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Okay, I'm on a mission for totally repeatable geometry regarding the plane of the fingerboard...I'm using a 25' top radius, bowl-sanding to just hit the neck and tail block and then cleaning up the fingerboard extension area by hand...no real problems over the last dozen guitars but the "sand a slope from the top of the soundhole to the top end of the guitar" method is looking better and better to me...who's doing what here? Pros? Cons? Ex-cons?

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I do neither these days. The top of my rim forms one flat plane, baring the fretboard extension of my neck block. I have a work board that has a routed 1.5 degree negative sloped ramp to the fretboard extension flange to set in while I glue my neck block in place. This Fretboard extension flange has a 1.5 degree positive slopped surface. All my braces are radius to the dome radii but the Upper transverse brace has a 3” wide flat centered. When I glue my tops to my rim the fretboard extension flange forces the top to conform. Because the width of the extension flange is wider than the fretboard extension the loading that normally will cause top splitting along the edge of the fretboard extension is eliminated. When I go to fit up my necks they are already on plane with the top because of the fretboard extension flange. Because I do not inlet my bracing into the sides but rather taper to near zero at the lining the top conforms easily to fit flat linings and rim. I have been doing this for about a year an a half now and it has made neck fitting a lot simpler and makes athe geomatry very repeatable.

Larry, check out what Charlie Hoffman does for repeatability in the slope of the top. I've adopted this method and really like it.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHPCeVR ... 18&index=2
check this out to see how I set up a rim to get the geometry right

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
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This is what I've been doing.

http://kennedyguitars.com/_Kennedy_Guit ... t_Jig.html

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Thanks guys for the replies! When I get off the hotel's computers (oh, airline life! ) I'll look up the links...

Michael, I'm a visual learner! Any photos of your setup? Sounds interesting, I just can't "fill it up and give it to the nurse" as it were from the textual description...

Larry

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