Hello! I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I got a Music Man Cutlass RS 2018 guitar, and it has a problem. The neck is VERY ”bendy” as in unstable. Just the tiniest pressure in either direction throws it very sharp or flat. Does anyone have similar experiences with cutlasses? I assume it has something to do with the neck being very slender, but this makes it almost unplayable. If I just rest my picking hand on the body normally and play a chord with my left hand, it sharpens the pitch noticeably sharp, it’s extremely annoying! It also doesn’t stay in tune very well in general, probably because the neck is so unstable.. I love everything else about the guitar but this makes it almost unplayable for me. Is there anything to do about this or is it just a characteristic of this guitar?
Question Cutlass RS HSS unstable neck
- Thread starter wasoocut
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DrKev
Moderator
Hi and welcome to the forum!
This is not a feature of this guitar neck, or indeed of any guitar. If the wood was unstable I would expect large changes in neck relief with seasonal changes in humidity, and that results in unwanted changes to the string height. (The appropriate remedy is to adjust the truss rod to bring the neck relief back to where ti should be, thus restoring the correct string height). That can occasionally happen with a neck from any manufacturer because there are always a small percentage of pieces of wood that react strongly to changes in humidity, and yes thinner necks may be more prone to it, but it is not a common complaint of any Music Man guitars. Also, I'm not sure this is your issue because it's normally month-to-month or week-to-week issue, and not a minute-to-minute issue.
Diagnosing this problem is always difficult over the internet and a good guitar tech or luthier needs to see the guitar in person to diagnose to correctly. Having said that, I will suggest the following...
1) If your bridge is set to float (allowing the tremolo to pull up as well as push down) tuning can be sensitive to the position of the guitar and to pressure on the bridge from your hand. This particularly noticeable if you use just two springs in the rear cavity.
2) Make sure the neck is correctly seated in the neck pocket and the neck screws are appropriately tightened (but not too tight, you could crack the neck plate).
3) Adding lubrication to the string slots in the nut, and to the top of the saddles, should improve tuning stability. I recommend something like lithium grease, vaseline, chapstick, pencil lead (graphite), just a small amount. And of course tuning stability is always going to be terrible if your strings are old and worn.
This is not a feature of this guitar neck, or indeed of any guitar. If the wood was unstable I would expect large changes in neck relief with seasonal changes in humidity, and that results in unwanted changes to the string height. (The appropriate remedy is to adjust the truss rod to bring the neck relief back to where ti should be, thus restoring the correct string height). That can occasionally happen with a neck from any manufacturer because there are always a small percentage of pieces of wood that react strongly to changes in humidity, and yes thinner necks may be more prone to it, but it is not a common complaint of any Music Man guitars. Also, I'm not sure this is your issue because it's normally month-to-month or week-to-week issue, and not a minute-to-minute issue.
Diagnosing this problem is always difficult over the internet and a good guitar tech or luthier needs to see the guitar in person to diagnose to correctly. Having said that, I will suggest the following...
1) If your bridge is set to float (allowing the tremolo to pull up as well as push down) tuning can be sensitive to the position of the guitar and to pressure on the bridge from your hand. This particularly noticeable if you use just two springs in the rear cavity.
2) Make sure the neck is correctly seated in the neck pocket and the neck screws are appropriately tightened (but not too tight, you could crack the neck plate).
3) Adding lubrication to the string slots in the nut, and to the top of the saddles, should improve tuning stability. I recommend something like lithium grease, vaseline, chapstick, pencil lead (graphite), just a small amount. And of course tuning stability is always going to be terrible if your strings are old and worn.
yeah, what he said. not characteristic. I have a 2016 Cutlass that's as rock-solid as can be. first thing I would do is put all the springs back on the trem and deck it hard -- if the problem goes away, then you're done. unless you want to use the trem, of course. also, what gauge strings are you using? other things being equal, a heavier gauge will be more stable. maybe move up a size.
Thanks for the reply! That’s just the thing. The neck has been unstable since i got it last summer, and it was just setup by a luthier so everything should be fine, and he said there wasnt anything wrong with the guitar. Truss rod is tightened and relief is as it should be. Tremolo is not floating, but I dont want to deck it either. The neck is definitely unstable or ”bendy”, none of my other guitars have this problem. Of course it’s possible to bend every neck with some force, but this is just too sensitive to pressure. When I tune and turn a tuning peg, the guitar goes sharp because of the applied pressure to the headstock. It’s ridiculous.
Thanks for reply! Tremolo goes only down, but i dont want to entirely deck it. I use 9-42, tried tens but the problem persisted, i just tried for the sale of it, im still gonna play nines anyway. I have tried putting all springs in the tremolo but the problem persisted. Dont know what to do.
fbecir
Well-known member
Hello
It is very strange ... a maple neck is normally stable.
Can you block the tremolo with a piece of wood : if it solve the problem, it means that the tremolo is the root of the evil ... Otherwise the problem is elsewhere.
Most of the time, tuning problems come from the bridge or the nut.
It is very strange ... a maple neck is normally stable.
Can you block the tremolo with a piece of wood : if it solve the problem, it means that the tremolo is the root of the evil ... Otherwise the problem is elsewhere.
Most of the time, tuning problems come from the bridge or the nut.
DrKev
Moderator
Have the luthier look at it again. If in the worst case scenario it is the neck that is faulty, and if you bought it from a store, you may still have warranty protection, even if the guitar is used, as Finland is an EU country.
Guarantees, cancelling and returning your purchases - Your Europe
How to claim the 2-year guarantee for EU purchases, get a repair, replacement or refund, how to cancel orders made outside shops (online, by phone, mail order).
Exactly, i thought roasted maple should be the most stable there is.. I have tried with 5 springs decking it, so i dont think blocking it will do any different.
Its a 2018 model and i bought it used from a private person, so i dont think i have any warranty possibilities..Have the luthier look at it again. If in the worst case scenario it is the neck that is faulty, and if you bought it from a store, you may still have warranty protection, even if the guitar is used, as Finland is an EU country.
Guarantees, cancelling and returning your purchases - Your Europe
How to claim the 2-year guarantee for EU purchases, get a repair, replacement or refund, how to cancel orders made outside shops (online, by phone, mail order).europa.eu
DrKev
Moderator
Yeah, no warranty if it was a private sale.
racerx
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2021
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I agree with the others - all of my EBMM necks are rock solid. Even the ones set to floating tremolo have reasonable tuning stability as well. Like others suggested, try to eliminate any other "possibilities". What you are describing is almost unheard of, so that is why you won't get many people with similar experiences to draw on. While it isn't impossible, it does mean its worth looking into other possibilities as well to rule them out.
* Ensure the locking tuners are actually locked, tighten the backs (sounds like yours may not be locked at all or all the way)
* Block the trem entirely to rule out any slippage there
* New strings, lube the nut with pencil or whichever product is suitable
* All of this fails, try removing the neck and reseating it. Maybe the previous owner put an unsuitable shim in place thats behaving strangely. Otherwise a re-seat may just sort the issue out of it isn't secure.
* Ensure the locking tuners are actually locked, tighten the backs (sounds like yours may not be locked at all or all the way)
* Block the trem entirely to rule out any slippage there
* New strings, lube the nut with pencil or whichever product is suitable
* All of this fails, try removing the neck and reseating it. Maybe the previous owner put an unsuitable shim in place thats behaving strangely. Otherwise a re-seat may just sort the issue out of it isn't secure.
QuietSpike
Well-known member
Not sure if it is possible for you to post a video of the issue, but that may help the crew diagnose.
I would also view Dr Kev’s neck seating video… it saved me once on a JP model I thought was “bent”.
I would also view Dr Kev’s neck seating video… it saved me once on a JP model I thought was “bent”.
Maybe ill have to try blocking the trem entirely, though i have decked it hard so i dont think it helps. The tuners are locked properly as well. The luthier said he took the neck off and put it back, so it should be seatrf properly, assuming he knows his business.. im a little scared of taking the neck off myself
is it possible that the saddles are moving, they do have a spring in them right?where is this video? and can i post a video here?
Maybe ill have to try blocking the trem entirely, though i have decked it hard so i dont think it helps. The tuners are locked properly as well. The luthier said he took the neck off and put it back, so it should be seatrf properly, assuming he knows his business.. im a little scared of taking the neck off myself
When i pull the neck towards myself when im holding the guitar in playing position, the pitch goes sharp, that means that tension is increasing, meaning that there is no slippage on tuners or saddles, right? So the problem really has to be that the neck is just weak and overly sensitive to force/pressure. Say, hold your guitar in playing position, then pull backwards near the headstock with your left hand and with your right elbow press down. The pitch will sharpen. Now this will happen in every guitar when enough force is applied, but my guitar’s problem is that it needs very little pressure for this effect to happen, and it makes playing in tune almost impossible because there is always some pressure on the neck side and the body side when my picking hand rests on the body.
QuietSpike
Well-known member
I hate to mention it, but is it possible there’s a split in the wood, either in the neck pocket or on the neck itself? That could result in the behavior you mention. You may want to pull the neck off an inspect. For that matter, are any of the neck bolts loose?
You mention having bought from a private party - did they possibly hit the neck hard at some point? Any sign of impact marks on the body or neck?
You mention having bought from a private party - did they possibly hit the neck hard at some point? Any sign of impact marks on the body or neck?
The guitar is in mint condition externally, no visible scratches bumps or anything! Luthier said he took neck off so if there was a problem there i think he wouldve mentioned.. but yeah would be nice to see for myself but im too scared to take the neck off
Neck bolts are tight. The guy i bought it from assured me the guitar is in mint condition and thats what it looks like too..I will try to make a youtube video and share it here! dr kevs video was interesting! i checked my string alignment as shown in the video and it seemed spot on though.
