve or don't. Wood screws are not worn in metal to metal contact and those rules of thumb don't apply. You replace the wood when wear occurs with toothpicks to maintain grip and torque. Also the seating in the pocket against the body makes a difference.The enhanced sustain is more pronounced on acoustic guitars with bolt-on necks but can be perceivable on solid bodies as well. Engineers create specs by experimenting like this.

  • @gilleslafontaine797
    @gilleslafontaine797 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Keep telling the truth, good video.

  • @butteredbiskit3497
    @butteredbiskit3497 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    adding a shim like Dylan says will help raise the saddles. If the bolts in your saddles are digging into your hand and otherwise everything is ok (intonation, action, relief), you need a shim. it's that easy.

    • @lukasschliepkorte3019
      @lukasschliepkorte3019 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not necessarily. You can swap or grind down the screws easily.

  • @shawnbowling5766
    @shawnbowling5766 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    So glad I found your channel! Thanks for all of the great info!

  • @y2kcurran
    @y2kcurran 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really enjoyed this video having recently shimmed my Harley Benton Tele, it worked a treat! I've just seen the titles of a few of your other vid's, subbing so I can see more as they come, keep up the good work man!

  • @erickleefeld4883
    @erickleefeld4883 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Just realized if anyone asks, I should tell them I shimmed my bass with a “cellulose fiber material.” Sure sounds fancier than cutting out a cereal box.

  • @arthurbrown7501
    @arthurbrown7501 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Been telling people this for years Dylan. Great video and you explained it very well.

  • @ROOKTABULA
    @ROOKTABULA 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I have 1/2 an Ace Of Spades left after shimming 2 guitars. 10 and 13 years ago.

  • @Phillip-y6d
    @Phillip-y6d 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've had a few Teiscos that had white wax in the pockets. Like it was turtle wax or some kind of finishing wax
    It was a Japanese thing, I guess.

  • @joemamma4324
    @joemamma4324 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Whenever I walk into the auto parts store for plasti guage I cringe...lol......Watching this vid I said micro tilt before you grabbed the red strat off the wall...ANOTHER AWESOME VIDEO..

  • @paulcowart3174
    @paulcowart3174 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Stu Mac makes some great ones albeit a bit pricey but I don't think ten bucks is unreasonable for good action Thanks Dylan

  • @jamesfewell2100
    @jamesfewell2100 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank for breaking this down even a child would understand...these they say that kind of crap isn't really playing there guitar very well to be honest there crazy....anywho's tone really comes from your bridge and nut and type of strings you are using and your finger pressure on fretting notes and i agree with you an thanks for the vids got my 👍 cant wait for more...peace,love and hugs later

  • @garrettstonerguitar
    @garrettstonerguitar ปีที่แล้ว

    Preach!

  • @aaronwinton7067
    @aaronwinton7067 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Brother you got my respect for being brutally honest... I’m in the market for a p bass... what’s the name of your shop... God Bless and thanks for telling the TRUTH even when it’s not popular with the fender guitar “experts” on the internet. I wonder how many of those experts still live at their moms house...lol

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Dylantalkstone.com shoot me a message any time. We would love to build you a PBass

  • @DaveC.5
    @DaveC.5 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    D'addario NYXL string packages make a great foldable to spec thickness shim with...

    • @robvic39
      @robvic39 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      How would you do that? Sounds interesting...

    • @DaveC.5
      @DaveC.5 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@robvic39 I did that in a cheapie squire for a guy I at work. The bridge saddles were way too low, the screws too high, so I knew it didn't need much. I cut a piece of the cardboard sleeve as wide as the neck pocket and it was trial and error till I got the right number of folds. I aimed for just enough to get the saddles to a neutral position, without the screws cutting into my hand.

  • @POOKIE5592
    @POOKIE5592 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Damn, I really like that Tele at 2:05!

  • @davidgarcia6332
    @davidgarcia6332 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi Dylan. I find your video very interesting.
    I would like you to explain the last you say about having lower action on E A B E strings after shimming, and that the guitar will play "flatter". What do you mean by that?
    I find that after shiming the guitar feels stifer, hard to play. When you say that the guitar will play flatter, is something about the geometric of the neck that changes after shimming?
    Please, give as some light on this.
    Thanks for your vids.

    • @dekzan
      @dekzan ปีที่แล้ว

      After shimming, the strings length will increase and may cause slight flat intonation. To fix this, the guitar saddles " may" be moved forward.

  • @theoutdoorsliving3949
    @theoutdoorsliving3949 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hey how can I deal with a neck that is loose very loose in the neck pocket???

  • @rockabillyrogues9202
    @rockabillyrogues9202 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Informative! Thank you!

  • @MusicMindset
    @MusicMindset 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks Dylan. Was worried a bit to shim my guitar. Quick question. I have a bass with a neck pocket that is slightly convex due to wrong sanding. Is there a way to get it flat again, or is it not a real problem? Thanks for the great videos!

  • @Voxguitarsrock
    @Voxguitarsrock 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just use card stock as a shim.
    As long as its the proper " tone wood" ,,, ;)

  • @robertrobertson3754
    @robertrobertson3754 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hi nice video question can you put a Gibson neck on a start body or no I really won't to build this guitar or will any type Gibson neck fit thanks any help will be fine

  • @johnspiro692
    @johnspiro692 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Where can I find the purple tele body you used for example?

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      John Spiro that was one of our custom builds

    • @johnspiro692
      @johnspiro692 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      DylanTalksTone that looks awesome!! You got any more?

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      John Spiro we only build complete guitars and sell pickups.

    • @johnspiro692
      @johnspiro692 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      DylanTalksTone very good. Great videos man! You talk tone and I put on my thinking cap. Happy 4th

  • @LetzBeaFranque
    @LetzBeaFranque 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just make sure you tone tap your shim!

  • @ericweatherman9040
    @ericweatherman9040 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Should I use a shim on a tele with a Bigsby 5?

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yes. Two layers of cereal box or coke carton is about perfect

    • @ericweatherman9040
      @ericweatherman9040 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      DylanTalksTone thanks!

    • @ericweatherman9040
      @ericweatherman9040 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      DylanTalksTone would you install B5 1.5 or 2” behind tune o matic roller bridge?

  • @peterschmidt9942
    @peterschmidt9942 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    First and foremost, the whole point of having the neck with a little back angle is player comfort - hence why a Gibson is designed the way it is. Too much back angle and the bridge is raised to an uncomfortable height defeating the purpose. As a subsequent of extra back angle (for a screw on neck), it makes the scale a smidge longer. So depending on what string gauge you use, may require that extra length to set the intonation correctly.
    I actually use business cards for shims when needed. Perfect size if you cut them cross ways.

  • @bassmentality
    @bassmentality 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hi Leo did not design his instruments to take a shim. Wood at some time or other and wear and tear of life on instruments creat circumstances where shims are and easy fix! I have owned Fender from 60 years back mostly basses but Telecaster guitars when they became available. Some came from the factory shime'd and some were shime'd by me years later. I never sweat it. I totally agree with you Dylan (this time). aka ziggybass. 60 years a bass player!

  • @christopherlafreniere7141
    @christopherlafreniere7141 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I use painter tape as a shim.

  • @kromedge
    @kromedge 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I always use wood shims that I cut myself. Never had an issue.

  • @KerryFreemanMelbourne
    @KerryFreemanMelbourne 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Halleluja...

  • @danknight3557
    @danknight3557 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    So glad you blew the lid of this 1 dylan again as allways those clever people in the guitar marketing world know how to sell an idea and get us guitarists all wacked out and worried we arent doing it correctly so we eat it up just so we can buy there "safe" "correct" way of doing things ....as one great comedic revolutionary genius once said "its all bulls**t and its bad for ya folks

  • @Dailyvids25
    @Dailyvids25 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like you more and more becoes you are not a guitar marketing victim( tone victim). People are so guitarded. Even big guitarist like Robin Trower. He is using a big Strat headstock becoes more wood more tone. Lol! I guess one ton guitar has 994 kg more tone for this people.

  • @joecaner
    @joecaner 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You've got to love when an experimental physicist disproves some of the wacky crap theoretical physicists dream up.

  • @stevejazzband
    @stevejazzband 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just practice your scales and arpeggios kiddies....

  • @accutronitisthe2nd95
    @accutronitisthe2nd95 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well, I'll say this It's always better in every way to not need a shim so that should answer that question...

    • @milesmanglos1583
      @milesmanglos1583 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Why is it better, though?

    • @milesmanglos1583
      @milesmanglos1583 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ever taken a neck off a Taylor acoustic? Their NT neck system is designed to have shims installed from the factory, and be easily adjusted after the wood inevitably shifts. Ask any tech which guitar they’d prefer to do a neck reset on. Taylor guitars are some of the finest crafted guitars in the world.

  • @sidewaysrain7609
    @sidewaysrain7609 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Taylor shims are wooden

  • @mypulse9
    @mypulse9 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Pretty extensive explanation. Never was against shims. If it comes from the factory this way, then there's the reason. If they had been wrong on that matter, some other factory would have nailed Fender a long time ago just making the same guitars but without shims. So what's the point of making up excuses for your opinion?

  • @BrantleyAllen
    @BrantleyAllen 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    My opinion is if you need a shim, you need a shim.
    too many cork sniffing backseat driver know it alls.

  • @roamershaker
    @roamershaker 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    take the shim out and spend some time to get it right .;.; leo did it to save money .;

    • @DylanTalksTone
      @DylanTalksTone  7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      how would you suggest "getting it right"?

    • @stricknine8623
      @stricknine8623 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      If its shimmed right,..meaning you met your targeted goal,..Then it IS RIGHT.

    • @biggstile
      @biggstile 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      So Roamershakr knows better than Leo because he can make a comment in the internet?

  • @RaindropServicesNYC
    @RaindropServicesNYC 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Even piano keys are shimmed with paper punchings. Some old pianos, even Steinways, use punchings from old newspapers, etc. Who cares about shims? If you like the guitar and play it, who cares about those details?

  • @yourhandlehere1
    @yourhandlehere1 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    ^sigh^
    The "tone" of an electric comes from the pickups, the type of strings and whatever amp you have.. The pups are floating...the strings are basically floating. What they are mounted to makes no difference. An aluminum strat sounds just like a wood strat if you use the same hardware. Electricity just doesn't care.
    Take all the guts out of your guitar, and mount them and the neck firmly to an apple crate. It will sound exactly the same.
    It's a scam to charge you extra for Southern Bolivian volcanofied swamp rabbit wood soaked in virgin's blood.
    Just like the wine snobs, it's just pretentiousness...(all wine tastes like shit)...

    • @rohadtanyad8908
      @rohadtanyad8908 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      indeed

    • @stricknine8623
      @stricknine8623 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      You are factually right !
      Except the "all wine taste like shit" comment that was sorta funny but is a subjective opinion.
      Everything else is factual !

    • @rohadtanyad8908
      @rohadtanyad8908 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@stricknine8623 he is correct about everything, even the wine. maybe doesn't taste like shit, it tastes like spoiled grape juice. waste product. basically feces. you can like it, but it still is just spoiled grape juice.

    • @stricknine8623
      @stricknine8623 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@rohadtanyad8908
      So you don't understand the difference between subjective opinion and objective fact.
      You probably should invest some time looking into both the meanings of each and also the important differences between the two.

    • @rohadtanyad8908
      @rohadtanyad8908 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@stricknine8623 are you saying wine is not spoiled grape juice?