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#1
04-29-2012, 02:08 PM
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how in the world do i install a bolt on neck properly?
so im thinking about building some guitars. most everything else seems fairly simple but setting the neck is really complicated to me. ill be using a pre shaped neck and block from lmii but im clueless on how to properly set it to the guitar... here are my questions:
1-what is a neck angle? 2-how can i tell what neck angle to use on my guitar 3- how can i change/adjust the neck to get the proper angle 4- how can i install the neck properly thanks any help would be great 
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#2
04-30-2012, 01:29 PM
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1-what is a neck angle?
this is the angular resultant relationship of the strings, the neck, and the height of the bridge/saddle. neck angle should be driven by the height of the bridge not the other way around. establish the desired bridge height and work from there. 2-how can i tell what neck angle to use on my guitar? this is a factor of many things. again bridge height -(and bridge torque), top deflection -(affecting bridge torque. variables include top wood stiffness and bracing scheme) scale length/string tension, rigidity of the neck to body joint and neck block foot print, and stiffness of the neck are some of the factors to consider..as well as overall playability. 3- how can i change/adjust the neck to get the proper angle? by removing material from the "cheeks" of the neck. this is the spot where on a typical m/t neck joint, the heel of the neck meets the tenon. wood is removed by sanding, scraping, chiseling, etc... fixturing can be helpful here. 4- how can i install the neck properly? since individuals vary in their methods of craft, the bottom line is that basically if the neck joint is sound and the woodworking is clean, if the neck angle is good, if the fretboard extension is mated and relieved well, -and adhered soundly, if the fasteners are spec'd well and installed correctly, and if the guitar doesn't fly apart and hit someone on the head, then you have installed the neck properly. Last edited by arie; 04-30-2012 at 01:39 PM.
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#3
04-30-2012, 03:40 PM
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Arie gave you a pretty nice description of neck angle and setting the neck. Here are a few other points to consider. If you are using LMI's pre-made neck & block, the neck angle is roughly set already. Using a top radius of about 28' and one of LMI's pre-made bridges will match pretty closely to LMI's neck angle requiring minimal adjustment in the final fitting. You also need to keep track of the centerline on the neck & body. There are various jigs & tools from LMI, Stew-Mac & Luthier Suppliers that will help you get your neck set correctly. It can be also be done using just straightedges, very accurate rulers that measure in 64ths of an inch & calipers but jigs, particularly the centerline finder from Luthier Suppliers make it much easier. I'd really recommend you get & read Bill Cory's "Building Martin-style Acoustic Guitar Kits", http://www.kitguitarmanuals.com/. He does a very nice job of describing the steps involved in setting pre-made necks and what to watch out for.
Regards, Ed
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#4
04-30-2012, 06:00 PM
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what do i do then?
ok so if the bridge is 5/8 inches thick how to i find my neck angle from that?
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#5
04-30-2012, 06:12 PM
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If your bridge is 5/8" thick it is too thick. A thickness of approximately .375-.400 is more in line for size. In my mind the correct neck angle has more to do with body construction then it does with the neck.If your body is made so that you can put a straight edge on the top resting on the section covered by the fingerboard extension extending over the bridge location and you get a measurment of approximately .095" you will easily make the neck fit correctly on the guitar. Again just my opinion.
Tom
__________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything
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#6
05-01-2012, 08:06 AM
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All of these concepts are covered in this book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar. I think you will get all of the answers you are looking for in here. Many have used this book to successfully build guitars, myself included.
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#7
05-07-2012, 06:50 AM
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The version of 'Guitar Making Tradition and Technology' that I have has a very complicated pinned neck joint. I never used it. Have they changed in newer versions? IT does cover in detail how to set the neck angle however.
The easiest neck joint IMO is the butted bolt on joint, no mortise or tenon, just a flat butt joint from the heal of the neck to the guitar body. You just glue in some screw wood inserts. Before doing so you set the neck angle which is easy to do with a flat sanding board and some elbow grease. Essentially you want a straight edge to lay across the frets on the centerline of the fret board to where your bridge will be. The height at the saddle location should be about 1/16th inch greater then the height of your bridge (whatever that may be according to your design). I always fret after the neck has been installed so you have to just do the math on what ever your fret height is.
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#8
05-07-2012, 07:40 AM
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I would recommend doing more research on your own and maybe taking a class on luthery if you are determined to build your own guitar. I've noticed that you have been asking lots of questions about building your own guitar, but you will find diagrams the speak a thousand words in books instead of quick and dirty responses to issues that literally books have been written about. I would recommend that maybe you build your guitar as part of luthery classes. If you do a little research on your own you might find a program near you that will help.
__________________
1990 Alvarez Yairi DY-77 2009 Taylor 414ce ltd. Taz. Black
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#9
12-07-2012, 03:55 PM
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Quote:
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#10
12-07-2012, 04:27 PM
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The starting angle is set by your neck and the neck and body angle added together should be 180* (a straight line). So if your neck angle is 88.7* then you have to build in a complimentary angle of 91.3* on the body. Any other angle will not be right. I use 88.7 because that is the angle used by Martin and many kit sellers. But you need to understand the 180* concept and how to achieve that first.
__________________
Tim B
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#11
12-07-2012, 06:36 PM
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Quote:
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#12
12-07-2012, 07:29 PM
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Quote:
What arie said.
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#13
12-07-2012, 07:32 PM
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Quote:
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#14
12-07-2012, 09:15 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Tim B
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#15
12-07-2012, 09:42 PM
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Quote:
There's a difference between simplifying things and over-simplifying things to the point that they are incorrect. There's way too much "incorrect" out there already that we shouldn't consciously add to it. Do you know for certain that LMII kits use 88.7 and 91.3 degree angles? "Things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." - Albert Einstein Last edited by charles Tauber; 12-07-2012 at 09:50 PM.
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