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Different Thru neck methods for determining angle

chinjazz

chinjazz

Sep 11, 2002
3,924
1,919
Atlantic Beach, FL
mtmash.wordpress.com
#1
Good Day All,

I'm planning my first thru neck bass, and would like to know various techniques for dialing in neck angles, and approaches to making it happen. Search here doesn't yield for me a "one stop shop" thread discussing this topic.

I realize some don't put in angles, so that is pretty much covered :)

Here's a video I recently found, and he goes into it at 17:16 (skipping the long intro):


This way seems logical, but I'm sure there are other ways.

Thoughts & techniques would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,
Adam
 
#2
The book by Melvyn Hiscock (he of the unfortunate name) is the only book ive ever seen that gets into methodology for calculating neck angle, specifically for a neck through bass. It was out of print for a while, but looks like its available again. Im on my third neck through, and havent found adding any neck angle necessary yet with the bridge options Ive used, and unless you have a really tall bridge, or just like the ergonomics of a neck.angle, Im not sure its worth the extra hassle. Check out the book though, it really is excellent.
https://www.melvynhiscock.com/
 
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#3
Draw a straight line first to represent the top of the neck without fretboard. For most bridges set the body front 1/64" below that at the 24th fret and about 1/8" below at the saddle point for the bridge. Working with a typical 1/4" fretboard will give you an approximate working height for the saddles. Add the height of the frets and action you want and you can check where the string will pass over the bridge. Adjust as required to match your chosen bridge allowing for a some lowering of the saddles in case it is required and that should leave you lots of adjustment once it is strung and the relief sets in the neck. That's for an angled neck.
I just rebuilt a Carvin and it had the body 1/8" below the neck face (without fretboard) and parallel. It is equipped with a Hipshot B style bridge. With fretboard reinstalled the bridge adjustability is fine.
Either angled or parallel works fine and it comes down to preference. I prefer angled as it tilts the neck back slightly and feels more ergonomic in my hands.
 
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#4
chinjazz said:
Good Day All,

I'm planning my first thru neck bass, and would like to know various techniques for dialing in neck angles, and approaches to making it happen. Search here doesn't yield for me a "one stop shop" thread discussing this topic.

I realize some don't put in angles, so that is pretty much covered :)

Here's a video I recently found, and he goes into it at 17:16 (skipping the long intro):


This way seems logical, but I'm sure there are other ways.

Thoughts & techniques would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks,
Adam
Click to expand...


Thanks for the link, I'll check that out. I covered my method for this pretty thoroughly in my WBO build. You can find it here if you'd like to take a look.
 
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#6
I'm not clear what your question is? The layout is mostly about what you want the neck angle to be. The fixed element is the height of the bridge.

Most aftermarket bridges are designed to be 3/8" high, to fit onto Fenders. That is, the bottom side of the strings (center strings, if it has radius) are a nominal 3/8" above the surface of the body. Obviously, the saddles have some range of vertical adjustment, to set the action, but 3/8" is the low setting; where the strings are resting on the frets at the heel.

That's what most bridges are designed for. You can change that by recessing the bridge down into the body, or raising it up on a spacer plate. But the standard is 3/8".

Working backward from that, if you make the heel of the neck 3/8" above the surface of the body (including the fingerboard thickness and the frets), then the strings go parallel across the top of the body with 3/8" clearance under them. That's a Flat bass, no neck angle, like a Fender. The majority of basses are built flat.

But some builders/manufacturers design in some neck angle, for their own reasons. They lower the heel down into the body, so the gap between the strings and the body is smaller at the neck heel. The strings aren't parallel to the body surface.

If you do that, lowering the neck heel, the whole neck has to tilt back at a small angle. A line drawn along the top surface of the fingerboard has to point at the bridge saddle point, which is 3/8" above the body surface. In the layout, the entire neck needs to be rotated about that bridge saddle point. That's what determines the final neck angle, in relation to the body top surface. The top of the fingerboard has to aim right at the bridge saddle point.

That's how the geometry is laid out. Examples of basses with neck angle are Rickenbackers and Gibsons. Look at where the neck joins the body. The fingerboard/neck glue line is about at the body top surface. The top of the heel is barely 1/4" above the body surface. The bridge is about 3/8". The strings taper down over the body and the neck is tilted back about 2 degrees. That's a common layout for tilt back neck neck-through basses. It gets impractical to tilt the neck back further than that on a bass.

Many neck-through basses have flat geometry, no neck angle. Look at Carvins. There are a lot of practical reasons to do that. The choice is up to the designer.

Does that answer your question? Or are you asking about how to machine the center tang of a neck-through?
 
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#12
JamesDeGrandis said:
That is why I have several...
oh.... that and the bald spot.
Click to expand...

That too. For extra protection, in 2021 I grew my hair out long, shoulder-length silver grey. Now with that hat and my round dark sunglasses, I really look like an old retired rock musician. Everyone leaves me alone.
 
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#13
Gilmourisgod said:
The book by Melvyn Hiscock (he of the unfortunate name) is the only book ive ever seen that gets into methodology for calculating neck angle, specifically for a neck through bass. It was out of print for a while, but looks like its available again. Im on my third neck through, and havent found adding any neck angle necessary yet with the bridge options Ive used, and unless you have a really tall bridge, or just like the ergonomics of a neck.angle, Im not sure its worth the extra hassle. Check out the book though, it really is excellent.
https://www.melvynhiscock.com/
Click to expand...
I can’t help myself here… As far as the name, it could be worse… Hercock? Sorry for the 5 year old moment…
 
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#14
Bruce Johnson said:
That too. For extra protection, in 2021 I grew my hair out long, shoulder-length silver grey. Now with that hat and my round dark sunglasses, I really look like an old retired rock musician. Everyone leaves me alone.
Click to expand...
It's classy... like Dobie or Maynard G. Crebs... or this guy.
Small-Article-Wire-Framed.jpg

Looks kinda like @1st Bass or his dad.
 
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#17
It could easily be pronounced mysick, or mycheck and not even spelled properly. You'd be shocked at the number of people I've met in my lifetime that don't know how to pronounce their own name.
Probably got butchered and misspelled during immigration. That happened a lot too.
 
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