Petrucci and Neck Problems?

[aortizjr]

Hi...

I just bought a new Petrucci that was ordered through my local music store about 3 months ago. It is a killer guitar, great sound, plays nice... most of the time.

I live in New Mexico (ie. desert) and I have been having a lot of neck problems. After taking it home the first day, I had high frets and it needed a truss rod adjustment, badly, it was unplayable, but played fine in the store. I haven't done any work on the guitar at all personally since I am not really a trained tech, I just fiddle with my own guitars. But since this one is my first over 1K and the only one new with warranty, I have the store do all the work.

So... with the high frets and truss rod, it was sent back to Ernie Ball for a re-fret. From what I and the store luthier could tell, it looks like they just leveled and dressed the frets. Well since then the truss rod needs adjustment almost every time I play. I just deal and take it in every week or so. It has had 3 fret levels since I have had it.

Basically the store and I are debating just returning it and getting another one or keeping it since NM is tough on guitars. I know the neck is unfinished birds-eye but their other Sillouhettes (sp?) have had no problems. Has anyone else had this much trouble?

All my other guitars have had no troubles at all. Generally one fret level and neck adjustment after a few months, then not again for a while, but nothing this drastic. Pretty much every time I play the Petrucci, the action is different, the relief changes, and I am tempted to make an adjustment. But I restrain in fear of voiding the warranty.

So, is this a typical problem, or should I send it back? But I don't want to send it back and turn out that this is a common problem. Fortunately my local store has been incredibly helpful, but I would just like to get this resolved, that 1.5K pricetag is hurting with all the work I am having to do. This guitar so far has nearly been in the shop more than in my hands.

Please help...

Thank you.

 

[aortizjr]

anyone? should I keep this or not... as of now I am taking it back. Just tonight when I tried to play it the action was incredibly high. Probably going to send it back to Ernie Ball... not sure if I will get another.

 

[Jimi D]

New Mexico is hard on guitars? Man, you should try living in Canada! Today is 100% humidity with a projected temperature around 32ºC - six months ago it was 10% humidity with temperatures around -30ºC. There aren't many more radical extremes you can find on this planet ...but I digress...

It's certainly true - at least in my experience - that the oil and wax finished necks found on most EB/MM guitars are more susceptable to climate changes than finished necks, but your problems sound chronic! Even here I don't find myself tweaking a truss rod more than a couple times a season, and I would think that the relative stability of a desert (hot/dry) should be easy enough to compensate for... At any rate, I would do two things in your shoes. First, I'd get EBMM to finish the neck (yes, they will do a satin finish on their necks by request). Second, I'd learn to adjust my own truss rod - it doesn't get any easier than on a Music Man with the little exposed wheelie thingie down at the body end; it takes maybe 30 seconds once you get the hang of it...

my 2¢

 

[aortizjr]

I may just have them finish the neck.

My main issue with doing work myself (like I do on all my guitars) is that I don't want to void the warranty. Especially since it needed to have the frets levelled twice already.

I can do adjustments I guess, but it is a pain since I don't like doing it with the strings on and does that mean every time it rains and I have to play that I am going to have to adjust.

Any more input?

 

[Jimi D]

I can do adjustments I guess, but it is a pain since I don't like doing it with the strings on.... {snip}...

Woah! You SHOULD adjust your neck under tension - I would never try slight truss-rod adjustments without the strings on and tuned to pitch - anyone else on this?

 

[aortizjr]

I learned that you shouldn't adjust the truss rod under tension because it is often too much tension on the truss rod which can strip threads and/or break the truss rod. I have gotten this from luthiers, techs, and read it in books. Perhaps some disagree... but I still won't do adjustments figuring I can't afford voiding the warranty.

 

[jongitarz]

When you say "fret leveling" What exactly do you mean?

 

[OrangeChannel]

I learned that you shouldn't adjust the truss rod under tension because it is often too much tension on the truss rod which can strip threads and/or break the truss rod. I have gotten this from luthiers, techs, and read it in books. Perhaps some disagree... but I still won't do adjustments figuring I can't afford voiding the warranty.

I've never adjusted a truss rod without tension on it. I mean how do you know if you've over/under'd it?

 

[ChefTones]

Humidity?

I realize you said that you have not had similar problems with other MM guitars, but I would suggest that you maybe try a humidifier in your case. I'm wondering if your trouble might stem from the extremely low humidity in your area. Wood shrinks and gets somewhat temperamental in low humidity to the point where cracks in the wood occur due to the shrinkage. I would think that it would also tend to make the frets seem high if the fingerboard contracts due to insufficient moisture.

I think it'd be worth the $12 or so for a humidifier to see if that might not cure the problem before sending it back or having the neck finished.

/tones

 

[aortizjr]

When you say "fret leveling" What exactly do you mean?

By fret leveling, I mean when there are high or low frets, and the other frets are ground to make them all even. This is after the neck has been adjusted to be straight.

 

[aortizjr]

I've never adjusted a truss rod without tension on it. I mean how do you know if you've over/under'd it?

That is the game you play from what I have learned. Loosen strings, adjust, retune, wait to settle, and check. Then try again, hence why having to do a set-up job takes a while. I guess you can do it with the strings on, but everywhere I have read and heard it isn't a good idea. Maybe they are all paranoid?

 

[jongitarz]

If we did one fret leveling...who did the other 2?