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Glued neck finish before or after assembly?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=50391
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Author:  Conor_Searl [ Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Glued neck finish before or after assembly?

I'm about to jump into my first set neck build. Is it best practice to finish the guitar once the neck is glued or while the body and neck are still separate?

Author:  Barry Daniels [ Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Glued neck finish before or after assembly?

It's done both ways. There are benefits and trade-offs to both approaches.

Author:  B. Howard [ Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Glued neck finish before or after assembly?

I have concluded for myself that finishing after the neck is set gives the best results in the best time.
No worries about the cheeks of the heel not matching the body due to finish build, no rebuffing after setting the neck, no worries about keeping finish off the joint surfaces (less masking and no chips from pulling the mask).

Author:  Conor_Searl [ Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Glued neck finish before or after assembly?

B. Howard wrote:
I have concluded for myself that finishing after the neck is set gives the best results in the best time.
No worries about the cheeks of the heel not matching the body due to finish build, no rebuffing after setting the neck, no worries about keeping finish off the joint surfaces (less masking and no chips from pulling the mask).


Thanks Brian, that confirms some of my initial suspicions. I've only done bolt-on's so far, so I've always just attached a holder onto the end of the neck and into the neck pocket to hang the guitars to dry and give me something to hold on to or hang when I'm painting. What's the best way to accomplish this with what amounts to a complete guitar?

Author:  Freeman [ Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Glued neck finish before or after assembly?

On most set neck guitars the curve of the cutaway(s) blends into the neck heel. If you finish them separately you will not be able to sand them perfectly flush and there will always be a seam between the two parts. You almost never want to take this apart (unlike both an acoustic or a Fender style joint).
So unless you are using different finish materials or colors I would suggest finishing neck on.

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