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Are you able to get neck and fingerboards for a 28" scale baritone out of normal/standard sized wood, or do you need to order special cuts like you would for an ABG?

You probably can use a standard neck and fingerboard. I just built a baritone with a 28.25" scale, and the fretboard is about 20 3/8" long. The 21st fret is about 19 7/8" from the nut. I attach a quick cell phone shot of the guitar.

Checking out dealer listings, some "standard" fretboard blanks are 20" long, some 21" long, and some don't say. So you'd want to know how long the blank was, but some should work for a baritone.

I usually have extra wood left over using a standard neck blank, and the neck isn't all that much longer, depending on where it joins the body. For example, my baritone's neck joins the body at the 14th fret, and the neck is about 22 7/8 long. I used a standard neck blank. If I build another I'll join it at the 15th fret, which will make a longer neck. This would move the bridge, and also the cross of the X brace, closer to the sound hole, which I think may improve the sound. Having a neck this long may limit me to just a few standard cases.

One thing I found from playing my first baritone, an electric, that seems to hold true on this acoustic, is that I'm often reaching for the highest note on a baritone. If I built another I'd be tempted to extend the fretboard to 22 or more frets on the highest strings, which would of course call for a longer fretboard.

Before ordering any new wood, I'd definitely recommend making a full scale drawing of your design.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

Just finished one with a 29" scale length, requiring a 21" fretboard. Would go with a 25" neckshaft to allow enough room for the scarf joint and cleanup

Not sure how much you would want to stray from your 28" plan, however, Waldron has the template layout (body, bracing, neck measurments etc..) for both a Taylor (27") and Martin (27.5") Baritone guitars.

If you knew your measurments exactly, you could easliy chat with any of our wood sponsors to get the size you wanted for the build.

I ordered a Martin Norman Blake 000 template and it was very good.

http://www.waldronmusic.com/productlist ... tar&cat=46

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Guitar Building = Continuous Improvement Process

Thanks!