Thinline archtop neck joint?

[Joe Lanza]

I recently picked up an unfinished laminate archtop body from the Guitarfetish clearance sale. I'm planning to replace the binding anyway, so I thought I would take the back off to see what is inside before I cut into the top for a pickup or two. It's about 16 1/2" wide, and the ribs are about 3 1/4" deep, so it's a pretty big box. I've been thinking that, while I have the back off, I might cut the ribs down to 2" or 2 1/2" and make it a thinline.

I'm assuming that the existing neck block is only an inch or so, and that it was intended for a standard dovetail neck joint. If I cut the ribs down to 2", will a standard dovetail still work? Or do I need more depth?

Does anyone have any experience with this? Or do you know how Gibson did for the Byrdland and other single cutaway thinlines?

Should I be thinking about extending the neck block and using a mortise and tenon like an ES-335?

[Barry Daniels]

Should I be thinking about extending the neck block and using a mortise and tenon like an ES-335?

Yes. A standard dovetail needs the height to resist rotation.

[Joe Lanza]

Thanks, Barry. How much height (body depth) do you think it would need for the dovetail to work?

[Barry Daniels]

3" would be the minimum that I would try .

[John Mueller]

Should I be thinking about extending the neck block and using a mortise and tenon like an ES-335?

No. The regular dovetail will work fine. Go to the archives library and search "thinline archtop" there are a number of very informative posts.

[Barry Daniels]

John, I searched the library for "thinline archtop" and found no regular dovetails. Have you made one like this?

[John Mueller]

Yes, in 2004 it it still straight and true. I use 11 flatwounds on it. At the time I was building it I ask Bill Moll about his thinline and he used a standard archtop heel.

[Barry Daniels]

Sounds good. Does your thin line have a fretboard extension glued to the top? That would provide a lot of stability and might make up for the shorter dovetail.

[Joe Lanza]

I browsed the library, but forgot I could search it. Beautiful guitars there by both Barry and John. As usual, it looks like there's more than one "right" (or wrong) way to do it. Thanks to both of you.

[Chris Mudd]

Hey Joe!!!
I just bought 2 of those bodies. 1 that is a full thickness arch top and 1 thinline.

Could you post pics of yours when you have the back off?

I would love to see what is inside!!

Chris

[John Mueller]

Barry,
I used the MIMF archtop plans and just reduced the width of the sides. Everything else was as in the plans. Look in Builder's Supplies and Services for the MIMF plans.

[Joe Lanza]

Chris- I can do that, but it could take a while. I'm still in the hare-brained scheming stage. Not sure when or if this year's guitar building season will start.

[Chris Mudd]

Thanks Joe,
I Understand "season". It is 40 degrees in my guitar shop right now.

Look forward to it if you think of it when you get there!

Good luck...

Chris