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neck blank length

T

the_man_dan

Jun 25, 2009
87
0
#1
I searched and I didn't find.. I may have missed something. Sorry if I did.
I am building a bass for a project in school. I am very excited, but I have a few questions. One of which is how long of a neck blank do I need? I plan on doing all of the carving at home, I have access to a basement shop that is full of tools and machines.

thanks guys!
the_man_dan
 
#5
Before you do anything you should make a full scale drawing of what you're planning to build. That way you know exactly what you need for wood because you've got a big drawing hanging in your shop.

Fret Calculator comes in handy for drawing up your neck.
http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator

Also if your using a straight or angled headstock depends on how long your neck blank needs to be. Mainly because they don't need to be out of the same piece if its angled.

If this is your first build if I could give you any advice it would be to think long and hard about everything you do well before you do it. Have everything drawn out and look around at other peoples builds and how they go about tapering a neck for example and all the different jigs people are using. When I stopped building instruments by the seat of my pants started planning extensively beforehand and spending the time to think about my methods and how I could do things more efficiently I started making instruments I could really be proud of and the process has become a whole lot less nerve racking and a whole lot more fun. Good Luck!~ Take pictures and let us see your progress as it comes alive. :)
 
#7
LMAO.....I have a lot of stock longer than 48, but that's where knobs, and wood inlay material comes from. I just bought 30 bf of Padauk, most of the boards after milling were 53" to 55" long, sometimes you just have to make jewelry boxes and humidors for ebay...LMAO
 

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