Weird things on a 7620 neck: Need advice fast!!!

Gresh · #1 06-20-2002, 03:45 PM

OK...looking at a used 7620 as a backup/project guitar. Price is right, it has been abused but the trem looks ok, some pieces are rusty which indicates a moist environment....hence the following issue:

When looking at the neck, the high E is a normal distance from the edge of the fretboard at the nut. But as you follow the string down the fretboard towards the bridge, it gets closer and closer to the edge of the board until it is nearly hanging off the edge of the board at the 24th fret. I was able to move the neck in the pocket by applying a little force and that helped a little. Then I noticed that the nut and the 24th fret were not parallel with the High E side being slightly higher, indicating a slight twist in the neck. All the electronics worked

Again, this thing is dirt cheap...so anyone have any advice on how to deal with the neck. I think I can make it playable, but keeping intonation and tuning might be another issues alltogether. I'd have 30 days to have it checked out and if I didn't like the outcome, I could take it back and get my dough back on it.

As a project guitar, I would want to dump the fretboard and put a blank piece of maple on it, so all needed correction could be made then. I am just wondering if the neck being warped slightly could have that much impact on how the string is aligned with the outer edge of the neck or is this a problem of the neck pocket not being in line with the axis of the strings? Anybody care to share some insight? How fixable or non-fixable could this be?

ibanez otaku · #2 06-20-2002, 04:10 PM

Gresh, in my (albeit limited) experience, I've never seen a twisted neck get better without a luthier doing scary things to it with heat. And if the warp is happening in the neck maple rather than the fingerboard (likely) it could continue to twist after you install your new compensated fingerboard. Could you try loosening the neck bolts, repositioning the neck a fraction, then tightening them back up to see if that solves the problem? Normally you get weird buzzes and bend chokes on a warping neck - any of those happening? I think it depends how cheap is 'cheap'? If it's cheap enough that you could sell the body, pups and hardware to break even if the neck is frigged, then you could go ahead with some confidence.

Good luck though.

Gresh · #3 06-20-2002, 04:34 PM

Thanks for the insight.

Yeah, cheap means darned cheap, like the body and trem alone are worth the price. I think I might go ahead and get it, take it home and work on it a little and see what I can do myself. The poor thing was set up just horribly...it's criminal if you ask me. If I don't get anywhere, I'll run it by a local repair guy who is really good and see what he says...if he poo poos it totally, then back it goes and I lose nothing. But if it is workable as is, and provides a good base for the mods I mentioned, then we're off and running.

littlegreenman · #4 06-20-2002, 04:51 PM

The best way to straighten a twisted neck is by removing the fretboard, the likely hood of the old board causing the twist is next to nil, it is usually the maple neck itself, but, when you put a new board on, you first plane the neck level, then add the new board, that's the best way to do it. You would likely have to deepen the truss rod cavity a little bit, but this is not a huge deal if you are competent to level the neck to start with.
Also, if you just leave the twist, when the new board is added, when you radius it, you can make it flat in the top of the board anyway.

As for the string misalignment, that's a neck that is crooked in the pocket, loosen the screws and push it back into alignment.

Gresh · #5 06-20-2002, 05:20 PM

Thanks Jeremy, I was hoping you would come thundering in on this one!!

This is a rough decision and I may need to sleep on it.

ibanez otaku · #6 06-20-2002, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gresh

This is a rough decision and I may need to sleep on it.

That's sure one way to straighten the neck!

EKG · #7 06-20-2002, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibanez otaku

That's sure one way to straighten the neck!

ROFL

Vaibanez · #8 06-20-2002, 08:29 PM

You had the fix right when you moved the neck in its pocket. All you need to do is slightly loosen the neck bolts and adjust the neck until the strings are alligned. Then tighten the bolts back up.

At that point, you can look into wheather or not the neck is twisted.

I would doubt it, but being in a high hummidity climate may have moved the neck around.

Gresh · #9 06-21-2002, 10:53 AM

Thanks for all the advice guys. I got the guitar and some other gear and got an amazing deal incidentally, I just couldn't say no to it and with 30 days to figure it or get my money back, it was a no brainer.

At any rate, I spent about 4 hours working on it last night. Removed everything (nut, trem, neck...) and cleaned the dickens out of it. As it turns out, the trem is nearly perfect, only the slightest indications of wear on the B saddle and no pitting.

The neck is fine. I pulled it out and sanded that finish off the back and polished the frets. Upon putting it all back together, I took a small piece of business card as a shim and placed it along the top edge of the neck pocket Low B side closest to the neck pickup in the corner. That did the trick, the string/neck alignment is dead on and a truss rod adjustment later the neck is straight and flat. Set up needs some attention as I bottomed out the trem getting the action down, and it still need to go lower so a shim in the neck pocket is in order as well.

Thanks again for the help guys.

Gresh · #10 06-24-2002, 03:22 PM

Update: (as if anyone really gives a rip....)

Ripped her apart again last night, took off the nut and removed the shim. Took the neck off again and used 3 pieces of business card and shimmed her up a little,tilting the headstock towards the back of the body slightly. That brought the bridge back up and allowed me to really tweak the action.

I've got $275 into this guitar and it plays better than my UV and my 2027 at this point. Guess I need to get cracking on setting them up better. Tone wise this thing is brutal, it crushes my 2027 which still has stock pups, and it does sound better than my UV, maybe due to the direct mounted pups instead of a pickguard...don't know, don't care.

EKG · #11 06-24-2002, 03:36 PM

That's cool! I am glad you like it!

Maybe I just had bad 7620's?

yurich · #12 06-24-2002, 03:37 PM

all this 7620 talk makes yurich wanna get one

dcord · #13 06-26-2002, 10:09 PM

Eddie,

The 7620 you sold me is AWESOME!!! I haven't had a single complaint (except the stock pickups). I had to remove the shim from under the nut (I find that most Ibzes are setup perfectly except for the too high nut), and it plays as good as my RG1200. :-)

I just need to get the freaking neck bound. LOL

~d~

littlegreenman · #14 06-27-2002, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcord

Eddie,

The 7620 you sold me is AWESOME!!! I haven't had a single complaint (except the stock pickups). I had to remove the shim from under the nut (I find that most Ibzes are setup perfectly except for the too high nut), and it plays as good as my RG1200. :-)

I just need to get the freaking neck bound. LOL

~d~

*twiddles thumbs*

dcord · #15 06-27-2002, 02:03 AM

ummmm,

Is that a hint? LOL