How bad is bad?

[drnihili]

I have an overly stiff tuner on the G string. The place I got the guitar from has offered to either ship me a new tuner or a new guitar, my choice.

 

So I've done all the measurements in the "Is my guitar sick" thread (thanks FK) and all of them looked fine except the neck angle which was hard to measure. With the help of a real straight edge from the lab, I now know why.

 

The neck is flat from the nut to the guitar body, but then drops down toward the soundhole. If I measure neckangle from the flat portion, it comes out right. However, measuring from the last two frets results in the straight edge dropping about 3/16 inch at the bidge.

 

Sighting down the frets, the downward curve is just barely visible, not really noticeable. But measuring the extension of the angle at the bridge gives 3/16 difference from true flat.

 

Laying a straight edge on the top of the guitar, I can just see a concavity around the soundhole. The rest of the top is either flat or slightly convex.

 

I do live in a dry climate, but I keep a humidifier in the case and it's been moist the last few days. I'm far too much of a novice to notice these things while playing. The guitar is a Walden D640t (same as D740 now)

 

Should I ask for a new guitar or just a tuner?

[Freeman Keller]

Most guitars have a bit of a hump where the neck meets the body (usually at the 14th fret) and the extension of the fingerboard drops away as it approaches the soundhole. The truss rod can't adjust this part of the neck and as long as it drops away (rather than gets closer to the strings) you should be ok. Here is a crude sketch of what the neck usually looks like

 

 

Frank Ford kind of shows this in the first picture - there really isn't much that can be done and it is pretty normal

 

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/Setup/NeckAngle/neckangle.html

 

Very few of us play above the 12th fret so the action up there isn't too critical, as long as there are no buzzes. If you have a friend, you might compare their git, but I think you are probably OK.

 

Check your G-string tuner that the nut on top of the headstock is tight (be careful not to scratch the finish)

 

http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_3lg/4060_3lg.jpg

 

Also, if your tuners have a little screw in the middle of the knob try loosing it just a hair - that adjusts the tension on some tuners. It sounds like your store is standing behind their sale - that is great - be sure to tell them thanks (not all give that kind of service).

[drnihili]

Thanks Freeman, I'll check the tuner as you suggest.

 

The ebay seller ( wfsmusic )has been absolutely awesome to work with. There's a good reason they've got 100% feedback.