Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jonathan on September 1, 2009 at 9:56am

Also, my strings are pretty tight, especially compared to a regular guitar.

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Permalink Reply by steve (Roots) on September 1, 2009 at 10:39am

Jonathan my first builds had a slight bow. I gradually progressed to laminating fretboard on top of neck, then routing 1/8th steel bar in neck and then laminating heel on bottom of neck and using a bolt on style. Haven't had bowing problem since. Try laminating three pieces of wood together for the neck build. You will probably see a difference.

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on September 1, 2009 at 11:29am

Jonathan,

A three or four string CBG built on a 1 X 2 poplar neck shouldn't bow... unless you are way over-tensioning it.... you say the strings are tight compared to "regular guitar"... then I'd guess that you either need to detune it to a lower key or go to lighter strings.

Tuning to an open G tuning you need to be using the 5-4-3-(2) strings out of a light to medium set (9's or 10's) Using anything heavier on poplar is asking for trouble... next build either used a stronger wood like oak or maple....or at the least use a hardwood fretboard added to the neck...

good luck,
the best,


Wichita SAm

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on September 1, 2009 at 11:36am

I'm using the right strings, sizes are .042, .032, .024, which is smaller than the recommended in the how to build, but I think it's the tuning to G that's really putting a lot of tension on it. I used the 1 x 2 poplar, 3 feet long, and did everything according to the plans, except, I didn't glue the neck to the top of the box, instead, I used to screws at top of the box and towards the bottom. The main reason I tuned to a G, is because I started watching Shane's how to videos (which are awesome). It's not bowing a ton, but I'd be scared to go any higher than a G, the action is really high (fairly low at the nut and gets really high as you get towards the bridge), which is better for the slide it seems too. Really hard to judge mine because it's the first one I've ever seen.

Wichita Sam said:

Jonathan,

A three or four string CBG built on a 1 X 2 poplar neck shouldn't bow... unless you are way over-tensioning it.... you say the strings are tight compared to "regular guitar"... then I'd guess that you either need to detune it to a lower key or go to lighter strings.

Tuning to an open G tuning you need to be using the 5-4-3-(2) strings out of a light to medium set (9's or 10's) Using anything heavier on poplar is asking for trouble... next build either used a stronger wood like oak or maple....or at the least use a hardwood fretboard added to the neck...

good luck,
the best,


Wichita SAm

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on September 1, 2009 at 12:24pm

Another thing, the longer the neck is, the more likely it is to bow.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on September 1, 2009 at 12:41pm

Well in the directions it said to use a 3 foot piece, what do most use?

Diane said:

Another thing, the longer the neck is, the more likely it is to bow.

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Permalink Reply by JUJU on September 1, 2009 at 12:54pm

What scale length do you have (distance between nut and Bridge ) ?

juju.

Jonathan said:

Well in the directions it said to use a 3 foot piece, what do most use?

Diane said:

Another thing, the longer the neck is, the more likely it is to bow.

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on September 1, 2009 at 12:56pm

Jonathan.... there are no "right strings" ... only what works.... if that particular poplar neck is bowing with the strings you have on it (BTW, those would be 5-4-3 from a fairly heavy set), you either have to go with lighter strings or a lower tuning.

One of the things I had to learn from my early builds was to be selective about the wood I used for the necks. Even with oak (although it's more pronounced with poplar), if you start with a bow toward the box before you tension the neck, you will certainly get a bigger bow. If your strings are "high" at the octave (12th fret), then you probably need to change something, unless you set up a "Dobro"....lol

Stay at it!!! It gets easier and your early learning becomes intuitive...

the best,

Wichita Sam

Jonathan said:

I'm using the right strings, sizes are .042, .032, .024, which is smaller than the recommended in the how to build, but I think it's the tuning to G that's really putting a lot of tension on it. I used the 1 x 2 poplar, 3 feet long, and did everything according to the plans, except, I didn't glue the neck to the top of the box, instead, I used to screws at top of the box and towards the bottom. The main reason I tuned to a G, is because I started watching Shane's how to videos (which are awesome). It's not bowing a ton, but I'd be scared to go any higher than a G, the action is really high (fairly low at the nut and gets really high as you get towards the bridge), which is better for the slide it seems too. Really hard to judge mine because it's the first one I've ever seen.

Wichita Sam said:

Jonathan,

A three or four string CBG built on a 1 X 2 poplar neck shouldn't bow... unless you are way over-tensioning it.... you say the strings are tight compared to "regular guitar"... then I'd guess that you either need to detune it to a lower key or go to lighter strings.

Tuning to an open G tuning you need to be using the 5-4-3-(2) strings out of a light to medium set (9's or 10's) Using anything heavier on poplar is asking for trouble... next build either used a stronger wood like oak or maple....or at the least use a hardwood fretboard added to the neck...

good luck,
the best,


Wichita SAm

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Permalink Reply by Mortimer Snerd on September 1, 2009 at 2:11pm

Not all boards from the lumbar yard, are neck material, Poplar is fine, did you test it first to find it's week side vs. it's stronger side? Grain direction has allot to do with how strong any board will be. Did you put the natural bow in the board to work to your advantage so it will not do what you are describing? I am guessing that your neck should have been flopped around, or try a different piece of Poplar, test them and look them over first at the lumber yard before buying.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on September 1, 2009 at 2:45pm

My vote goes to three 1/4x2s glued together. Makes wood strong like ox. You could also move your bridge closer to the nut. This will reduce the tension quite a bit. Experiment, but maybe in the 23 to 24 inch range.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Martin on September 1, 2009 at 2:59pm

I use poplar most of the time but I glue 2 pieces together so the seam runs down the middle of the fretboard as you look at the neck from above.It seems to make the neck stronger and I've had no problem or complaints from my customers,,, ( yet).
As mentioned above I pay more attention to grain then I used to. Mostly because I turned the wood selection over to my wife who pays more attention to picking the right wood then I do.I tend to get in a hurry and just start grabbing boards and throwing them on the cart lol.She on the other hand,is in no hurry and picks each piece as if its going into a new fender ,,,,,,,,,,,

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Permalink Reply by Mark Werner on September 1, 2009 at 2:59pm

Of the common hardware-store woods, poplar is easily the most flexible. Maple is stiffer, and oak is easily the stiffest.

I experienced bowing with my first, simple CBG. Since then, I've used oak almost exclusively. A standard 1 X 2 with an added 1/4 X 2 glued on for a fretboard seems to be quite immune to flexing with four strings.

On my mandola, which has to resist 8 strings, I used two pieces of maple with a 1/4" piece of oak in the center. (aligned vertically) This has resisted warping completely, but it's a very short neck as well.

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