JimF
Contributor
Ive never really looked into making necks; I always presumed it was some sort of black art. Witchcraft, protractors, strange tools involved etc.
However, the more Ive seen on here, the more inspired I am to tackle a build. I know someone who can add a fretboard & fret it so that side of it isnt an issue.
Im also no stranger to woodwork, I make kitchen knives with custom handles as a hobby, and also have refurbed a couple of guitar bodies, the most recent being a body stripped back to bare wood, unwanted holes filled (neck pickup, volume knob) re shaped (increased cutaways, more of a carve for the forearm contour), dyed & then a veneer added.
Am I right in thinking that, whilst not being exactly easy, its relatively straight forward? (Ill omit any measuring stages from the following)
Select your neck wood/woods, get a decent sized blank, sort out the headstock tilt, slot a truss rod cavity, add a flat for the nut, then shape the rear? Is that correct?
Also, I always used to think (as in, I read it when I was 16 and never bothered to double check), that the truss rods were installed curved/bent, and that tightening them caused them to straighten, thus bending the neck. If this is the case, thats a pretty fancy slot youd need to make
Am I missing anything? Im reasonably confident I could make a neck, shape it, get all that sorted. Its just the whole mechanics of it Im not sure about! i.e. I could make a lovely guitar that was perfect until it had strings on and then unplayable as the neck would look like an archers bow!
However, the more Ive seen on here, the more inspired I am to tackle a build. I know someone who can add a fretboard & fret it so that side of it isnt an issue.
Im also no stranger to woodwork, I make kitchen knives with custom handles as a hobby, and also have refurbed a couple of guitar bodies, the most recent being a body stripped back to bare wood, unwanted holes filled (neck pickup, volume knob) re shaped (increased cutaways, more of a carve for the forearm contour), dyed & then a veneer added.
Am I right in thinking that, whilst not being exactly easy, its relatively straight forward? (Ill omit any measuring stages from the following)
Select your neck wood/woods, get a decent sized blank, sort out the headstock tilt, slot a truss rod cavity, add a flat for the nut, then shape the rear? Is that correct?
Also, I always used to think (as in, I read it when I was 16 and never bothered to double check), that the truss rods were installed curved/bent, and that tightening them caused them to straighten, thus bending the neck. If this is the case, thats a pretty fancy slot youd need to make
Am I missing anything? Im reasonably confident I could make a neck, shape it, get all that sorted. Its just the whole mechanics of it Im not sure about! i.e. I could make a lovely guitar that was perfect until it had strings on and then unplayable as the neck would look like an archers bow!
