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I just spent a few hours fitting a dovetail neck to the body, I can see why other ways are becoming popular, i have a reasonable fit now, my only question is how much of the top is normaly cut away to fit the neck, truss rod, and fingerboard assembly to the box?. it seems I might need to cut through the "popsicle" brace to get the truss rod inside the box ! is this right ? thanks jody

Timely post Jody,
We must be running neck and neck on our builds. I too am at the point and was just wondering about this same thing. I was hoping someone would chime in.
I just rented a video from SmartFlix, "Dan Erlewine's Neck Resetting." He and Gallup reset a couple Martin necks with the traditional French Dovetail which I recommend watching. Although it doesn't cover your question in detail.
Wish I had more info for you as I'd like to know also. But, it has occured to me that what you have suggested could be only the right answer. There is no way to tuck the truss rod under the popcicle brace while trying to slide the dovetail in at the same time. I also think that cutting through the brace is the only answer, but it doesn't seem right to cut the brace in half. Maybe I have the truss rod sticking out the end too much.

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

I dont think cutting the brace is right Chuck. let me ask a more basic question .. Jody

If your truss rod is that long, than you will need to cut into the brace .. larrivee has done this for years. Once the FB is glued down, what effect does that brace have in there anyway ? Not much IMO. I dont even use one, I have two braces that form a V from the UTB ot the sides of the neck block

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Jody--

That sort of bugged me on the two Martin cloned kits that I have built, also. The answer is that the popsicle brace gets cut. On the two Martin neck blanks that I worked on, I used a chisel to clean up the slot and allow the truss rod to end pretty much at the nut. This allowed the adjustable end to be about a 1/4" behind the main transverse brace. I used a Dremel cutting bit in my Demel to open the slot in the top, including the popsicle brace.

I suspect that this is OK, because ... actually I think that in reality the sharp edge of the fretboard laying along the grain line of the spruce top produces a superior stress riser. The popsicle brace, even if severed will provide strength along that riser. This is what makes sense to me from an engineering standpoint and I'm way happy to be corrected if found to be full of it!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

o.k. first I think I need to cut the channel closer to the nut to move the rod that way , I am already only about an 1/8" thick at the first fret , hold the rod along the neck it looks like I have enough wood to move it further along ... thanks Jody

Jody, will you be putting a spline over the truss rod? I had a curly maple violin side that I cut in the neck to make a spline.

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

yes Chuck I will be cutting a channel for a spline , i think my truss rod is a bit larger than yours, where did you find that one ??? thanks Jody

I think everyone's rod is bigger than mine, I got gypt at birth....

Anyway, I got this one from Luthiers Mercantile International. I got the 15 1/2" double action welded nut #TRSD
LMI claims that no filler strip is necessary and that it goes with their pre-carved necks which I got with the kit, but when I put the truss rod in, the slot was about 1/8" too deep so I had to put the spline in anyway.

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

i had to cut the slot deeper on my neck, if it was not deeper than the surface of the neck,, the top of the guitar would be in the way .. I think I need to go a bit deeper still... Jody