SECTION 5: ASSEMBLY
Neck to Body
Attaching the neck to the guitar body is the most crucial part of assembling the guitar. Failure to attach the neck correctly could result in difficult bridge and string adjustments, or even worse, it could lead to unrepairable damage.
To attach the neck to the body:
1.Place the four wooden dowels into the body.
2.Slide the neck onto the dowels.
3.Using a straightedge, make note of any por- tion of the neck protruding above the surface of the body (Figure 3).
10 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
Figure 3. Checking flatness.
4.Using sandpaper or a file, flatten the neck until it is flush with the surface of the body.
5.Before the neck can be glued to the body, the following must be verified:
a.The neck surface and the body sur- face must be perfectly flat. Note—Use a straightedge to verify this critical point. Once the neck is glued to the body, little can be done to correct mistakes.
6.Disassemble the neck and body, and re- assemble with wood glue. Note—DO NOT wipe glue squeeze-out at this time! Once the squeeze-out is dried, remove it with a sharp chisel.
7.Once the desired neck position is achieved, use large rubber bands or a band clamp to hold the assembly during drying (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Clamped neck/body assembly.
H3122 Classical Guitar Kit |