Official Luthiers Forum!

I am not even sure what it is called, but I really like the single or series
of stripes down the back of the neck. How exactly is this accomplished?
is it inlaid before the neck is shaped? If so, how deep would you have to
go to make sure you didn't sand through when making the neck its final
shape? Does this do anything to the integrity of the neck?

Peter - I hope you don't mind me using this pic. This one really caught
my eye though... very nice work.





Christian

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Christian,

I cant speak for the one you have pictured but most who build necks with an inlayed stripe do so by laminating the center strip all the way through the neck blank.

Besides looking nice it also is a good way to use a nice flatsawn board for a neck...take a flatsawn board about 6-8 inches wide, rip it in two and then stack the pieces so the grain in the wood goes in the mirror opposite of each other, whether that be face to face or back to back depending on how the grain was running on the flatsawn piece. Next plane or sand down the combination of woods you want to laminate to make the strip and glue the whole neck blank together. When it is shaped it will look similar to the one above.

Yeah, this looks like a 7 or 9 piece lamination. Looks great but the best thing is that the lamination makes for a very strong and stable neck, much more so than a one piece.

Cheers

Kim

Chirstian just to help you out some more.

These are not inlayed strips of wood, they are full width pieces, glued up all as one big block. the cool thing as Shawn and Kim have mentioned is the added stiffnes it gives the neck.

The other cool thing is that when it's all glued up, you get two necks from one glue up.

Take a look at Charlie Hoffman's website, neck blank glue up for a detailed description of the process. Bruce Dickey also has this in detail on his site here.

The other cool thing is that you really build the laminates anyway you like. John Watkins (back when he built guitars ) made some of the best laminated necks I've seen.

Here is one of his off his site CNCguitarparts (sponsor link above)

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Oh yeah..John may not be making guitars right now, but his CNC necks and tools are superb.

If you are just starting out, do yourself a favour and pay a visit to HIS SITE. All tools on offer such as the kerfing clamps and the fret arbor and inserts are first class because they are made for builders by a first class builder.

As for his necks, it is a good tip to get yourself at least one even if you intend to make all your own. I say this as you will then have an example at hand of just how it is meant to be done and this can be a big help as you work through the process.

Cheers

Kim

Thanks all! That does make more sense than what I was envisioning. I will be sure to check out all the reference websites you mentioned.
Christian

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

about the only notable instance i know of where the stripe was an inlay is leo fender who inlaid a koa "skunk stripe" on the back of his necks.

Thanks highdrawicks.... I could have really embarrassed myself if you hadn't let me in on that little luthier secret. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else either. 

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Oh yeah, do you know where I could find a fretboard stretcher too? Those things are hard to get a hold of!

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael] about the only notable instance i know of where the stripe was an inlay is leo fender who inlaid a koa "skunk stripe" on the back of his necks.[/QUOTE]

Actually some of the old Gibson mandolins (like the F4) had the ebony strip inlaid into the back of the neck, or so I have read. Check out Gail Hester's traditional style F4 mandolin on Mandolin cafe

Fender of course did it on his maple necks that had no separate fingerboard that he could hide the truss rod channel under, I don't understand why Gibson would do it on the mandolins. But then they also came up with those crazy scrolls, points and body shapes; those people must have loved to do things the hard way!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

i used to sit in on a session where one chap played a '24 f4, but i have no recollection regarding the presence of an inlaid stripe, or not, as the case might be. was one killer mando though, great tone, volume and projection. everything went right when it was made, stripe or no.

[QUOTE=highdrawlicks]Fretboard stretcher? Christian, Christian, Christian. Wherein lies the origin of these myths? What you're really looking for is a neck shrinker. They're available on the Stew Mac website, keyword: "Brooklynbridge". But you're in luck as I've just initiated a group buy discount from the Stew Mac boys, Normally 3,000 kopeks each, if we order 20 they'll let them go for 96 drachma apiece. If you want in, just Paypal my account $135.[/QUOTE]

Thanks again!! Just message me your account number and I'll get right on it.

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian