Neck and fingerboard for big box.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Lang on March 6, 2012 at 7:26pm

The distance from the nut to the bridge should be double the distance from the nut to the 12th fret.  (or to put it another way, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same distance as the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge).

I put my bridge about 2 1/2 inches from the edge of my box (not sure of the actual distance right now) and it sounds pretty good.  (Mind you, used a 22" scale)  I'm not sure about how it will change the acoustics to move the bridge closer to the center, but it seems to me that the bridge may vibrate more and give a bigger bass response (like how a trampline moves further in the center than it does on the outside).

if you want more playable frets (and your neck isn't long enough) you could always let your fretboard come onto the body like they do in regular acoustic guitars.  There's no real reason to stop the fretboard at the end of the neck...

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Permalink Reply by ED (Bad Finger) on March 6, 2012 at 9:30pm

I've never used that big a box, but I would move the bridge up so you get to play at least to the 12th fret without hitting the box. Continue running the fingerboard over the lid.

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Permalink Reply by Honsik on March 7, 2012 at 6:10am

I think I have to go for a playable neck with 17 fret (this fret is from the nut 15 61/64"or 405,1 mm). This will place my bridge 8.42" (214 mm) from the end of the box) and when I use the fingerboard which is 20.35"( 517 mm) I have to cut off 4.33"( 110 mm). You all think this will be playable?

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Permalink Reply by robert jones on March 7, 2012 at 8:09am

When I run into placement challenges I usually do a full size layout on butcher paper so I can move bits around to various configurations before committing.

Bridge placement on acoustics seems to work better when situated between 1/3 and 1/2 of the box length from the end. It has to do with wave transmission to the resonating surface.

In an electric it's not as critical because an amplifier is relied on for increased sound volume.

Since your box is nominally 18" long you could place the bridge 1/3 of the box length in and have the playable 17th fret, this should be functional without having to cut off any of the fret board length.

Physically lay the thing out on paper first to be certain.

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Permalink Reply by robert jones on March 8, 2012 at 6:02am

Now that's some piss poor advice.

Guess your ego got in the way of you comprehending that he's intending to "buy a fingerboard precut with 25,5" fretscale" .

If he should be naive enough to follow your advice on this matter and try to use that fretboard at your suggested "23 or thereabouts" it will be impossible to play fretted.

You don't really grasp the harmonics thing either do you?

Go measure up a selection of acoustic guitars and do the ratio of bridge placement to body length. There's a reason the bridges will fall close to the 1/3 point.

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on March 8, 2012 at 6:53am

i do all my builds with a (some precut) 25.5" scale length, most frets go uo to 18 with a 9 or 10 inch length box (18" is huge...!?) with plenty of room for the bridge - 2 or 3 inches in from the box tail end, with your setup the bridge would be right  in the centre -  let me get some better figures when i get home... (-;

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on March 9, 2012 at 2:14pm

Really man, don't tell the guy to build 23" scale on a neck fretted for 25.5"= recipe for disaster!

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on March 9, 2012 at 2:15pm

For 25.5" scale, nut to bridge has to be , well, 25.5" period.

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Permalink Reply by Honsik on March 9, 2012 at 2:18pm

Just ordered my 25,5"fretboard and will arrive next week. I'll keep you informed about the process and which place I make for the bridge. Tnx all for the advice so far.

 

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on March 9, 2012 at 2:17pm

unless you are gonna compensate it, then it would be a tad shorter, and I use tad in the scientific sense of course!

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