Neck angle frustration PLEASE HELP!!

[Jmorris]

Ok, I'm gonna try this shit again. However this time I'm going to carve a top out of poplar (as a test of course). I used the carve templates found on this site and the carve itself goes just fine. But I'm hitting a brick wall when carving the neck angle and pup plane. I start with 5/8 thick top right? Now when I begin my neck angle at the top of the binding (I'm using 1/4" binding which could be incorrect idk) working back to the end of where the fretboard sits, then the pup plane from there to about the bridge, cool? The problem I keep running into is after doing all that I'm left with material at the flat area and if I remove that material my carve comes out looking too flat. I hope I'm explaining this good enough. Why is this happening? Is it an incorrect neck angle throwing off the whole thing? I bought a digital angle finder today with hopes it will makes things go right. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Jmorris]

Nevermind. I figured it out. My pos scale type angle finder showed I was at 4.5 neck angle but the digital angle finder shows it was really only about 3.7. I'm assuming that's why I ended up with too much extra material in the flat area.

[monsterwalley]

Start at the top of the binding and route your neck angle at 4.4 * or what ever you need. route that till your bit comes off the maple. Then starting at the end of the neck set your angle to intersect at the bridge. I think it ends up being 1.2* or something.

This may help

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...neck_angle.jpg

[monsterwalley]

[Jmorris]

Thanks for the help man. My neck angle being too deep was throwing off the whole thing. That's what I get for not getting a digital angle finder sooner.

[emoney]

And here's a calculator so you can verify you're cutting your angle at the right slope;
Neck Angle Calculator - The Tundra Man Workshop

[Jmorris]

Originally Posted by emoney

And here's a calculator so you can verify you're cutting your angle at the right slope;
Neck Angle Calculator - The Tundra Man Workshop

That's a great tool. Thanks for the heads up.

[bruce bennett]

wow.. you guys way overthink carveing a top.

[Ole'Lefty]

Bruce-You have to take into account this somewhat overwhelming "replica goal." For example, on a usuable carved top, the 1.5* pickup angle is just silly.

Secondly, I always try to remind that "airgap" at the bridge position in linear measurement is the true critical measurement(straight edge on neck hovering over the plane of the bridge area). With a given bridge design, that space defines the ultimate playability/action.

[bruce bennett]

Originally Posted by Ole'Lefty

Bruce-You have to take into account this somewhat overwhelming "replica goal." For example, on a usuable carved top, the 1.5* pickup angle is just silly.

Secondly, I always try to remind that "airgap" at the bridge position in linear measurement is the true critical measurement(straight edge on neck hovering over the plane of the bridge area). With a given bridge design, that space defines the ultimate playability/action.

and what measurement do you prefer to see there?

[Ole'Lefty]

Around 9/16" to 5/8" "air gap. That accomodates the typical Tune-o-matic and its adjustment hardware. On an acoustic guitar, the straightedge about 3/16"- 3/8" hovering over the BRIDGE body -accomodates a proper saddle break angle. On many acoustics that turns out to be 1.5*(suspiciously the same as a Junior-they share relatively flat tops) but can be affected by the radius put into the top. To reduce that variable, a flat is built into the upper bout;usually with careful selective sanding.

Pickup angle is limited by how tight the rout is. The surrounds offer a functional angle-if you think of the flatbody guitars with 90* pickup routs without an angle it seems to demonstrate that pickups tolerate some pretty wide variations between vertical polepieces and strings. If there is clearance in the rout for the pickups to tip foward a bit you can introduce tilt.

I learned the little I really know about top angles/neck angles for an LP here on the forum-tested it with a straightedge on a typical carved top and an ABR copy and Nashville and generic TOM's. I feel comfortable with it because it is consistent with what I learned struggling through some acoustic builds since 1970 using the "airgap."

Many of you know all of this already- I don't claim to be an innovative thinker on this. I have learned a great deal about thinking since mine was stricken-sometimes, though, I cannot remember what I learned about it.

[Ole'Lefty]

Here.