Joe Desperado
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- Aug 18, 2009
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Maybe not the correct post to share/discuss this but: In guitar building, the single most important element of the build is the neck. Period. It is the very thing that must vibrate and move as freely as possible while still being able to transfer energy to the body. Bigger necks generally sound bigger than skinny necks. Wood selection seems to make a larger difference on the neck than the body. and on and on an on.
WIthin the context of this post, one of the most important elements of the neck is how the Truss Rod is implemented. Not just whether is a single or dual action, or whether its a single straight or curved rod, but the channel itself requires some thought on how to implement. It has been a historical practice to install a round rod in a square channel. But it also leaves air gaps around the corners that absorb vibrations instead of transferring them. A well constructed slot should be as tight as possible to the rod, but allow it to still move and have no gaps around it. Back about 12 years ago, I was ghost building bolt on necks. I made over 700 necks in those years. I started with a square route and a year latter ended up building with a round route which by all those experiencing them were far superior sounding necks. If your neck sounds good with a square route, it probably will sound better with a round one. There are 3/16" router bits with a rounded tip that will leave the bottom of the route curved in the same diameter as the rod. You can do similar to the fillet strip so the edge is also concave to match the rod. This captures the rod will almost no gaps and improves tone transfer.
As mentioned, incapsulating the rod as tight as possible is the goal. With that said, the router table requires several passes to route to depth. Each time you make a new pass, you are also removing more wood from the sides loosening up the slot. Its better to machine the slot in a single pass (or multiple passes with a narrow bit with a final pass with the final size bit). SG Lou created jig on his router for a curved slot with a mortise bit to cut all in a single pass. Today, I prefer to use a table saw when possible with a 3/16" blade, but when required to, will use a router with as few of passes as I can get away with (or thinner passes and final at size). I made a very simple tool out of an old truss rod (3/16") in a handle. It allows me to scrape a square bottom into a rounded bottom.
Secondly, the total build schedule of the neck is important. When and how you glue the Fingerboard on, when you carve the back side verse the fingerboard radius. When to fret etc.
Terry McInturf is probably the master of the neck build schedule. He takes a quite scientific approach to his builds and realizes every action has a reaction. This is particularly true in necks. As you remove wood from one side of a board, it effects the board on the opposite side.
Now…if you are building a replica or trying to be traditional and mimic those early build process, they are a bit more crude. Just imagine if the factories had time to really get this right!!
WIthin the context of this post, one of the most important elements of the neck is how the Truss Rod is implemented. Not just whether is a single or dual action, or whether its a single straight or curved rod, but the channel itself requires some thought on how to implement. It has been a historical practice to install a round rod in a square channel. But it also leaves air gaps around the corners that absorb vibrations instead of transferring them. A well constructed slot should be as tight as possible to the rod, but allow it to still move and have no gaps around it. Back about 12 years ago, I was ghost building bolt on necks. I made over 700 necks in those years. I started with a square route and a year latter ended up building with a round route which by all those experiencing them were far superior sounding necks. If your neck sounds good with a square route, it probably will sound better with a round one. There are 3/16" router bits with a rounded tip that will leave the bottom of the route curved in the same diameter as the rod. You can do similar to the fillet strip so the edge is also concave to match the rod. This captures the rod will almost no gaps and improves tone transfer.
As mentioned, incapsulating the rod as tight as possible is the goal. With that said, the router table requires several passes to route to depth. Each time you make a new pass, you are also removing more wood from the sides loosening up the slot. Its better to machine the slot in a single pass (or multiple passes with a narrow bit with a final pass with the final size bit). SG Lou created jig on his router for a curved slot with a mortise bit to cut all in a single pass. Today, I prefer to use a table saw when possible with a 3/16" blade, but when required to, will use a router with as few of passes as I can get away with (or thinner passes and final at size). I made a very simple tool out of an old truss rod (3/16") in a handle. It allows me to scrape a square bottom into a rounded bottom.
Secondly, the total build schedule of the neck is important. When and how you glue the Fingerboard on, when you carve the back side verse the fingerboard radius. When to fret etc.
Terry McInturf is probably the master of the neck build schedule. He takes a quite scientific approach to his builds and realizes every action has a reaction. This is particularly true in necks. As you remove wood from one side of a board, it effects the board on the opposite side.
Now…if you are building a replica or trying to be traditional and mimic those early build process, they are a bit more crude. Just imagine if the factories had time to really get this right!!
