MIMF

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?

Joe Lanza wrote: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.

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

3" would be the minimum that I would try .

Joe Lanza wrote: 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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