So I realized this after cutting the neck slot on my LP style body that I shouldn’t have made it the same size as the neck, I should have made it more narrow and the cut a channel in the neck to go over the side that has the cutaway, the neck fits and will glue in nicely, but I hate the lip on the side of the neck. The question is should I leave it or cut it off? If i cut it off will I loose the side support causing the neck to shift over time? Am i just overthinking it? What is everyone’s thoughts on this?
Hi Seth
The question is should I leave it or cut it off?
I'm maybe not the best person to answering you. My first build is also based on a les paul style. I had the opposite problem, I overdid the body cutaway and cut into the neck pocket area, I'll post a photo tomorrow. If you just widen your body cutaway along your pencil line, then you'll have what I intended to do. The neck will still be restrained at the pickup cavity.
@robin yes please post a picture! Yeah that’s what I’m leaning towards doing, im just wondering if it’s enough support after watching a repair video that had mentioned something about necks leaning towards the cutaway if there wasn’t enough support
If you're thinking of cutting the side lip where you've drawn the pencil line (ie extending the shape of the cutaway), then - on that side - you'll still have as much glued surface as on a typical double-cut style.
What I don't know is whether the uneven sides would allow any neck movement through time.
I guess anything that's reduces the contact area is a potential area of weakness, but you'd only be reducing the side contact area on that side by about 1/3rd - the rest of the neck tenon will still be stuck into the body, and if it's a good tight fit ...
Depends on how much you dislike that side lip!
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@robin yes please post a picture!
Here are some photos of my neck pocket and cutaway showing how iv'e tried to blend in the step where I'd cut too far. I'd also taken a lump out of the outer end of the at the neck pocket when I was routing the radius on the back. Don't let the router guide bearing fall into the neck pocket.
I would remove some wood back to almost the cut away, just enough so that playing the high notes is comfortable. Whichever style you are building - set neck or bolt on if you have made a sound joint it should be ok. Yours looks good as the neck extends into the pick up cavity. Check out some photos of commercial guitars like the Stratocaster, they have very little wood on the cut away side.
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Check out some photos of commercial guitars like the Stratocaster, they have very little wood on the cut away side.
@rocknroller912 Yeah I would agree with that, there are plenty of guitars with very little support in that area of the neck pocket. I think so long as the neck gets glued in well, it should stay there, I can’t see how it would move.
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I think so long as the neck gets glued in well, it should stay there, I can’t see how it would move.
That's what I'm thinking too. In my mind the string tension is trying to pull the neck up out of the socket, not sideways. Iv'e not glued my neck in yet, so time will tell.
