Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and not formally trained so please excuse what may be a dumb question - but here goes...

After repairing a damaged neck, I want to re-attach the fretboard.

When I look at the neck angle, it seems that the neck's slight break away from the plane of the top would lead either to;
1. A gap between fretboard and top at the sound hole end that would need filling
2. A slight bend in the fretboard as it crosses the heel joint.

Is this so?
How is this issue addressed?
Kind regards and thanks

You’ve basically described two common approaches - making a wedge that closely matches the wood of the fretboard to fill the space, or gluing the fretboard down without a filler and accepting the fall-away in the plane of the fretboard over the body. For many players who stay in lower positions the later may be acceptable.. I find the former to be a more elegant solution but of course it’s more work to do.

Hi Martin we need more information or at least I do to comment.

What kind of guitar is it? Pictures please? With a straight edge on the neck and the neck truss rod set for zero relief where does that straight edge intersect the front edge of the bridge on the specific guitar that your questions pertain to? This is the "neck angle" and that's key to know right now.

Step one is determining your neck angle relative to the top and bridge and that's what all my questions are trying to ferret out. What approach you might take for what is resulting I can comment on when I hear more from you in respect to my questions.

Welcome aboard as well.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

The geometry of flattops is more complex that it appears at first glance. Tops are rarely truly flat (most are built with some approach that imparts curves or domes to the top), and never flat u def string tension. Once the strings go I. The bridge pulls the top up a bit.

I mention all of this because your drawing assumes a flat plane of the top she in reality you will have some type of dome. The plane of the top is often angled or domed slightly as part of whatever system is used. So, the fretboard extension. Will likely be closer to the top than you think based o. The flat top assumption. It is a lot to get a handle o. Especially if you did not build the guitar yourself.

Hesh is leading you down the right path. Get the neck angle to the actual bridge height worked out first. The. You can worry about the fretboard extension.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.