Neck Carving

[Dave M]

I am having a bit of a drop in confidence. Shaping a neck for a SS and I just can’t quite see the shape that I am aiming for. The statue is still hidden in the marble as it were. So I have been reluctant to take the big cuts with the chisels that are actually needed. I have been nibbling!

G squared say that the neck should taper to around 25 mm at the tenth fret (for a 12 fret join) or thereabouts, the actual figure isn’t important. But presumably that means that the neck shaft should be straight right up to that tenth fret, meaning that the curve of the heel must be quite sharp... we shouldn’t be tapering until that point, even if it feels like we should. It makes the curve into the heel proper quite sharp.

Am I reading that right?

I am also struggling with the shape of the neck. Being rather more familiar with classical necks I realised that I had far too much shoulder. The thumb over player was never going to be happy with my rather D shaped neck. I have sorted that one out this afternoon..

[kiwigeo]

A few pics of the neck shaping process on my last G squared build.

[rocket]

The neck tapers consistently from the nut to the point where it rounds off down to the heel.

Rod.

[Dave M]

Rod and Martin thanks for that. Don't know what was wrong with me to cause such a brain fade - I have successfully done many other necks. Anyway I am now happily carving away.

Martin thanks for taking the trouble to load some photos. very Helpful

Cheers Dave

[Mark McLean]

You are probably already doing this - but here is what helps me. Take a guitar whose neck you like and make multiple measurements along the neck - so you can replicate these on the new one. I always start to get nervous that I am taking too much off, and I need those hard target measurements to reassure me to keep going. A contour gauge is also very useful, something like this:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/qep-contour-gauge_p6821606

[Dave M]

Mark thanks I am indeed doing what you suggest. It is that confidence thing about where the cutting line actually is as you mention. I also realised that one of the issues was that I am making a narrower neck - 45 mm rather than 47 at the nut, which doesn’t sound much but on the ground seems to make a seriously narrow neck up around the joint with the headstock.
Anyway I now have what I think is a good neck shaft. What I am not so happy with is the transition to the headstock.
Ah well we continue to try to learn!

Dave

[rocket]

Something else to keep in mind too Dave, the thicker you fretboard is the less neck material you have to work with, so for a 20mm thick neck at #1 if your fretboard is 7mm thick you only have 13mm of neck timber, but if you fretboard is 6mm you have another 1mm of neck to play with, just something to be conscious of when designing a neck i think!

Rod