Official Luthiers Forum!

Nice! Quite similar to my hinge design, really. I don't like having the adjustment screw in a prominent place on the fingerboard, but then I'm not too happy with my squiggly knob either. Hard to hide the adjuster while still being accessible under tension.

Gary Lee's adjustable neck is the most elegant version I've seen. He was our neighbor at a guitar show, and I got to see it in action. Very simple, works perfectly, and the neck comes off when you remove the strings if you want to make travelling with the guitar a little easier. He builds a hell of a guitar in every other aspect as well.

Another interesting vid…

https://youtu.be/bnUJ86APp-g?si=MuETOSJUyp0N6m5E

That first one looks like a rendition of Hesh's joint Though not very well done, with the unsupported fingerboard end and ridiculously chunky heel.

1950s National archtop guitars had an adjustable neck with a mechanism that allowed adjustment of both neck pitch and skew. A metal block extended down from the neck into a recess in the head block. Two small set screws at the top of the block adjusted the neck skew and the single screw near the bottom end of the block adjusted neck pitch. The large screw in the center locked everything down after the adjustments were done. The mechanism was hidden from view behind a thin removable plastic plate. There was almost no heel. I used to have two of these guitars. On mine, the cover plates were attached with a single screw that threaded into the metal block (2nd pic). The mechanism wasn't as quick to adjust as some other designs because you had to pull the cover plate and loosen the lock screw, adjust the pitch or skew, and re-tighten the lock screw, but it worked well and was simple and solid.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I have never seen a sexier neck joint…

For those who object to having the adjustment mechanism be obvious you can have it be adjustable through the soundhole with the heel pocketed so it doesn't show an obvious gap. A simple 1/4 - 20 furniture bolt and a threaded insert with a glued down fretboard extension. The tension of the strings would hold the neck angle at the desired point.

I like the simplicity of Lee's neck but there are some things I would not want on my design.

1. No way to adjust truss rod through the sound hole but he is building classicals so not an issue for him.
2. I don't care for the neck extending into the sound hole - no particular reason I just don't like it but it would provide what I feel is the absolutely necessary support for the fretboard extension. Clear notes at least up to fret 16 are important (to me anyway) so maybe I could get used to it?
3. Since only string tension holds the neck in place he recommends changing strings one at a time. I don't like that, I do them all at once so I can buff the board with scotchbrite and treat with Howards before I put the strings back on. Not a big deal, easy to incorporate a retention bolt.
4. Not totally opposed to the adjustment screw on top of the fretboard but it would interfere with sound hole access for a truss rod. I would put the adjustment screw in the heel with the access in the front lower portion of the heel. Do it like a Fender truss rod hole and I think it would look just fine. I doubt most people would even notice it unless you pointed it out to them.

Crap, now it's stuck in my head so I guess I'm going to have to build one.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

The 10-24 socket head cap screws I use have a fairly small head and when recessed into the heel are fairly unobtrusive. They are plenty strong enough to resist the forces normally placed on the neck to body joint of a guitar. They adjust with a commonly available Allan wrench so you don't have to worry about losing some hard to source tool.
I would like to find a source for some extra long cap screws, but so far I've made do with those from the local hardware store.

Those are the perfect size Clay.


Steve

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"