Official Luthiers Forum!

Just getting a start on #2. A 12 fretter with slotted headstock, in the new shop and loving it I might add. I'm doing a laminated neck. Would one be inclined to do a scarf for the headstock angle or just cut it out on a bandsaw? I guess theoretically you would have more strength from a scarf. Saving wood's not really an issue. It will be out of local Big Leaf Maple which there's no shortage of. What do most of you do?

Cheers,
Danny

If it were a laminated neck with contrasting woods, I would cut the headstock out, as if the scarf joint is not dead on, you wil see wierd mismatch lines most likley in the string ramps.

I only scarf for a slot head if trying to make the neck look like its truley one piece, and add a back plate to cover the joint line.

When wood is plentiful, just do it the easier way - cut it out of one piece.

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

I personally don't like scarf joints.I usually laminate for strength so i don't have to.I don't even scarf on one piece necks.I think they make a guitar look cheap.It looks to me like the board wasn't long or thick enough,so another piece was just glued on.You almost always see it on cheap guitars.

I have made several laminated necks with scarf joints on the major pieces (not the thinner laminations). In order to prevent misalingment of the laminations, I scarfed the pieces first, then laminated everything. Overkill? I don't think so. The benefits of scarfing are still there.