Laminated Necks

[seanbig]

I am drawing up designs for the winter and was wondering the pros and cons of a laminated neck. I love the way they look and was under the impression that laminating anything makes the wood stronger, right?

Any thoughts on laminating anything would be helpful.


Thanks,

Sean

[tippie53]

they are stronger and more stable . I think it is a great design tool for accenting the guitar.

[deadedith]

A number of top fingerstyle players, who use dropped/alternate tunings, feel that a laminated neck does stay more stable during the many tunings and retunings during a performance.

I play in open D - DADF#AD - quite a bit so on my guitars I will setup for that tuning; when I tune up to pitch in regular tuning my action is a bit too high. So I'm going to try a laminated neck on my next one.

Dave B

[kencierp]

I've get a lot of requests for laminated necks, they cost a bit more but I think they look awesome and are indeed more stable. Take care with your gluing procedure, its best to clamp the lamination between two very straight cauls. The center stripe and glue moisture can throw off the assembly a bit causing a bow. So the idea is to have all the laminations clamped perfectly straight until the glue dries. The down side of the laminated neck is there a little more material that is wasted -- I happen to have a friend that uses my multi-colored cut-offs to turn some pretty cool looking duck and deer calls he now sells to a sporting goods store.

[JJDonohue]

I've used laminations in my necks for 8 years now. They definitely add rigidity and stability. I also add 2 carbon fiber composite rods to add stiffness as well as additional strength and stability.

My neck construction always seems to be about 1 year ahead of my guitar builds. I purposely have neck blocks glued up and aging for at least that time in order to adapt and stabilize. After bandsawing, they sit around for another few months. They then get a final jointing right before going into service. It may be overkill but I have always had stiff, stable and reliable necks.

Here are a few pics of my typical routine:

2-Neck Block Glue-up 1.jpg

My typical neck block glueup is capable of producing 2 neck blanks. Special attention to matching the end grain is necessary. It should look like this ((())) or this )))((( to assure long term stability. I drill holes for 5/16" dowels so the laminates line up perfectly and are prevented from squirming from slippery Titebond. In this case the neck is Honduran mahogany/ Black Fiber/ Sapele/ Black fiber/ Mahogany. More often, I use three alternating 1/8" lams of curly maple and bloodwood.

1-Neck Glue-Up 2.jpg

I use every clamp that will fit and pay particular attention to balance the clamping as much as possible. I leave it clamped for 4 days minimum and don't plan on using the clamps for that time.

3-Neck Block Sawed.jpg

After bandsawing the 2 neck blanks I use the scrap for neck blocks as well as non-guitar applications.

I believe that laminating necks is worth the effort not only for the aesthetics but more importantly for the additional stiffness, strength and stability.

[deadedith]

At my age I'm envious of a stiff breeze, let alone a stiff neck...
Dave B

[seanbig]

Thanks for all the input. I will be taking it all in... slowly.

How important is it to age the necks and is this something that many luthiers do? I was hoping to do one or two guitars this winter and wondering if I should come up with a new strategy.

I want to have a custom headstock that will not fit on a Martin blank and I would also like to do a lamination for strength and aesthetics.


Sean

[JJDonohue]

Most guys I know don't build necks so far in advance as I do. As I said, it's probably overkill. Just make sure the wood you use is dry and stable. Keep an eye for warping after it's glued up.