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You are here: Home / Building A Monarch / Building a Monarch: The Neck

Building a Monarch: The Neck

Guitar construction can be divided into to major sections: The body and the neck. Neck construction begins with gluing up a blank. Although some guitar necks are made from one solid piece of wood, many builders make necks using a laminated blank. This adds visual appeal to the neck as well as making it stronger and more resistant to warping. One or two laminations of contrasting wood are used. The Monarch neck is made from a blank that has two Maple stringers. The neck is bandsawn from the blank and the fretboard is made and glued on. The peghead is shaped, tuner holes are drilled, and the neck profile is carved and shaped. Finally, the neck is set to the body, leveled, and fretted. See all of what goes into making a Monarch neck in the gallery below.

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The Importance of a Good Setup, Part Three

In the first two parts of this article, we have looked at basic setup services, which include setting the neck relief and string action, as well as new string installation and other basic adjustments. We have also discussed some improvements and … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Final Assembly

It is now time to assemble the guitar, dress the frets, install the bridge and pins, fit and install the tuners, make the nut and saddle, and set the final action. A pickguard is usually installed and the completed instrument is polishes and strung … [Read More...]

The Importance of a Good Setup, Part Two

In the first part of this article, I discussed the elements of a basic setup. These include checking the neck relief and the action at the first and twelfth frets, as well as installing new strings and performing a few other basic adjustments. In … [Read More...]

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