Official Luthiers Forum!

Why are necks tapered so as to be wider as you move up the fret board? I guess there is a structural / acoustic element, it is stronger this way.

I know that for many a rule of thumb is to set the width of the fingerboard so that the 12th fret width is equal to the bridge spacing.

I believe alembic has a bass neck which has much less taper than the fender standard.

I'm planing some bass necks now. If I ever get the laminating issue resolved (see other post!) I was thinking 40 mm for the nut and 12 th fret width the same as the bridge spacing. But now I wonder as to what a neck with less taper would be like. I realize this would need a different bridge, but this is not necessarily a problem as I want to use a movable bridge (aka like an archtop, or mandolin) or could get a narrower bridge from hipshot, their A style comes in different widths.

Any thoughts on this?

Cheers,

Stefan

My last guitar - a nylon string classical has 40mm string spacing at the nut and 50mm at the bridge which is way narrower than a typical classical and a lot less taper. I have small hands and I find it real easy to play. so I don't know why there is so much taper in some fingerboards. You just go to build it to suit yourself.

_________________
A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

It is for comfort and not really structural. If the neck at the nut and the string spacing at the bridge were the same distance it would be very difficult to finger pick. Early in there history plucked instruments were most of the time fingerpicked. You have to take in consideration of the fingers spacing. To narrow and it would be very dificult if not imposibble to finger pick or even play with just the thumb as some bass players and guitarist do....Mike