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Note: Before attaching the heel cap, set the neck into
the body and mark the heel of the neck where the back
binding meets the sides, then trim the heel to this height
(pictured) . Trim the heel cap from the pre-cut ivoroid piece
provided . Attach the heel cap trim to the flat bottom of the
heel with Bind-ALL, and let it dry thoroughly .
Carefully and gently file and sand the material flush to the
wood, and avoid tearing it loose . Now continue final-shaping
the heel with your half-round file and sandpapers . The neck
should be final-sanded to 220-grit .
Fitting the heel cap
Ideally, the neck block has remained square to the side as-
sembly . The neck will meet the top at a subtle 1-1/2° angle .
When they are square, a minimum of hand-fitting is needed
to get the proper neck set (the angle of the neck/body joint) .
However, it’s not uncommon to find that some adjustment
is needed in setting the neck . Use the following information
to adjust the angle of the neck in any direction .
Understanding the neck joint
The measurement we want is X — the amount of
wood to remove from the heel to change the neck
angle so that a straightedge laid on the frets will be
flush with the top of the bridge .
A = How far the straightedge falls below the top of
the bridge . In this example: 1/8" ( .125") .
B = The heel length from the fretboard bottom to
the heel cap . In this example: 3-5/32" (3 .156") .
C = The distance from the neck/body joint to the
saddle . In this example, that’s at the 14th fret, and
C = 11-5/16" (11 .312") .
X = A x B ÷ C
In this case, those numbers are .125" x 3 .156" ÷
11 .312" = .035" . So in our example X = .035" which
is between 1/32" and 3/64" . This is the amount to
remove at the bottom of the heel .
Here’s the way to determine how much wood must
be removed from the cheeks for the correct neck
angle at the bridge . Always remove wood gradually
and check your progress frequently . A little adjust-
ment goes a long way! Our example measurements
below are based on the scale length of this guitar:
25 .4 inches .
KIT TIP: Understanding neck angle geometry
3.156"
.042"
11.312"
Straightedge
.125"
B
X
A
C
The neck joint is a mortise-and-tenon joint . The tenon is
the precision-cut extension on the end of the neck, and the
mortise is the neck block recess which fits it . A dovetail joint
is glued together using a tenon with angled sides .
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