Martin 12 fret slot head neck question

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brmoon
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:32 am

Martin 12 fret slot head neck question

Post by brmoon »

Hello,

I purchased a CFM 12 fret slot head neck on Ebay. It's probably a 2nd, but looks good to me. Anyway, a 24.9 finger board does not attach at the 12th fret? It matches up at the 13th fret. Not sure what's going on here? It doesn't fit a 25.4 scale either. Help!!!

Thx,

Boyd
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Martin 12 fret slot head neck question

Post by MaineGeezer »

John will probably know exactly what you have.In the meantime, here is a guess. Caveat: I may not know what I'm talking about.

It may well he a factory 2nd as you surmise. I made the pilgrimage to the CFMartin factory a couple of years ago. Their Luthier Shop had all kinds of odd things, including mis-cut parts. It is entirely possible that somebody got the setup wrong when they cut the dovetail on the heel, and an in-between neck was the result. Or whatever. Just a guess.

Measure from the top face of the fingerboard that the nut will bear against to the 12th fret,and double it. That is your scale length, as you probably know. There is no particular reason it has to be 25.4". Just locate your bridge and saddle as required by whatever scale length you have. It may not match the plans you are building from, but if the difference is "small" you should be okay. If the difference is "not small," then you may need to tweak the position of the X brace a tad, and shift the bridge plate as appropriate, etc.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
tippie53
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Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: Martin 12 fret slot head neck question

Post by tippie53 »

you may have a size 7 or mini you can put the long scale at the 2nd fret and see if this lines up
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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