Anyone here had any luck shimming their Axis neck...

[Norrin Radd]

...in order to get the action lower? If so, how much did you shim? With what? And how did it work out? Thanks!

 

[hbucker]

I shimmed the neck on my EVH a couple years ago and it helped quite a bit.

I used shielding foil and mimicked the size of the shim that came from the factory. I just made it a few thicknesses of the foil thicker. That's all it needs to rase the action quite a bit. You're raising the base of the neck a little and lowering the nut exponentially more so a little shimming goes a long way.

It takes some trial and error but eventually you'll find it.

I've also used picks as shims on another guitar. That would probaby be too thick for the Axis though. Unless you use the thinnest pick you can find.

 

[lock-ny]

A simple business card or a piece of paper or two work great and they are wood based products as well -

 

[mcvinyl]

I recently had the neck on my Axis shimmed. Made a huge difference. I had mine done by a pro though as I'm always to nervous to do that kind of thing.

S

 

[Norrin Radd]

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

I think I'll try the business card route, 1 thickness, and go from there. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

 

[Randy Wilson]

The proper way to shim is to utilize a piece of hardwood; shaped, sanded and tapered to fit in the neck pocket. This way there are no air gaps between the neck and the body of the instrument. The hardwood shim is less sensitive to moisture values than a piece of paper would be. The wood also handles compression much better and there is less chance that you will be revisiting this issue any time in the near future. I recently performed this procedure on my Rosewood Axis. The result was a dramatic change in performance without the worry of lost tone. I compared it with other Axis's and simply could not tell the difference. It's a long process with alot of fine sanding & tweaking, but the end result is well worth the efffort. I won't tell you what the folks at EB used for a shim in my guitar as I am presently in discussions with the customer service end of the company regarding that matter! Suffice to say, it wasn't done as described above! Good luck!

 

[GuitarHack]

You can't leave us hanging like that

 

[beej]

I've got the Dan Erlewine vid where he makes shims like that. Very interesting. That said, many manufacturers say there isn't a noticeable tone difference from a shim, and from what I've heard I believe it.

 

[roburado]

I have an old Ibenhad. It has a shim--done professionally. Tone was unchanged.

 

[TNT]

Depending how PRECISE?PERFECT you want each individual string you may want to consider this:

Start by making sure that the trem plate is level. You can accomplish this by: Raising/lowering the pivot screws and/or shimming the rear plate rest.

Once this is done, only then you can determine the shim size for the neck pocket.

You have two ways to approach this, since you will STILL have to individually raise/lower certain saddles even when the neck shimming is done (because not ALL the strings will be perfect, just the ones satisfied by the neck shim)

1. You can either neck shim the action to satisfy the inner strings, then saddle shim the outer strings higher (because they will be too low.)
OR
2. You can neck shim the action to satisfy the outer strings and replace the inner string saddles with smaller ones (because they will be too high).

I use "brass" custom fitted shims (not wood, plastic or cardboard). And I shim the neck pocket with "TWO declining value shims". This is to allow the wood base of the neck to have "Complete Support" until it meets up with the wood in the neck pocket.

I DO NOT over tighten the neck screws, only snug, that neck pocket wood (unlike the Maple wood of the neck) is very soft and you will damage/harm the neck pocket wood by putting a "indentation in the wood", that may require a thicker shim in the future.

I hope this helps.

 

[Smellybum]

...in order to get the action lower? If so, how much did you shim? With what? And how did it work out? Thanks!

Hey Norrin, have you tried using one of the shimms from the nut?

I got 2 with my replacement locking nut, it works a treat.....

 

[Randy Wilson]

Sorry for leaving you hanging, but I want to hear what EBCS has to say about my particular issue before posting anything else. I am already somewhat disappointed by the fact that I have a new guitar with issues and was told to wait until the NAMM show is over before anyone would address the problem. I am an avid EB fan, however my confidence in their CS is waning and compromised. More to follow!

 

[Norrin Radd]

Hey Norrin, have you tried using one of the shimms from the nut?

I got 2 with my replacement locking nut, it works a treat.....

Nah - I don't have an Axis anymore. Been through 2 of 'em since I started this thead!

Dang 20th is killing everything in it's path.........

 

[TNT]

Randy,

Hang in there, CS is "top notch", a little patience will pay off.

One thing though, a lot of time things that can't be seen by the consumer (such as neck pocket shims) are for application only. As long as they do the job, it serves its purpose.

And, because these guitars are "bolt ons", the shims can be exposed. It may not be pretty, but it does the job.

And, since guitar techs nationwide use whatever they choose to shim, it's up to the builder/tech what they use and how they do it.

Shims (be it nut, neck pocket, saddle, trem rest) and are a necessary and essential part of a guitar action set-up, as most know.

However, in conclusion, I wish there was a "standard" material and sizes for shims. Other than the Floyd Rose saddle shims, I just make my own brass custom pieces.

 

[Randy Wilson]

O.K. I just got off the phone with Dan at EBCS. The problem with my new Axis is that even with the bridge as low as it can go, maximum tolerances for action requirements are not even close to being met. Upon removing the neck and inspecting the pocket, there was a plastic file folder tab attached with masking tape. Even with this so called shim, the guitar is still difficult to play. If that's a shim, then the people at EB are planting eggs in the ground to grow chickens! Dan told me that this is par for the course and that they do this for all their guitars requiring shims! On that note, I am extremely disappointed in the response and was told that if I'm not satisfied with the instrument, why don't I simply return it to the store where it was purchased. Now that's good for sales! Scott Ball was supposed to get back to me regarding this issue, but I haven't heard back from him either. I will be posting pics of the shim work etc. next week. In conclusion, I haven't found the people at EB to be very accomodating, in fact, I found Dan to be argumentative and obstinate, obviously the wrong person for the job! I'm afraid that after this experience, I'll be moving on to another guitar manufacturer. The people at EB had every opportunity to respond to my queries, but simply dropped the Ball! (PARDON THE PUN). Anyone want an unplayable brand new EB Rosewood Axis? I'm taking offers! I would implore ANY EBMM owners with neck issues to inspect the shim aspect of their instrument, your problem may lie in this area. Remember, if you sell someone a product with good service, they'll tell a couple of friends about you, if you sell someone a product with bad service, they'll tell everyone about you! If after reading this post, anyone in a position of authority at EB wants to contact me, I would welcome the opportunity to chat, though based on my correspondence thus far, I doubt that will happen.

 

[Multiversal]

O.K. I just got off the phone with Dan at EBCS. The problem with my new Axis is that even with the bridge as low as it can go, maximum tolerances for action requirements are not even close to being met. Upon removing the neck and inspecting the pocket, there was a plastic file folder tab attached with masking tape. Even with this so called shim, the guitar is still difficult to play. If that's a shim, then the people at EB are planting eggs in the ground to grow chickens! Dan told me that this is par for the course and that they do this for all their guitars requiring shims! On that note, I am extremely disappointed in the response and was told that if I'm not satisfied with the instrument, why don't I simply return it to the store where it was purchased. Now that's good for sales! Scott Ball was supposed to get back to me regarding this issue, but I haven't heard back from him either. I will be posting pics of the shim work etc. next week. In conclusion, I haven't found the people at EB to be very accomodating, in fact, I found Dan to be argumentative and obstinate, obviously the wrong person for the job! I'm afraid that after this experience, I'll be moving on to another guitar manufacturer. The people at EB had every opportunity to respond to my queries, but simply dropped the Ball! (PARDON THE PUN). Anyone want an unplayable brand new EB Rosewood Axis? I'm taking offers! I would implore ANY EBMM owners with neck issues to inspect the shim aspect of their instrument, your problem may lie in this area. Remember, if you sell someone a product with good service, they'll tell a couple of friends about you, if you sell someone a product with bad service, they'll tell everyone about you! If after reading this post, anyone in a position of authority at EB wants to contact me, I would welcome the opportunity to chat, though based on my correspondence thus far, I doubt that will happen.

You are one of the few people that has had a bad experience. In fact, you're the only person I've ever seen to have anything bad to say about these folks.. especially Dan who is quite possibly one of the MOST helpful guys that I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

IN FACT, I'm a bit offended and saddened that you think he is "obstinate" and "argumentative." Dan went out of his way and did everything he could when I was having a bit of difficulty and not only was I reimbursed very generously for the cost of shipping, but EB went out of it's way as a company to do something for me that I'm pretty sure NO other company would do.

I'm a bit suspicious as to how, if in fact he DID get argumentative or as to how he WASN'T helpful. No matter, I get the "super a-hole" vibe from your post, so I'm guessing that you most likely weren't entirely innocent..

You can't talk about what some of us consider family in this negative way and not expect to raise some suspicion about your own attitude and behavior..

 

[Randy Wilson]

I was professional and considerate. I told him that I was already an EB owner and fan etc. I was disappointed that the shim came by way of a piece of plastic that ultimately didn't correct the problem. I am in sales as a profession and understand the relationship between clients and businesses. I guess that most people that pay a couple of thousand dollars for a guitar that doesn't begin to meet initial set up requirements and have problems getting anyone from the company to help them are simply Super -A- Holes. I am simply extremely frustrated with a company that doesn't respond to my issues. I've spoken with A.J. and he was extremely helpful in directing me to the right people to talk to. The problem is that I was told on two seperate occasions that someone would get back to me and no one ever did. Do whatever you want with your suspicions, but I'm happy to forward you any correspondence with dates etc. Perhaps then you will be able to judge more fairly!

 

[beej]

Hey Randy-

Where did you buy the guitar? If it wasn't setup sufficiently from your dealer, why not take it back there and let them set it up properly or deal with MM. That's what they're in the supply chain for- to handle these problems first.

For the record, I have a hard time believing you called CS in good faith and they were "argumentative and obstinate". My experiences have always been the opposite and they've gone the extra mile for me on many occasions.

 

[Aziah]

Randy, please check your PM's

 

[axisbasher]

a guitar pic thickness was perfect on mine...at the back of the heel