Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on June 10, 2010 at 12:35pm

First things first .... you're anal. lol

1-The best place for the bridge would be the middle .... if this were a perfect world.
a- the top is strong enuf
b- nice even vibration
c- wait a minute, we gotta worry about scale length.
I lay out my cbg so the bridge is about 1/3 of the way from the tail. In the middle, you loose playing room ( IMHO).
So I settled on the compromise of 1/3. Good vibe and plenty of room.

2-Either straight or angled. Your choice. Use a scarf and angle the neck, makes it easy to keep the string in the nut.
You can keep it straight and use a string guide or use shorter tuning machines and cut down the face of the headstock to make room. This will keep the strings in the nut also. Or just use a string tree.
btw- regular git necks are either cut out of one big blank, or scarf-jointed. then the neck is cut down to size, leaving the headstock wide.

3-Nope. Don't need a truss rod as long as you keep the neck 3/4" thick or more.

I like waffles.


Matt

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on June 10, 2010 at 1:20pm

i could call you anal but that's such a strange name.
I do a lot of studying and prep work as well. it'll make a difference.
1. what he said^^^^^
-but mine usually go about 3/4 of the way towards the back.
2. so far, I have not needed to scarf the neck. but i use a blank like 3cm thick so once i get the neck carved the head can be carved as well. just remember, slightly angled is fine.
3. I haven't used a truss rod yet, but I've only made 3 and 4 stringers.
oh and i use oak and pine exclusively (but hoping to get some hard maple soon). don't just go with mahogony bc it's the "standard."
happy planning!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Fowle on June 10, 2010 at 7:08pm

I'll start by saying I haven't built anything before let alone an instrument, but I have analyzed the crap out of the whole process. I've been designing one of these things myself.

What I've learnt is that you'll get maximum tone and volume by placing the bridge in the middle of the soundboard (face of the instrument). This just means that your right hand won't have as much space to pick and strum, and in order to preserve your scale length, your neck will stick out a bit further than most of these guys who prefer their bridge 1/3 from the back of the box. I wouldn't be too worried about the thickness of the face of the box. Most acoustic guitar sound boards are around 2.5 - 3mm thick. Then again, those are normally made from solid spruce, and your average guitar box is made out of ply.

As for the truss rod, as I understand it, it comes down to how much tension you intend to put on the neck, and how much tension your neck can take. If you're using something as hard as mahogony, only using about 3 or 4 strings, and the strings are a light guage, there's no way you'll need a truss rod. Then again, if you were building a six string with a soft neck wood and thick string gauge, you might want to consider one.

As for whether you go for adjustable or set, this will come down to just how anal you intend to get. Remember that the whole spirit of cbg building is to throw something together cheaply and simply to maximise fun and minimise design stress. If you do this and build one without a truss rod, at some point if the neck moves/bends/warps etc, just make another one. I intend to use some threaded rod from my local hardware store when I actually build mine. Then again, I don't even know how a proper adjustable truss rod is supposed to work let alone how to pick one out and install it in a guitar!!

Figuring all this stuff out seems to be half the fun. Welcome aboard, and enjoy the addiction.

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on June 10, 2010 at 11:59pm

Andrew is right. To my eye the 1/3 distance for the bridge looks botter and gives better overall size ratios.
He's right about the tensions and all, the rest of us just didn't go into that much detail.
BUT, I wouldn't use the threaded rod as a truss rod as is. It can be used to make a truss rod, but there are some mechanics to consider. Google that and I'm sure you'll find it.

Use the usual 1x2" oak from the big box hardware store. It's dressed down to 3/4x1.5" and it'll work fine for a necl on a 3 or 4 string. Just get a piece with nice long frain lines running the length.

Stop ANALyzing, get you a stick , a box, and some strings, and build yerself a guitar.

Matt

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Permalink Reply by Dave Breault on June 11, 2010 at 12:44am

Normally I build necks with a straight head and tappered from about 40mm at the point where the head meets the neck to 50mm at the tail. However I have scarfed heads on at an angle an it is not very difficult. If you want the head to be wider than the neck simply glue on "cheeks" to the head.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on June 11, 2010 at 3:54am

so there called cheeks?
something new every day...

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Permalink Reply by Dave Breault on June 11, 2010 at 4:03am

I don't know if that's the real term for them, but it's what I call them. After all I have cheeks on the side of my head.

Jonathan said:

so there called cheeks?
something new every day...

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Permalink Reply by St Ginger on June 11, 2010 at 6:01am

as so many of us do XD
Dave Breault said:

I don't know if that's the real term for them, but it's what I call them. After all I have cheeks on the side of my head.

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Permalink Reply by St Ginger on June 11, 2010 at 6:03am

Thanks guys, this is really helpful. I'm going to get my wood cut tapered, like you said Dave. I've made a 1:1 drawing and having it straight all the way down dosen't look right.

And i've descided to make it 6 strings, in sympathetic couplets. That way i get a nice full tone but it'll play like a 3 string. (hopefully)

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on June 11, 2010 at 7:09am

Dont be afraid to employ the KISS method of building your first CBG

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Permalink Reply by Dave Breault on June 11, 2010 at 7:36am

this is the best advice out there

Tracy Kennedy said:

Dont be afraid to employ the KISS method of building your first CBG

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on June 11, 2010 at 8:29am

I built my first one just to see how to do it. And to tell my 2 boys "Hey look what I built, this is our next Cub Scout project." The point is I didnt invest hardly any time to speak of building it and only about $15 in parts. Your first CBG is what sets your learning curve. That curve just gets steeper with each build. So for the first one just "KISS it and forget it"

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