Soloist heel thickness?

[dsorber]

Does anybody know the thickness of a Soloist with a contoured heel... at the heel?
I ask because I want to try recessing the neck plate and I want to make sure I've got enough wood to work with and my screws won't be too long (dontcha hate when your screws are too long?!?)
The plate will be an 1/8th in thick.

 

[Cagey]

I just happen to have one of those here, so I measured it and came up with .832" at its thinnest point. There's a finish included there, but that's probably only a few thou. I would think you could recess a plate into that without any concerns. I'm not sure you need to go to .125" thick - well, actually I'm quite sure you don't - but I seriously doubt adding any mass beyond what's typical is going to have any effect on the instrument's character. Still, fun's where you find it, right? <grin>

 

[dsorber]

Awesome! Thanks Cagey!

I've been doing a lot of research concerning strengthening and improving the design on a bolt neck guitar. More mass is better, but size and material play a role too. But generally speaking, a thicker plate is better for more solid vibration transfer.

 

[dsorber]

But theres a ton of other variables I can't really play with without having a full blown shop such as neck plate shape. To a lesser extent I CAN mess with wood thickness at the heel, heel shape/comfort, etc. but not at the level I'd like.

 

[AutoBat]

I was just about to whip out my mm ruler to check my contoured VIP heel, but I know Cagey actually has calipers, so I'd trust his measurements more than my eyeball.

 

[dsorber]

Yea I wasnt expecting that accurate of a measurement  :headbang:

 

[line6man]

But generally speaking, a thicker plate is better for more solid vibration transfer.

How do you figure that? The transfer of energy occurs between the neck and body. The neckplate just happens to be attached to the body. It does not influence the transfer of energy, only the resonance of the body.

 

[Cagey]

But generally speaking, a thicker plate is better for more solid vibration transfer.

How do you figure that? The transfer of energy occurs between the neck and body. The neckplate just happens to be attached to the body. It does not influence the transfer of energy, only the resonance of the body.

That's true in practice. In theory, though, any additional mass at that joint is going to change the moment of vibration, which could possibly change the tone. But, I suspect the difference it makes in tonal character is like the difference between jumping off the 51st or 52nd floor of a building makes in the impact you'll make on the ground.

I don't know this guy, but I've known 1st and 2nd year physics students who get a little crazy about absolute mathematical facts vs. reality. Kinda like 1st-2nd year med students who suddenly discover everyone they know has a House-worthy disease/condition. Kinda like Dumb (or Dumber?) who after being told he has a million-to-one chance says "So... you're saying I've got a chance!" <grin>

Hope springs eternal in the optimist's breast.

 

[line6man]

But generally speaking, a thicker plate is better for more solid vibration transfer.

How do you figure that? The transfer of energy occurs between the neck and body. The neckplate just happens to be attached to the body. It does not influence the transfer of energy, only the resonance of the body.

That's true in practice. In theory, though, any additional mass at that joint is going to change the moment of vibration, which is going to change the tone. But, I suspect the difference it makes in tonal character is like the difference between jumping off the 51st or 52nd floor of a building makes in the impact you'll make on the ground.

You're not adding ANY mass at the joint. No changes whatsoever are made to the joint, you are just adding mass to an area near it. That's akin to saying that string trees add mass to your nut. They might change things nearby the nut, but the nut/string path itself remains as it was.

I don't know this guy, but I've known 1st and 2nd year physics students who get a little crazy about absolute mathematical facts vs. reality. Kinda like 1st-2nd year med students who suddenly discover everyone they know has a House-worthy disease/condition. Kinda like Dumb (or Dumber?) who after being told he has a million-to-one chance says "So... you're saying I've got a chance!" <grin>

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first goes up to the bartender and says, "I'll have a pint of lager, please." Each next one says, "and I'll have half of what he's having." The bartender says, "You're all idiots," and pulls two pints.  :blob7:

 

[Cagey]

You're not adding ANY mass at the joint. No changes whatsoever are made to the joint, you are just adding mass to an area near it. That's akin to saying that string trees add mass to your nut. They might change things nearby the nut, but the nut/string path itself remains as it was.

Not apples to apples. The neck joint is flexible/compressible, and the plate is attached to both sides of the joint by relatively inflexible/incompressible screws.

Imagine a hinge with mounting flanges on either side, and at the ends of those flanges you attach some sort of variable alternating widgetry to bounce that thing back and forth. At some point, you're going to reach the resonant frequency of that joint, and it won't bounce any faster. Where that point is depends very heavily on how much weight is at the hinge point. Has to do with inertia, mostly.

Now, I know the reality of neck joints is very different from that, and that's why I say the guy's pissing up a rope. But, sometimes you gotta prove things to yourself, and this is apparently his whale.

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first goes up to the bartender and says, "I'll have a pint of lager, please." Each next one says, "and I'll have half of what he's having." The bartender says, "You're all idiots," and pulls two pints.  :blob7:

Hehe! Yeah.