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What is the best way to check the neck set on a Selmer Macafarri guitar? A straightedge along the fingerboard should touch the bridge where? Or should I measure the string height above the sound board?

Thank you.

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Mmmm....wood.

I'm at the same point on my Selmer build. The FC plans show the neck angle set back (i think) 1.5 deg from the angle created at the apex of the pliage to the neck block. So it's not that much. 3/4 inch is the optimal bridge height according to M Collnis book. Question is, how much would we expect the top to deflect under string tension? I'm guessing not so much. IDK about you but my top feels pretty stiff, in fact I'm a bit concerned about that.

I was guessing that I would set the angle back so that the straight edge along the frets hits the bridge at maybe 11/16ths just under the desired height.

But I'll be interested in watching this thread.

No help on this one

Well I guess that's what makes the challenge more interesting. Here's what I have come up with for mine. I was setting the neck angle last night. The optimal string height at the bridge is 3/4inch so I set my neck angle for that. My neck is not fretted yet so a straight edge off the fret board to the point where the bridge is 8/16th inches. Given a fret height of 1/16th and an action at the 12th fret of 3/32in (doubled at the bridge = 3/16ths) then I have to add a total of 4/16ths to the bridge height which equals 3/4 inch.

Problem is, running a straight edge on the top from the pliage through the neck block along the side of and all the way to the end of the fret board reveals the neck angel which is 1/4inch set back, equal to the thickness of my fretboard. So at the nut the straight edge is on the top of the fret board as is lies along the top which is dead flat from the pliage to the neck block.

This creates a significant back angle. I could just clamp down the fretboard tongue and have a bit of drop off from the body fret to the end of the fret board but I think I'll glue in a wedge instead.

My FC plans shows the neck to be set dead flat on the same plane as the ruler lies from the pliage to the head block but there is no way I could get low action and the optimal height of 3/4 inch with that set up.

I think I will reset the angle so that it is at 11/16ths at the bridge in hopes that the top will deflect and the neck will pull some relieve and I can still get my optimum bridge height and low action. The top however seems like it will give no relieve so worse comes to worse I'm at 11/16ths at the bridge instead of 12/16ths which is optimal but acceptable and without such a drastic back angle.

I'd be interested to know what you have concluded on your build.