Bolt on or mortise and tenon neck

Questions and answers for beginners. If you have a question, so do most other people.
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tippie53
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Re: Bolt on or mortise and tenon neck

Post by tippie53 »

a neck set is a neck set but the bolt on may be easier than setting the dovetail
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
jread
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Re: Bolt on or mortise and tenon neck

Post by jread »

my 1st kit was a dove tail and starting from zero, it was a difficult step to learn but with the info and advice of this forum and John's video series, I was able to learn the joint and get a good fit.
Skarsaune
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Re: Bolt on or mortise and tenon neck

Post by Skarsaune »

I review John’s videos on setting a dovetail every time I do one. It’s not like I do one every day, so reviewing the process doesn’t hurt.

I’ve recently built two guitars with bolt on neck joints. It’s an easier joint to produce, for sure. The geometry you’re looking for in the end is the same.
MaineGeezer
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Re: Bolt on or mortise and tenon neck

Post by MaineGeezer »

The first couple of times you do one, getting a dovetail joint aligned correctly can be rather overwhelming, because adjusting one angle seems to change all the other angles. You can end up chasing your tail. That's no reason to avoid doing one though. I always use shims, which gives more flexibility in fitting. You can mess up shims forever and you haven't changed the neck or the body.
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