Official Luthiers Forum!

I’m new to guitar making, but have been a woodworker for many years and have made a lot of furniture. As a guitar player, I thought it would be fun to try a build, so I am currently designing my first guitar—a through-neck model that will have a maple/cherry laminated neck and a cherry body.

I have carefully read a lot of information and have drawn up a set of plans. My design calls for a relatively flat top, no neck angle, with a fingerboard that sets proud of the body by about 3/8 inch (including the fingerboard.). I need some advice on how to deal with the neck taper (1 5/8” at the nut to about 2 1/8” where the fingerboard ends). Here is my dilemma: Should I cut the taper on the neck before attaching the sides, letting the taper extend all the way through the body? Or should I leave the neck blank “square” along its entire length, attach the sides of the body, and then try to shape the neck after the glue-up (including cutting the neck taper)?

It seems like it would be easier to do as much shaping on the neck as possible before attaching the sides, but I just don’t know. Any advice for a “newbie” would be appreciated.

Thanks

Either way will work just fine. Aesthetics are the only thing in question. Are you OK with the center block that goes through the body being tapered? We're used to seeing it parallel, so it might not look right.

_________________
Bad decisions make for good stories.
-------John


My blog - http://poplarmechanics.blogspot.com/

I had thought about doing it that way since it would make it easier to get the neck about like I wanted it (shapped and tapered) and then glue it up. If I do it the other way (keep the whole thing square and untapered and glue-up prior to shaping), what are some suggestions for cutting the taper? I thought of making a plywood template and using my router and a patern-making bit to take care of it.

Thanks

That's the way most of us do it.

_________________
Bad decisions make for good stories.
-------John


My blog - http://poplarmechanics.blogspot.com/

In addition, gluing sides to a parallel surface is quite a bit easier.