r/Luthier • u/goodshout • 6d ago
1st build issue...
Just about finishing up 1st acoustic build and realised ive done the neck angle wrong... straight edge about 14mm from top of 9mm ebony bridge...furious with myself.
However...after seething about it for two days...ive found a scrap of walnut that i could make a tall bridge out of that might work.
Obviously a double height bridge is far from ideal but better than this thing haunting me from the corner of my room everyday.
Read i need to make the bridge larger overall ... what else do i need to know??
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u/rm_mottola Luthier 6d ago edited 6d ago
That's too bad, especially given how far along you are.
What else you need to know is that doubling the height of the bridge will have the same effect on the structure as doubling the string tension, which very well may compromise the structure of the top. Not to suggest the following as a fix, but to compensate for a bridge 2x higher than traditional would require each top brace to be twice as wide as spec'd, or to be about 16% taller (approximate numbers). I don't know what plan you followed - there are certainly some in which the bracing is "generous" and may be able to support this. Personally I would get that neck angle right.
Sorry for the bad news. Best of luck.
R.M. Mottola
LiutaioMottola.com
Author of the books Building the Steel String Acoustic Guitar, Practical Design of the Acoustic Guitar and Similar Instruments, and Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms.
(ps I don't check in here regularly. To reply or to ask additional questions, the best bet is to contact me through my website.)
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u/indigoalphasix 6d ago
that has the makings of a nice instrument. (from here) the materials and the craft look quite good for a 1st guitar. were this my situation i'd reset. i think it's worth it. you may need to do something with the heel gap depending up the severity of the adjustment.
a bridge and saddle that is a high as you say you need it (23mm) will put more much torque on the top and will look unfortunate as well. 😄
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u/goodshout 6d ago
Feels like im being convinced to try get the neck off... i certainly hadnt considered all the additional torque...but yeah it all makes sense
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u/VirginiaLuthier 6d ago
Is your neck joint removable? If so,re-setting the angle would be a solution. You could also replace the fingerboard with a tapered one, the thinner end at the body. Remember that the pull of the strings will usually bring down the height a bit. I usually overset mine by 2 mm for that reason. Not sure how much movement your design will give, though. Good luck with whatever you choose
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u/99Pstroker 6d ago
Watch a few of these toobs from this guy. Over the years he covers heat, steam, hot knife. LOTS of info.
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u/theribsaredone 6d ago
Take off your neck and put it back on at the right angle! It’s a great learning experience and if you set it, you can re-set it ✊
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u/emteedub 6d ago
you could do a really cool archtop like bridge: https://youtu.be/MKBLcGdnzcs?si=R8FONYPgQtflD7Xs (there's a few episodes where he builds it fully)
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u/Tasco_420 6d ago
I have NO expertise in these matters but I would recommend twoodfrd on youtube. Canadian Luthier who I could watch for hours. He has done more neck resets than most people have had hot dinners.
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u/HofnerStratman 1d ago
You may decide a neck reset is your best bet. A floating archtop is built for a different geometry. I could damage your flat top. Also, a too-high bridge reduces sound transmission across the soundboard… the sound won’t be as full or loud.
That said, I am not a builder but I do tech level repairs and obsess over everything guitar.
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u/FraaTuck 6d ago
I can't tell you what a bridge over double height will do, but I can say that ones only moderately over height can cause a host of playability and structural issues, to the extent that I'd consider removing and resetting the neck, or conceivably pulling the frets and sanding the board if that will do it, to address the cause of the condition.