Making Laminated Guitar Necks

Laminate back and sides.

Making laminated guitar necks.

A keen eye can spot these tiny layers in the top if you look at the soundhole opening. If you are a beginner or you have not done much wood lamination before go for a simple design done well. Look for a change in grain direction at the edges of the soundhole. 7975 cameron drive bldg.

In an effort to offer customers other more affordable options many builders also make guitars featuring laminate back and sides. This can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Using solid wood for the top is still preferred by most builders because the top plays a major role in translating the initial energy of vibrating guitar strings into rich acoustic sound. Many guitars are laminate wood in their entire body construction.

The example to the left shows a goncalo avles board with an east indian rosewood center stripe. This will weaken the neck making it susceptible to neck breaks or the truss rod punching. Make another mark approximately 1 2 further from the headstock end than this one and cut the neck off at this mark. This gives you a little extra room for running the piece through a thickness planer.

1600 windsor california 95492 toll free. A good trick for making a laminated guitar neck is to glue up your pieces just a little bit taller than you actually need the final blank to be. This can be very important in wider necks on guitars with seven or more strings and basses with five or more strings. T he top of your guitar the soundboard is less than inch thick and it s either a solid piece or a layered laminate top.

Before you can glue up your neck you re going to need to flatten the large faces on your lamination. The first step in making a laminated guitar neck is making the blank.