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Shims just say no!


Twincam

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Never 'shimmed' before, I'm not really very handy beyond setting intonation. But the other day I shoved a bit of something flat under the neck of a bass I had put together.

I musta gotten lucky because it went from unplayable to perfect.

So count me in the shimmer camp if this ever goes to war.

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On 04/12/2021 at 16:58, Hellzero said:

 

 

The more tilting the neck has, the more pressure on the saddles the strings will have, increasing the dynamic and the response of the instrument and also its power.

The opposite tends to destroy the dynamic and making the strings really flappy and dull sounding, or sometimes even so dampened they seem dead.

A neck totally parallel or level to the body will mean less to no pressure on the saddles whatever break angle you might give them inducing a great loss in dynamic.

This principle is applied to instruments with a "vibrating" table like a jazz guitar, any acoustic guitar, a double bass or any instruments of the classic quintet, but there's a maximum point after which the pressure will void the string vibration.

Check the tilting of a double bass and the break angle of the strings on the bridge and you'll understand the process.

 

I'm writing this while tired so please forgive me.

I understand for the most part but I don't think that totally works out in my initial thoughts. To me if I draw a line on paper representating a string from one point the nut, and to another point the saddle. And there is another line under it for the fretboard and I tilt the paper the angle is different but the string tension is the same. If not it would be out of tune. 

And surely if break angle alters playing dynamics string through bodies would be vastly different to through the bridge. 

Also there are plenty of very good instruments with parallel necks or only tiny tiny amounts of angle. 

A through body string through design is going to have the same downward pressure no matter how high the bridge once tuned. Angle a neck you raise the bridge but you then have to detuned the string. 

 

Why are we not playing instruments with loads of neck angle and high bridges? 

 

I'm not saying your wrong by the way, I'm just trying to understand the principle more so I can form a better opinion on this one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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18 minutes ago, Twincam said:

And surely if break angle alters playing dynamics string through bodies would be vastly different to through the bridge. 

Also there are plenty of very good instruments with parallel necks or only tiny tiny amounts of angle. 

 


he specifically said on a vibrating table, ie, an acoustic instrument. It would make absolutely no difference on an electric only instrument

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4 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:


he specifically said on a vibrating table, ie, an acoustic instrument. It would make absolutely no difference on an electric only instrument

 

Again I'm tired so I could be wrong here.

But I'm sure he did say earlier in the thread angle effects the dynamics of a shimmed electric instrument. On page 1.

And that's what I was replying too. 

And this whole thread is really about bolt on neck electric instruments. 

 

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2 minutes ago, Twincam said:

But I'm sure he did say earlier in the thread angle effects the dynamics of a shimmed electric instrument. On page 1.

And that's what I was replying too. 

And this whole thread is really about bolt on neck electric instruments. 

 


ok, didn't read that far back, I was just commenting on the bit you quoted.

and a thread is often about many things regardless to how it started.

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