Building: Chapter 6. This tutorial on building an acoustic guitar is broken up into six chapters. Jump to chapter: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Chapter 6 - Neck Setting
This is the most critical part of the guitar building. You will need the chisels and rasps. I have done setting with the neck finished or preset the neck before finishing. I like to preset the neck before I have done anything to it.

Throw, Center And Angle
For discussion we will be using 3 terms: throw, center, and angle.

THROW. The clearance under the fingerboard or the amount the neck sticks above the soundboard. Also known as twist.

CENTER. The center line of the neck to the center of the body.

ANGLE. The line that the neck must meet to set the height at the saddle location.

Setting The Dovetail
Lets get started. The dovetail is the first set we will talk about. With the neck in place see how much it sets above the board. Feel the tightness of the neck in the block and check the center. Feel the neck. Does it twist? Is the heel or the top moving? You will remove a small amount, trying to duplicate the angle off the cheek of the dovetail, not the butt that sets against the guitar. Take a small bit off both sides. Test it. Repeat the process until you are just about flat with the top.

Take a straight edge and lay in on the fingerboard. Is it centered? How high is it in the saddle position? You want it to be 7/16. If you need to adjust center, do that now. Look at the joint. If it is off center right you remove from the left. You want the joint tight and clean. To get the height you will have to trim the butt. Heel to go up and higher up neat the fingerboard to bring it down. Work slow and small. Take your time. If you need to shim use small pieces of wood or kraft paper.

When gluing in the neck you lay a bead of glue along the edges of the butt. It will fill small openings very well.

Dry fit the neck with the clamps and see what the locations are.

The mortise and tenon neck is usually just the saddle height adjustment.

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