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To set the scene, I'm a hobbyist, building 3 or 4 guitars a year -- all acoustic steel-string, all different in many ways. In January I started using a CNC for guitar-building after becoming frustrated at the challenge of cutting and fitting rosettes for oval soundholes. CNC works VERY well for that. And for roughing out various bridge designs, and for bas-relief headplates, and for slotting fingerboards (including fan frets), and even for thicknessing tops, sides, and backs. But necks? That's proven to be a lot more challenging, and, after a couple of tries, I'm reverting to the manual approach. To paraphrase a comment on guitar building for the amateur builder, "buying a CNC to save money on necks is like buying a boat to save money on fish."

I built a Carve King CNC from MillrightCNC.com. A bit over $1000 with a working range of 17" x 17" x 4". You're looking at a significantly larger machine. To maintain accuracy, bigger machines need to be substantially stiffer - meaning bigger, heavier, and more expensive. If necks are all that's driving a large machine, you'll pay significantly for that capability.

I also bought software from Vectric, VCarveDesktop for $350. Easy to learn, easy to use. I couldn't imagine having a CNC and not being able to program it. (It would be like having a table saw with a fence where adjustment required a factory tech.)

At this point I'm into CNC for a bit less than $2000. I would definitely do it again. Everything that's been posted on this topic -- particularly the thoughts of Kelby and rlrhett -- are consistent with my experience. Every time I use the machine I learn something new -- usually about fixturing, often about what not to do next time. A CNC router is a great tool, but it's not magic.

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