Official Luthiers Forum!

how are ye .. im gettin into guitar building... slowely collecting stu mac tools and scavening skips for wood
hording everything into my house and driving my girlfriend mad ...
anyway i dont have the indulgance in gettin the woods that ye lads have

I was looking through the archive and i cant see the point of having the neck angle
just to go to 1/32" above the bridge should you not allow for warpage with with the saddle high
for the time being ? .(well in my case anyway) .. also isint the harmonics louder with a higher saddle ?

I thought of string breakage ..but cant that be solved with a higher bridge
Would that lack tone ? sanding that down instead of a neck reset ...
The only logical thing i can thing of is would the higher bridge
put more strain on the top ?
Or is it down to preferance or sticking to tradition or something...isit just that yer woods
are far superior than my house ornaments
thanks guys Tomas

Yes a too high bridge puts more stress on the top, looks clunky, and if ebony, weights a ton.

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Build log

The design of the modern acoustic guitar has evolved over a long period (over 100 years) during which many delicate balances have been explored. My suggestion is to start with simple materials (or an economical kit) and use a tried and true design from a reputable plan. After you've built a few, the reasons for why things are usually done the way they are usually done will reveal themselves to you.
The one concept that continually shows itself to me is how important it is to view the instrument as a whole or single dynamic organism. Don't zoom in on any one detail and expect it to solve or explain a particular issue. Every part of the guitar interacts with every other part and contributes to the personality of the instrument.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

As pointed out , the evolving of the steel string has been going on many years. It has been found that the best transfer on energy from the strings to the top is when the strings are about 1/2" above the top in front of the bridge . If your angle is too high , the force of the strings will want to rotate the bridge and dip into the top. Too low and you won't get the work out of the strings. The neck angle had to be able to do this. In most cases the neck angle is between 1 1/2 to 3 degrees. Controlling the neck block is important . You need that to be held during the build. It is a relationship so your action is correct for best energy transfer and the action height is playable.
There is more involved that just the saddle height , these all work together. In a perfect setup , you will have a 3/8" bridge and 1/8 of saddle showing out of the bridge. Your break angle off the saddle for the strings would be near 40 to 45 degrees. There are other influences that are involved but this is the crux of this. The top is driven by the machine we call the bridge . There is the bridge plate , the bridge , and the saddle. The string energy is transformed to sound by the resultant forces of the strings driving the saddle ,but the inference of things like the pins ,( added mass ) the saddle ( density and hardness ) ,all this will influence the top , which will influence the guitar's voice.
So you see , there is more to this the making a box and adding strings. Keep it simple . listen and you will learn how to make a guitar in no time. There is more than one way to do things , but find the way that works for you. I hope I gave you something to think about.
john hall
blues creek guitars

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Setting the neck to shoot high, and then compensating with a higher saddle may just accelerate the issue in the first place .. the top will experience higher rotational torque, which will cause the top to belly faster, causing the need for the saddle to be reduced to get the action to a playable level ... I would much rather see less top distortion and have to reset a neck years on (I use bolts, so its pretty easy to do vs say a dovetail). Building a guitar with a radiused top helps out in the long run too - there will be less chance of the top dipping in front of the bridge.

My first guitar is now 7 years old .. 28 ft rad top - no top distortion, no need for a neck reset .. in fact I havent even adjusted the truss rod in about 4 years ... its a 5 piece walnut neck.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"