Tip: Shims for Neck Placement

[frets]

Hi Fellers,
TGIF!!!

This little tip is for our forum readers that are getting ready to put a new neck on their guitar, contemplating a new neck; or, tired of fiddling with getting their neck straight.  Now they make brass leaves you can buy, I’ve even seen guys use matchbook covers.

But the best way I think is using the plastic from fruit cartons at the grocery store.  Here’s a perfect example.


So, what you do is cut flat strips 1/4” by 1 1/2” and use them to slide in between the neck and body (while the screws on the neck are loosened). These thin leaves are easy to slip in and easy to stack one on top of the other.  Plus it’s cheap.

[thetragichero]

i use old baseball cards, just because it's fun to take off the neck years later and see what's in there (i understand cardboard is not ideal because it compresses but I'm okay with that)

[frets]

Trag,
The two bonuses with using this thin flexible plastic, is one can build the leaves up in small increments given the thinness of each leaf; and, one can easily maneuver them, slipping them in and out. I’ve tried many things and these are by far the best. Plus, cutting up old baseball cards is sacrilege!

Oh and one last thing, Go Bucs !!!

[ashcatlt]

I’ve been using heavy duty aluminum foil. I cut it in graduated lengths and sandwich it together in such a way that it ends up like a wedge. Usually takes quite a few layers, but it works quite well.

[unreg]

Jan 22, 2021 16:09:22 GMT -5 frets said:

Plus, cutting up old baseball cards is sacrilege!

This could become problematic if, for example, let’s say Mr. Bob Sir doesn’t have a clue about baseball cards, and he grabs a random baseball card, cuts it up, inserts it as a guitar neck shim, and goes about life. Then after years spent playing guitar and learning baseball, he decides to replace his guitar neck. The neck is carefully removed and he discovers “Mickey Mantle” printed on his old neck shim. Wouldn’t you, thetragichero, agree that Mr. Bob Sir’s life is now problematic?

[cynical1]

I know I'm late to the party...so this more for posterity than anything else.

Full pocket neck shims. Accept no substitute.

HTC1

P.S.: Why you need these.