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15
Fitting the neck joint
When you dry-fitted the neck, if it needed to be shifted left
or right for centering, the neck joint needs to be adjusted .
Or, you may find a gap between the neck and the body .
This can be caused by any number of things, and it’s not
hard to correct .
The gap in the photo above can be fixed by removing wood
from the heel of the neck . Because the gap is toward the
fretboard, wood needs to be removed from the bottom of
the heel . If the gap were ran the opposite way, wood would
be removed from the top of the heel .
If the neck leans to the left or right, wood needs to be re-
moved from the opposite side of the neck heel .
Remove wood by strip-sanding with 80-Grit sandpaper . Cut
a strip of paper to fit under the area you’re sanding, and slide
Small spring clamps through the soundhole can grip the
fretboard to keep the neck in its corrected position while
you center the neck .
Tape off the bridge area
Pencil a centerline on the front edge of the uke bridge, and
line the bridge up against the tape that marks your measure-
ment . With the bridge centered and square to the centerline,
place masking tape around all four edges .
Remove the bridge, and you’ve a framed the bridge’s “foot-
print” with masking tape . Cut more tape to exactly fill the
inside of this frame . Remove the outer tape . After you’ve
applied the finish, this taped-off bridge area will be left
unfinished for good adhesion when you glue the bridge .
Tape off the fretboard area
Put tape around the fretboard extension to create a “frame”
around this area also . Before you place tape inside the frame,
consider whether your neck joint needs to be adjusted .
Bridge surrounded with tape
Taping off the bridge area
to prepare for finishing
Bridge area taped off
Fretboard taped
If the
neck leans
this way,
remove
wood here
If the
neck leans
this way,
remove
wood here
Remove
wood here
Remove
wood here
Gap
Gap
Summary of Contents for ukulele kit
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