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My Son is putting a stewmac kit together. After dry fitting what looked like a tight neck joint there is a little separation at the heal after glue and clamping. Not sure what happened but we need to make the best of it. Perhaps clamping down pushed it out. Would CA be better than tite bond? What would you do?

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Just a box with strings https://www.facebook.com/wadesguitarshoporcas

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Just a box with strings https://www.facebook.com/wadesguitarshoporcas

I would leave it. You don't want to fill it because someday you may wish to redo it and any filling will result in a God awful mess when you want to take the joint apart. Finish chipping and such will result if the joint has to be scored to get it apart.

Is this a bolt-on or dovetail joint? Dovetail joints are hard to do especially for first timers and that gap can result from not getting the fit perfect.

Have you checked the neck angle relative to where the bridge will be and have you checked the left/right orientation of the neck relative to the centerline of the instrument? If either of these are off you have a very good reason to take this apart and correct this gap. If the neck angle is great and the left/right orientation is OK too it's up to you as to if you can live with the gap or not.

Everything else I see looks very good, nice work and don't feel bad this happens. My first dovetail looked like this too I found dovetails very difficult to do.

If you want to do it over if it is a dovetail steaming a neck off is a big deal and you will need some things you likely don't have. If it's a bolt-on removing the neck is 80% or so easier and not difficult.

If you do want to take it apart what glue did you use?

One last thing. Because you guys are crafting this nice guitar you know where all the worts are. It's been my personal experience that we tend to forget those worts when she's all strung up and singing pretty. Neck fit is one of the harder things we have to do so don't feel bad this is pretty common and the rest of your work looks great.

If you're unhappy with it, it will never be easier to take apart and re-do as it is now.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

From your picture it looks like you couldn't slide a .002" shim under that that joint.
The "gap", just to be clear, is between the neck heal and the body?
That dovetail joint, if tight, will not need additional glue- don't add glue to it- it designed to be a tight joint even without glue.
Like HESH said, is the geometry correct (Straight Edge: neck centered, projects to a hair over the top of the bridge w/ frets installed)?
Nice job- would like to see it when its finished .

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

If you are staining the Mahogany (?) I would fill that small gap with wood putty and when applying the stain leave a bit more stain on the joint and heel as you often see done on factory guitars. If you are leaving the wood unstained filling the small gap with a mix of sanding dust (from the guitar) and the finish material may give a good match.

If your personality is such that you will never rest easy for the rest of your life until it is fixed properly congratulations!

You have a bright future in lutherie

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Yeah welcome to the club of wrapped too tight folks.

you need to watch this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNcbA1P95KE

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

That gap, though irritating is not that bad. I had one that was similar. When I got finish on it has nearly invisible. It would have been better to apply finish before attaching neck.

I'm a big fan of learn and move on. If the neck angle is correct and the neck is centered, put finish and strings on it. It is going to sound great!

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Everything lines up nice, I agree cosmetic

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Just a box with strings https://www.facebook.com/wadesguitarshoporcas

This is where I would be, I didn't have my head in my son's build, he said it wasn't like that till he did the final clamping. My takeaway is clamp it and inspect closely. I think he's doing a great job, hope he keeps going on building.

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Just a box with strings https://www.facebook.com/wadesguitarshoporcas

Yeah me too and that's one of the important things to keep his interest and have fun.

A first guitar is mostly a learning experience as you have already learned lots of new stuff that you never did before. So those here who suggest completing it and moving on I would agree with them. If it is a dovetail I certainly would agree with them as a dovetail is more complex to take apart and you will need things you don't have.

You guys are doing great be sure to show us the completed guitar.

It is on the treble side, out of sight and out of mind (unless he is a lefty). If everything else is good I could live with it. But others might feel differently and want to fill it.

Just wanted to get the following in this thread for the folks that come after us so that they are clear on the idea of filling a gap between the heel and the body.

Don't do it it's considered hack work and it will create a lot of extra finish touch-up that should not be necessary when a steel string acoustic guitar has it's neck reset(s).

Neck resets are now considered what they always should have been considered and that is normal and expected maintenance. So much so that Martin no longer covers them under warranty unless there is a visible gap like the one pictured above and/or defects in materials and workmanship. Bob Taylor went to market with an easy to reset bolt-on neck system anticipating resets and these days even Martin with the SC series is address the idea that the neck angle will need to be refreshed in time.

Even though historically some makers did use filler with Gibson being one of them back in the Kalamazoo days this created difficulty and expense for owners when the neck angle needed to be refreshed.

Serviceability my friends should always be a consideration of any guitar maker/builder who wants to do great work and provide outstanding value. I don't encourage people here to consider serviceability to make my life easier. I make more money when people produce instruments that don't hold up.....

I encourage you to do the best work you can to the highest available standards because that's what the OLF was always about in the early days. When someone would ask if they should do it over the answer back then was nearly always yes. I also encourage you to do the best work possible because it makes a better instrument that may, may even sound, look and play better.

Thanks

Seeing as there's no finish on this guitar, I'd call it a day and separate the neck and commence finishing. Funny stuff happens when we finish things, and I'd reserve agita for the finished product. When the finish is on it may well be perfection itself.

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Peter Havriluk