Music Man Axis strings height

[sastremarti]

Hi there!

I’m about to purchase a Music Man Axis!! (it is going to take up to 6 months to come…but…I’ll wait patiently).

I am a bit concerned by just one little detail: I have been reading a lot in the Ernie Ball forum and it seems to me there is a lot of people having some issues with the strings height. I do not know what’s the problem exactly but many of them end using neck shims (to elevate the neck and get it closer to the strings).

Is there any reason for that? I mean is there any problem when trying to reduce strings height? I should be able to do that by using the allen screws that are placed at both sides of the bridge. Is that right?

I say this because I prefer strings to be close to the neck and I would prefer not to use any shim.

Should I be afraid?

Many thanks for your help!

 

[spychocyco]

It probably varies by individual guitar. I can put the strings on my Axis right down on the frets with no shim, and in fact, had them there until recently when I got my PDN ASS and realized how much better it sounded with the strings a little higher. A shim is not necessarily a bad thing either. I've got a couple of non-EBMM guitars that need a shim either at the locking nut or in the neck pocket, and you really don't even notice that it's there.

 

[Tollywood]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

There is nothing to fear. The truss rod is easily accessible and you can lower your strings as low as you want. I like mine just above the buzzing point. That close. So, you should be just fine. Good luck with your new Axis. It's my favorite guitar. The neck and the pickups are just perfect.

 

[sastremarti]

Many thanks guys!

I feel a little better now!

Go Axis goooooooo!!!

 

[Fro]

Adjust the string height/action with the saddles.
Adjust the neck relief with the trussrod.

 

[DrKev]

Adjust the string height/action with the saddles.

Axis Floyd Rose has non-adjustable saddles. The bridge is factory set to sit flat on the guitar top so action is adjusted by shimming and/or neck relief. Contrary to popular folklore, action can be happily and safely adjusted (a little) with the truss rod.

 

[dibart77]

Axis Floyd Rose has non-adjustable saddles. The bridge is factory set to sit flat on the guitar top so action is adjusted by shimming and/or neck relief. Contrary to popular folklore, action can be happily and safely adjusted (a little) with the truss rod.

I agree completely with DrKev. I have 71 EBMM Axis and EBMM EVH guitars, and I have never had to install a neck shim. And I have never raised the trem height (and you can't raise saddles). All you need to do if the strings buzz or fret out is a 1/4 turn of the truss wheel. The necks are unfinished, so they are a little more susceptible to humidity than a lacquered neck. But it's also what makes the neck a work of art. All you need to do if you're fretting out (or, conversely, if the action gets a little high) is a 1/4 turn or two on the truss wheel. I keep this link bookmarked and always refer back to it because I can never remember which way to turn!

Truss Rod Adjustment - YouTube -- "Ernie Ball Truss Rod Adjustment: Ernie Ball Music Man engineer Drew Montell demonstrates how to adjust the truss rod on your Music Man instrument."

In the video, Drew tells us, "You might want to adjust the saddles to fix that issue, but more often than not, a slight truss rod adjustment and everything will work just fine."

Tell it, Drew.

​

 

[Fro]

Axis Floyd Rose has non-adjustable saddles. The bridge is factory set to sit flat on the guitar top so action is adjusted by shimming and/or neck relief. Contrary to popular folklore, action can be happily and safely adjusted (a little) with the truss rod.

Your 100% correct. I was thinking about the vintage trem.

 

[Tollywood]

... I keep this link bookmarked and always refer back to it because I can never remember which way to turn!

Hi Jeff! Here is my trick for remembering which way to turn the wheel:

I put the allen wrench into the centered hole of the wheel, so if I am standing the wrench is parallel with the floor.

If I want to lower my action I press the allen wrench down. If I want to raise my action I pull up on the allen wrench. Down to bring your strings down, and up to bring your strings up.

Have a great night.

Bryan

 

[DrKev]

 

[dibart77]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Bryan, yours is pretty easy to remember. Having said that...... I guarantee the next time I need to adjust I'll be searching "music man truss" on YouTube because I can't remember a thing! "Now, what was Tollie's trick? What was Kev's rhyme?"

​

 

[DrKev]

It's on the graphic I posted, but not my rhyme at all, it's an old old old engineers and mechanics rhyme for standard screws, nuts, faucets, etc.

Lefty - Loosey, Righty - Tighty!

 

[dibart77]

I know... was just kidding.

​

 

[DrKev]

Ooops I did it again.

Love,

Kevin "miss-the-obvious" Kretsch

 

[sastremarti]

Hi there....I’m still waiting for my Axis to come!!!!!!!! >_<!

Meanwhile..I'm still thinking about the shimming thing. Recently I went to a luthier here in Barcelona (I wanted to replace the neck-joint screws in mi Ibanez). We told me to always fill the holes (where the screw is) with Wood sticks in order to let the new screw…screw properly.

That’s bring me to my question: If I have to shim my Axis (and that means…adding and removing shims till I find my “sweet height”)…I’ll have to split the neck and the body..so…will the screws do their Jobs once I’ve put and remove them several times?

I don’t know If my question is clearly enough….

Thank you people!!

 

[tbonesullivan]

If you are replacing it with the same screw, you should not need any wood sticks or fillers in the hole. When the screw is first installed, it makes grooves in the wood. You just need to engage those same grooves, and you will be fine. What you can do is put the screw all the way through the body, and then let the tip rest in the hole on the neck. Back the screw out a few turns, and you should feel/hear it settle into the groove. This works great for any type of threaded situation as well. By spinning it backwards you ensure you are properly in the threads.

If you were installing different thread pitch screw, then you would probably want to fill the holes and re-drill, as they will not match the previous screw grooves.

Shimming has been a part of the final setup for bolt neck guitars for quite some time. Early Music Man basses had the "micro-tilt" style neck joint on them, which actually has a little bolt that allows you to set the neck angle. A shim is , IMHO, far more effective and stable than a micro-tilt system, which uses a small bolt to put pressure on a metal insert on the bottom of the neck.

 

[sastremarti]

Many thanks for the explanation! As I said...i'm still waiting for my Axis to come...(almost a year!) But I try to be as ready as I can before the time comes.