Subscribe in Bloglines Subscribe in a reader Haywire Custom Guitars #1 Guitar Players Blog from South Carolina: 2019-12-22

Subscribe to Haywire Custom Guitars #1 Guitar Players Blog

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Acoustic Guitar Repairs

Acoustic Guitar Repairs

In general, how much do Acoustic Guitar Repairs repair cost?
Usually we can accomplish acoustic guitar neck repairs for under $250

Specifically, Acoustic Guitar Head stock repair, neck repairs, guitar brace and crack repair

  • Guitar repairs to: Head stocks and
  • Crack, Brace repair
  • Similarly, guitar bridge repair and replacements
  • Guitar neck shaving, thinning , re-profiling and more…
Most importantly, We can fix broken guitar necks in less than a week for you.
In particular, acoustic guitars besides, electric guitars.
  • Haywire Custom Guitars features: Expert Electric and acoustic Guitar repairs. Also, upgrades, mods and fast service.  Serving Myrtle Beach in addition to Conway, Horry County and, of course, all of South Carolina. Experienced technician will keep your guitar playing the best it can play!  While it may be true, we build electric guitars. Our Custom Shop will also repair and modify other stringed instruments. Including our “One Day Urgent Care Guitar Repair“.  Set up an appointment today-call 843-347-5742
 Custom Shop guitar repairs
By Rick Mariner| March 19th, 2019|Acoustic Guitar setup, action on the back of your guitar neck, Active guitar electronics, adjustable truss rod in your guitar neck, Adjusting Pole Pieces On Guitar Pickups, Balance guitar pickups, Better More Reliable Guitar, Custom guitar modifications, Custom Guitar Mods, fix your guitar, fix your guitar buzz, Getting guitar sounds and tones, Gig ready custom guitars, Guitar Action, Guitar adjustments, Guitar Care, guitar comfort modifications, guitar improvements, Guitar Intonation, Guitar Neck Crack Repair, guitar neck headstock repair, Guitar Neck install, Guitar Neck Re-Profiling, Guitar neck repair, Guitar Neck Repairs, guitar neck shaving, guitar neck truss rod adjustment|

Acoustic Guitar Repairs -Urgent Repairs in one day!

About the Author: Rick Mariner

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md. and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

Related Posts

My Guitar is Not a Thing. It is an Extension of Myself.

Guitar Neck shaving in the Haywire Custom Guitars-Custom Shop


Sometimes adding a new neck can be the better, faster, safer but not necessarily a cheaper option. A guitar neck shave?

We wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself, however if you have a neck that is too large for your hands, clumsy and uncomfortable for you then……….a guitar neck shave may be a better option for YOU.  It’s not a “one size fits all” world but most manufacturers only aim for the “average” players hands-not yours. Jimmy Page had the neck shaved on his 1960 Les Paul.  Jimmy’s Les Paul was shaved to a slim taper.  Sure the nut width may be different on some guitar models from either 1-5/8 to  1-11/16 on electric guitars. Acoustic guitars will sometimes have a wider nut width on the upper wider end such as 1-11/16 to 1-3/4 then to 1-7/8 inches on some models. The necks are generally the same.

What are your guitar playing needs?

Let’s get back to YOU and your hands. If changing the nut width doesn’t do it for you then consider a guitar neck shave. In the realm of professionals it’s and easy job done regularly. We do it every day here in the Haywire Custom Shop. With the high cost of replacement necks in the neighborhood of around $250 ( for a used one) to $500 for a new one maybe the one you have just needs a tweak?  What do you think? It’s certainly worth a try especially if your not doing it.

Your neck is then shaved to the specs desired

The cost of a neck shave is very inexpensive compared to a new neck purchase. Consider the benefits. First, you can ship your guitar or just the neck to us, it will arrive in a day or two. We will work on it the day it arrives. The neck will be shaved to whatever specs you request. We always take measurements at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th 9th and 12th frets upon arrival. Your neck is then shaved to the specs desired. We’ll check the neck for any problems such as twisting and over or under bow as well as fret dressing on the ends if required.

We always take measurements

After the neck is smoothed to a soft feel we add a great Satin finish to help preserve the wood for you at no extra charge. So, with the low cost of $135 vs. a new neck it’s worth going for a guitar neck shave. The turn-around time is 2 days then back home to you.

We offer: Guitar Neck Replacement, Fret leveling, Nut filing
Custom Guitar Neck Contours, Custom guitar neck shaping, thinning, shaving and profiling

By Rick Mariner| February 9th, 2019|a guitar neck shave, Had your guitar neck shaved?|

About the Author: Rick Mariner

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

Related Posts

My Guitar is Not a Thing. It is an Extension of Myself.

It is Who I Am.
Our Reverb Store
Contact Us
Copyright Haywire Custom Guitars (c) 2011-18. All Rights Reserved
By | June 24th, 2019|Custom Guitar Mods, difficult to play acoustic guitars, Faster playing neck, fix your guitar, Function Custom Guitar Shop, Guitar adjustments, guitar by Haywire, guitar comfort level, guitar comfort modifications, guitar improvements, Guitar Neck Adjustment Information, Guitar neck reshaping, Guitar Neck Shaping, guitar neck shaves, guitar neck shaving, Guitar Neck Shaving Service: Haywire Custom Guitars:, Guitar neck straightening, Guitar repair by Haywire Custom Shop, Guitar Repair Education

Guitar Neck Reshaping


Have you ever considered….

guitar neck shaping to customize a guitar just for the way you play?

Firstly, when in the middle of a gig do you notice some hand fatigue?  In addition to, inability to reach notes or the feeling there’s something slowing you down?  Did you ever pick up a friends guitar and say to yourself, “I wish my guitar felt this good”.  And, have you found a guitar somewhere that looks exactly like your and had to go grab it to see what it felt like?  Most importantly, were you surprised?  Likely it didn’t feel like yours did it?  Players begin the customization process the very day they get a new guitar. Guitar neck shaping is often desired but hardly attained without the proper resources.

Guitar neck shaping is often desired………

There are many possibilities for better playing guitars.  For example: a neck that allows you to change the scale length of your 25-1/2″ Fender scale guitar.  Consider the shorter Gibson scale of 24-3/4″. This kind of customization shortens the distance between frets and lowers string tension for easier, quicker playing.  Thought about it?  Never heard about it?  It’s very attainable for any player who is desiring a change. Some players  need a change as in guitar neck reshaping but can’t really verbalize what they need.  Equally important, we’ll often hear, “this guitar is uncomfortable, it’s hard to play, my hands ache after a while or I can’t play as fast as I want to. The spectrum of player comfort is extremely wide.

The spectrum of player comfort is extremely wide…..

Guitars are manufactured for “sales” not your comfort. Further, most companies build in the middle of the spectrum to “general players” with “average hands” with “average” needs.  Similarly, they  do not take into account comfort or needs of players “outside” the middle of the spectrum.

as well as player discomfort……

In fact, if your an average guy, with average hands and middle of the road in every way-you’ll be fine with an general off-the-rack guitar built for average sales produced by almost every guitar company. As a result, because of your style differences, hand size, physical limitations, unusual playing style you don’t fall in the “middle of the spectrum”.

reshaping an existing guitar neck

As a result, we can help.  Furthermore, reshaping an existing guitar neck can be the best customization ever for you and your guitar neck. Especially, in particular, your guitar neck contour or back shape of the neck is important for optimum play-ability and hand comfort.  $135 plus return shipping may be the best money you ever spent on your guitar. Call us 843-347-5742 or email us : haywire@sccoast.net
In conclusion, you’ll need help to determine which guitar neck reshaping process works best for your playing comfort. Think about a comparison with a neck you know that you already prefer.

Guitar neck Shaping or reshaping….

Above all, if you know what you need then you’re 90% there then we can get you all the way there. Compare the dimensions of the neck you’d like to change to those of your “favorite” neck for a start.  In brief, a set of digital calipers is all you need to do that!
Haywire Custom Guitars-Play Painlessly with a new ergonomic guitar neck
Haywire Custom Guitars-Play Painlessly with a new ergonomic guitar neck shape

We offer: Guitar Neck Replacement, Fret leveling, Nut filing
Custom Guitar Neck Contours, Custom guitar neck shaping, thinning, shaving and profiling

About the Author: Rick Mariner

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

Related Posts

My Guitar is Not a Thing. It is an Extension of Myself.
It is Who I Am.
Our Reverb Store
Contact Us
Copyright Haywire Custom Guitars (c) 2011-18. All Rights Reserved
By | June 24th, 2019|A Guitar Neck Profile, A Perfect Guitar World, acoustic guitar modifications, acoustic guitar setups and repairs, action on the back of your guitar neck, adjustable truss rod in your guitar neck, Correct guitar strings, custom guitar by Haywire, Custom guitar modifications, Custom Guitar Mods, Custom guitar shop, custom guitars, Faster playing neck, fix your guitar, Gig Ready Guitar, Gig Ready Guitars, Guitar Action, Guitar adjustments, guitar comfort level, guitar comfort modifications, guitar modifications, Guitar Neck Carving, Guitar Neck Comfort, guitar neck misalignment, Guitar Neck Profile, Guitar Neck Re-Profiling, Guitar neck repair, Guitar neck replacement, Guitar neck reshaping, Guitar Neck Shaping, guitar neck shave, guitar neck shaves, guitar neck shaving, Guitar Neck Shaving Service: Haywire Custom Guitars:, Guitar neck straightening, guitar neck truss rod adjustment, Guitar Necks: It's Not A "One Size Fits All" World, Guitar repair by Haywire Custom Shop, Guitar Repair Cost, Guitar Repairs In S.C., Guitars for disabled players, Had your guitar neck shaved?, Haywire Custom Guitars- Recessed Heel Crest, Haywire Custom Shop Original Recessed Heel Crest Option, Haywire Neck Shaving., Help for guitar repairs and modifications, Help With All Guitar Adjustments, Help With Your Guitar, How To Communicate The Shape For Shaving Down My Guitar Neck, http://haywirecustomguitars.com/guitarneckshaving.html, Is Playing Your Guitar Painful? Tendonitis?Playing A Guitar Comfortably With Tendonitis Or Small Hands, maintenance On Your Electric Guitar, medical condions and playing guitar, Medical Issues experienced by guitar players, mods and fast service., neck shave, neck shaving, neck woods for your guitar, One Day Urgent Care Services, Painful guitar playing, profiling, Recessed guitar heel crest, Spare Guitar, Straighten A Guitar Neck, Wide GuitarFretboards|0 Comments

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

Leave A Comment

Logged in as Rick Mariner. Log out »

Guitar Repairs In Conway, S.C.


  • Haywire Custom Guitars S.C. USA-92526 features: Expert electric and acoustic Guitar Repairs In S.C. Also, upgrades, mods and fast service.  Serving Myrtle Beach and Conway in Horry County SC. Experienced technician will keep your guitar playing the best it can play!  Haywire Custom Shop can also repair and modify other stringed instruments. Including our “One Day Urgent Care Guitar Repair“.  Set up an appointment today-call 843-347-5742

Guitar Maintenance

  • Guitar repairs include: New guitar strings for your guitar
  • Full 8-point setups
  • Intonation Setups
  • Action and truss rod adjustments, fret levels, alignments and more
  • Guitars for children
  • Light weight guitars for women

Guitar Fret Renew & In S.C.

  • Re-fret
  • Fret level
  • Re-Crown
  • Polish new work and test
  • Recessed Heel Crest Option
  • All guitar adjustments

Electronics upgrade and custom guitar mods

  • Electronic modifications on all stringed instruments
  • New Pickup installation
  • Wiring customization with new pots, switches, tone controls, 7 Sound switching and Treble Bleed circuits
  • Personalized upgrades and modifications
  • Guitar neck shaving, thinning, profiling

Hardware replacement & Guitar Repairs In S.C.

  • Hardware customization
  • Cosmetic enhancements
image Rick Mariner working on a guitar setup and repairs in the Haywire Custom Guitars -Custom Shop
Rick Mariner working on guitar repairs Update: fixed! A good one will easily be worth the guitar setup price of $45.

Nut repair and replacement bone and graphite

  • Nut replacement
  • Saddle replacement
  • Fabrication from blank materials

Head stock, neck repair, guitar brace and crack repair

  • Head stocks
  • Crack repair
  • Brace repair
  • Bridge repair and replacements
  • image Photo before neck break repair on a Les Paul
  • Photo before neck break repair on a Les Paul at Haywire Custom Guitars
    Guitar Repairs for all guitar including: PRS, Ibanez, Jackson, Gretsch, Squier, Gibson, Taylor, Fender, Martin, Guild, Seagull ,Yamaha, Ovation
    Washburn, Epiphone, G&L, Rickenbacker, ESP, Schecter and many others.
  Haywire Guitar Repairs is your place for expert stringed instrument repairs, upgrades and servicing. Every Guitar is handled by an experienced guitar technician. We get your guitar in peak playing condition.  Check Haywire guitars official website. Largest guitar shop in the Myrtle Beach area with the deals on new and used guitars. Stop in for new guitars, guitar ideas, guitar repairs, guitar upgrades. Professional guitar service and guitar repair in the Myrtle Beach, SC area.

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

When Guitars Operate Smoothly

When Guitars Operate Smoothly

The sound, feel and ability to play well. That is what you need from your guitars. When these tasks are accomplished guitars and basses they are greatly improved. It happens when they are set up correctly, the right parts are used and adjustments are exact. Regular maintenance and servicing however is required on your guitars from you. In the case of, truss rods, they need seasonal adjustment to keep the neck straight. They fight a constant battle between pull of strings, truss rods, tremolo systems and humidity. Guitars operate smoothly and in tune when set up properly. If a setup is done right it will match any chosen string gauge.

8 point “Gig-Ready” guitar set up includes:

Our 8 point “Gig-Ready” guitar set up ensures that each guitar is set to it’s design specification. Included in the process we pay particular attention to: neck relief/truss rod adjustment, action/string height, intonation, tremolo float or Deck, lubricate hardware, neck alignment, electrical check/test, clean and oil fret board, nut and fret wear inspection, pickup height adjustment, neck alignment, string parallel, string margins, the neck to string radius and secure loose parts.

Nuts and saddles built exact so- Guitars operate smoothly

We adjust and build saddles for all types of acoustics, electrics and basses in any materials. We can make nuts for any instrument or repair/re-space your existing one. If the slots are too tight, uneven or too high for a comfortable action we fix it.  Most important, he less friction the better the guitar or bass will tune. We use all materials including: Tusq, graphite, bone and brass.

Back to standard specs ………

Players who desire an upgrade their stock pickups will ask for replacements. We can install all types of pickups for all guitars, basses and acoustics. This may from time to time require extra body routs, enlarging guitar cavities, new jack sockets and other creative work. We’ll upgrade tone and volume pots, switches, jack sockets, capacitors and wire for you as well. Sometimes our work leads us to undo old modifications and convert your guitar back to standard specs and your guitars operate smoothly .

Guitars For Disabled


I can’t think of many disabilities which would affect one’s ability to play a guitar. However, maybe a few because players have walked into the shop with solid and believable complaints regarding the guitars they play. We offer guitars for disabled players.
A deaf person-maybe not. Blindness doesn’t seem to stop anyone from playing. It may even hone the skill better. Guitar players for the most part don’t look at their fingers or their instrument while playing. Musicians like Jose Feliciano, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Jeff Healey are some examples of overcoming a disability to play guitar. There are players however, who have been playing for years and as age creeps up they can no longer even hold a guitar.

special guitars for disabled people?

The players sometimes don’t even realize they have a disability. Often times they’ll just take a seat on stage and play. Still others will come in to a guitar shop like Haywire Custom Shop for advice. We’re ready! We got your back, front, sides and anything else that hurts. Why not try and help players get back to “normal” on stage? Great idea! We have clients come in with back and shoulder issues due to heavy guitars. As they hold these guitars standing up for hours on end it can be debilitating as they age.
What do we do? I ask them to play for me. We look at what the possible problems could be. It is almost always the excessive weight of the guitar.
The solution is sometimes as simple as a lighter body. Yes, just strip down the old guitar and re-build it right onto a lighter frame. Their parts, the same parts their used to, but on a lighter body can make all the difference to players with disabilities. If the disability is caused by the instrument then it’s easy to unwind the whole problem and fix it for them. We think about solutions for guitar players all the time. The guitarists don’t necessarily come up with the fixes right away until we suggest ways to reduce weight, thus pain and increase satisfaction on the job.
We help players with disabilities find the right solutions for the problems the face daily. Physical handicaps from the waist down-no problem. It’s the other ones we need to address.
 By | July 1st, 2019|a heavy case vs. a gig bag. Free guitar cases., Ask For Help, Back up guitar, Correct guitar strings, custom guitar by Haywire, Custom guitar modifications, Custom Guitar Mods, difficult to play acoustic guitars, Feather Light Orthotic Guitar Body, fix your guitar, fix your guitar buzz, guitar comfort level, guitar comfort modifications, Guitar Education, guitar improvements, Guitar Neck Carving, Guitar Neck Comfort, Guitar neck replacement, guitar neck shave, Guitar Repairs In S.C., Guitar Strings High Off The Neck, Guitar Tune-ups, Guitars for disabled players, Haywire Custom Guitar necks, Haywire Custom guitar shop, Haywire Custom Guitars 8 Point Gig Ready Guitar Process, Haywire Custom Guitars info about guitars, Haywire Custom Guitars- Recessed Heel Crest, Haywire Neck Shaving., Help for guitar repairs and modifications, Help With All Guitar Adjustments, Help With Your Guitar, How To Communicate The Shape For Shaving Down My Guitar Neck, Is Playing Your Guitar Painful? Tendonitis?Playing A Guitar Comfortably With Tendonitis Or Small Hands, Light weight guitar hardware, medical condions and playing guitar, Medical Issues experienced by guitar players, One Day Guitar Repair, One Day Urgent Care Services, Orthotic Guitar Body, Painful guitar playing, Spare Guitar, Straighten A Guitar Neck, Technique playing guitar, The Right Guitar, Urgent Care for Guitar, When is it necessary to "set up" for perfect guitar tuning?, Wide GuitarFretboards, wider guitar fret board

Great Guitars


What makes your guitar great? Color, finish, pickups, tuners? Maybe, but most likely not. Great guitars are held by players who really appreciate the parts that add up to quality. This is true however there is a catch. The great guitars are the ones that contain the qualities desired by the player holding the guitar. Huh? What do I mean by that?

What makes great guitars… great?

Simply this. Every player has different ideas on what makes his guitar great. It is very personal. Some players need certain parts to make them feel comfortable using the instrument. For example, a player may need a good tremolo so he can demonstrate his particular techniques. Still others may gravitate to a particular guitar because it has the “action” he desires. Action is defined as the proximity of the strings to the top of the frets. The lower the strings, the closer the action and ease of play is more evident.

My guitar is better ….

Players will often compare their guitar to another and usually say-my guitar is better. Then they’ll list all of the qualities that make it so. What they’re really saying is, “There are qualities in my guitar that I have not found in any other guitar. I am sticking with this guitar until I find another one that plays just like it”. Got it. Keep looking or go to a custom shop.

What is a custom guitar shop?

It’s a place where great guitars a made, adjusted, tapered, tailored and finished to your specs. So, a guitar player has two choices. He can stand in one place and watch as all the guitars slowly go past in his lifetime trying each one until the “ideal” next guitar floats by. The other choice is to ask for what he needs. Since he already has his perfect guitar in hand then all that’s necessary is to duplicate it’s most important and prized qualities. Yes, that’s right a custom shop can measure, extract, compare, duplicate and set up a guitar exactly like the one you play.

Do you have an emergency guitar on hand?

If not, why not? Do you have great guitars or just one? Don’t you have an extra pair of shoes? A spare tire? Do you have spare guitar picks? Strings? Why not a spare guitar in case of emergency? You may want to think about it. Taking a second guitar to a gig is not just a good idea but a necessity in most cases. Think about having your most prized tool-duplicated for emergency purposes. It’s great to have a spare! Get one! Fast!
image Haywire Custom Guitars Srf Green Guitar with Block Inlay
Haywire Custom Guitars Surf Green Guitar with Block Inlay

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

Used Guitars


Superficial surface finish cracks are prone to all guitars. Importantly, more in used guitars.
Strats tend to crack the paint or finish surface in that exact same spot where the neck meets the body. Used guitars are especially more prone because they have been handled more.
If you bought a guitar that was not listed as Mint, NEW or Perfect
then it’s a used guitar. Ordinary wear and tear and surface cracks are to be expected sometimes, so clearly a surface crack in the body where the neck meets the pocket is a non-issue. Equally important, if a used guitar plays well and sounds good and is in excellent playing condition
why worry?

The “Real Value” of used guitars

Remember-most used guitars aren’t beauty pageant entries, just good possibilities as great playing instruments for you.
You need to ask yourself? Did I buy this guitar to play it or look at it?
When you think nothing about how well it plays but just how it looks it’s not the guitar with a problem.
The real value of a “used guitar” is that it allows a player to have some experience with a higher end instrument without the higher cost.
I really hope as a serious player you try it to determine if it plays well.
Most guitar players are Divas, sure I get it. They are superficial and tend to choose instruments as they would a girl friend.
Don’t do that. It’s a tool. If you buy a used dull tool-then don’t complain…sharpen it!


To an untrained eye-sometimes what may look like an issue is usually not an issue at all.
When paint is stripped from a used guitar body there will be a space where the excessive amounts of paint used to be. For example, the neck pocket.
As a guitar builder-I want some space for my guitar necks to align properly. That is a very important part of a setup later on in the process.

Not every neck fits perfectly tight

When adding a neck to a guitar body there are 4 axis which need to be perfectly positioned. As follows: right, left
and forward and backward neck alignment. If the neck is perfectly aligned on all of those axis-it will play properly.
When buying a used or new guitar that is what to look for.
Look at the string margin space on each side from 1st to last frets between the neck and strings.
Ideally you should see the same amount of neck space from each of the “E” strings to the side of the neck-all the way down.
That will give an indication of the proper alignment to right and left axis. Further, the strings will ride just over top of each pole piece on each pickup. That is another indication alignment is correct.
Not every guitar neck fits perfectly tight with every body. It doesn’t need to.
It just needs to align and play well.

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md.and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.