A warped guitar neck can make your guitar notes out of tune in some positions and can even create muddy quality in the tone of the guitar.The heat, humidity, time, and natural pressure on the neck may have caused this.If you want your guitar to sound like it's intended, you'll need to have its neck straightened.It can cost up to $800 to have this done professionally.You can try to repair your guitar neck on your own.
Step 1: To check for warping, eyeball the neck.
Take your guitar in your hands, level it with your eyes, and point it toward a general light source.The strings begin under the sound hole and go up the neck to the tuning keys.A well-lit window is a good light source for this visual check.If your guitar isn't warped, you should only notice small dips in the shadow cast by the strings on the fretboard at the fourth, fifth, and sixth bottom frets.Shadows cast by your strings on the neck can be an indication of warping.The neck might not be warped, but the frets may have become unbalanced.You should notice that one or more frets are higher or lower than the surrounding ones.The neck of your guitar can cause frets to become crooked.Carefully inspect the area when you notice frets that are not straight.The upper frets of your guitar should be straight.It's a good sign that you have a warping problem if there are deviations in the top frets.Don't look at the wood of the neck or fretboard for warp.This part of your guitar can become worn down over time, and can make the neck appear warped even when it isn't.
Step 2: From the headstock to the body, repeat your eye-check.
Your view begins with the headstock, where the tuning pegs are, if you arrange your guitar so that the base is facing away from you.Hold your guitar level with your eyes and point at the light source.The shadows cast by the strings should be used to evaluate the straightness of the neck.There should be no shadows on the fourth, fifth, and sixth frets.It can be hard to notice warping from one end of your guitar.If you perform a visual check of the neck of your instrument from both the body and the headstock, you'll have the best chance of detecting warping.You might want to use a piece of tape to mark any unnatural differences in the neck.If you notice the distortions in the wood, it will help you make more precise adjustments later.
Step 3: To check the neck, use a straight edge.
This doesn't mean that your guitar neck is not warped, only that there is no obvious warp.A straightedge check can help you determine the extent of the warp, even if you noticed it.It's a good idea to place your guitar on a level surface.The strings of your guitar are going to be your straightedge.The sixth string of your guitar should be pressed at the first and twelfth.There should be a small gap between your string and fretboard on the sixth fret.An unnatural back-tilt can be fixed by adjusting the truss rod.The sixth string should be pressed at the eighth and highest frets.The string should lie flat on the board between the 12th and 14th frets.There is a rising warp in the neck of the guitar.Along the first and last frets, press your sixth string.The neck warp is located in the upper part of the neck away from the body if there is a small gap between the strings.The truss rod can be adjusted to fix this.The neck is warped if your string and sixth fret form a gap larger than 1/64 of an inch.slide down the fretboard with your other hand if you hold the sixth string at the first fret.The neck will need to be straightened if the gap at your sixth fret decreases as you slide down the frets.
Step 4: To check the frets, repeat the straightedge test and use a ruler.
You have to repeat the test with the first string now that you've performed a straightedge test.The sides of the fretboard need to be level.If your inspection didn't find irregular warping, you may have frets causing buzzing or other distortions.To check your frets, lie a metal ruler on the fretboard.A fret may be out of alignment by a few thousandths of an inch.The ruler will seesaw slightly back and forth if you lay metal along the frets.
Step 5: Prepare your instruments.
While removing frets from the neck of your guitar, you will want a flat and clear surface to work on.You're going to use the steam from your iron to loosen the glue connecting the frets to the neck, and then with your hammer and scraper, you'll be chiseling it off.The strings on your guitar need to be removed to do this.It is possible to hold the neck of the guitar into place with a rubber ended clamp.This can make removing the frets easier.Make sure your iron has plenty of water.You will need a lot of steam to loosen the glue.If you run dry mid-steaming, you may want to bring some extra water in the pitcher.It is possible that your guitar could be damaged during this process.If you have an expensive guitar, you may be better off having a professional repair it.
Step 6: The top of the fretboard has steam applied to it.
Set your iron to its hottest setting.To begin steam-loosening the frets, you need to place the iron on the topmost segment of the fretboard.It should take about five minutes for the frets to loosen.At the five minute mark, take your scraper and begin pushing it between the fretboard and the neck from the side of the guitar.To loosen the glue on your guitar, you may need to apply steam to the neck.Test the bond between the neck and fret with your scraper.From the heat of your iron, the fretboard and neck will become very hot.It's a good idea to be careful when handling your guitar.You may want to wear gloves or wrap the neck of your guitar in a towel if you are going to be burned orscalded.You should be able to get an inch or two of your scraper between your fret and neck when the glue has loosened.It should be enough to hold your scraper in place between the two parts.
Step 7: Remove the frets from the guitar's neck.
Take your hammer and gently but firmly tap your scraper on its handle until it pushes through to the other side of your guitar.You should apply more steam to the frets of your guitar when you find resistance to your hammer tapping.The scraper should be at a right angle to the neck of the guitar.You'll be able to wedge the fretboard free if you tap the protruding end and handle.Damage to the neck can be caused by stress being applied by your scraper.It can take a long time to remove frets from a guitar.The wood needs to be worked on slowly to prevent it from cracking.The neck can be damaged permanently.
Step 8: Continue until the neck is removed.
Work your way down the fretboard, applying your iron to steam-loosen the glue and hammer to separate the board from the neck.The fretboard should come free as you move down it.When the fretboard comes free, work slowly and carefully.The neck or fretboard of your guitar can be damaged by working too fast.Try to wiggle your scraper back and forth in the direction of the still-glued segments once the glue has loosened.You may be able to loosen the glue more easily.
Step 9: You can cut the cradle block with your saw.
It's important that your cradle is made of hard wood.Resistance will help you correct the warp and prevent damage to the neck.To find the distance between the area of the neck that is warped and the surface you are working on, use your tape measure.This is the height of the cradle block.The length and width of the block should be the same as your guitar's neck.
Step 10: To hold your guitar in place, hollow a trough.
To make a level trough in which your guitar will nest, you are going to notch the cradle block along the top.This will prevent the guitar from being damaged by the irregular forces that could cause the neck to crack or the instrument to slip.A 14 inch deep trough is enough to hold your guitar in place.The wood of the neck is prone to stress fractures.
Step 11: Cut the tension block.
Take your 2 by 4 and cut it down to a manageable size.Make a mark in the middle of the board by laying it on its wide side.To make a mark in the center of the board, measure 2 inches (5 cm) from one side to the other.The headstock of your guitar will overhang the middle mark.The marks to either side of the middle will be where you add tension rods to the guitar.
Step 12: Add and shape the tension rods.
They will be made from nails.You can pound a nail into the two spots you marked with your hammer.The nail needs to go through the other side of your 2 by 4.If you want to shape your tension rods, you need to bend the nails with pliers.Don't damage what is below your 2 by 4 when you pound the nails.The opposite side of your 2 by 4 will allow you to extend your nail by 2 to 3 inches.
Step 13: All necessary parts must be secured to your space.
The tension block should be firmly placed at the end of your work space.Place your guitar so that the headstock overhangs the mark on your tension block.Lift the neck and place the cradle beneath it so that the warp is centralized.The guitar's body should be firmly fastened to the base of your work area.There are small pieces of rubber between your guitar and work area.There are small pieces of rubber that can be used to protect your guitar or work area.At this point, your guitar should be placed at the base of your work area, the warped part of the neck must be nested in your cradle, and the tension block needs to be moved to the work Area with the headstock overhanging it.
Step 14: Attach the tuning pegs to the tension rods.
The middle tuning pegs on either side of the headstock are where you need to insert the thickest string guitar you have.Wrap the string around the top of the peg several times to affix it in place, then take each loose end around each pegs' closest edge and down toward the tension rods.Put the rubber guards between the string and the headstock to make sure the strings don't damage the wood.For warp repair purposes, your low E string should work well.You can apply more tension to the neck with thicker guitar strings.
Step 15: The tuning pegs need to be adjusted to fix the guitar.
If you loosen or tighten your A and B tuning pegs, you'll apply tension to the neck of your guitar.The warped neck will be fixed by this tension.Before applying tension with your tuning pegs, place your straightedges to form right angles with the base and top of the neck.If the warp has been corrected, you'll be able to see it using the straightedges.Your warp has been corrected if the top of each straightedge is level.You can put your straightedge longways down the neck of your guitar.It is possible that this will make it easier for you to see the warping.Before your warp is corrected, you may have to make a few small adjustments.If you apply too much tension to the neck of your guitar, it could cause it to crack.You should add a half turn to each tuning peg once the neck is straight.
Step 16: Set the new neck shape with heat.
Place a metal straight edge along the neck of your guitar.This will help to evenly distribute the heat between the wood and the iron.If you apply too much heat too fast, it could damage the wood.The temperature of your guitar neck should be kept constant for about two to three hours to help it hold its shape.Allow the wood to cool for a day after.
Step 17: Attach your fretboard.
The guitar's neck needs to be fixed.All you have to do is re-glue your frets to the guitar's neck and it will play as new.