NGD Snow white SoCal Japan

[nick01]

Hi,

I've just purchased a 2nd hand Japanese SoCal in white and it is everything that I hoped it would be and more

I have a few Q's though that you may be able to help me with.

The neck is rather grubby so I was wondering what would be best to use to clean it up??
There is a lot of buzzing and choking mainly on the d&g strings from about the 7th fret to the 9th is the worst part, would it be the truss that needs adjusted or the action raised slightly?
How is the trem supposed to sit, mines parallel with a pull up of about a semitone, is this about right?
Can it be adjusted to sit at more of an angle to give a larger pull range or is it best to leave it as it is?

Apart from these niggles the guitar is excellent and looks beautiful!!

Thanks, Nick

[BigE13]

For RacerX... GTWGITS pic!

[nick01]

what does GTWGITS mean? lol

[nick01]

Not the best pic but the only one I have at the moment

[BigE13]

You got it. Get the whole guitar in the shot! I love the white So Cals...I have a MIJ Candy Blue and a USA in Candy Green and both are outstanding guitars!

[RacerX]

Taken with a potato!


J/k - that's very cool in white! (I have a USA in Tangerine)

[xenophobe]

The neck is rather grubby so I was wondering what would be best to use to clean it up??
There is a lot of buzzing and choking mainly on the d&g strings from about the 7th fret to the 9th is the worst part, would it be the truss that needs adjusted or the action raised slightly?
How is the trem supposed to sit, mines parallel with a pull up of about a semitone, is this about right?
Can it be adjusted to sit at more of an angle to give a larger pull range or is it best to leave it as it is?

0000 steel wool, or 1000 grit or higher sandpaper, dry sanded.

It may need a truss adjustment or the bridge might just be a tad too low for that particular neck. Can't really tell without seeing it in person.

The base plate of the trem is supposed to be flush/parallel with the strings if it's non-recessed, or flush with the body if recessed.

If you want to set the trem to sit at an angle, you may need to re-intonate. You will need to adjust your spring claw in the trem cavity.

[nick01]

Just had another look at the neck to see if I can figure out the buzzing problem.

It seems to be mainly at the 9th fret across the EADG strings, the worst being the D&G where its definitely more than a buzz and more like a choked noted.
The trem height seems to look good, parallel with strings.
Do you think that I need to adjust/loosen truss slightly??

Any ideas welcome, Cheers Nick

[ken]

It could also be that one fret is seated a little too high and needs to be tapped in a bit, or a combination of the above. If you're unsure, I'd recommend taking it to a guitar tech. to have it set up. You can always have them show you what was wrong and what they did to fix it so you learn in the process. It'll play much better as a consequence.

Congratulations on the guitar. She's a beauty.

[DonP]

the worst being the D&G where its definitely more than a buzz and more like a choked noted.

Make sure the bridge and nut radius match the neck radius.

[nick01]

How do I check the bridge & nut radius match the neck radius?

I adjusted the hight of the trem and this made no difference to the choked notes at the 9th fret so I returned the trem to where it was.

I spoke with the previous owner and he told me that the truss had never been adjusted and that the only thing he had done when he got it from the factory was lower the trem very slightly and that he had no issues with the strings choking out.

The only thing Im thinking is that the previous owner is from Wales and I am in the Highlands of Scotland and maybe the temperature change has caused the buzzing and this could maybe be eliminated by adjusting the truss slightly...possible???

Thanks, Nick

[ginsambo]

Don't know what it's been like up in Scotland but down here we've had uber high humidity these last five months of continous rain and a couple of birdseye necks I have have twisted beyond recognition. That said I doubt the quartersawn Charvel neck has, they might move but they never twist. More likely the action is too low or the trem is sitting too low on one side....or a fret has popped out from its seating as the neck has expanded with the humidity (Most of my Pro mod/Wildcard/Style II Charvels with tight necks pockets have popped laquer on the surface of the guitar around the heel because the necks have expanded - is why I hate tight neck pockets so much.

Is the trem level with the body? Look just up the neck from the offending fret, are the frets coming unseated? Action on the 9th 12th and 22nd fret should be around 1.5-2.0mm without anything depressed and at 1.5mm it will still be a tiny bit buzzy. The relief on the 12th fret with 1st and 22nd fret depressed should be around 0.5mm+. All measured from the top of the fret to the edge of the low E string. Also you can get a 15 or 30cm straight edge or business card and see if it rocks on a fret, just higher than where it is choking out, if its rocking the fret is raised.

I would guess that Wales is as humid as Scotland, given the Gulf Stream and temperature has little to do with it, unless you have your central heating blazing. I reckon he just lowered the action too much and never noticed it, because of his style of playing. All measurements are a rough guess, I would look up the tolerances on the Fender site before making any adjustments.

Also suppose it wouldn't hurt to sight down the neck and see if its twisting, block off the nut with your thumb as it makes it appear twisted.

The only other thing I can think of is that he has placed some kind of Welsh voodoo curse on it. For me, with the 1st fret capo'd or depressed the action at the 12th fret being 1.2-1.5mm from top of fret to bottom of string is ultra low. It shouldn't be below 1.2mm IMO, although some people do seem to have it lower, its starts to choke off, kill sustain, sound awful and go beyond reccomended Fender tolerances.

How high is the action on the 12th with the first fret depressed?

[DonP]

How do I check the bridge & nut radius match the neck radius?

Measure. Stewmac.com sells radius gauges. I bought a set. You match the nut radius to the radius of the neck at the nut and the bridge radius with the radius of the neck at the 24th fret, to take into account a compound radius neck.