String alignment issues and a simple cure

[Craig]

I recently received an email from John Toner, G&L Musical Instruments Customer Service, on this subject.

I did notice that recently we've been getting some instruments sent back because of string alignment issues.
Every one of these has been due to neck-shift during UPS transportation. The box may show no signs of any damage,
but a jolt can shift the neck from within the box and case just enough to cause the neck to move to either side and give
more clearance on one side than the other.

This is a very common occurrence with bolt on necks of ANY brand.

There is a simple fix. All you need is a screwdriver and at least one working eyeball.

1. At tension, loosen the neck screws.
2. Center the neck so you have an equal distance between the strings and the edges of the fretboard.
3. Tighten the screws.

During assembly, we install the necks, finish installing the rest of the components, then string up the instruments.
We check the string alignment and if necessary, we will make adjustments to obtain the proper string alignment.
Even though there is very little room in the neck pocket for movement, it is enough to make adjustments. We do this
all the time. (As do other manufacturers.)

So, if you should find that the strings on your instrument do not line up properly, please try this simple procedure.

Hope this helps.

[Craig]

John Toner sent me this little pictural to illustrate:

Neck is out of alignment!!!
Pocket is snug, but strings are shifted towards the treble side.



We’ll loosen the neck screws about a full turn each.



Hold the body firmly and nudge the neck until the strings have equal spacing from the edge of the fretboard.
(Some people may favor a little more spacing on one side than the other and that’s ok too!)
Tighten the neck screws to set the neck’s position.
Check your setup for any adjustments you need to make, such as string height.



Now just tune her up, wipe her down and ship her out.
Nobody gets fired!
Time elapsed: 2 leasurely minutes.
No guitars were harmed during the creation of this tutorial.



Hope this helps.

[Craig]

A member recently discovered that the pickguard on his ASAT Special was not allowing the neck to move using these procedures.
He needed to remove the pickguard screws and lift the pickguard out of the way. This then allowed for the neck to be re-seated.
Also, he did need to slightly trim the pickguard around the neck heel before re-installing it.