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Hey all,

Finishing a build. I am torn between the .5 shim and .75 shim.

I prefer the .75, but it actually creates a weird angle near the bridge pickup where it almost looks like the strings are curved (banana upward toward the bridge) - does that cause any problems (e.g. warping or bending the neck), or is it just an aesthetic issue? I'm noticing the action might raise slightly as it goes up the fretboard, too.

The cool thing about that .75 shim and the curve in the strings is I pick deep and rest my palm on the bridge, and the strings curving upward makes it where I don't hit the neck pickup with my pick.

If you like it, use it. The only downside is if the bridge or the pickups cannot get high enough. Otherwise, go for it

You shouldn’t run into any neck issues. All a shim is really doing is lifting your bridge to get a better break angle/downforce. Functionally, that line from the nut to the bridge will be set up exactly the same as if you were running flat: string height and neck relief are set to where they need to be. Like said, the only limit is pickup and bridge height and you can pad the pickups with more foam if needed. I started at 1 initially and dropped down to .5 later as it looked a little funny and was unnecessary.

Cool, thanks all.

I built another and .5 was perfect for that one, but this one seems to need a little more. Something like .65 would probably be ideal, but I'm afraid to shave down the shim and ruin it. I'll go with the .75.

The thing is right before the bridge near the neck pickup the strings appear to curve upward toward the bridge. I can't tell if it's an optical illusion or they're actually doing that, but it's what made me wonder if I was introducing a curve or warpage to the neck.

j mascis wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:47 am

Cool, thanks all.

I built another and .5 was perfect for that one, but this one seems to need a little more. Something like .65 would probably be ideal, but I'm afraid to shave down the shim and ruin it. I'll go with the .75.

The thing is right before the bridge near the neck pickup the strings appear to curve upward toward the bridge. I can't tell if it's an optical illusion or they're actually doing that, but it's what made me wonder if I was introducing a curve or warpage to the neck.

It might be a neck relief thing, or you might have the neck pickup high enough that it's actually pulling noticeably on the strings. Have had both on a few guitars over the years, and both are literally as easy as tightening a few screws to fix. I wouldn't be super worried if it plays well and sounds good -- neck relief being way off would give you playability issues, and the pickup being high enough to do that would cause a noticeable lack of sustain and weird overtones.