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So I'm considering the pros and cons of spraying with the neck on or off. What do you do? I'll be shooting Mohawk instrument lacquer on top of sealer with a Fuji Q3. Also, it seems most factory guitars have something of a 'build finish' at the neck to body joint. How do you go about achieving this? Is this something that custom builders desire? Thanks for your input! I love this forum. I'd be up the frozen creek without a hockey stick without it. Yup. I am Canadian, eh?

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

I did my 1st 2 guitars with the neck on and then smartened up and started finishing with the neck off. Easier and safer to do it that way.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
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This is the sign of a cheap guitar. If you want that, use epoxy to glue the neck to the body make sure there is some squeeze out so you can smooth it out with a finger and clean the rest up with denatured alcohol.

Haha I love how you have advice on how to make a guitar look cheap.

I have done a lot of neck resets and I much prefer Martin over Gibson. Martin finishes with neck off and Gibson is finished with neck on.

I have refinished a few and I always do it with the neck off. It just makes it so much easier when it is time for a neck reset. I hate having to cut the finish around a Gibson to pull the neck. However one good thing about it is when you steam off a neck that has been finished on the guitar you don't get much steam seeping out of the joint and turning the finish white.

It does make the neck reset a bit more annoying. I actually like the look of the finished in neck. To my eye it flows better and looks smooth. I don't however finish with the neck on anymore because it's just a lot easier to do it when off. I'm glad then that the finished in look is not so desirable if that is the case. Doesn't Taylor use some sort of putty on that joint to give it a smoother finished look?

My eons of experience point toward neck off. I mean, I've built one acoustic and that's the way I did it.
So, you should take that advice to heart because it's rare when one receives sage advice from a seasoned pro.

Now if you dudes were to embrace the brilliance of me wishbone construction we woodn't be hazzing
dis discussion.


blessings

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Great conversation all! Interestingly enough, in his videos Robbie O'Brien sprays with neck on. I'd love to hear him on this subject.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Robbie builds a lot of classical guitars. Perhaps he finishes all his guitars the same way. I don't know.

Admittedly I did forget the numerous quality guitars finished with the necks on, I've done a few myself. I finish with the neck off whenever possible. My initial reaction was tempered by the 1976 Alverez that hit the bench yesterday. Impressive epoxy fillet on that one.

I am questioning my neck-on finish practice as well (from classical experience).
What is the best technique to perfectly scrape back the top finish to the fretboard line...?

Off. It's best. Plus, it makes u work harder for a better fit

+1 on finishing with the neck off. My first guitar, a kit guitar, was sprayed neck on - what a pain in the neck, literally! I bought the Stewmac freehand holder for my next guitar and it's been great.

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
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Thanks for this Fillipo - I had dreaded trying to scrape exactly along the FB line - your technique looks a treat.
Neck off for me on the next one!

Filippo wrote:
"I set the neck, bolt it on, and tape the perimeter of the fretboard tongue over the top. Then pull the neck. Then tape 1/8" inside that perimeter. Then pull the outside tape. Spray. I then chamfer the lacquer edge (block sand is fine), and glue up."

I also tape where the bridge goes. I like to spray things flat, so I will tape blocks inside these taped areas, spray the top with a heavy coat and the sides lightly, allow it to flash off, flip it onto the blocks, spray the back (heavy) and the sides again(light). With my cheap spray gun I get less overspray and better flow out spraying heavy coats that would sag if sprayed vertically (plus it requires less technique to spray things flat <g>).

I spray with the neck on... it's just easier to hold the guitar while spraying, then I can hang it by the tuner hole to spray the neck. Plus it just feels more complete...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
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Filippo, for chamfering the bridge bottom, would a binding bit in a router table be the ticket to ensure a consistent ~3/32" rebate?
I recall with horror an earlier bludgeoned effort to scrape exactly around the bridge profile on a perfectly finished top.... a rebate sounds like the way to go...

Me too since a good deal of the finish work I've done has been repairs, touch-ups, etc. Guess I'm just used to it.

Do you tape off the dovetail mortise and tenon when spraying with the neck off? This intrigues me a little. I've been thinking about the possibility of going neck-off for new builds. I'll probably try it once I can wait that long to hear the thing. I usually can't.

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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."