Bolt-on, set-neck or neck-thru? This question has been kicked around and debated for about as long as the electric guitar has existed. Each has benefits and drawbacks. Since i don’t favour one method of assembly over another, i will likely be using whichever method is most appropriate or suits my desire or needs at any particular time.

In these early stages of building, i’ve opted to go for a bolt-on design, for a few reasons. First, the bolt-on design gives maximum versatility. I’m building guitars with very different body and neck woods. They’ll all have the same scale length, bolt pattern and neck pocket, so they’ll be easily interchangeable, so i can experiment with how different neck woods and body woods interact. Second, if anything goes catastrophically wrong at any point in the build, i’ve only lost a body or a neck. With a set-neck or neck-thru, i’d have to trash the whole instrument. I’d rather not do that.

But i won’t be using just any old bolt-on design. The classic Fender “bolt-on” is actually mis-named. The necks are actually screwed on. Bolts are usually threaded to receive a nut. Most “bolt-on” necks just use big wood screws and a metal plate (or recessed metal grommets). Not a bad design, but its strength is limited by thin threads biting into wood. Repeated neck removals weaken the joint every single time.

Here’s how we’re building our bolt-on necks:

Just a few minor updates for those of you who care (or even notice)…

There’s a new sharing widget that appears at the bottom of each post, making it easier for you to share posts on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, email, etc.

We’re also working on enabling a link between this blog and our Facebook page (and possibly Twitter), so updates should be posted there when a page here is published.

The permalinking structure has also been changed to allow quick access to guitar histories by serial number. Basically, you go to decibelguitars.com/[serial] and you’ll get straight to your guitar’s build history. Cool, huh? Here’s an example:

decibelguitars.com/proto1

Hopefully this will also enable us to track ownership and act as a resource should the instrument become lost or stolen.

Every once in a while, we want to acknowledge the suppliers with whom we’ve built (or are building) great relationships with. We’d be nothing without all of the individuals and companies who provide us with the products, services, parts and raw materials we need to do what we do.

Today’s supplier shout-out is to Guy Hilliard at Sawdust & Noise. They’re a small shop with laser-cutting, laser-engraving and CNC capabilities. I first learned of Sawdust & Noise through a luthier event hosted by the Golden Triangle Luthier’s Group at A&M Wood Specialty out in Cambridge a few years ago. There was this tiny, laser-cut acrylic Strat “business card” for Sawdust & Noise in the package we got from A&M, and i was very impressed.

As we started tooling up for building, i knew a set of accurate laser-cut routing templates would be the way to go, and i knew Sawdust & Noise could deliver. And they did. I’ve got a full set of headstock, neck, fretboard, neck pocket, body and control cavity templates just waiting to be used, and more will be coming soon.

Guy also gave me this as a little bonus…

… my own version of the “business card” that put me in touch with him in the first place. The precision and detail are incredible. He can produce items like this as promotional giveaways, but the range of what he can do is pretty much limitless.

If you need anything laser-cut or CNC’d, give Guy a call… he’s a pleasure to deal with, his rates are very reasonable, and the quality is top-notch. We’re looking forward to sending more business his way!

I just thought i’d write a bit on where we are in the prototype phase, since it’s been a few weeks.

First of all, the “we” is myself, darren wilson, and my partner Brian Bowes. Brian’s been building over the last six years, honing his skills and absorbing every bit of knowledge he can get. He’s great on the tools and is as uncompromising with his builds as i am with the design. He’s also a good and patient teacher, helping me to get my skill and confidence on the tools up to workable level quickly. I’ve been focused more on the design side of things, and taking more of a “book” approach to the practical side of things… learning by intensely reading and observing. Our complimentary skill sets collided a little over a year ago, so it’s exciting to see the collaboration starting to bear fruit.

Overall, things are moving along nicely. It’s a good thing i’m a very patient person, because this guitar-building business moves at its own pace, and it’s not something that can be rushed. Go too fast or cut corners, and you’ve got expensive firewood. Thankfully, i’ve been building these guitars in my head over and over as i’ve been designing them for the last 20 years or so… While i’m anxious to have them see the light of day, i’m even more anxious to not screw them up. So i’m taking my time, and being very methodical.

On to the update… Read more

We’re still working out the kinks in our blogging platform, so this is a placeholder post for now… stay tuned for more content.

Read more

Read more