Hollow Flying V

[ank]

so i've been building electric guitars for 4 years now and want to make an acoustic flying v

i want to put a bolt on neck and know this is possible because i've tried some at guitar center

how thick should the side pieces be?

i would have a back piece, 4 sides, and a block to put the neck in...i have a neck already made from last year...i even scalloped it...

so how does the block go in? would the guitar be weak? help please

[dpm99]

Are you trying to build one of these?

[Juntunen Guitars]

It probably wouldn't sound that good at all. The thing with wierd shapped acoustics is that they have less air volume so they sound weak, quiet, and have little tone usually. Why are you going to do a bolt on instead of a dovetail?

The sides would have to get glued to the block. If you are making it with small cut aways like most electric V's it will be easier, if you aren't then you will have to glue braces or kerfing to the side of the block that will make a gluing surface for the sides to attach to. I'm assuming since you said you will have four sides that the two points will go into a sharp point similar to a Jackson and not be rounded like a Gibson right? If so you will need to make blocks that will fit into those points to be a gluing surface as well.

The other thing you need to come up with is a brace pattern, X brace, fanned like classicals, or some other style, if there is no bracing the top will either not last or will just snap under string tension. Then you also need to be sure to make the bridge so that the wings on it will cover the main braces (like the X brace) otherwise the sound won't transfer properly and will make a weak spot on the top as well.

In all honesty if you are going to make an acoustic make a regular one like a Dreadnaught first then try other shapes, you would be amazed at how much you will learn off your first acoustic. Second it is a lot easier to just go with a dovetail joint, there is a better transfer of vibartions in acoustics and it makes repairs WAY easier down the road should it be needed and makes setting the neck angle easier to because you can adjust it to whatever you need basically.

I forgot to mention that you will also need to have a fourth block (one in each point, one at the heel regardless of neck joint and one behind the bridge where the inner sides connect) I also would suggest bending the points like a Gibson V with two sides instead of four and have them rounded instead of making them sharp, it will be stronger and a lot easier, plus you wouldn't be losing air volume inside the guitar because there wouldn't be blocks in the points.

There is lots to consider with building acoustics.

[KeithHowell]

Second it is a lot easier to just go with a dovetail joint, there is a better transfer of vibartions in acoustics and it makes repairs WAY easier down the road should it be needed and makes setting the neck angle easier to because you can adjust it to whatever you need basically.

I personally don't agree with that statement at all! To quote William Cumpiano:" If there was ever a joint designed in hell, that one is it!" Have a look at his neck joint article: Cumpiano Neck Joint

I have used this joint system on acoustic's with great success.

I have also modified a Hofner 12 string using this design. By removing the horrible mechanical hook system it completely transformed the guitar from a difficult to play high action monster to a very playable guitar with a much improved tone!

Keith

Edited November 29, 2011 by KeithHowell

[Juntunen Guitars]

I have used this joint system on acoustic's with great success.

I have also modified a Hofner 12 string using this design. By removing the horrible mechanical hook system it completely transformed the guitar from a difficult to play high action monster to a very playable guitar with a much improved tone!

Keith

The problem with that joint is that when time comes for that neck to be re-set you will need to cut through the dowels and then when the re-set is done you would basically have to re-position the bolt insert and the dowels. That is why I like dovetail joints, they make neck repair work easier with less work in my opinion.

[KeithHowell]

The problem with that joint is that when time comes for that neck to be re-set you will need to cut through the dowels and then when the re-set is done you would basically have to re-position the bolt insert and the dowels. That is why I like dovetail joints, they make neck repair work easier with less work in my opinion.

No you don't have to cut have to cut anything! You simply unscrew the bolts reshape the neck/body interface by sanding,machining or filing the neck side of the joint and bolt it back together.

I did one of my guitars I built with this system a few weeks ago. Took me a few hours. No steaming of joints or presses to get neck out and possibly damage the body. Simple and quick! Most of the time was in sanding the neck joint and putting it back and tightening the bolts to check alignment. Probably did it around ten times before I was happy. Can't see that happening with a dovetail very easily. I even strung up once or twice.

Keith

[Juntunen Guitars]

No you don't have to cut have to cut anything! You simply unscrew the bolts reshape the neck/body interface by sanding,machining or filing the neck side of the joint and bolt it back together.

I did one of my guitars I built with this system a few weeks ago. Took me a few hours. No steaming of joints or presses to get neck out and possibly damage the body. Simple and quick! Most of the time was in sanding the neck joint and putting it back and tightening the bolts to check alignment. Probably did it around ten times before I was happy. Can't see that happening with a dovetail very easily. I even strung up once or twice.

Keith

I looked at that wrong haha sorry I thought the two holes you drill in it that are perpendicular to the fingerboard were meant for dowels but I see now.

I just find dovetails easier to work on. If you find the measurments of the changes you need to make first you don't need to string up the guitar until it is all over and done with. You can get very clean results to using sand paper strips and chisels if you k now how to use them right. All in all it should take about two hours or less working at a steady pace to get all the measurments and make the changes and get the neck glued back on. Just my take on it though, I was hesitant towards those joints until this year when I had it demonstrated to me how to do it properly and now it's just pretty simple for me ... Plus, in my opinion, if I open a guitar up and see it has a dovetail it usually means the guitar was built very nicely and won't be a pain in the a$$ to get to do what you need it to do.

Just my two cents on that subject anyways. This is the joys of guitar building, everyone has their own way of doing things, more or less.

[zyonsdream]

I've never seen any viable data that says a set neck, neck through or bolt on is better or worse than any other neck. You can put a guitar on a machine and measure sustain to infinity but usable sustain is really only a few seconds long in the real world of guitar playing. A bolt on neck on an acoustic is not your everyday occurrence but to me, bolt on necks are the easiest to work on. Neck goes bad, make a new one and bolt it on. A set neck is easier than a neck through to replace but again. it requires a lot more work to complete than a bolt on. I've seen a few bolt on acoustics in my day and they seem very nice. Are the necks from Ovation and Applause bolt ons? I have one in my attic waiting for a refinish some day in the near 100 years. Might have to check it out.

[brian d]

Interesting article about neck joint type and sustain here .

While "ease of reset" may be a personal issue, I'm firmly in the bolt on camp for that. Even while building, tweaking the neck angle for more ideal saddle height after first string up has been easy to do. I can't imagine having to steam a joint open to do that. Maybe if I did it a few times I'd change my mind, but I'd be concerned about regluing a joint that has already been glued and unglued. Not sure how multiple glueing and ungluing would affect the strength of the glue joint.