crxeffect Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 Well, part way through my 1st real build, im having troubles deciding if my neck is turning out right. Is it possible for the neck and body to be completely parralell before installing the fret board and still have the right string action in the end? Looking at the bolt ons i have there is bout 1/8th between the body and the fretboard. my ovation, the fretboard sits right on top of the body though. any pros or cons? or does it just depend on the bridge(string height) my calculations seem to be correct with no neck angle so... any coments are greatly appreciated! Quote
ihocky2 Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 It all depends on the bridge and construction. A shorter bridge can get away with the fretboard right on the body. A taller one needs either a neck angle or a raised neck. Sometimes looks a decieving though. A slight angle can be planed into the body and won't be noticable if the body is carved. This will allow a neck angle and still have the board flat on the body, like a Les Paul for example. Quote
crxeffect Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Posted January 23, 2009 thanks, thats kinda what i thought. Heres a better question to ask.. Is there any good way to figure how high the strings should be from the fret board? I measured on a couple of my electrics and came up with 2mm at the nut and about 5mm at the 15th fret. as long as I use about the same size fret wire and am shooting for the same feel (setup/action) theres so many variables!! i guess thats about what it comes down to. I just want a nice playing guitar when im done. Quote
ihocky2 Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 You'll need to do a full scale drawing and a little math to figure out how high everything should be. In the tutorials section there is a great thread on figuring out neck angles, that will help a ton. Quote
crxeffect Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Posted January 23, 2009 sweet. I have melvyns book, he explains a way to do it but, made absolutely no sense to me. thats much easier. now that i found the tutorial section!...... Quote
guitar_player Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 I just make sure to have the neck angle right or no neck angle if not needed and then adjust the nut and the bridge as low as I can go without buzzing on electrics I don't mind a little bit of buzzing if it can't be heard through the amp but I like really low action. You can measure the height of strings on guitars that you like the setup of. Quote
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