Traveler Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 constructing my first neck....at what point does one usually radius the fb, before or after tapering or does it matter? will their be a diff in thickness or height when looking at the tapered product after radiusing from the nut vs. the heel end considering the width diff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic James Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 For my first guitar I radiused after gluing the fretboard to the neck and also after tapering it but I'm don't think it matters if youve tapered it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilikes2shred Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 If you go with a single radius , there is a noticeable difference in thickness on the edges of the fretboard at the nut end and heel end, but by no more than 1 mm (that's how much it is on my first build). I wouldn't notice it if no one pointed it out, so I don't think it really matters. I always buy my fretboards slotted and radiused, so the board is radiused before it is tapered. However, my technique on my current build was to glue the single radius, already tapered board to the neck, and then take sandpaper and attach it to an aluminum (I-beam) level, and level the board by sanding with the tapered edges. If I'm thinking straight, this will actually produce a slight compound radius, which will provide better action than a board with a single radius. Take your time with your neck, and best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 If you go with a single radius , there is a noticeable difference in thickness on the edges of the fretboard at the nut end and heel end, but by no more than 1 mm (that's how much it is on my first build). I wouldn't notice it if no one pointed it out, so I don't think it really matters. I always buy my fretboards slotted and radiused, so the board is radiused before it is tapered. However, my technique on my current build was to glue the single radius, already tapered board to the neck, and then take sandpaper and attach it to an aluminum (I-beam) level, and level the board by sanding with the tapered edges. If I'm thinking straight, this will actually produce a slight compound radius, which will provide better action than a board with a single radius. Take your time with your neck, and best of luck! I would suggest you radius the fingerboard on the neck. Why? Because you will have to go over the fingerboard radius after you glue it down to make sure its perfect. Now if its a neck through and the neck is attached to the body then I would do it prior to gluing (just easier). Only a compound radius will leave the edge even. However it is not easy to do without special tools or lots of experience doing it by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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