Neck angle

[paulinnc]

I am working on a wolf type guitar and I have hit a snag that has really slowed my progress. I am trying to figure out what angle the neck needs to be for proper intonation and string clearance, If it helps, I purchased a neck thru neck from soulmate guitars and I need to know if the neck block that connects to the body needs to be cut or if I can just join the wings to it. I'll post some pics to give an idea of what I am talking about. Any help would be very, very appreciated. Thanks.

This is the block of wood I was referring to

[TI4-1009]

I'm in no way a luthier (although I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night...) but I would think you don't want to cut the neck block. You should be able to set your bridge on the neck block and play with shims and a straight edge to experiment with approximate string height and string geometry. Intonation is pretty much getting the bridge in the right spot (2x nut to 12th fret) and the string height reasonable. Talk to Doug at Soulmate? Try the Warmouth discussion page- those guys do a lot of guitar building.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php

[Rusty the Scoob]

The method T14-1009 describes worked for me - get a long straight-edge like a good yardstick, set your bridge in it's location, and put the straight-edge on it from nut to bridge as if it were a string. Check the space between the straight-edge and frets as if you were checking the action on a completed guitar.

I bet Soulmate built it at exactly the right angle as long as you told them what type of bridge you plan to use. Even if not, I'd change the bridge height or even the bridge type before I cut off that neck-through portion.

[tcsned]

The method T14-1009 describes worked for me - get a long straight-edge like a good yardstick, set your bridge in it's location, and put the straight-edge on it from nut to bridge as if it were a string. Check the space between the straight-edge and frets as if you were checking the action on a completed guitar.

I bet Soulmate built it at exactly the right angle as long as you told them what type of bridge you plan to use. Even if not, I'd change the bridge height or even the bridge type before I cut off that neck-through portion.

I'm getting a luthier buddy to build my next guitar - it has a soulmate neck too. I got it years ago on eBay so no neck angle customization or anything. The guy who's building it suggested the if I really wanted TOM bridge type set up that he should angle the neck block to avoid having to use shims etc. I finally decided on a flat Schaller bridge instead so we didn't have to cross that road. I'm thinking that without adjusting the neck angle to jive with the tailpiece that it's gonna cause problems.

[Rusty the Scoob]

Agreed - it's probably built for either a Tune-o-Matic or a flat Strat-type bridge... you're best off using the right bridge for how it's built.

[paulinnc]

I suppose it would help to have all of the parts. I figured I would get them as I go but I can see without having everything planning becomes a little difficult.