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I was wondering if there is a right or wrong way to resolve this joint. Is one more traditional? Doesn't matter? I see a slight joint strength advantage to the scarfing under the nut version, but I was wondering what the AGF brain-trust has to say. The two examples are just clamped together for illustration purposes. The scarf hasn't been faired. Thanks.

Version 1


Version 2

Version 1

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I do mine as you show in #1 as well.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Slanted nut for me,I like the way it looks.

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

+1

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

slanted base always looks classier ... and that is the weirdest scarf joint I have ever seen ...

As I stated... It's just clamped together for the illustration. It's just a scrap.


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I do some sort of an hybrid of both. The headplate touches the fretboard, but I flatten the part where the nut will sit. You can vaguely see it here.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Thanks Alain. That's what I was trying to illustrate in Version 2 with some scraps clamped together. So, it seems a good number of folks prefer it that way.


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Yeah, I take your point Steve ...but really ...to simplify matters, sans pics, you could just have asked ; "Do you prefer the base of your nuts to be square to the neck, or slanted to follow the line of the headstock?"

Well, I guess. I'm more of a visual thinker. I thought this was easier. I'm also a rookie, so my reference points are not as clear as you might think.

No problem.

I was interested to see Alain 's post above which would seem to indicate that he bevels off the headstock veneer and lays the nut on top ...no slot ... wouldn't be my choice, mais chacun a son gout ...

In normal practice, whether the base of the nut is angled or square, the headstock veneer will abut up to the back of the nut and will form a "slot" or "recess" into which the nut will sit.

Mechanically, there is no advantage one way or t'other, as far as square or angled is concerned..

Aesthetically, the angled base looks better IMO.

YMMV.

I'm not sure what you mean by "slanted nut." I both cases the nut has a 90º angle between the end of the fretboard and the neck. In Version 1, the headplate butts against the nut. In version 2 the headplate continues down onto the neck shaft but is then leveled with the surface of the neck. I hope I'm saying this right...

Ahh, I think I see what you mean. Well this is what I like, the base of the nut follows the plane of the headstock and the veneer butts up against it. There actually is a slot, it does not sit on top of the veneer.

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

Wow! Thanks, Terence, it's interesting how many variations there are when one starts to look around. Thanks for sharing that photo. Would you say that is the way a classic bird's beak nut setup looks?

I have been asked to do one build the same as Terence but all my others have been the dame as Alain.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au