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Too much "down" in the down angle?

This build has been a little haphazard (my first build from top to bottom). After working on the neck for a while, I decide I need to lay a 1/4" red oak fret board on top to give the neck a little more strength. So I lay the red oak down on the neck and notice quite a steep down angle between where I was planning to put a Zero Fret and where the tuners are. What I'm wondering is:

IS there such a thing as too much down angle?
Does the configuration pictured look like it has too much "down" in the down angle?
If so, does anybody have any suggestions on how I can save this neck from the scrap heap?

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Permalink Reply by Dirk Bauer on July 7, 2016 at 2:04pm

It looks a little deep to me, I just use 1x2 oak as a through body. I cut 4" slice half thickness of neck at tuner end. Never have reinforced and has always worked great.

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Permalink Reply by sasquatcher on July 7, 2016 at 2:36pm

It'll work out fine, go with it

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Permalink Reply by Richard Wilkins on July 8, 2016 at 6:27am

Thanks Wayfinder, I'll take the string tree route so the strings enter the tuner at less steep angle. Darn iPhone camera distorts images pretty badly at times... The neck is exactly 1" thick. I have to wait until Monday for gold fret wire, then I'll be able to finish this guitar!

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on July 8, 2016 at 3:46am

(Just random lute head from google)

It is difficult to pitch a head back too far. But let's understand, your head is not pitched down, it operates parallel with the fingerboard, but is set down (offset) by a certain distance. This way of building a guitar head was pioneered by Leo fender and while easier in some ways it does present some challenges. Because it is very possible to have your strings exit (enter??) the post on the tuning machine at too steep an angle where a wind might possibly slip over the top. The suggestion other guys are making, string trees will pull the strings down from the nut at an even greater angle, but they'll reduce the angle of incidence at the post of the tuning machines which is where you'll potentially have a problem.
But you don't know this yet, hurry up and string the sucker up!!
If there's a problem the other blokes said it - string trees, not the shame pile of failures. Best.