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6 string acoustic neck build questions

Posted by John Sawyer on November 27, 2018 at 10:55pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I have made tons of 3 stringers, a few 4's, a few bolt-on 6's, but want to build a nylon stringed 6....

I was eyeing Ben Baker's Coke Crate build, and like the look of a straight neck.  Any opinions on neck width?

I figured I'd go with nylon to avoid needing a truss rod...

Thanks!

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Replies

  • John Sawyer December 1, 2018 at 1:41pm
    Paul, I could certainly taper the neck, but it adds a level of complexity and time to the build... I like the homemade look of Ben Baker's coke crate guitar neck.
    • Paul Craig > John Sawyer December 1, 2018 at 2:12pm

      If your hands are big enough to deal with it or your going to play slide predominately then it'll be fine.

  • Paul Craig December 1, 2018 at 2:08am

    Most 6 string necks are about 1 & 11/16" to 2" at the nut and 2 & 3/16" to 2 & 5/16" at the heel area(19 to 21 fret).

    • John Sawyer > Paul Craig December 1, 2018 at 3:55am

      So... if I go with 2" - 2-1/4" on a straight neck, I might be ok... I'll cut up some trial pieces and see what I like...

      Thanks!

      • Paul Craig > John Sawyer December 1, 2018 at 11:55am

        2 & 1/4" will be good, but you'll want to narrow down towards the nut. If you cant use a saw to cut the wood down, you can use a good rasp file and sandpaper to do the job. Just mark a line on each side and remove material til you get to the line.

        There's a few tutorial videos on Youtube to help out. 

  • Derek Rose November 28, 2018 at 10:05pm

    I've built a few 6 strings and the last 3 have kept the scale length short to reduce string tension. Used 2 pcs of oak glued side-by-side and added a fingerboard, which all work for improving bending strength. The last 3 builds were 23 1/2" scale length (like Taylor gs mini and older parlor guitars). All have been tapered necks and the nut is usually 1 3/4" or a little less and then the width is around 2" at the 12th fret. There's pictures on my page. These were / are all steel strings. But I have had no stability issues with steel strings (knock on wood).

    Previous builds were 24" to 24 3/4" scale lengths which I cut a channel then used 3 sided steel hanger rods for shelving (from Home Depot). Non-adjustable but solid construction for the neck. There are pictures of those also.

    I didn't answer your question about a straight neck, but I haven't played a 6 with a straight neck so can't offer any advice in that regard. 3's and 4's play great with straight necks though.

  • John Sawyer November 28, 2018 at 6:18pm

    I messaged him here, but I know he's busy...  I'll try him on FB...

  • BrianQ. November 28, 2018 at 3:09pm

    Try messaging him, I’m sure he’ll gladly help?

  • Keith Rearick November 28, 2018 at 2:41pm

    It would be nice to know what his dimensions are. Ben's build sounds really good too, last time he was playing it.

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