Upper fret access

[JPOL007]

This question has probably been asked and answered several times. How much material is required from the bottom of the neck pocket to the back of the guitar? I want to use the absolute minimum of thickness to help with access to the upper frets.

Thanks in advance for help

 

[Rick]

I guess it depends on the material?  If it's swamp ash, I'd say 1", but I've never tested it.  I just leave them the way Warmoth gives them to me.

 

[JPOL007]

I guess it depends on the material?  If it's swamp ash, I'd say 1", but I've never tested it.  I just leave them the way Warmoth gives them to me.

Thanks for the input :icon_thumright: I’m building a Mahogany back Maple carve top semi-hollow body. It is the first time I’ve tried to build a semi-hollow guitar and want to do something different with the neck pocket area.

 

[PhilHill]

If it's mahogany with a bolt-on neck I'd say probably keep it 3/4" at the thinnest. I've seen some thinner than that, but don't know what their long term stability was. Hog is a fairly rigid wood, but that's also the most stressed point of the guitar except maybe the area around the string nut. Good luck on the build, sounds interesting... :icon_thumright:

 

[JPOL007]

If it's mahogany with a bolt-on neck I'd say probably keep it 3/4" at the thinnest. I've seen some thinner than that, but don't know what their long term stability was. Hog is a fairly rigid wood, but that's also the most stressed point of the guitar except maybe the area around the string nut. Good luck on the build, sounds interesting... :icon_thumright:

I have a twisted idea that would reinforce the area from the neck pocket the bridge. Thinking of using a .125” piece of metal cut, drilled and recessed into the mahogany. This would be under the maple top when it gets glued into place. I would use inserts to bolt the neck onto the body leaving just enough wood under the pocket to keep the neck mounting ferrules from protruding pass the wood.

 

[PhilHill]

If it's mahogany with a bolt-on neck I'd say probably keep it 3/4" at the thinnest. I've seen some thinner than that, but don't know what their long term stability was. Hog is a fairly rigid wood, but that's also the most stressed point of the guitar except maybe the area around the string nut. Good luck on the build, sounds interesting... :icon_thumright:

I have a twisted idea that would reinforce the area from the neck pocket the bridge. Thinking of using a .125” piece of metal cut, drilled and recessed into the mahogany. This would be under the maple top when it gets glued into place. I would use inserts to bolt the neck onto the body leaving just enough wood under the pocket to keep the neck mounting ferrules from protruding pass the wood.

As long as it was deep enough in the body to avoid the pickup routes, or wide enough to leave metal on each side of the holes. Fender used to put a metal tube inside some of their acoustics that ran from the head block to the tail block. Made working inside the guitar a real pain...

 

[JPOL007]

As long as it was deep enough in the body to avoid the pickup routes, or wide enough to leave metal on each side of the holes. Fender used to put a metal tube inside some of their acoustics that ran from the head block to the tail block. Made working inside the guitar a real pain...
[/quote]I'm using dog eared P90 pickups so no pickup routing.

 

[PhilHill]

I'm using dog eared P90 pickups so no pickup routing.

Ok, well that makes it a lot easier.