[GuitarsWeB]

No ...the Japanese makers do not use the Spanish Heel. Just because you see a heel block inside does not mean it's the SH design. Oribe is a good example of that. He has a heel inside but the neck is attached with a double mortise and spline... which is a very good way to attaching the neck. David Schramm is totally correct in his remarks. It's a lot of hype. AND, there's lot of it in the guitar world, even in articles and books. As a matter of fact; if the Spanish Heel is not done properly with exact fits, in time you end up with neck angle issues. I'm sure many of you have seen Spanish made instruments with that problem. Richard Brune wrote an article on Japanese guitar makers. I believe he mentioned that many attach the neck to the body with five dowel pins. There are many ways to join the neck to the body. As far as hype goes; back in the late 1960's, cedar soundboards were becoming very popular. It was written that cedar would go dead after five years. Later, it was changed to 10, then 20. Finally, that fable went by the road side.