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No neck angle; strings too high

Posted by Dave Onastik on April 5, 2011 at 8:50am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I built my first CBG in about 10 builds where I used a straight neck instead of a scarf joint for a neck angle, and now I really appreciate the benefits of an angled neck. I did not cut the neck low enough in relation to the surface of the fingerboard, and now the tuners are sticking up to the level where the strings are too high and are popping out of the slots I cut for the nut.

I know I can fix this if I put something in front of the nut (on the neck side) to push the strings down, and was looking for suggestions. I could probably use those "U" shaped nails (no idea what they are called), but wondered if anybody in the Nation had a better solution.

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angle, high, neck, strings

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Replies

Fred Railsback November 2, 2011 at 12:51pm

I used small eye screws I got at Ace Hardware. Just drilled 4 pilot holes and screwed them in. Easy fix, looks nice too.
Michael Fred Johnson May 29, 2011 at 7:16am

Use screw in brass or steel eyes to hold the strings down.Or stick a layer of wood to the back of the headstock to lower the tuners
JonBouye April 14, 2011 at 1:19am

Thanks for the post Dave. I just recently decided to take the plunge and do my first build. I'm still waiting on some of the parts to arrive which I want to use in my design but while preparing the neck I have already realized I was running into the same problem you are experiencing with a straight neck and turning machines being too high. I appreciate all the good ideas from everyone.

I have the box, neck and turners so I started yesterday. I don't have a lot of time to work on it and I'm slow anyway. But with everyone's advice I'll get there. What a learning experience.
Reverend Otis April 13, 2011 at 3:33am

i have always had success with tiny little eye screws from the hobby store

Cheers!
The Phrygian Kid April 12, 2011 at 7:10pm

unbelievable, two days after i put that pic there i had to make another, my first in 6 months or more. Using up an old neck that was lying around.. When you have a bandsaw and a linsiher you can make something like this in minutes. Make sure you use nice meaty screws wont you?
Rand Moore April 11, 2011 at 10:46pm

Lots of good ideas. I've been using tie-wraps, but on a 3-stringer, the middle string is not as effectively held down, so I wedge in a pick (with the intention of some day fashioning something more suitable). Wade's idea sounds like the one I'll try next: two eye bolts on either side of the head and a cross piece made of a long threaded bolt. Thank you, all.

-Rand.
Wade April 11, 2011 at 5:35pm

2 screw eyes on each side of the headstock and a threaded bolt throught the 2 holes worked for me.
Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates April 11, 2011 at 10:48am

Badda Bing!

-WY
Dave Onastik April 11, 2011 at 7:28am

I ended up using the eyebolts and they worked great. Thanks for he help everybody.
Richard G Caudill April 10, 2011 at 11:59pm

I use the smallest eyebolt that i can get in the picture hanger section ... U can kinda plot em out as the where u want em to go ,,I think that it makes the whole set up look nice ,, u can make em a triangler ,, or oval outline I really like it ...

course the "extra upside down"nut we just saw really has my attention