What to look for when buying a second hand neck

lovestrat74

Are there any obvious signs that a neck might not be right?  Can you tell if there is any bowing or warping if the neck is not strung on a guitar or will this only become obvious once fully set up?

GoldenEraGuitars

I’ve seen necks with visible twists in them when they were off the guitar. Of course, took a while to make sure it wasn’t my eyes. I remember checking up on it over the course of a few days at room temp. 

p90fool

Apart from the obvious physical checks regarding damage, wear and straightness etc I always make sure the truss rod works so that there's a touch of relief with some tension on it. 

Maynehead

It's difficult to tell from pictures, but if you had the neck infront of you, there are definately things you can look out for.

Sight down the neck from both ends to see if there's any twist. The first fret should be parallel with the last fret as you look down the neck. Dont' let the nut put you off as they can be set at a slight angle.

Next look down both edges of the neck to see if the fret ends are in a straight line. You should be able to see if there is a forwards or back bow. Without strings I'd expect the neck to be straight or have very slight back bow.

If you want to go a step further you could take a set of allen keys with you to make sure the truss rod works. If the truss rod is broke then the neck will be firewood.

lovestrat74

Excellent advice, thanks guys.  Not sure I am confident enough to make these calls.  There is a chap selling a musikraft neck on gumtree for £120 which seems like a good price, so I am tempted, but I already have enough firewood

WezV

Twists, fret wear, mounting holes, finish

ewal

Having had my fingers burnt once before - make sure the heel is the right dimensions for the body