Twisted Neck - 2005 Legacy

[CGT]

Hey folks,

A few words of advice needed here. I took my 2005 maple-board 4-bolt Legacy into a luthier for a setup and he told me that it has a slight twist, possibly due to changes in temperature. He says it's not severe and if I can live it, there should be no problem if I go without repair. I don't know what to look for or how to check myself but I'd like to know more so I could ask for a second opinion.

Also, when I sent in my info and serial number to GL upon buying this secondhand guitar, I was told that it was a bi-cut three bolt neck, though clearly I have 4 bolt plate on. Should I panic?

Thanks.

[Salmon]

Sounds like G&L made an error in their records of the guitar. Proof of what it has is in the 4-bolt pudding.

Would someone with the appropriate knowledge be able to recognize signs of a bi-cut construction examining the neck?

If the Legacy you are speaking of is the one in your avatar, that is gorgeous.

I see that this was previously owned when you received it. As for the time in your possession has it spent a lot of time outside a case?

[Craig]

Hey folks,

A few words of advice needed here. I took my 2005 maple-board 4-bolt Legacy into a luthier for a setup and he told me that it has a slight twist, possibly due to changes in temperature. He says it's not severe and if I can live it, there should be no problem if I go without repair. I don't know what to look for or how to check myself but I'd like to know more so I could ask for a second opinion.

Also, when I sent in my info and serial number to GL upon buying this secondhand guitar, I was told that it was a bi-cut three bolt neck, though clearly I have 4 bolt plate on. Should I panic?

Thanks.

I would not panic. Why not bring it back to the luthier who told you it had a slight twist and ask him to show you how to tell it does? Anyway, I'd play it and try not to think about the slight twist (yeah, right ). Just play it and see if you notice any neck issue. If so, take it to another luthier and see what he/she says. Because it is a secondhand guitar, the G&L Warranty does not apply as it is not transferrable. Who exactly told you it was a three bolt neck? They obviously are mistaken. If the neck build year is 2005, it definitely is a bi-cut neck. IIRC, the change to the non-compression truss-rod was done after September 2006. Oh, and the switch to four bolt necks happened in 1997.

My $0.02.

[CGT]

Salmon: It is indeed the guitar in my avatar. It is always in its case except when I'm playing it. However, my studio/attic is cool and dry in the winter and hot and humid in the summer. I have the air conditioning blasting up here otherwise summer temperatures are in the mid-70s to low 80s during the summer. I've never had it properly set up but at the same time, when purchased, it looked like it had never been played. There was not a scratch or blemish anywhere on the guitar, not even the pick guard. Don't hate me too much. I only paid 500 dollars for it.

Craig: I've noticed that the action has gone off on the high-e and the G and B strings have a few somewhat dead notes halfway down the finger board. Also, the saddles are currently straight, as opposed to curved according to the neck radius. Finally, the luthier in question is very good with old acoustics and set neck electrics but I'm not sure how good he is with bolt-ons. When I told him I wanted the vibrato arm lowered, he told me he'd probably have to cut the stem, and this after I told him there was an adjustment bolt inside the vibrato unit. So that struck me as somewhat odd. I think I see a bit of a twist when looking down from the headstock but everything seems fine when I look up from the body. I'm also wondering if it's simply a bit of fret sprout happening.

You think if I asked nicely that somebody at G&L might consider the kindness of doing an in-warranty repair even though I am the second owner if it turns out there is a neck issue?

I'm hoping to take it to a young tech tomorrow who also comes highly recommended. I'll report back after I know his findings.

[CGT]

So good news and bad news with the neck today.

First the bad news: The young tech was a no-go Not only has set up one of those web sites that implies that he is more than what he truly is by claiming that he is no longer accepting new clients at his Vancouver, Calgary and San Francisco locations but is only accepting referrals at his Toronto shop when he in fact works out of his basement, Also his telephone number is a mobile with a standardized "Please leave a message for <blank>" message with the <blank> left blank. Needless to say I would not entrust my instrument to such a person, no matter how good others have claimed him to be.

Now the good news: The luthier at the shop where I bought the Legacy agreed to take a look at it. He inspected the neck, the bridge and the frets and said that there was no twist, and that the frets were fine but the action was way off. he recommended a setup but the shop has a 4 week waiting list for that, so I am taking it to another shop that comes highly recommended but who has been recommended but which has a one week waiting period.