Forums

What to do with a too short neck...

Posted by herb Berwald WWW.CigarGuitar.com on July 6, 2010 at 7:33pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion
Hi, 

I made a nice walnut neck and cut frets and for the box at a 25.5" scale length..

What I did not pay attention to was that I used extra length for the head stock...so now I have a neck cut for frets and a 22" nut to end of body length....

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix it?

Add in another tail piece? don't sweat it?etc...

thanks, herb

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • ChickenboneJohn July 8, 2010 at 10:48am
    Don't run the neck thru the body, set it in like regular bolt-on guitar neck. Cut the neck to length to give yourself 2 1/2 to 3 inches to go into the box, fix it with a couple of screws with a packer behind it if needed to to get the height right. Fix the strings with a simple tailpiece or trapeze & floating bridge..job done.
  • Paul Stephen Eklund July 8, 2010 at 6:45am
    I agree with BenBob. Add wood. It'll be a little chunky at the upper frets but it will be the scale you want. I don't know who made them but there are pics here of builds with a few inches of blank neck between the last fret and the body. Looks like it was done this way to keep the bridge toward the last 1/3 of the box.
  • HENRY LOWMAN July 7, 2010 at 11:27pm
    Cut a few more fret slots and create a microtonal fret board! :-) (IF you do, please post pics, sound samples AND join my MICROTONAL GROUP!)
  • Outhouse Instruments July 7, 2010 at 6:01am
    IF you cut the fret slots for 25.5" then you gotta have 25.5" for the thing to intonate properly.
    I would do a lap or scarf joint and add on an extension, or sand the neck down to get rid of the fret slots and cut the slots to fit the neck. Then your neck might be to thin, so add a fretboard.

    Matt
  • Andy Estabrooks July 6, 2010 at 11:03pm
    Can you overlay a new fretboard? I've used 1/8" stock on most of my builds. With a 22" scale you can do a nice Baritone uke.
  • BenBob July 6, 2010 at 9:47pm
    You could cut the part that would be inside the guitar and glue an extender under the two parts with lap joints.
  • herb Berwald WWW.CigarGuitar.com July 6, 2010 at 7:51pm
    I thought of that, but I still have a neck cut for 25.5" frets...

    I guess I could only use 10 frets and move the box up the neck if that is what you are suggesting...
  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates July 6, 2010 at 7:49pm
    Make a Uke!

    -WY
  • herb Berwald WWW.CigarGuitar.com July 6, 2010 at 7:40pm
    Yea, that's the rub. I cut the frets for 25.5"...:(

    Roger Morin said:
    There are some guitars with 22" and shorter such as 17". But you can put the bridge right on the edge of the box for 22" and play ok unless the frets were cut for the 25.5 scale then I think it would be just as easy to make another neck.
  • Roger Morin July 6, 2010 at 7:38pm
    There are some guitars with 22" and shorter such as 17". But you can put the bridge right on the edge of the box for 22" and play ok unless the frets were cut for the 25.5 scale then I think it would be just as easy to make another neck.
This reply was deleted.