Man, do I feel dumb! I am going to post this because I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I strung up my new build tonight. Been working on it for a couple of months. During the build, I mistakenly machined a taper on the wrong side of the neck. (TOP) I thought, no big deal. I flipped it over and put the same angle on the bottom side. The neck looked really cool. I did however (when I machined the top) stop around the 9th fret and left it straight from there to the body. When I strung it up (thank God I only did the middle string) I found out that all positions from the 1st to the 8th fret were the same note! That was one hard lesson to learn, but I am telling you what a doofus I am so no one else makes that mistake. I think I can saw off the fret board and use it, but the neck it toast! I will get it right this time and plan to taper the neck, but only from the bottom! I was disappointed, but not discouraged. I am now a little smarter and have learned something to file away on my DO NOT DO list. Hope you all never learn this one the hard way.
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Can you dumb this down a bit more for me? How can all positions from the 1st fret to the 8th fret be the same note? I guess I cannot picture the error...
I guess this is as dumb as I can get without putting a whole lot of effort in it. I think I figured out the one note thing. I mistakenly made the neck with a .075 taper on the wrong side. I didn't continue the taper the length of the neck. I think had I done that all would be OK. What I did do is leave the neck straight at the 9th fret to the 20th. Now I cannot prove this as I have the guitar in pieces. No I didn't break it up, I just took it apart. I think the 8th fret is at the point where the angle starts. That makes it the "HIGH" point on the fret board. When the string is depressed instead of hitting the appropriate fret it hits the 8th fret, the high point, so you get the same note till you get past it (9th fret). It was a dumb mistake and one that cost a lot in my labor.
Of course, that makes perfect sense, you fingered the 3rd fret but the string touched the 8th.
Thanks for the follow up, and thanks for sharing the issue in the first place.
Q
Yep... Stupid is doing it twice...
Pics or it didn't happen...
John
The last pictures of it are on my page........and yes, it did happen. The taper is only 1/16" and pretty hard to see unless you know what to look for. Sad thing is, that piece of maple was a very nice piece and I am not likely to find another one like it.
no fails ,, just "discoveries" of another way that dont work ;-)
From every mistake we must surely be learning, while my guitar gently weeps! I've done worse Bill.