I've been working with wood since the late '60s, and playing/repairing/modifying guitars for almost as long, so what was holding me back? Fear of the unknown. And fear of math! The geometry and calculations involved in building a neck from scratch is a daunting prospect. But heck, what did I have to lose? I don't build guitars as a business, I build for therapy and my own amusement. So what if I end up with some fancy kindling wood. Luckily, I ran across a wonderful series of guitar building videos showing the tremendous craftsmanship of Dave Fletcher, of Fletcher Handcrafted Guitars in Australia. His clear descriptions of his process and techniques gave me the confidence to take the plunge.
So, since I don't believe in half measures, I've planned two builds: a set neck guitar using maple and the walnut left from trees taken down in my yard, and a slightly simpler build that I'm calling my "Pine Top Tele." The "Pine Top" build is ahead of the walnut build. I've just completed the neck and am thrilled with the results. Lots of planning time, but not as difficult as I had anticipated. Nothing more satisfying than turning a slab of maple into a neck using rasps, files, card scrapers, and sandpaper. The wood, construction, scale, neck contour, headstock shape and finish I want rather than someone else's idea.
I don't plan on detailing every step of the construction, but I'll post some progress pix, and the occasional tips. In that spirit, here are a few of the Pine Top Tele at the rough body/neck shape stage:
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| Body "sandwich" of birdseye pine, red oak, poplar |
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| 24.562" scale maple neck with rosewood fret board |
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| full scale drawing for reference
Plus a sneak peek of the "Walnut2" setneck:
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