Official Luthiers Forum!

I was cutting out a neck blank on my band saw, but the blade had drifted on the bottom I so cut a little inside the line. Once I sanded out of the saw marks, I get 19.2mm thick (0.755") Just before the heel starts. This is a flamed maple neck, intended for my own steel string, 25.5" scale guitar.

My necks have generally run slightly thicker than this, so I see a few options...

1) Use it as as, maybe with a slightly thicker FB to compensate just in case.
2) Use it as is, but add CF reinforcement which I've never done.
3) Sand the area flat and add a piece of maple and hope I can live with the results. I saved the piece from the blank that goes there just in case.

Any suggestions if it will be adequate would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Laurie

_________________
____________________________________
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Hi, Laurie,
I am not sure how to advise you with regard to the strength of the neck. I'm certain many others will chime in on that aspect. For me, it's a playing comfort issue. For years I played a Guild Starfire with a very thin neck. Later, as I got more into barred chords all the way up the neck, my hand would occasionally cramp. I bought another guitar about ten years ago simply because I wanted it, and I noticed that my hand never cramped while playing it. I became curious and measured the neck thickness and, sure enough, it was a slightly thicker, rounder (not "D"-shaped) cross section. I would be tempted to use a thicker fingerboard as you have suggested. There is another, potentially beautiful way to add thickness: You can glue two or three contrasting veneers to the neck's top surface before installing the fingerboard. If your neck-to-body joint is not already established, you can stop these layers at the body. Otherwise, you could add them to the bottom of the fingerboard and allow them to run out over the guitar top. Veneer layers can be quite beautiful with or without a bound neck. You can also "cross-band" a middle layer to make position markers. I'll attach an image of a banjo I recently made, which shows a little of this cross banding technique right under the fingerboard binding--enough to give you the idea. The veneer sandwich with darker cross bands in the center runs completely under the fingerboard its full width and length. It gives the impression of wood inlay, but it's a full part of this neck. There's no reason this won't work on a guitar.

Patrick

I think you should be fine. You're talking without FB right. I try to have my necks finish up at about 21 MM at the 1st fret. If I understand you right you have 3/4" neck blank. If so, that's good.

Mine are 16.5 mm at that point. I think you're good.

My standard starting taper is 5/8" at the nut to 3/4" at the heel, and I usually end up shaving it a bit thinner after I get the fingerboard on... so I'd say you're fine.

Measured a couple of mine and they are 0.75 inches at the heel; so I agree with others, you should be fine structurally.

Mine are .72 at the 10th fret.

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I think you'll be just fine.
Including 6-7 mm fretboard, thickness I shoot for is 21 mm at the 1st to 23 mm at the 10th on a 14 fret neck.
Some regard this as a tad thick, and I have gone thinner.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

you are within the martin specks
with a fret board apx.880 at 1 and .980 at 10

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I make my necks 0.75" at the 10th fret with mahogany and a regular truss rod. I think you'll be fine with a maple neck at 0.70-0.75"

Thanks everyone, I guess I'll have fun shaping that very hard flamed maple!

_________________
____________________________________
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.