GuitarMaestro Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 Hi! I am in the process of building a neck-through neck with a 10° angled peghead. I'll use curly hardmaple. I wonder if I really need to do a scarf joint. I'll put a quilted maple veneer on the top and the bottom of the peghead, so the endgrain showing up is no problem for me. My only concern is stability. Will it really make the neck much weaker? There are people telling that....But I cannot believe that a 10° angle can change much. After all 10° is a very small angle and the grain will still be very long in the peghead. I thought of placing two carbon fibre rods to the left and the right of the trussrod in the peghead/neck joint area in order to make the neck stiffer. Do you think I need a scarf joint? Do I need carbon fibre rods if I dont do a scarfed joint? Or is the neck stiff and stable enough without both? Thanks in advance, Marcel Knapp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 Are you planning on just cutting a 10 deg. angle out of the neck blank, or are you gluing the peghead on another way? I've never owned a guitar without a scarf joint and have never built one without one either. Is there a reason why you don't want to use that technique? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 you could use a liminate neck, espcially with a ebony or bubinga or wenge or (substitute very strong wood here) stripe in the middle then you'd be pretty safe and you wouldn't have to do a scarf joint if you really don't want to do one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted December 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 Thanks for your answers. I definately dont want to do a scarf joint because it looks ugly to me and I wonder if it is necessary at all. I want to simply build the whole neck from one neck blank and without glue joints. Is that a bad idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryeisnotcool2 Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 well personally i do scarf joints, i can practicaly stand on the neck and it wont break!, but you can alos just do it the way you are doing it, but if your gonna have a veneer over the top then you might as well add the carbon fiber, its a cheap insurance! and it will set your mind at ease when you are stringing it up for the first time! i say go for it!(if you use the carbon fiber) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 carvin,among others,makes their necks without a scarf joint.the reason scarf joints are used is to save wood,not make the neck stronger. the reason people say your 10 deg. peghead is weaker is because if you drop it(and as i say all the time you are not supposed to do that)it is likely to hit on the peghead since it is below the body i don't use scarf joints either.do what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryeisnotcool2 Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 wes accually, if you look at the grain (if its sraight) on a neck that has no scarf. the thinest point were grain length is the shortest is right at the headstock where it meets the neck, so if its dropped (wich your right) it will almost definetly break! and if it falls forward and hits the headstock on something on the way down(wich probably will hapen due to the law of some smart dude) it really could break! my first guitar i built is a single neck piece, i am waiting on the humbuckers still but when its finished i will post pics, i hope i dont drop it! i went to using a scarf because 1 yes it saves wood,2 its seems easier to build? 3 it a heck of a lot stronger! i wouldnt put my weight on my first neck that i built! from fear of it breaking but like i sayed i can practically stand on my scarf necks! and thats without the fret board, with the fret board i would stand on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 well my carvin neck is super strong.put a volute in it if you are worried.i really don't think that with a maple neck you would have any problems. by the way i believe ibanez also does away with the scarf joint on their neck through series.esp offers it as an option. i have never seen a headstock break in the area you describe(except in the case of wizard necks with locking nuts.)other than that they always break at the scarf joint a friend of mine got pissed at his charvel and smashed it against a tree...broke at the scarf joint. i truly believe in one piece necks as well as laminates without scarf joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 just so noone missed it...a volute solves the prolem you are talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Thank you very much for all your answers! One question though: What is a volute? I dont know what volute means, because I am no native english speaker.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 it is a thicker area right where the neck meets the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyunsu Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 my yeseterday woking photo.. i scarfed head 12.5 angle. head scarf joint is classicguitar head scarf joint type.. this scarf joint is more strong.. Gibson is too easy to broken head.. so i tryed this joint.. head side wood is walnut.. head is little small so. laminated walnut. this is my new project Guitar body Top. body is 1 piece walnut.. switch type is fender style switch type.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 looks great! Keep them pics coming, Hyunsu!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 i always wondered why they didn't do it backwards like that...it just seems right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 also by the way i like dereks suggestion of laminating it...that's what i do but i use all the same types of wood...makes it all but invisible the 3 piece cherry neck i made has 2 carbon rods and a hotrod in it...it is super stiff and will last forever..especially with that super hard bocote fretboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyunsu Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 westhemann !... i wonder cherry neck sound is Good?.. cherry is almost same wood properties. so i will try cherry neck.. when i comming home(my job is computer programmer), i make guitar in 1~2 hour in day.. almost woking is knife & planner, chisel, router use in weekend. ^^ today. i will make fingerboard radius and neck head working. in this weekend.. perhaps, my new neck is almost done.. thank you.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 hyunsu your guitar is coming up beautifully. keep up the pics and good work brother. Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 they say cherry has the same highs and brightness as maple,but less shrill.i don't know yet.it will be a while before i can play it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 In addition to the cool guitar content of hyunsu's pictures, I have to remark that his photography is some of the best on this list (westhemann's shoes not withstanding ). Hyunsu's pictures are always clear and bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 i agree.i need a better camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgec94 Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Feel free to ban me from the forum, but still dont understand how a scarf joint makes the neck stronger. My tiny brain is still convinced that two pieces of wood glued together is weaker than one piece. I looked at the pics hyunsu posted but im still having issues. Do you use opposing grain or something? Please.......pretend im a 2year old and that i dont know my asshole from elbow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Please.......pretend im a 2year old and that i dont know my asshole from elbow Your elbow smells funny . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 glue creates a stronger joint by pennetrating the pores of the wood, bonding tighter than if the wood had grown together. Try to split a glue joint. If done right, it will break elsewhere 95% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 agree.i need a better camera. no, you need better shoes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 glue creates a stronger joint by pennetrating the pores of the wood, bonding tighter than if the wood had grown together. Try to split a glue joint. If done right, it will break elsewhere 95% of the time. Jeff is right... but you gotta use the right glue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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