Body and Neck Blanks - ideal sizes

shuie · Feb 12, 2006

LP Neck

How big of a neck blank would be needed for a traditional LP neck with the correct long tenon?

Same question as above, but for a three piece neck?

LP Body

How big of a body blank would be needed for a regular mahogany backed LP that was going to have a maple top?

Same question, but for a solid 1 piece body with a carved top that matched the dimensions of the regular body with maple cap?

If you want to add dimensions for blanks necessary to build things like Vs and Explorer's, please fee free to do so.

TIA

NHMorgan · Feb 12, 2006

I just finished building my first LP, for a body blank you need at least 1 3/4 thick of mahogany at least 14x18". Most blanks will be 2" thick and the easiest way to plane it if you dont have a big shop is to set up a thickness planning jig for your router. The maple cap needs to be at least 5/8 thick. For the neck I like using the 3x3x30 quartersawn blanks as you can get 2 necks out of it (and sometimes they send it a little wider than 3" and you can get away with not having to glue on the headstock wings).

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 12, 2006

cibai said:
I just finished building my first LP, for a body blank you need at least 1 3/4 thick of mahogany at least 14x18". Most blanks will be 2" thick and the easiest way to plane it if you dont have a big shop is to set up a thickness planning jig for your router. The maple cap needs to be at least 5/8 thick. For the neck I like using the 3x3x30 quartersawn blanks as you can get 2 necks out of it (and sometimes they send it a little wider than 3" and you can get away with not having to glue on the headstock wings).

Headstock wings are important to strengthen the headstock from grain run out.. more or less without them your neck headstock is weak & more likely to break due to the grain

NHMorgan · Feb 13, 2006

hmm interesting flick, I always figured that the wings were just there because it wasted less wood and required a smaller (and cheaper) neck blank. Explain though, because isnt the headstock going to break below where the wings start?

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 13, 2006

If wood is quarter sawn the grain run out would be really short due to the neck being angled looking at it from a side view ( almost front to back of headstock {very easy break point }, the ears grain runs from nut to top of headstock to improve strength)

The more rigid a headstock & neck can be the less energy that is lost dramatically improving tone & sustain , much improvements can be made here

erikbojerik · Feb 14, 2006

Also a good reason to go with a real ebony veneer instead of fiber.

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 14, 2006

erikbojerik said:
Also a good reason to go with a real ebony veneer instead of fiber.

Gibson uses holy veneer , ebony veneer does not age well tends to crack ala many vintage banjos

NHMorgan · Feb 14, 2006

bear with my newbieness, but wouldn't grain run-out be more of a concern on flat-sawn neck woods? The vintage LP neck has more wood at the back of the neck at the angle, so I would think there would be sufficient support for the grain run-out to not be an issue?? Maybe I misunderstand grain run-out. I would also think that the veneer is too thin to make any difference either?

NewOldCokeDave · Feb 14, 2006

Hey Nick,
you get my email??

Sorry for the off topic interrupt..

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 14, 2006

cibai said:
bear with my newbieness, but wouldn't grain run-out be more of a concern on flat-sawn neck woods? The vintage LP neck has more wood at the back of the neck at the angle, so I would think there would be sufficient support for the grain run-out to not be an issue?? Maybe I misunderstand grain run-out. I would also think that the veneer is too thin to make any difference either?

the grain runs the thickness of the neck heading towards the nut just past the truss adjustment (thus the quarter sawn neck fret board down is very strong ),anything beyond that has very short grain run out & is why you see many les pauls with broken necks & very few Strats broken

mnbaseball91 · Feb 14, 2006

But that's not an issue with scarf joint headstocks, right? The grain runout, that is.

NHMorgan · Feb 14, 2006

Check yo mail!

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 15, 2006

mnbaseball91 said:
But that's not an issue with scarf joint headstocks, right? The grain runout, that is.

correct

FLICKOFLASH · Feb 15, 2006

FLICKOFLASH said:
the grain runs the thickness of the neck heading towards the nut just past the truss adjustment (thus the quarter sawn neck fret board down is very strong ),anything beyond that has very short grain run out & is why you see many les pauls with broken necks & very few Strats broken

weak point right before wings & truss route

PunkRawkGuy · Apr 30, 2006

The reason you don't see broken Strat necks is because they're hard rock maple. LP necks are very soft mahogany. I say that as someone that cuts maple and mahogany on a weekly basis. With any type of saw, mahogany cuts like butter, whereas maple is very dense and hard to deal with. I've spent 30 minutes with a handsaw trying cut through a block of maple, where as a minute is all it'd take to cut right through the same size of mahogany.

Scott Lentz · May 1, 2006

Having the neck blank parallel was essential to the building process, the truss rod slot, the perimenter and the back carve profile were all done with the neck parallel.The ears would then be added and the headstock shaped out at this time, then thicknessed to the proper thickness.

Stevedenver · May 2, 2006

FWIW

according to the diagrams in BOTB, the grain run out on the originals was parallel to the headstock NOT to the neck-

this supposedly put the longer wood grain at the weakest section of the neck and opposite the pull of the strings

Bill Hicklin · May 3, 2006

That would give you constant runout the length of the neck shaft

shuie · May 3, 2006

What effect does a quartersawn blank have on this? Ive been buying wood as I read and learn more and the 3x3x30 neck blanks that Ive bought are all quartersawn.

shuie · May 3, 2006

Also, what about V lumber? I tried to take some quick measurements from my Hamer and it looks like I would need two boards that were 10x22 in order to get the grain aligned in a correct chevron. Does that sound about right? How thick should the rough lumber be for a '58 Gibson replica? 1.5"? I know my Hamer is way too thick.

TIA

Body and Neck Blanks - ideal sizes

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