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Permalink Reply by DIESEL on December 18, 2017 at 3:33pm

Thanks very much for all the info!... (Merry Christmas to everyone!)

Since I'm new to all this, I have another question after looking at different CBG's.

I bought the fret scale template from CB Gitty... I used the 25.5" scale length & installed all of the frets... I also have some space left on the fretboard that doesn't have anything on it.. And my fretboard is 24" long, and my neck is 3' long. 

So is my fretboard to long?... Just wanted to ask that question before building another CBG. 

Here's the picture again. 

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on December 18, 2017 at 5:42pm

Looks like your neck could have been shorter. And maybe it's the angle of the picture but it looks like your bridge should be a lot closer to the neck.  The 12 fret should be the half way point between the nut and the bridge. In your pic it looks like the bridge should be just about between the soundholes.

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on December 18, 2017 at 7:04pm

Hi, it looks like you have a two octave fingerboard, 24 frets. That's long. Is the open played note the same as an harmonic note played at 12 fret?  If so the bridge is in the correct position. 

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on December 18, 2017 at 7:05pm

It's good to have the fretboard about 3/16" to 5/16" above the top depending on bridge type and whether the git will be fretted or not.

The closer the bridge is to the center area of the box top, the better it'll sound acoustically.

It's always a good idea to look at a lot of different guitars and how they are built before starting on building yours. Remember that the only stupid questions are the ones that aren't asked. We are all glad to help out.

There are a few good things to read at the top right of the page in "The Essential Pages" just above the C.B.Gitty site sponsor add.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on December 19, 2017 at 12:01am

Hi Diesel, been away for a week or so and just saw your post, a couple of things i'd like to add, 1, to get a bit of height over your soundboard playing area, as it appears to be a stick through build, if you just take some wood off the top of the neck inside the box, you can introduce a bit of neck rake by lifting the neck 1/8th or so at the tail end, of  course you will need a higher  bridge then, but it is a simple fix,2, from your pic, i find the scale a long way from correct, it seems your neck needs shortening inside the box, as Taffy and others have said, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as 12th fret to bridge

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Permalink Reply by DIESEL on December 19, 2017 at 3:50am

Thanks for all the replies!... Very helpful info & I'm taking notes for my next build. 

I thought it seemed to long!.. I have 24 frets and I seen a YouTube video by Mike Snowden & the CBG he was playing had 14 frets... Also, his 12th fret was very close to the box. 

Now I'm really confused lol:)... Ok, if I have the CB Gitty Fretting Scale Length Template... How do I decide on how long my neck & fretboard should be??

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before I made this one... A guy named Del Puckett said in the video that the fretboard needed to be 24", and the neck needed to be 3'... After my build I started seeing shorter fretboards & necks, and now I'm confused. 

Sorry if I'm asking questions that sound dumb (lol), but I'm all new to this!... I just want to be able to build a CBG and have it to sound great from the start without having to change everything around after the build!

How does everyone decide on how long you want the fretboard & neck??... It says right on the template that you don't have to use all of the frets, just use as many as you need... Just make sure you start at the nut.

Thanks for all the help!:)

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on December 19, 2017 at 7:08am

You can make your neck any length you want within reason. The important thing is scale length. Scale length is the distance from nut to bridge. Frets divide each octave into into 12 semitones. Half of a string is one octave, so the 12th fret is half way between the nut and bridge. Counting from the 12th fret you can again divide the string in half and the 24th fret would be at the next octave, 3/4 of the way between the nut and bridge. You could keep going but the distance between the frets keeps getting smaller and you get to a point where it's impracticable. 

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on December 19, 2017 at 11:03am

Hi, your question how long the neck/fretboard.

This what I do. Get a piece of flat timber. say 25mm wideX2-5mm thick. leave room at one end for the peghead space - draw two line across strip to mark the nut - from the inside line measure your scale length - mark this [saddle] - half this distance will be the 12 fret - mark this - then from your fretting guide put fret marks from the 12 to 22 [or you could mark the whole strip with fret marks]. Do this with different scale lengths.

Now, to select the best scale length use this" plotting stick" by laying it on the chosen box  - one third to halfway up from the tail end mark where you prefer the bridge - place your stick on the box with the saddle mark on your box mark - observe where the frets are in relation to the front edge of the box - they may run onto the top of the box or there may be a small gap from last fret to box edge - You can play with bridge positioning and slide the whole neck in or out keeping the same scale length but moving the saddle position.

The other way - place plotting stick on box - pay attention to where you want the neck/fingerboard to end up at the box edge - check where the saddle mark on the stick falls on the box - slide neck back or forward to get ideal position............but not always possible and one has to settle with a bridge position that suits  the box you got.

If you don't get a workable set up - consider a different scale length or bigger box.

Remember the closer the bridge is to the rims/side of the box, the more detrimental effect of acoustic sound. 

  

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on December 19, 2017 at 1:43pm

Here's what I'm talkin about. The Saddle Posiplotter.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by JL on December 20, 2017 at 1:45am

I put a scrap bit of wood that I'll probably use for the floating bridge on the box, move it around a bit and find a position I like, then take a tape measure and see where 24-25.5 inches from the bridge puts the nut and then lay out the neck/frets based on which scale, 24, 24,5, 25, 25.5 I like.

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Permalink Reply by DIESEL on December 20, 2017 at 3:08am

Thanks everyone for all the replies!... Very much appreciated!!

 I understand how to measure for the fretboard & neck now!... lol:)... Everyone has helped me a lot!

Thanks!!!

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