Neck Angle Mk-II

ok, I'm working on my first license plate guitar... I have 30 ish guitars built (plus 2 ukes and an oil can) but I digress...

Most of my back angle has been shallow, or haphazard. Time to up my game and decide on a design I can reliably produce. (Thanks to ChickenBone John for his vid on some guy in a UK pawn shop... made me think about getting my action a bit lower.)

Anyway, I can get my action low, but setting the back angle has been hit or miss for me. I'm about to build a jig so I can dado the angle in with some consistency. I figure that will improve my build times and quality... Now for those of you that make CBGs for a living: My hat's off to you. For me, this is a labor of love and sanity: I love to keep my sanity, and building helps me relax. Most of my guitars are sold to friends, given to the local BSA troop as silent auction donations, or given as gifts... (of course, some I keep for me...)

Anyway to my question as I am margarita-induced rambling...

There will be many opinions: BUT: What is your preferred neck back angle? And how much is that over the length of a 10" cigar box? My trigonometry days are behind me, so I'd like to get to a point where I can measure the slope over 10" (the max-ish size box I use), build my jig, and start cutting necks in larger quantities...

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

I put an angle on most times. Last few builds it has been about 1/2" in 10". I am getting an 11/16" high bridge out of it. Lots of string angle over the bridge. It also gives me some clearance for a pickup without having to dig out the neck too deep.

The way I am doing it is much like Phrygian Kid's method. I glue two cedar shakes together. Cut the width to the width of the neck and the length to the length of the box, 1 1/2" wide by about 10" long. That works to zero thickness at one end of the cedar shake assembly and about 1/2" thickness at the other. I thèn glue that assembly to my neck with spray on glue and use it as a saw guide to run the box end of the neck through the table saw and cut the back angle. As per Phrygian Kid, i take the left over wood and scarf join it to the base of the neck to thicken it back up again.

My fret board does not come over the edge of the box, so I do not need the notch that Phrygian Kid shows on his cut. Mine is just a straight cut through the saw. A little simpler.

Replies

john mackay February 17, 2015 at 4:33am

you guys still use inch's !! I've forgotten most of it now since we went metric.

what 7/32 in mm? that to me is neither here or there in other words not worth bothering.
gary sheldon February 16, 2015 at 7:07pm

I use 7/32" difference between the front and the back of the box. That gives a very slight neck drop. Maybe around 1 or 2 degrees. My experience is that you need to add a little extra, because you lose some when you string it up.
David McQueen February 15, 2015 at 9:23pm

I put an angle on most times. Last few builds it has been about 1/2" in 10". I am getting an 11/16" high bridge out of it. Lots of string angle over the bridge. It also gives me some clearance for a pickup without having to dig out the neck too deep.

The way I am doing it is much like Phrygian Kid's method. I glue two cedar shakes together. Cut the width to the width of the neck and the length to the length of the box, 1 1/2" wide by about 10" long. That works to zero thickness at one end of the cedar shake assembly and about 1/2" thickness at the other. I thèn glue that assembly to my neck with spray on glue and use it as a saw guide to run the box end of the neck through the table saw and cut the back angle. As per Phrygian Kid, i take the left over wood and scarf join it to the base of the neck to thicken it back up again.

My fret board does not come over the edge of the box, so I do not need the notch that Phrygian Kid shows on his cut. Mine is just a straight cut through the saw. A little simpler.
Uncle John February 15, 2015 at 8:50pm

Interesting.   I've played Wayfinder's and Maddog's and neither angle the neck. Their gits play great.

I do put in some neck angle, but unmeasured as to degree or angle.   I do it in a simple way and I like to think it gets the top free from most of the neck and improves acoustic tone and volume. And then on the down side, the string pressure caves in some of my boxes. I am TRYING to quit building, but likely will again.   And I think I will simplify things and have no angle.

Good discussion.
Primitive Acoustics February 14, 2015 at 1:04pm

I use these in the neck pocket and cut to size.
image.jpg
- John Sawyer > Primitive Acoustics February 14, 2015 at 3:27pm
  
  Nice, Simple solution.
  
  From what I gather, as always, there are multiple approaches. Given that I am building 1x2 necks, it probably makes sense just to raise the neck and use a fretboard!
  
  I think the key here is you can't have any negative angle (or much) or you'll have issues getting your action low enough...
The Phrygian Kid February 14, 2015 at 12:59am

http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/photo/thetinyguitarsbodyendscarfj...
- John Sawyer > The Phrygian Kid February 14, 2015 at 3:11am
  
  Those are pretty necks... a lot nicer than my 1x2 necks... puttin' a band saw on my christmas list...
darryl kernaghan February 13, 2015 at 9:02pm
Jim Morris February 13, 2015 at 8:57pm

Ahh.. a good debatable topic! I used to argue with myself about this very thing until I made some dulcimers with the neck on top of the box. No angle and the action was good all the way up. So now I do it both ways and flat is easier - just raise the neck up a bit in relationship to the box like chickenboneJohn says. My angled necks are usually about 5 degrees and it's easy to do if you're doing a through the box design - just tilt it back a bit. I rarely ever measure the angle I just tilt it back until a straight edge shows about 1/2 to 5/8 in. clearance where the bridge will go. I do use a zero fret with a larger fret for the zero. Sometimes a small nail there for higher action if desired. There are many right ways of doing this and I do like staying true to the historic "stick attached to a box" but it's fun to experiment too if you're not running a production line.

of 2

This reply was deleted.