Hey guys,

If i look down the neck and eyball against pick guard, it appears there is a very slight twist to the neck. It plays fine and some of the folks here that have strats have tried it out and told me they like the feel of it so not sure how much its affecting the action and intonation or if this is just an optical illusion.

If this is in fact a problem, is there a way to correct this? I wouldn't be surprised since this guitar is nearing 20 years old. Should I start looking for a new neck?

thanks.

Take some pics and post them so we can see what you're talking about.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Thanks BKW.

This pic is pretty much a wasted effort but all i had was my phone. I guess i'll have to take some photos with my wifes camera. It seems noticeable if you look at the fret wire down the board so impossible to convey with a phone cam.

If you look at the red oval (well there was a Red Oval in photoshop... obviously I'm not a PS operator), you can see the nut go up slightly, I thought it might be an issue with the nut but then looking at the fret wire it seems more like a twisting of the neck. It plays in tune just fine and as I said, some players around here have commented that they like the feel so hopefully this isn't a big crisis. I guess i should start shopping for a neck right?

My apoligies for the horrible quality of the pic.

actually... this picture is stupid...It does nothing to convey the apparent twist in the neck but instead provides a perspective of what a violinist might see if he were trying to play my strat like a violin.

You cant really judge twist by sighting a neck like that. It's hard enough to judge relief like it.

What you can do is check the fret markers are all inline. Put a straightedge next to the 3rd fret marker, the other end next to the 21st fret marker. All the other markers (aside from the 12th fret) should also be lined up to the straightedge.

Not the most foolproof method but serves as a decent quick check.

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No no and no

Captainc- That pic makes it seem like your practice room is NASA. What is all that stuff?

Hey, is your neck twisted, or listing to the side? Are there shims between
the neck and body?

highly unlikely that your neck is actually twisted. if the guitar is playing in tune and you're not getting fret buzz you may be experiencing good ol' optical illusion.
naturally, the fatter strings are set higher than the thinner ones on the saddle, but are pretty even on the nut. if you're trying to judge the flatness of the neck using the strings as the gauge, then the cart is pulling the horse, so to speak.

you said that the guitar plays and feels good. if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Thats the machine Room here at work, Various video and audio decks, patchbays, ISDN boxes etc. The Shop was too dark so stepped out there in the bright light to snap the pic which turned out crap anyway.

It seems twisted looking at the 21 fret against the first fret but think it best to leave it alone since playability seems fine.

as the above poster said... if it aint broke don't fix it. Words of infinite wisdom.

as usual i don't have a clue about the neck problem. i did however laugh out loud about the violinist comment. thanx, i needed a laugh.

I think a violinist would try to play it likethis