If it doesn't work on paper it's unlikely work in real life.

Mind you, you may be surprised at how often I have received drawings from professional draftsmen showing objects that can't actually be made. Beautiful front elevation, sexy as you like in plan and from the side, but unfortunately all three views show different objects, a bit like a woodworking equivalent of an Escher!

Darren

That is an AWESOME drawing James (is it? Yes!)

I would probaly use a dovetail like on my archtops...but a simple Set Neck could work I think...

Thanks for that info James! Alas, I'm a lowly PC user ...

That headstock does look familiar? Nice!

Not seeing the Pic James -

b)In either case, is there any reason other than tradition which would prevent me slanting the heel and block to make upper fret access more comfortable - like a modern bolt-on (see pic attached)?

Here’s the pic:

Just downloaded Grahic for my iPad - looks very good!

Thanks James!

I'd advise that you use a standard set neck then you would adjust the body heel as shown here:

I'm going to feature this today James - Workshop Wednesday 1pm!

Hope you enjoyed that and it made some kind of sense...

here's the link for those who missed it!

Thanks for tackling this on Workshop Wednesday! I’m going to update my drawing to reflect what you suggested.

Meanwhile, in my defence...

You’re absolutely right that I should be starting out with something simpler, but I have done some guitar-building before - admittedly with a sanding block, an electric drill and possibly a sharpened spoon.

Through no fault of my own, I seem to have accumulated a lot of guitars. I learned quite early not to sell guitars after the debacle with the ’66 Strat - sold for £180 in the seventies.

So, my plan is to make exactly the right guitar, rather than another guitar. I know, it won’t be a year before I’ll be hankering after something else. But for now...

That's cool James - Glad you liked it - I'll do whatever I can to help!

Brief hiatus caused by family visit but now I’m on the case:

I can confirm that the drawing on this thread is all my own work. This is easily demonstrated when I show you how I managed to draw a dovetail joint before I knew what one looked like.

Exhibit A - misaligned headstock on the side elevation reveals:

Exhibit B - that the whole neck had got knocked out of true somehow

Once the neck is moved back into the correct position the joint is gone.

Can I just say that drawing the guitar is a superb way of ironing out a lot of the issues which would otherwise pop up half way through the build. I’m being forced to think through stuff like bridge height and neck angles, neck joints and extensions long before ruining a perfectly decent piece of wood.

Searching for dovetail archtop guitar on Duck Duck Go has Bailey Guitars as the second link: Tag:dovetail neck joint - Bailey Guitars

Which is nice. 🙂

So, if a traditional archtop guitar dovetail joint looks like this: 

Why does nobody build one like this?

Posted by: @jamesbisset

Why does nobody build one like this?

because it is a zillion times harder - you'd have to mark out and cut that by hand.