Neck heel and scarf joint glue lines

[PhilQ]

Another question I've been pondering as I tackle another build. Are there strategies or tricks to make the glue lines for a stacked heel, or a headstock scarf joint less conspicuous? Even when the dry fit is perfect, seems I can't carve the neck without having the line between the heel and neck, or the scarf joint, be pretty visible...

It doesn't look terrible, but it is a bit jarring..

thanks for any tips!

[printer2]

I tried to imagine the grain where I was going to carve and hopefully the line up the blocks to get the grain to match. Not too bad in a couple of cases. For the scarf joint there is always a head plate to the rescue.

[dekutree64]

It's all about placement. Taper the neck shaft thickness as close to final as possible before you glue the headstock/heel onto it. I do 3/4" thick at the 12th fret and 5/8" at the nut, though I do usually thin it a little more during final carving. Better safe than sorry.

The heel will always be somewhat conspicuous, but the headstock glue line can be almost invisible except from the side. I use a handstop lip that curves up sharply right at the glue line, and then the whole back of the headstock is pristine long grain, even better looking than the short grain surface of a one-piece neck:


Oh, and for heels, an actual stack almost always looks ugly. But if you can get a single block for it, or laminate two pieces vertically, it looks nicer:

[stuw]

Ok...I"m stealing this idea..that looks great.

[PhilQ]

That's what I've been doing for the heel as well.

I like your headstock transition! The glue line is at the bottom of the curve?

[redir]

The last few guitars I built I have the glue line under the fretboard as such:



I've always struggled with this problem and IMO if you are going to have a visible line this way looks best. In this case it looks intentional where as in the traditional sense it looks like something you are trying to hide. Just my thoughts on it from my own perspective. dekutree64's method is very good but more difficult to execute too.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by redir

The last few guitars I built I have the glue line under the fretboard as such:



I've always struggled with this problem and IMO if you are going to have a visible line this way looks best. In this case it looks intentional where as in the traditional sense it looks like something you are trying to hide. Just my thoughts on it from my own perspective. dekutree64's method is very good but more difficult to execute too.

Eewwwhhh!! I've never liked the look of those joints. Each to his own, I'm not saying it is good or bad, just for me, I get the reaction I wrote. ;-) I like butterscotch, other people like chocolate.

I have settled in on a scarf joint at the headstock with a similar-to-Gibson curved V-shape blend from neck to headstock. The scarf joint line, I try to make straight. It works out being a simple volute. Elegant and efficient.

And addressing the OP's question about heel block joint lines, I made one neck with a 3 piece laminated heel, and it has become my "demonstrator" neck because I didn't care for the final look. (waste of time, eh!!) It is easy enough to find thick mahogany to make one piece neck blocks. The join line will be visible due to differing grain variations, but there should really be little enough glue that other than differing grain directions, no glue line should be visible. With a well done heel-to-neck carving, this joint should be attractive aesthetically rather than detractive. If your heel-to-neck carving is clumsy, this line will look clumsy as well.

[PhilQ]

Would love to see that scarf joint, Ned. Any pictures of it on your website?

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by PhilQ

Would love to see that scarf joint, Ned. Any pictures of it on your website?

Here's a few pics.

https://www.facebook.com/ned.milburn...06?pnref=story

https://www.facebook.com/ned.milburn...06?pnref=story

I think you'll be able to see them. I haven't had time to update my website for some time now.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

Eewwwhhh!! I've never liked the look of those joints. Each to his own, I'm not saying it is good or bad, just for me, I get the reaction I wrote. ;-) I like butterscotch, other people like chocolate.

I have settled in on a scarf joint at the headstock with a similar-to-Gibson curved V-shape blend from neck to headstock. The scarf joint line, I try to make straight. It works out being a simple volute. Elegant and efficient.

And addressing the OP's question about heel block joint lines, I made one neck with a 3 piece laminated heel, and it has become my "demonstrator" neck because I didn't care for the final look. (waste of time, eh!!) It is easy enough to find thick mahogany to make one piece neck blocks. The join line will be visible due to differing grain variations, but there should really be little enough glue that other than differing grain directions, no glue line should be visible. With a well done heel-to-neck carving, this joint should be attractive aesthetically rather than detractive. If your heel-to-neck carving is clumsy, this line will look clumsy as well.

LOL yeah to each there own. I don't particularly care for the look in that one with the back stripe being cut off like that. But the first time I saw a joint like that was on something like a Jackson or some Metal type axe probably 20 years ago. I thought at the time it looked modern and functional and I guess it stuck.

It makes an excellent visual guide for carving the neck too

[arie]

Originally Posted by redir

LOL yeah to each there own. I don't particularly care for the look in that one with the back stripe being cut off like that. But the first time I saw a joint like that was on something like a Jackson or some Metal type axe probably 20 years ago. I thought at the time it looked modern and functional and I guess it stuck.

right. often you'll see that type of scarf on electric guitars which don't normally have a head plate or a back plate and usually the neck shaft is painted. on jackson's, charvel's, kramer's, schecter's, and some ibanez's, the neck is either finished in something clear, satin, oil, or just left raw wood making the joint clearly visible. makes it really easy to make a nearly finished headstock "offline" and then glue it up to the shaft.

[CFW]

Or you can go with it... accentuate the joint...

[ocmcook]

anything is better than the old finger joints on a well known makers guitars.

[redir]

Originally Posted by CFW

Or you can go with it... accentuate the joint...

Ya gotta love the mother of toilet seat binding too

[CFW]

Originally Posted by redir

Ya gotta love the mother of toilet seat binding too

yeah, that binding isn't to my taste...

Here's one of my current necks I'm working on. I add some laminations to the scarf joint. Once carved, the volute will have some nice stripes.