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Before I commit to the heel design on this guitar I thought I'd get some opinions. Perhaps it's unconventional, but I like to add some flair without deviating from accepted norms. However, I don't like to feel like, "what was I thinking?" after the project is completed. I could just make it symetrical... So, what's your opinion, ugly, stupid, interesting, inspiring?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

For what its worth every cutaway neck order we have taken and produced are for the exact look you posted.

Sorry this is a correction/edit -- I just glanced at the pixs at first on my smart phone, should have looked closer. Indeed my customers want the heel symmetrical not what you have posted, BTW that's not for me either.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I usually carve the heel asymmetrically to facilitate playing access, although I don't usually continue it all the way to the heel cap.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Personally, no. I don't like the asymmetry. It would bother me a lot. I think if it somehow match other lines in the guitar it might look ok. To me it just looks like a mistake.

Makes sense to me since it's on the cutaway side. I'm almost with rlrhett that it might be considered a mistake by some. The slope is steep enough though that it should be clear it was a design. Maybe make it even more steep (steeper )? I like it.

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Hmm, the overall impression is off balance to me. I would have done it the other way around (heel cap longer on the cutaway side) so the heel cap and cutaway counterbalance eachother, aesthetically speaking. Shouldn't affect playability since you can blend to a symmetrical profile at the heel to neck transition where the thumb contacts it.

So for this one, I'd say make it symmetrical. But it's an artistic choice, so if you like it this way, then go for it

I don't care for it. To me the shape clashes with the body shape and I agree it looks more like a mistake than intentional. I do remember once seeing an asymmetrical heel that I liked, but I'll have to look to see if I can find a photo of it. If it was me, I would make the profile of the bass side match that of the cutaway side.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Okay... easy to simply carve it symmetrically... I have tried things in the past with the intention of being distinctive, but later I wished I hadn't done it that way. This may be one of those times... Thanks for the feedback.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Ok, I didn't find the photo of the heel I had in mind, but the one on this Everett guitar is similar.


This other Everett heel is interesting because the neck block is relieved with a vertical taper on the cutaway side in addition to the heel being asymmetric.


The Matsuda heel below is shaped similar to what Dennis mentioned above and it's heavily scalloped on the cutaway side above the bottom of the heel. Personally I don't care for the look when viewed straight on from the back, but the scalloping makes it look good from other angles, and functional.



This Jang heel is like the one you posted but with more subtle curves.


Raimundo uses an interesting heel on some models in which the heel is basically symmetric, but the neck body joint is asymmetric. I would like to see the inside of this to see how it's done.


Lastly, check this one out. No separate heel block.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Hey, certainly some of those are quite interesting. Thanks for posting them. Maybe mine needs more distictive character, but it's really not that much different... Seems like symetrical is like everyone else's. I tried to carve the heel to provide comfort. Seems like the one carved on the other side, while looking appealing, doesn't give you the same reach.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Maybe the lamination in the neck causes a visual distraction...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I'd make the asymmetry really obvious. To quote Stephen King, "god hates a coward."

Steve

Hey Steve. I don't mind what you have there at all. Symmetry is much less important to me than balance. Yours looks almost balanced to me. I could offer my opinion of what would make it more appealing to me but as is I would say "hey, that dude was thinking about how to maximize the cutaway....cool!"

Thanks
Shane

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Canada

Looks wonky or unintentional to me.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

One man's wonky is an others art.... but, I'm going with Dan. To me it is just to close to normal, making me lean toward 'a comfort design', which, when you think about it is not bad at all!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I love some of the designs that Jay posted, but i guess I'm not there (at that level) yet. Purhaps the laminations distract. I noted the ones in the photos don't have them. In any case... I'll carve it symetrical on this one. Thanks for all the feedback. ...Who else am I going to ask?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I think the center stripe of the neck is what makes it look awkward. That center stripe is asking for symmetry. Otherwise I think you could get away with it.


But that strap button.

I though it looked fine - as it is.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Who cares if it's asymmetrical or symmetrical? The question is do YOU like it? The rules aren't set in stone. This is as much art and design as anything else. Is everything else on the guitar symmetrical or asymmetrical? How does it work with the whole thing?
I know many artists and graphic designers who have no problem with using things that are "out of balance" to achieve their ends.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I guess I would ask myself if being asymmetrical added anything. I get the functional part about being lower by the cut, I I really like the looks of that, but why a bulkier heel on the bass side? My personal taste would be to make the heel more symmetrical for a traditional acoustic.

How does it feel in the playing position? If it adds functionality I'd say go for it. If just an artistic statement I'd vote for symmetrical.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Sorry if this is a bit of an old thread but I was fascinated by Jay's collection of heel shapes.

My initial reaction to the OP's question was that once you have done that cutaway, the player has the access he/she needs so there is no need to mess with the shape of the heel. In other words we have dealt with the functionality and the rest is aesthetics so, as people have said, it's just down to what the builder likes.

However the more I looked at those rather wonderful heel shapes from Jay, as a player I could just feel my left hand thumb curling into those dips and dishes in a very comfortable, even comforting way. You would certainly be reminded where you are on the neck and it could even be that a little pocket for the thumb would reduce that stretch to the high frets for the fretting fingers. So maybe there is some functionality to justify some slightly, to my eyes, odd shapes.

Dave