Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David L. on April 23, 2012 at 7:28am

Sounds right to me.  Here is a link giving a neck angle calculator which also at the bottom of the page repeats what you have described with diagrams. http://www.tundraman.com/Guitars/NeckAngle/index.php

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Permalink Reply by Lonman on April 23, 2012 at 3:50pm

wow, I did not even know this existed. Thanks for posting this.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on April 23, 2012 at 8:02am

Angling a thru neck Is dead easy. See my pics for a 'body end scarf join'

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on April 23, 2012 at 5:47pm

Thanks, this is great, you guys really took the guess work out of doing this should be a blast to build.

                           Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by JUJU on April 23, 2012 at 10:24pm

wow 14 degrees thats pretty steep for a neck thats more like a headstock angle - i usually end up with a neck angle of between 2-3 degrees and a headstock angle of 12 degrees - using a wrap around Bridge thats pretty much the same size as a les paul tune o matic bridge

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Permalink Reply by Mark Werner on April 24, 2012 at 4:14am

14 degrees does sound like a bit much. The mandola that's my avatar has a fairly-steep 5-degree angle which results in the bridge being at the height you see.
Much more than that and you're going to end up with something that looks like a string bass.....

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Permalink Reply by John Davidson on April 24, 2012 at 4:41am

I assumed Ron meant 1.4º

Guitar neck pockets are generally cut at 2º.

 

At 14º, I figgure the bridge would need to be a couple of feet tall!

John

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on April 24, 2012 at 8:15am

Sorry guys I have missed the mark, yes thinking of headstock numbers, sharp eyes and minds here are a good thing.

 "For those of you who aren't familiar with the construction of a Les Paul guitar I'd like to explain a bit about the neck angle. On a Les Paul the neck glues into the body on an angle somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 degrees. The reason for the angle is the strings need a little height so they can properly align with the bridge of the guitar. I also suspect that playing comfort might figure in to the equation although I have had a number of guitars that use a straight angle that are comfortable to play. In fact most electric and almost all acoustic guitars have zero neck angle."

I have also found mention of 3-5 degrees, 4 degrees should hit the mark. With a zillion copies and about as many modles of the orginal this could be a bigger range, but that would bring into question what is a Les Paul, since this is CBG's we dont need no stinkin rules, so rock on. I guess it could a cigar box paul,  or a les box guitar                                                          Cheers Ron.

                                                          Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on April 24, 2012 at 10:02am

I have read that the Gibson guitars vary in degree depending on who made it, what shop they were in etc. The angle guide posted above seems like good guidelines. I have angles 3 of them and I think I used 2 degrees, not very steep, 4 sounds like a Les Paulish tilt.  Whatever you do make it shimable somehow so you can fine tune it.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on April 25, 2012 at 8:28am

'in fact mOst electric guitars and all acoustic guitars have zero angle'....

WRONG..

Pretty sure Leo Fender pioneered the perpendicular neck. I may be wrong, but I can tell you for a fact that most guitars have the neck angled in for sure. Good luck finding an acoustic guitar with a zero neck angle. The reason the les Paul features an angled neck is because it is from Gibson, who were already making top end guitars and mandolins.. And who created the archtop guitar. Consider that the les has had three very different bridges in its sixty year life.. It's more like the bridge was designed to fit this neck angle. Take a look at the guitars older cousins like violin family, even banjos.. Tall bridges make a soundboard louder

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on April 25, 2012 at 8:47am

Phrygian Kid, is it really the height of the bridge making the soundboard louder or is the downward pressure on the bridge being greater because of the steeper string break angle on the bridge that makes it louder, If you could make bridge higher without any more pressure on the board would it really sound any different?

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on April 25, 2012 at 3:33pm

Hahahaha tomayto tomarto potato potarto... Wow u sure got ur hair splitting hat on today squire :D
Ok it's a tall bridge and all the properties that this entails ok???
Same as heavier strings do not have more tone before you tune em to pitch...

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