You have heard the saying that you are PUTTING YOUR NECK OUT THERE. It is a metaphor that deals with making yourself vulnerable, like a turkey. We know what happens when a turkey puts his neck out there and …wack…well, you get the idea. Somethings making yourself vulnerable open you up to new possibilities. Five months ago, I was contemplating building a DIY guitar builder’s hobby shop in my garage. Now I am the Proprietor and Builder of Delta Groove Guitars. What an amazing 5 months it has been. I had to take my woodworking skills, my limited social media, camera, and marketing knowledge, fashion them into an operational company. But not any company. A company that would carry on the name and reputation that Darren Dukes, the founder and previous owner of Delta Groove Guitars. Its an overstatement to say that I am not Darren. But equally, I can say that everything I have learned about making CBG necks, has come from Darren.

I plan to publish a BLOG once a week, on Mondays. I hope to focus on issues that CBG builders deal with. I will also post access to several themes, via other media. Tuesdays I will report on the progress of my apprentice, “G” Man (my under 3 yr old) who helps Papa in the shop. Wednesdays will be Tools & Techniques. Thursday will be “How To” guides I have developed for builders. Fridays will be a wrap up of R&D projects that I am working on in the shop (this week will be a headless 3 string short scale guitar. Join me on Facebook to follow these things listed.

How many parts are there to a Neck? If you guessed 4-5, well you missed it. I made a list this morning and it goes something like this. Buying, cutting, sizing, storing and maintaining the humidly of the lumber. The neck as to be cut, planed, and sanded, have a scarf joint cut, shaped, marked and trimmed. The fret board has to be cut, planed, sanded and matched with the neck width. It has to be slotted and drilled to installed top and side markers, sanded level, frets cut, inserted, leveled, shaped, and dressed. At some point, it has to be glued to the neck. When this is done, there is nut work and filling in slots with saw dust power. I could go on to the heel and Head Stock, but you get it. Not only am I fearlessly (or fearfully) competent (a phrase I made up to imply “less” that absolute mastery) in each of these actions, but there are skills in using the many tools that perform those functions.