Uh Oh, String Alignment Help

[Rhoads369]

while trying to continue setting up my rhoads sandoval v i have been working on for the last year,(it is my first build) i found that the strings are not aligned correctly. it is set up with a floyd rose liscensed tremelo with a locking nut. at the nut, the strings are too far to the left edge of the fretboard, while at the last 6-8 frets the 1st string is close to coming off of the fret entirely! is there anything i should/can do to remedy the situation?!

thanks

Edited June 27, 2006 by Rhoads369

[spazzyone]

post some pics so we can analize better

[Dino]

Assuming it's a bolt-on neck ...

First, remove the neck and plug your existing holes with wooden dowels.

Then use a clamp to secure the neck into the neck pocket.

Then string up the first and sixth strings only.

These strings do not need to be tuned to pitch.

Just tune them up enough to take any slack out.

With the first and sixth strings strung up and the neck clamped in place ...

you should be able to shift the neck from left to right in order to properly align the strings.

Once you have it where you want it, drill your new holes from the backside.

I have pics to help illustrate this, but I'm at work now and don't have access to them.

If you feel pics would be more helpful, let me know and I'll post them later.

Good luck.

Edited June 27, 2006 by Dino

[Guitarfrenzy]

If you built the neck or bought the neck before you had the bridge, you could have used this to find out what kind of bridge you could have used knowing the string spacing of it.

You can read this article I wrote to see how you can figure it out.

Now, if you had the bridge before you made the neck, then if you knew what size the nut was going to be, you could have drawn it out so that you had at least the standard 1/8" from the two outer strings to the each edge of the fingerboard.

Your problem might not have anything to do with that though, in that like was previously mentioned, your bridge is either out of alignment, or you need to slightly move the neck so that the two outer strings are equal distance away from the edge. If it's still less than 1/8" on each side, then it's not optimal.

[Dino]

If you built the neck or bought the neck before you had the bridge, you could have used this to find out what kind of bridge you could have used knowing the string spacing of it.

You can read this article I wrote to see how you can figure it out.

Now, if you had the bridge before you made the neck, then if you knew what size the nut was going to be, you could have drawn it out so that you had at least the standard 1/8" from the two outer strings to the each edge of the fingerboard.

Your problem might not have anything to do with that though, in that like was previously mentioned, your bridge is either out of alignment, or you need to slightly move the neck so that the two outer strings are equal distance away from the edge. If it's still less than 1/8" on each side, then it's not optimal.

That's awesome information, but I'm kinda confused how it will help align a neck.

[sumphead]

I think he is just suggesting that it could be more than just a neck alignment. The neck could very well we strait as an arrow but the bridge spacing could be off, or the bridge was placed incorrectly. I think it was also mention that the strings were off at the nut as well which could mean...drumroll...on bad nut. Or any combination of the above.

Sorry couldn't resist.

R

[Rhoads369]

thank you for the help!

honestly, i think it isn't the neck, since that was already aligned and checked over and over when we put it in, and unfourtanatly, i think the neck probably can never be taken off because of how much of a pain in the a$$ it was to put in, so the only thing that makes sense is the bridge, but i know i have that in right from using a stewmac tutorial on floyd rose installation. i'm hoping it may be the nut, is that a feasible idea?