Neck Shim on Ibanez EDA900 - Advice

[PaulThePlug 383]

Advice sought from builders and modders on my Ibby EDA 900...

Pic of 'action' and a mention of a shim by @AndyTravis and @MoonBassAlpha persuaded me take the neck off!

Action is high... 3.5 mm or so at the 12th, about 4.5mm at the 24th... Saddles are flat on the bridge with strings about 7.5 mm off the body

So to get the saddles at about mid adjust height, raising em about 2.5 to 3mm

Bit of triganometry an angle of 0.7 - 0.8 Deg, a shim of about a 1mm to 1.5mm should do it...

Cut a bit of card for the back of the pocket as by way of a 'look-see' in the pic below - but too thin, maybe look for a bit of wood, ala coffee stirer?

Maybe start by sanding smooth the finish build-up at the front of the pocket?

Your thoughts and any better ideas or preffered methods?

 

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by PaulThePlug

[AndyTravis 6,744]

A small shim makes a huge difference.

see how you go. 

 

[Geek99 1,500]

I use those thin plastic inserts that come in Next multi-sock packs 

just cut to size. Thin, durable, don’t squash much and you can glide them into place by just loosening the neck a little - around 0.7mm thick 

Edited October 22, 2020 by Geek99

[PaulThePlug 383]

Removed the finish build up from the leading edge of the pocket with an emery board / nail file, (carefull not to pull the finsh off over the edge) trying to get the pocket flat, must of been over half a mm in places...

Went for the thin bit of card i had cut as a shim. - bit off the front, so less needed at the back?

Neck back on, able to get a couple of turns on the saddle screws so they are off the deck, get a bit of string to fretborad radius without the action being sky high...

Neck seems to have lost a little relief in its removal and refit, not back bowed but almost dead straight, with the lightest of string tap at 7 and 9 when capo-ed at 1 and held at last.

Its defo better - Action just under 3mm bass side, no real buzz unless plucked hard

May slacken the russ rod 1/4 to give a bit of relief back, may then be able to drop the action a smidge...

Please keep any advice coming...

 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by PaulThePlug

[Geek99 1,500]

Some necks need a long time to relax so be gentle 

 

Leigh Gordon’s mex jazz that I bought had a neck like a banana and took ages to come back to the land of playable 

[Andyjr1515 4,708]

Sounds like you've done a good job on it. 

[Baloney Balderdash 323]

Use what I used, an old credit card.

I used a full neck pocket non angled one, but it ought to work just fine as a partial shim as well.

It won't compress or decay with age and will be easy to cut to size, even if being thicker than a playing card.