Rick500 Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 I did a few searches on this and didn't come up with anything: I was reading through Tom Hirst's book, Electric Guitar Construction, and noticed that he builds his bolt-on necks with no taper through the part of the neck that sets into the neck pocket. Just curious if any of you have done it that way. If so, did you cut the fretboard taper all the way to the end of the fretboard so that the fretboard taper overhung the straight part of the neck on the sides? It doesn't seem advisable to cut the fretboard straight since the outer strings would then run closer to the fretboard edges where the taper stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Eh? This just sounds confusing. Make your neck (bolt-on), taper and all, and make a pocket that fits the neck. Not the other way around. I cut the taper on the board (dictated by the bridge and nut spacing, nothing else), and the neck shape to match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted April 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yeah, that's the way I did it, tapered normally. I just noticed that the way that book demonstrates is different and wondered what advantage he thinks there is in doing it that way. (He mentions that it's "easier" but doesn't elaborate.) He's still making the neck and then making the pocket to fit, it's just that it's tapered from the nut to the point where it touches the neck pocket. The last three inches or so of the neck's sides are parallel. I don't see any advantage to doing it that way; was just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanb Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 I think his point was to try to provide an easier method for first-time builders and that HE thought routing the body pocket with square sides would be easier than with sides angled to match the neck taper. Maybe that is the case depending on how one does the templates. Personally, I don't agree with him for the reasons you have already identified. Sometimes the "easy" way just isn't the "right" way to do something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 all my necks are glued in. I make my finger boards 2-1/4 starting around the 19 fret give or take depending on the body shape and have the neck tenon straight 2-1/4 going under the front pickup. when I glue up a neck I know it needs to be 2-1/4 wide to match the finger board. I have had no problem with this and it is simple. there are things you can do different you just have to give it a try. [ if you don't try you will never learn anything new.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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