Guitar 101: April 2012

After radiusing and sanding the fingerboard top down to 320 grit sandpaper I was able to finish shaping the neck. At this point I needed to see if the neck was going to fit on the body. I inserted the barrel nuts into the neck and positioned them as close to straight as possible. I then slid the tenon on the neck and into the mortise cut in the body of the guitar. I was able to insert the allen wrench for the bolts through the sound hole and through the hole in the under brace that I had drilled early in the construction. I then inserted the wrench into the truss rod in the neck and slowly guided it into place in the mortise slot. I then inserted the two bolts through the sound hole and into the barrel nuts in the neck joint. I tightened them by hand then using the allen wrench, I tightened them to pull and seat the neck firmly into the mortise in the body. AMAZING it fit! It even looks straight. It finally looks like a guitar. Another one of those a-ha moments. I really think it's going to be a guitar!

Finally it looks like a guitar!

When I first started this guitar I decided to use a traditional dovetail joint to attach the neck to the body. I thought that was the preferred joint and the type that Martin Guitars used. If it was good enough for a Martin it should be good enough for me. As I mentioned early on in this blog the first book that I purchased did not match the plans that I was using. One of the biggest discrepancies in the book and the plans was the neck joint. The book advocated a Spanish Heel method of attaching the neck. This method does away with the traditional joint and attaches the neck to the soundboard by gluing before the body is closed. Since I had never heard of this method and what minimal research I had done at this point indicated this method was usually used in classical guitar construction I decided to buy a new book. I then started researching different types of neck joints. I discovered that more and more luthiers were going to the bolt on mortise and tenon neck rather than the dovetail. I found one article that said even Martin had started building their guitars with bolt on necks. It did seem to be easier and once again if it was good enough for Martin it was good enough for me, so I decided to go with that method. The more I researched the more convinced I was but it appeared that the joint was going to be more critical than I had first thought. Keeping the joint straight and at the right angle for proper string height seemed to be so critical that I would need some sort of jig/template to get it right. I did internet research, watched youtube videos and looked at luthier supply catalogs. As with all the other problems I encountered there were many solutions. Some very simple and home made others relatively expensive. I decided that a jig designed by Robert O'Brian and distributed by Luthiers Mercantile International (LMI) was the best bet. So, I dug in my pockets one more time and ordered the kit and instructions. The kit supplied the instructions and parts, I had to supply the wood. It took me several days to build (remember I am part time, and slow.) I am very satisfied with the end result, a very nice and sturdy jig to route the mortise and the tenon.