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Hello Everyone,

I used a 14 degree angle on the neck I am currently working on. As I was standing at the work-bench, I wondered if there was any benefit / or drawback to using less angle? With a thick piece of spanish cedar that I have, I might be able to make a 1 piece head/neck if I use less of a headstock angle. Any problems possible with that?

Thanks for the help!

Jeff

[QUOTE=Jeff Doty] I used a 14 degree angle on the neck I am currently working on. As I was standing at the work-bench, I wondered if there was any benefit / or drawback to using less angle? [/QUOTE]

Well, I just go by the plan. Look at an electric, they get by with it using string trees. A acoustic guitar with trees, try it, you might just start something?

It's fairly common to use something like 10-11 degrees for a slotted head. I think you might get away with that for a solid head... but to be safe, sketch it out. Draw the neck, the proposed head angle, then draw where your tuners will hold the strings. Add the nut, and see if you've got enough break angle. There's nothing like a sketch pad to prove or disprove ideas.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I use a 12 degree angle on my headstocks. You don't want to go too shallow or you loose the proper tension of the string breaking over the nut and very bad things will happen. ( like loss of tone and sustain)

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Slot head instruments have an (approx.) 10 degree backset because, when the tuners are buried in the slot, you are near the 14-15 degree angle found on most flat faced head stocks. This maintains an adequate string break angle over the nut, as previously mentioned, to keep a good tension on the strings. Same principle as the string break over the saddle, only not as acute.

As long as the strings break over the nut enough to do their job you should be fine, I do my classicals and steel strings both at 15 degree. Not because I think there's any benefit but because I have a jig that makes scarf joints easy, so I use it and don't tinker with it anymore...

I'm doing a new classical now and it's at that angle and seems fine to me, in fact I had to go put it up against the plans to even notice

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars