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Fixing a warped/twisted neck

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5/9/1999 11:56 AM

Fixing a warped/twisted neck

Here`s the story, I got a cheapo Kay from the 1950`s for free and it is in quite a horrible state, no collector value what so ever here!!! My little project has been to bring the poor thing back to life. I`ve already taken care of most of the cosmetics and electronics, but the neck has a twist in it that doesn`t seem to affect action too bad, but I would really like to get it out. Any suggestions would be appreciated, but these are the rules: I don`t want to send this guitar to the shop, I want to the job myself. So anyone with tricks and miracles are welcome to speak out...

5/14/1999 9:31 AM

I don't think everyone's been ignoring you or your question. There's simply no easy way to untwist a guitar neck. The wood has most likely found its natural resting place, or equilibrium point. This is one main reason why bolt-on necks were invented.

I'm assuming that by "twisted", you mean that the plane of the nut end of the neck is no longer parallel to the top of the guitar. In essence, the neck has twisted along its centerline.

This is what I might try on a guitar that has no collector value:

Since the warping most likely occurred gradually over time, you'll have to jig the guitar and apply a reverse torque gradually, over a period of time.

Remove the tuning hardware and clamp the headstock between two boards, maybe 3/4" pine, about 3-4" wide and 18-24" long. Sandwich the headstock between the two boards near one end and secure with clamps. The board sandwich should extend at right angles to the head. Secure the guitar on a table. Attach weights to the clamp boards near the far end, so that gravity will apply a torque against the twist.

Wood can be made to change shape easier with judicious application of heat and moisture. You may be able to get the neck to repond with careful local application of steam. But you must keep the rest of the guitar away from the increased humidity, or it could be ruined.

You're gonna need a carefully laid out work area, a steam source, and plenty of time on your hands. And there's no guarantee that the end result will be worthwhile. Don't say some bozo on the internet told you how to fix your guitar, you followed his advice, and your guitar was ruined. If you intend to progress in the lutherie field, this may be a way to experiment and perfect tecniques. But working on a glued-up wooden instrument is on a completely different level than changing pickups and setting up intonation on an electric guitar. It's advanced work. I will admit to you it's out of *my* league.

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