Hi all,
I built a few guitars in the last 2 years and noticed three of them started bending. Two of them are "Neck Thru" design and are the worst. The third is "Hollow Body", not that bad but it's a more recent build. They are still playable but they are harder to play as the string are getting farther from the neck.
For their necks I used either red oak or white maple. 1 5/8 inches (width) X 3/4 inches (thick). Bought directly from the hardware store.
Fingerboard is made of 1/4 inch (thick) jointed pine
All of them are 3 stringers, equipped with metal strings bought online.
Hollow body design if used with an elbow = no broblem at all
Hollow body without elbow = very little bending
Neck Thru without elbow = more bending
Could it be the metal strings putting too much tension on these CBG's? Should I try them with nylon strings instead? Or is it that the quality / dimensions of the wood I'm using is inapropriate?
All advice are welcome. Thanks everyone!
Simon
Replies
I’ve always known that as the Heel, which main function is stability?
Like some others here I'm not familiar with the term "elbpw" as it relates to guitar necks. Is that the area where the neck enters the box and is commonly the area where the neck steps down by gluing a second 3/4" thick piece on the bottom section of the neck?
Regardless, If you are using something like 1 x 2 red oak for your neck, bending should not normally be a problem.
What diameter strings are you using? If you are using heavy strinss (like a 0.056) for your bass strings and similarly heavy strings for the middle and treble string, then you may be putting unnecessary strain on the neck.
I've found that strings selected to give tension of around 17 lbs have a lot of playing advantages and put little stress on the neck. For example: on a 24" scale guitar tuned open D, the correct strings for 17 lbs tension would be 0.026, 0.018 and 0.012.
These are very playable string tensions that have the advantage of being able to be tuned up at lease two keys or down two keys and still remain playable.
So, if you have good red oak for the neck, then the bending may be due to string selection.
I never thought of that, like you say pics would help.
Taff
I was thinking he was talking about an L shaped bracket?
Hi again, having re-read your account I see you refer to an "elbow", I did not know what this was, but thinking about it I thought that may be the heal is what you were referring to. If this is the case and there is bowing on necks without a heal, then I would suspect the neck stick inside the box as Keith suggests.
To check the neck itself, fret the top string at the first fret and somewhere past the 12th and see if the bow is under the string area. A slight bow away from the straight string is permissible, say 10-12 thousands around the 7th fret.
Taff
Yea, hardwoods are definitely better fretboards. Some pics could shine a light on your problem, otherwise we’re just guessing? Also a few details like: scale length, string gauges, tuning?
Hi, also your choice of fretboard may contribute to the problem. A hardwood is the proffered timber as it resists bending by adding stiffness to the neck, and more wear resistant from finger contact, and lastly it has a better holding ability for the frets.
Taff
In the necks, which way is the grain running? If side to side, wood will do that a lot easier. You want the grain to run upwards. But did you cut out some of the neck, in the box? If so, try adding another piece of fret board, in under it, to help take the bend out. Have you used a straight edge, to see where it is bending? That will help to know, where the problem lies.