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| Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=50786 |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
I’m in the midst of an 000 build that I’m REALLY enjoying! This guitar though has a rounder top at the upper bout than the others I’ve built. (The area above my reference holes where the neck will sit). Do I just go about flattening the neck area with a sanding block? Why am I afraid of this right now?  And one of the pretty wenge back for fun  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | jac68984 [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
SnowManSnow wrote: Do I just go about flattening the neck area with a sanding block? Yes, to answer your question. But don’t get carried away. That’s really not all that round. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that where the neck meets the body the sides must be perfectly flat the width of the heal. Sure it makes things easier, but it doesn’t always look good with a given body shape, smaller bodied guitars in particular. As long as you relieve the insides of the heel cheeks, leaving only a bit over an eighth to a quarter inch or so of the outside heal to contact the sides of the guitar, you can achieve a flawless fit with a few strokes of sandpaper even on a very curvy upper bout. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
So if it isn’t flat then how do the cheeks make a good make up with the body? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
 Not a lot of flat area at all there Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | Freeman [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
Cut the cheeks back next to the tenon with a chisel so just the outside edge (maybe a 1/8) contacts the body. Makes flossing much easier 
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
Freeman wrote: Cut the cheeks back next to the tenon with a chisel so just the outside edge (maybe a 1/8) contacts the body. Makes flossing much easier Yea sir I do. I guess I’ve only really built OM Guitars until now. I always cut it back so that onlybthe outside of the cheek touches. That said an OM is pretty dang flat up there so I haven’t done this process before Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | jac68984 [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
SnowManSnow wrote: Freeman wrote: Cut the cheeks back next to the tenon with a chisel so just the outside edge (maybe a 1/8) contacts the body. Makes flossing much easier Yea sir I do. I guess I’ve only really built OM Guitars until now. I always cut it back so that onlybthe outside of the cheek touches. That said an OM is pretty dang flat up there so I haven’t done this process before Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Same process then. You may just need to pare down a bit further than you are used to. And you may need to adjust the location of the body join fret a touch. Curvy shoulders mean that if the center of the join fret lines up with the body, the fret ends will be slightly above the body line (stated differently, the heel cheeks may need to extend (towards the bridge) slightly past the body join fret). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
jac68984 wrote: SnowManSnow wrote: Freeman wrote: Cut the cheeks back next to the tenon with a chisel so just the outside edge (maybe a 1/8) contacts the body. Makes flossing much easier Yea sir I do. I guess I’ve only really built OM Guitars until now. I always cut it back so that onlybthe outside of the cheek touches. That said an OM is pretty dang flat up there so I haven’t done this process before Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Same process then. You may just need to pare down a bit further than you are used to. And you may need to adjust the location of the body join fret a touch. Curvy shoulders mean that if the center of the join fret lines up with the body, the fret ends will be slightly above the body line (stated differently, the heel cheeks may need to extend (towards the bridge) slightly past the body join fret). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Is this just so that it doesn’t look funny with a strait line against the curve? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | Freeman [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
Someone told me that they made the OM shape by pushing the 12th fret body join down to the 14ths, just basically flattened the upper bout. Most 12 fret and small body and classical guitars have curved upper bouts. Even so called "sloped shoulder" dreads. I love small bodied guitars, they are round and curvy. |
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| Author: | jac68984 [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
[/quote] Is this just so that it doesn’t look funny with a strait line against the curve? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro[/quote] That’s one reason. The other is that if you have used the top of the guitar at the head block centerline as your reference point for measuring and laying out braces and the bridge patch, failing to account for the slope and placing the fret ends at the widest point even with the body lines will throw off your saddle location slightly. Not a big problem if you have a wide bridge plate and haven’t already/don’t drill bridge location holes. But something to be aware of nonetheless. I have no idea why my text is showing up this way. Lol. Technology... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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| Author: | SnowManSnow [ Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Upper bout .. top flattening (where the neck sits) |
Ok I’ll proceed as is then:) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro |
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