StewMac Neck Shims for Guitar
Changing the angle of a bolt-on neck? Don’t reach for a pick or a matchbook. Our precisely tapered neck shims give you full-contact support and pro-level results—without the guesswork or the gaps.
These solid maple guitar neck shims are crafted to fit snugly in the neck pocket, maintaining tone and sustain by ensuring firm contact between neck and body. No dead air. No tone loss. Just the right pitch and pressure, every time.
Why StewMac Guitar Shims Are the Industry Standard
We’ve seen it all—makeshift shims from matchbook covers to guitar picks stuck in neck joints that dampen sustain and create instability in neck alignment. Those kinds of shims create an unwanted gap under the heel of the neck: a dead air space where humidity condenses to swell the wood. As Dan Erlewine describes in his Guitar Player Repair Guide: "This gap may cause an upward kink in the neck. And many players feel they lose tone unless firm contact is maintained between the neck and the body."
That’s why we worked with Dan to create neck shims that cover the entire heel of the neck to get it right. Each shim is pre-cut with a precision taper across its full surface, providing accurate pitch correction and rock-solid support.
"My Jazzmaster needed a better string break angle over the bridge. The 0.5-degree shim let me raise the bridge to the height I needed. And it fit the neck pocket perfectly."
—Erick Coleman, guitar repairman and StewMac tech advisor
The Right Size Neck Shims for the Job
Available in 0.25°, 0.5°, and 1° tapers, our guitar shims work for everything from minor tweaks to more aggressive angle adjustments. Use them solo or stack for custom angles. Choose shaped versions for rounded heels (they can be trimmed for Tele-style flats), or blanks for odd pocket sizes and custom jobs.
Full contact and precisely tapered: we have 3 different degrees for changing the pitch of any bolt-on neck.
- 0.25-degree shim offers the most versatility. Stacking them will let you really dial in the neck angle you're after.
- 0.5-degree shim is the one you'll reach for most often. It works great on Fender and many other solidbodies.
- 1-degree shim is great for guitars with a Tune-o-matic bridge or Floyd Rose.
Taper specs (approximate)
0.25-degree shim tapers from 0.030" to 0.019" (0.76mm to 0.48mm)
0.5-degree shim tapers from 0.028" to 0.008" (0.71mm to 0.20mm)
1-degree shim tapers from 0.060" to 0.010" (1.52mm to 0.25mm)
Dimensions
Shaped: 2-3/16" x 3" (55.56mm x 76.12mm)
Blank: 2-1/4" x 3" (57.15mm x 76.12mm)
Shaped shims fit most neck pockets with a rounded heel. You can trim along the lasered line to fit the shim to a pocket with a flat heel, like a Tele.
Blank shims were designed for odd screw spacings, smaller neck pockets, and custom designs like the Fender Micro-Tilt™.
The Shop Set of 12 includes one each of every size, shape and taper:
3 shaped shims for guitar
3 shaped for bass
3 blank shims for guitar
3 blank shims for bass
Made of solid maple to match the guitar neck.
Fast Fix. Pro Results.
Whether you’re dialing in the break angle on a Jazzmaster or raising action for better sustain on a Floyd Rose, these guitar neck shims are the quick, reliable solution techs trust.
Keep a few in your bench drawer—because when a bolt-on needs dialing in, nothing beats a purpose-built neck shim from StewMac.
