riffster Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 (edited) My Rg Prestige's neck pocket on the bass side is 2 and 13/16 inches and the treble side is 1 and 13/32 inches. The RG has a 25.5 scale. Heres a link to the back of an RG I like the neck pocket, so I wanted to find the structural equivalency since I am building a 25 scale guitar. Here's my formula: nut to neck bass body meet (25.5 scale) / Total board length (25.5 scale end of pocket) = X (25 scale nut to bass body meeting) / Total board length (25 scale end of pocket). The fingerboard does not extend over the neck. I did the same formula for the treble side, changing the distances of course. The neck pocket on the guitar I am building with the 25 inch scale would have a neck pocket on the bass side of 2.75 inches and 1 and 3/8 inches of the treble side. It is structurally equivalent, but is it too small of a neck pocket for a bolt on build? I am 95% sure that the pocket would be large enough, but I just wanted to make sure. Any comments would be helpful. Edited June 2, 2008 by riffster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 i dont see why you cant just use the exact same size as the original, and just ajust the position to fit the scale( closer or further join at the body) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan316 Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 i dont see why you cant just use the exact same size as the original, and just ajust the position to fit the scale( closer or further join at the body) It is not a matter of distance of nut to bridge. It's not even a matter of where the neck is mounted to the body. It has everything to do with the careful, mathematically accurate placement of the frets between the nut and the bridge. They MUST be located to-scale within the space between the anchorpoints of each string. You cannot simply relocate a neck in relation to a guitar's body. It will ruin your intonation, only your open strings will actually be in tune, none of your harmonics will align, and every fretted note will be inaccurate. Building/modifying a guitar is not just a hack-n-slash process. There's serious amounts of calculations, preparation, knowledge and skill involved in this business. Just moving a neck will not give you correct performance nor will the guitar be even slightly playable. If you're unfamiliar with HOW or WHY stringed or fretted instruments work, you'll only ruin your guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 yes, i know. if hes building one, then just put the neck in the same place as the original, then adjust the distance for the bridge, and mount it in the correct place. i have built many guitars. i know the planning that goes into them and the calculations. i wasnt saying just slap it on there and see if it matches. but if he is bulding one, then you can put the neck wherever and adjust where the bridge goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffster Posted June 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 (edited) I will of course have to move the bridge because of the difference in scale length. I guess I was not clear enough. What I meant was more like, could the neck pocket be smaller and still be structurally sufficient. The formula just scaled where the neck meets the body on both the bass and treble side to an exact measurement. I don't want more frets to be covered on the body than I have to for the sake of fret access. I don't want the same neck pocket on my 25 as my RG because the neck pocket on the RG would be larger than what would be required, considering my 25 scale neck is a smaller neck lengthwise. My question more dealt with is the size of the pocket too small for a bolt on guitar without running into problems. The neck pocket is 2 and 3/4 inches and the treble is 1 and 3/8 inches. There is a arch that connects the two on the back for more support. Killemall you are correct, I just don't want the 4 bolts to be too close together because I am unfamiliar if any problems would arise. I hope I am more clear now, sorry for the confusion. Edited June 3, 2008 by riffster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 the neck needs to sit far enough into the pocket that you can fit 4 screws into it, simple as that when it comes to structural integrity. A standard Fender neck Pocket is 3" and I wouldn't personally go less than 2.5". It's not so much structural as the less the neck meets the base of the pocket the less vibration/tonal transfer you have thus in theory, the less tone and sustain you will have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffster Posted June 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 Ok, now I understand. I understand the tonal transfer stuff, it makes sense. I wish some scientist would test all the guitar claims and theories to see if the human ear can really tell a difference. Like lacquer on a guitar compared to natural oils and so forth. Now I am going somewhere completely different. Thanks again for the input everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 the neck needs to sit far enough into the pocket that you can fit 4 screws into it, simple as that when it comes to structural integrity. A standard Fender neck Pocket is 3" and I wouldn't personally go less than 2.5". It's not so much structural as the less the neck meets the base of the pocket the less vibration/tonal transfer you have thus in theory, the less tone and sustain you will have. What about the side of a pocket? For example, a Tele makes solid contact on the left side of the neck pocket, while some other guitar bodies, particularly those made by Warmoth, just seem to have the base of the pocket hanging out there with nothing around it. Does having more contact on the side of the neck pocket help sustain? Also, is it scary to just have a base for your neck pocket hanging out of the body for a bolt on, from a structural standpoint? Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.