You know the way the neck as it enters the box is typically touching the top (soundboard, right?) the entire way?  I don't take the neck through the back of the box, i use a mandolin tailpiece so I just screw it into the end of the box under the mandolin hinge.  

I'm thinking that the neck does impart some vibration most of it must come from the bridge itself.  So i was thinking maybe I should give the soundboard more free space to vibrate and trim away some of the wood from the neck that would touch the top.  I leave a good inch where the bridge would be (like a bracer) and a 1/4 inch where the neck enters and hits the back end.  Where i cut away, it would only be enough to let the top soundboard vibrate without hitting it, say 1/8 deep cut.

Has anyone done this?  Does it make sense to try?

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WTF it's only a home made box guitar...don't worry ;-)

yeah    try  and  get as  straight as  ya   can  ,,  if there  is  a    slight  curve  ,  use  it  as  a back  curve  when  installing  . 

i  find  it is also  better  to pick  the  shorter   pre cut   3  or 4  foot   lengths  ..  than the  longer  ones  usually  stored under  stress and    more   twisty  ,  

a  plainer  ..  depends  on  the   wood  . i've seen    a  plainer  cause   curve  .

 oak  can  sometimes  come  out    like a  half a  McDonalds  sign  .  

  lol .  but  a plainer   can  help  too ,  as   fret leveling   will  to a  point . . 

 

Thanks guys. I hear ya about the handmade, you know I really don't care as much how it looks, but I do like it to play well. The more I do the more playability I want. Each time I start a new one I think 'this is the one that will set up just right'. Ha delusionary I think.

I use top braceing on my ukes (not neck through body) but not on the guitars (neck through).  If I had an extremely thin top, I would brace it. 

In reading all the various scenarios presented here, I know exactly what I am going to do on the one I am currently working on... tks..  I  think ..maybe.. perhaps.. anyway its all good, I think.....................

Personally, I always leave about a 1/4" space between neck and box lid, only touching about 1/4" at the ends.

I've also glued a Popsicle stick or tongue depressor across the bottom of the lid right under the bridge to strengthen thin tops and maybe it's my imagination,.. but it seems to make the sound "pop". ;-)

The way you described your neck is exactly the way Shane Speal King of the CBG describes building his necks one of his instructional videos. Including the brace under the bridge.

Well I tried the hollow out except for a section under the bridge and honestly, I think it's made it more muted and dull.  For what it's worth.  My next two builds are electric and resonator so thank goodness i don't have to ponder again for a while.

Under the bridge is exactly where you want the most vibration.  Hollow the neck out in that area as well.

The top will vibrate more without the neck-thru touching the entire top. This will not make a good tone difference if your top is made of cheap plywood or that pressed board stuff that resembles cardboard.

If you want the best sounding acoustic CBG, your going to have to use the best quality materials and the same construction you would find in a acoustic guitar. Then again, the best sounding acoustic wouldn't be a small rectangular box shaped body.

I remove 1/16" from the top of the neck where it sits inside the box so there is no contact between the soundboard and the neck.  

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