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Showing posts with label thinning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thinning. Show all posts

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Shave A Guitar Neck Yourself?


How do you shave a guitar neck yourself?  The answer is – You don’t! You give it to a competent tech or Luthier to perform that operation for you.
Guitar neck shaving, thinning or reshaping a guitar neck, re-profiling a guitar neck or shaping and duplicating guitar necks? We do it all as a result, you feel more comfortable with your guitar. Therefore, if you have a neck that you just love but it’s a bit too thick-we’ll shave it for you.  $135.00 plus return shipping to your door will get guitar neck shaving done to a thickness more comfortable for you.  We’ll also replace the finish on the back to help preserve the wood and keep it smooth and beautiful.

Guitar Neck Shaving: What is Your Preference, A Thin Neck or Thick Neck ?

Neck thickness should be chosen for what best fits your hands, not the “tone” it has.  Furthermore, that should be the major consideration in the choice of your new neck. The timbre of a fat neck is noticeable. However, most of the tone comes from your playing technique-not the wood.
On an electric guitar tones are affected by everything from the pickups and amplification to pedals, pickups to speaker enclosures.

Guitar Neck Shaving Is A Viable Option For Maximum Comfort

In a live playing situation “wood tones”  in an electric guitar will become even less noticeable.  Let’s say everything is equal and the guitar is perfectly in tune and intoned.  The overall sound of your guitar may be noticeably affected by a fatter/ thicker neck but generally only when you are playing without the guitar plugged in to an amp. Most of all, high gain electric guitar tone is very much dependent on a players technique and comfort with his instrument and not the thickness of a neck. Therefore, guitar neck shaving is a viable option for comfort.

Neck shaving and neck profile building in the Haywire Custom Guitars-Custom Shop
Haywire Custom Guitars can shave a guitar neck.
Neck tone is an issue that no empirical evidence has ever put to rest. However, comfort  does affect your playing ability and technique which is what matters most in finding and maintaining your tone. Start with finding a neck that makes playing a joy and enhances your technique in a way that allows you to play your best, then:

Find the best amp that suits your ear for the tone you like. 

However, other factors to consider are pickups, effects, speaker enclosures, etc.
When we do guitar neck shaving, it’s intended for musicians who are working and need a good tool so it will play better. A guitarist’s tool is not intended to be entered into a beauty contest. If your neck thickness is an impediment to your playing, then guitar neck shaving is the right decision for you. Neck shaving is to help you be more comfortable with your guitar. A finish is applied simply to prevent moisture from absorbing into the neck wood. If you are a guitar collector, neck shaving will not improve the resale value of your instrument. Remember, anything that you to an original instrument will take value away. Collectors love all the flaws on an old guitar.

Thank you for stopping by the website and taking time to inquire about Guitar Neck Shaving!

The best way to communicate what you need is to either work with specs from your existing neck or send a neck along with the one you’d like shaved. We can shave a guitar neck. Ideally the sample neck you send should be what you’d liked duplicated on the neck to be shaved. We can duplicate anything. If you want to work from your existing neck then move the strings and take thickness measurements with a digital caliper. We do this every time a neck comes in to the shop. Take the sample thicknesses from-1st fret   3rd     5th     7th      9th     12fth frets. From those measurements we’ll be able to determine how much you need removed to make it a better playing neck for you. Similarly, we use those thickness numbers to work from.

Here is a typical example of the info we share with you when we get your neck in the shop to be shaved:

The specs as it came in were as follows: 1st fret   3rd     5th     7th      9th     12th .925     .947    .963   .977    .991     .101 After a guitar neck shaving here are the new specs as follows: 1st fret    3rd      5th     7th      9th     12th .829       .850   .890     .901   .904     .932
In the same way, we can get the reduction as close as possible within a few thousandths of what you need removed.
There are other ways to communicate your desired result, such as simply: “I’d like a 20% reduction” and we can do that.
The more specific you can be the better the outcome. We can duplicate anything you send us as well.
The other consideration is the back profile and if you’d like it to stay the same or if you want a change.

Neck Back Profiles

What is a “neck profile?” It simply refers to the shape of the back of a guitar neck. It’s also referred to as the neck “back shape.” You can find neck and back profiles here: https://haywirecustomguitars.com/guitar-neck-replacement/ Guitar neck shaving, thinning or reshaping a guitar neck, re-profiling a guitar neck or shaping and duplicating guitar necks? We do it all as a result, you feel more comfortable with your guitar. Therefore, when you have a neck that you just love but it’s a bit too thick, we’ll shave it for you.     “Just $135.00 plus return shipping back to you will get guitar neck shaving done to a thickness more comfortable for you.   We’ll also replace the finish on the back to help preserve the wood and keep it smooth and beautiful. Best of all,
no waiting. We work on the neck as soon as it gets here. the turn around time is 2 days or less from when we receive it”.

2 things to remember when shipping to us:

Firstly, Ship with the US Post Office. They are less expensive and much more careful  with your packages from our experience.
Second, Forget buying “signature required” services. Our postal carriers know where to leave the neck safely and securely. These two tips will save you money, save time by getting us the neck sooner and delivered safely. “We are musicians working for musicians”  Send your neck or guitar to us here:
Rick Mariner c/o
Haywire Custom Guitars Inc.
Haywire Custom Shop
Lees Landing Circle

Conway, SC 29526
http://haywirecustomguitars.com
843-347-5742

Get: Guitar Neck Replacement, Fret leveling, Nut filing, Shave a guitar neck
Custom Guitar Neck Contours, Custom guitar neck shaping, thinning, shaving and profiling

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

How To Communicate The Shape For Shaving Down My Guitar Neck

Guitar Neck Shaving

Haywire Custom Guitars Custom Neck shave before and after
Haywire Custom Guitars Custom Neck shave   before and after

QUESTION:

Hi Rick
I saw your website about your services including shaving down a guitar neck.
A couple questions:
How would I communicate the shape I wanted ?
Would I ship the whole guitar to your shop ?
How long would it take, approximately ?
Is the base price $135 plus return shipping ?
Thank you !

ANSWER:

Thank you for stopping by the website and taking time to inquire about Guitar Neck Shaving .
The best way to communicate what you need is to either work with specs from your existing neck or send a neck along with the one you’d like shaved. Ideally the sample neck you send should be what you’d liked duplicated on the neck to be shaved. We can duplicate anything.
If you want to work from your existing neck then move the strings and take thickness measurements with a digital caliper. We do this every time a neck comes in to the shop. Take the sample thicknesses from-1st fret   3rd     5th     7th      9th     12fth frets.
From those measurements we’ll be able to determine how much you need removed to make it a better playing neck for you.
Similarly, we use those thickness numbers to work from.

Here is a typical example of the info we share with you when we get your neck in the shop to be shaved:

The specs as it came in were as follows:

1st fret   3rd     5th     7th      9th     12fth

After a guitar neck shaving here are the new specs as follows:

1st fret    3rd      5th     7th      9th     12fth
In the same way, we can get the reduction as close as possible within a few thousandths of what you need removed.
There are other ways to communicate your desired result, such as simply: “I’d like a 20% reduction” and we can do that.
The more specific you can be the better the outcome. We can duplicate anything you send us as well.
The other consideration is the back profile and if you’d like it to stay the same or if you want a change.

Back Profiles

Guitar neck shaving, thinning or reshaping a guitar neck, re-profiling a guitar neck or shaping and duplicating guitar necks?
We do it all as a result, you feel more comfortable with your guitar.
Therefore, when you have a neck that you just love but it’s a bit too thick, we’ll shave it for you.  
“Just $135.00 plus return shipping back to you will get guitar neck shaving done to a thickness more comfortable for you.  
We’ll also replace the finish on the back to help preserve the wood and keep it smooth and beautiful. Best of all,
no waiting. We work on the neck as soon as it gets here. the turn around time is 2 days or less from when we receive it”.

2 things to remember when shipping to us:

Firstly, Ship with the US Post Office. They are less expensive and much more careful  with your packages from our experience.
Second, Forget buying “signature required” services. Our postal carriers know where to leave the neck safely and securely.
These two tips will save you money, save time by getting us the neck sooner and delivered safely.
“We are musicians working for musicians” Sincerely,Rick Mariner
Haywire Custom Guitars Inc.
Haywire Custom Shop2007 Lees Landing Circle-Conway, SC 29526
http://www.haywirecustomguitars.com
843-347-5742

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



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”.

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Who Here Has Had A Guitar Neck Shave?


Guitar Neck shaving in the Haywire Custom Guitars-Custom Shop
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.  His 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 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.

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




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”.

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Friday, March 15, 2019

Faster Playing Guitar Neck

How to make your guitar neck play faster?

Send your neck to us at Haywire Custom Shop.  On Urethane and polyester finishes sometimes the sweat from your hand will slow you down. Even on some Lacquer finishes with a high shine this can occur.  Water between your hand and a high gloss finish can “grab” and suddenly stop you. It can be very irritating to be on your way to a great riff then get stopped!  So, what do you do?  Send it to us here at the shop. We will “Satinize” your finish so the grab from your hand sweat will not be nearly as noticeable. Contrary to some thinking, a matte or satin finish on a neck will feel and play much faster. It will allow for your hands to travel up and down the neck unimpeded. When the gloss is knocked off of the finish the stickiness will disappear.

Dirt on necks will slow down playing on a guitar neck

Some general housekeeping on your guitar will help it play faster.  Dirt combined with sweat can make it gummy. You can rub it out to make it more slippery and not as gummy and slow. Some lemon juice and salt will work. Mineral spirits will clean a neck too.Keep your instrument clean for better playing.

Action on the back of your guitar neck

Guitar players speak about the “neck action” often.  Action is referred to as: “the height of the strings above the fret board or distance from the top of the frets . It is also used to describe the general ease, feel and ability of a guitar to play effortlessly. However, these terms and descriptions refer to the front of a guitar neck. Rarely does anyone speak about the “action on the back of the neck”.  This kind of action is just as important as the action on the neck front on a guitar. Why? Well an often heard complaint is my neck is slowing me down. If the action solutions have been addressed on the top of or front of your guitar neck then what’s left?  Of course-the back!  That’s where we come in.  The Haywire Custom shop will address all concerns you have EVERYWHERE on your guitar. The neck profile finish is no exception.  So, let’s get you playing your guitar faster.

The relationship of neck back finish to playing speed


A satin finish is between a high shine and matte finish (no sheen).  Replacing the sheen is a great way to speed up the feel and action on the back of your guitar neck. Your fingers act like suction cups on a high sheen finish. Like frogs feet your fingers are more likely to stick on a glossy surface. Frogs prefer glassy and shiny surfaces such as windows. They can stick like glue on them. They’ll hang there for long periods of time. However they rarely stick to a non-shiny or matte surface. If they’re smart enough to know the difference-shouldn’t we be? The same principle applies to guitar necks. If you want a faster neck-with no sticking, then don’t add a sheen to the surface. Let us speed up the action on the front and back of your guitar neck.

When you have a neck that you just love but it’s a bit too slow, we’ll fix it for you 

“Just $55.00 plus return shipping back to you will get guitar neck faster more comfortable for you.  
Best of all, no waiting. We work on the neck as soon as it gets here. the turn around time is 2 days or less from when we receive it”.

2 things to remember when shipping to us:

Firstly, Ship with the US Post Office. They are less expensive and much more careful  with your packages from our experience.
Second, Forget buying “signature required” services. Our postal carriers know where to leave the neck safely and securely.
These two tips will save you money, save time by getting us the neck sooner and delivered safely.
“We are musicians working for musicians” 
Regards,
Rick Mariner
Haywire Custom Guitars Inc.
Haywire Custom Shop, 2007 Lees Landing Circle-Conway, SC 29526
http://www.haywirecustomguitars.com
843-347-5742

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


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”.

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