I like a challenge now and again. A young lad has built this body but needs a little help getting the neck and bridge lined up properly.  It only takes a millimetre out at the neck and the strings’ll never sit properly.  It’s also vital that the bridge is in exactly the right place or it’ll be impossible to get the intonation right.

The neck pocket is too small for the neck, which is good, working out where I need to remove wood to make it fit is a little more complicated though.  It’s so much easier to buy a ready made body which has been cut on a CNC machine!

Likewise the bridge, has to be in exactly the right place.

The problem was where to start.  Although it’s been neatly carved there wasn’t a single datum to start from.  So I stated from the top edge of he neck pocket and worked form there to establish a centreline.

The neck pocket was also way too long so that’ll need cutting down first.

It was difficult to work out exactly where the strings would fall using a long steel rule…

so I made a cardboard template which follows the natural line of the neck….

using that, lined up on the centreline, I could see exactly where the outsides of the neck pocket need to be

Just about there……

With the bridge assembly lined up on the centreline I can see where I need to extend the pocket for that.

about that much….

There’s also the question of how far up and down the line of the strings does it have to go?

The scale length’s a little longer than standard Gibson but closer to that than Fender.

If the neck sits at the end of the pocket where will the intonation line be?……

Answer, about there.  I don’t really want to move the neck further back so I’ll have to move the bride a little.

Having planned it out now I need to start cutting wood.  Starting with a lump off the end of that neck pocket.

then the outside edges, to flare the body into the neck.  I took a fair lump off with the router, for speed, but I’m not well enough practiced at that so I finished it off my hand..

It’ll still need a little bit of finishing but the basic shape’s about right.

A little bit of work with a sharp chisel and the neck now fits the pocket.

With the neck in place I double checked the intonation line.

I needed to gently extend the rebate for the bridge assembly….

but at least it all lines up on my centreline.  The 2 cotton threads are in place of the two “E” strings.

Next, the position of the holes for the tremolo posts.

Just there.

That’s it so far…

Quite a bit of work still needed but it’s off to a good start.