Rockler ACOUSTIC GUITAR KIT User manual

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page1

TMUNFINISHEDACOUSTICGUITARKIT
BroughttoyoubyRocklerWoodworkingandHardware
TableofContents
IntroductionandOverview.......................................................................................................................2
PartsList....................................................................................................................................................2
Tools..........................................................................................................................................................4
AssemblySteps.........................................................................................................................................4
1.DryFittheNeckJoint....................................................................................................................4
2.FineSandtheBodyandNeck........................................................................................................5
3.MasktheFretboardandSoundhole.............................................................................................5
4.StainandFinishtheNeckandBody(ApplyRosetteDecal)..........................................................7
5.GluetheNecktotheBody............................................................................................................7
6.InstalltheTuningMachines..........................................................................................................8
7.GluetheNutinPlace....................................................................................................................9
8.InstalltheBridge...........................................................................................................................9
9.InstalltheBridgePins..................................................................................................................12
10.InstalltheSaddle.....................................................................................................................12
11.InstalltheStrapButton...........................................................................................................13
12.OiltheFretboardandBridge..................................................................................................13
13.StringandTuneYourGuitar....................................................................................................14
AdvancedSteps.......................................................................................................................................14
1.FineTunetheNeckJoint.............................................................................................................14
2.FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth.....................................................................................15
Resources................................................................................................................................................16



©2014,
R

Intro
d
Welcome
inthiskit
finished
g
joiningth
Trytoke
e
theguita
r
Parts
R
ocklerWoo
d
d
uction
a
toyourAco
u
canbeasse
m
g
uitarwillha
v
ebodyatth
e
e
pyourwork
r
issetonth
e
Lis
t

d
workinga
n
a
ndOve
u
sticGuitarK
m
bledintoa
b
v
eanoverall
l
e
14
th
fret.Be
areaclearof
e
benchcane
n
dHardware
rvie
w

it.Withsom
e
b
eautifulguit
a
l
engthof41″
suretoread
unnecessar
y
asilyscratch
t

Guitar
b
single‐
p
topan
d

Guitar
n
(finger
b

Bridge
–

Saddle
symm
e
gluedi
n
directi
o

Bridge
e
careinwor
k
a
rthatwillp
r
.Itsshapeis
k
theinstructi
o
y
tools.Araz
o
t
hefinish.
b
ody–Made
p
lyABSplasti
d
backtothe
n
eck–Nato
w
b
oard)andsi
n
–
Madefrom
–Notethati
s
e
tric.Itisimp
o
n
tothebridg
e
o
n.
pins
k
manshipan
d
r
ovidehours
k
nownasad
o
nsthoroug
h
o
rknifeordri
frombassw
o
cbinding.(Bi
sides.)
w
oodwithro
n
gle‐plyABS
rosewood
s
acompens
a
o
rtantthati
n
e
thatitisgl
u
d
attentiont
o
ofenjoyable
readnought
w
h
lybeforesta
llbitsittingi
n
o
od(top,bac
ndingisthe
t
sewoodfret
b
binding.
a
tedsaddle.I
n
Step10wh
e
u
edfacingth
e
P
o
detail,the
p
playing.You
r
w
iththenec
k
rtingassemb
n
thewaywh
kandsides)
w
t
rimthatjoin
s
b
oard
tisnot
e
nthesaddle
e
correct
P
age2
p
arts
r

k

ly.
en
w
ith
s
the
is

©2014,
R

R
ocklerWoo
d
d
workinga
n
n
dHardware

Nut

Rosett
e

Chrom
e
therea
(thepa
mount
e

Guitar
S

Guitar
S
gauge
(

TrussR
rodins
i
thegui
t
tempe
r
guitar
n
trussr
o
tuning,
e
Decal–Thi
s
e
TuningMa
c
re3tuning
m
rtoftheguit
a
e
d)and3tun
S
trapButton
S
trings–The
r
(
diameter).
odWrench
–
i
detheguita
r
t
arassembly
,
r
ature,humi
d
n
ecktobow.
T
o
dadjustmen
forexample
)
s
isawaterd
e
c
hines,Ferrul
m
achinesfor
t
a
rneckwher
ingmachine
s
andFeltPad
r
eshouldbe
–
Thishexwr
e
r
neck.Truss
r
,
butissome
t
d
ity,orsting
t
T
russrodsar
tisn’tafreq
u
)
.
e
cal.
es,andScre
w
t
heleftside
o
ethetuning
s
fortherigh
t
6strings,ea
c
e
nchisusedt
r
odadjustm
e
t
imesnecess
a
t
ensionchan
g
efoundinm
o
u
entmainten
P
w
s–Notetha
o
ftheheadst
o
machinesar
e
t
.
c
hofadiffer
e
oadjustthe
t
e
ntisn’tpart
o
a
ryif
g
escauseth
e
o
stguitars,b
ancetask(li
k
P
age3
t
o
ck
e

e
nt
t
russ
o
f
e

ut
k
e

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page4

Tools
Analuminumstraightedge:18″–36″long
Painter’smaskingtape
Aguitarmat:Ascrapoffoamoroldcarpettoplacetheguitarontoprotectitwhileyou’re
workingonit.
Woodglue:Titebond®OriginalWoodglueisrecommended
Razorknife:X‐Acto®,forexample
Singleedgerazorbladewithhandle:Usedforscraping
Finishingsupplies:Stain(optional)orpaint(optional),clearcoat(recommended).Whattype
ofstainorpaintandclearcoatisthebuilder’spreference.
Sandpaper:100and220gritisrequired,320or400isoptional
Clamps:Atleastone24″ barclampfortheneck‐bodyjoint.Two12″ barclamps.Three
woodencamclampswithathroatdepthof41/2″–6″areoptional.
Roundneedlefile
Electricdrill(ordrillpress)anddrillbits:1/16″,5/64″,3/16″
Screwdriver(s):SeveralsmallPhillips
AssemblySteps
1. DryFittheNeckJoint
Thefirststepistocheckthefitofthenecktothebody.Theremaybesomeresidualglueand/or
sawdustleftinthejointremainingfromthemanufacturingprocess.Thisshouldberemovedsothatthe
jointiscleanandsmoothandtherearenogapsbetweentheneckandthebodywhenthetwoarefitted
together.Ensurethatall3dowelsareinplaceandfitsnugly.Notethatwhenassemblingtheneckand
thebody,thetrussrodthatisattachedtotheneckmustfitthroughtheslotcutinthetopofthebody.
SeeFigure1:NeckJoint.

Figure1:NeckJoint
Atthispointitisalsoagoodideatodoadryrunoftheclampsetupthatwillbeusedwhenthejointis
actuallyglued.Oneclampisneededtoapplypressurefromtheneckheeltothebodyandanother
clampisneededtoapplypressurefromthefretboardextensiontothesoundboard(thetopofthe
body).

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page5

SeeFigure2:NeckJointClamping.Youmayoptionallywanttocutv‐notchedwoodencaultohelp
provideagoodclampingsurfaceontheneckheel.Besuretouseapieceofscrapwoodandpaddingon
thebottomofthebodytodistributepressureandpreventscratches.
Fortheadvancedwoodworker,nowisalsoagoodtimetochecktheneckjointalignmentandmake
adjustmentsifneeded.ThisiscoveredintheAdvancedStepssectionoftheinstructions.Note:Neck
jointalignmentissetinthefactorytoareasonablestandard.Whileattemptingtoadjustitbyhandmay
resultinamoreprecisealignment,itmayalsoresultinapoorlyalignedorweakneckjointifnotdone
properly.
2. FineSandtheBodyandNeck
Inpreparationforapplyingafinish,sandallwoodenpartsoftheguitar.Mostpartsareprobablyready
for220or320gritsandpaper;someareasmightneedslightlycoursergritfirst.Sandingtofinergritis
personalpreference.Oncesandingiscomplete,cleanthewoodenpartsofallsandingresidueusinga
tackcloth,compressedair,orsomeothermethod.
3. MasktheFretboardandSoundhole
Mostguitarmakersapplyfinishtothebodyandtheneckseparately.Thisiseasierandresultsinabetter
finishthanmaskinglotsofbitsandpiecesandtryingtoapplyfinisharoundallthedifferentpartsofthe
guitar.However,theneckandbridgestillneedtobegluedtothebody.Sincegluebondsbesttowood,
theneckjointandtheareawherethebridgewillbegluedtothesoundboard(thetopoftheguitar)
needtobeconsidered.Throughmaskingorthroughremovaloffinishlaterintheassemblyprocess,
thoseareaswillbebarewoodbeforetheyareglued.
Neckheelclampingcaul
Figure2:NeckJointClamping

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page6

Fortheneck,theentirefretboard(fingerboard)mustbemasked.Itismadeofrosewoodwhichhasalot
ofnaturaloilinitandistypicallyleftunfinished.Neartheendoftheassemblyprocessitwillinsteadbe
protectedwithalightcoatofoil(see“OiltheFretboardandBridge”).Alsomasktheareasoftheneck
thatwillbegluedintheneckjoint(thefaceoftheneckheelandthebottomofthefretboardthatis
gluedtothetopofthesoundboard).
Forthebody,thereisnoneedtomaskthebridgelocation.Itsfinallocationcan’tbedeterminedexactly
untiltheneckisgluedinplace.Thefinishwillberemovedfromthebridgelocationbeforegluing(see
“InstalltheBridge”).Attheneckjoint,somemaskingmaybedone,orthefinishcanberemovedlater
beforetheneckjointisglued,dependingonthebuilder’spreference.However,ifstainorsomeother
typeoffinishthatisabsorbedintothewoodistobeused,theneckjointareamustbemasked.Oncethe
stainisabsorbedintothewooditcannotbescrapedawaywithoutremovingmuchofthewood,
damagingtheneckjointintheprocess.Tomasktheneckjointonthebody,applymaskingtapetothe
sideoftheguitarattheneckjoint,cuttingholesforthedowels.Thenattachtheneckandusearazor
knifetotrimthetapearoundtheneckheel.Becarefulnottocutthewoodontheheel.Thissame
proceduremaybefollowedfortheportionoftheneckjointonthesoundboard.Alternatively,an
approximateareacanbemaskedbasedonlinesleftfromthemanufacturingprocessor,ifonlyaclear
coatistobeusedonthesoundboard,itcanbeleftunmasked.

Besuretomasktheinsideoftheguitarbody.Theeasiestwaytodothisisbystuffingsomenewspaper
orbrownpackingpaperinsidethesoundhole.
Figure3:VariousExamplesofNeckJointMasking

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page7

4. StainandFinishtheNeckandBody(ApplyRosetteDecal)
Oncemaskingiscomplete,theneckandbodyarereadyforfinishing.Whattypeofstainandclearcoatis
appliedispersonalpreference.Actually,stainisoptional,butsometypeofclearcoat(lacquer,
polyurethane,acrylic/urethane)shouldbeappliedtothebodyandthebackofthenecktoprotectthe
wood.Asstatedearlier,thefretboardshouldbeleftunfinishedsinceitismadeofrosewood.Thebridge
shouldalsobeleftunfinishedforthisreason.
Therosettedecalmustbeappliedbeforethefinalclearcoatsareapplied.Itisokaytoapplyonecoatof
clearcoattotheguitarbodybeforeapplyingtherosette,butseveralcoatsshouldbeappliedafterward
toensurethatitisprotectedandsealedtotheguitar.
Toapplythedecal,soakitinabowlofwaterforapproximately20–30secondsuntilitstartstoslideoff
thebackingpaper.Slideitontotheguitarbodyaroundthesoundhole,peelingawaythepaperbacking.
Whileitiswetitshouldslidearoundontheguitarwithslightfingertippressure.Ifitstartstogetstuck
andneedstoberepositioned,dampenyourfingerinthebowlofwaterandwipeitaroundthesurface
ofthedecal.Useasponge,cloth,orpapertoweltosmooththedecal,removeanytrappedairbubbles
andremoveexcesswater.Allowthedecaltodryforseveralhoursbeforeapplyingthenextclearcoat.

Oncetheallcoatsoffinishhavedried,removethemaskingtape.
5. GluetheNecktotheBody
Beforetheneckcanbegluedtothebody,thejointhastobeprepared.Roughdryfittingwasdonein
Step1,butnowfinishhasbeenappliedtothebodyandneck.Thatfinishmustberemovedfromthe
neck‐bodyjointforproperglueadhesion(Note:Finishremovalonsomepartsofthejointmaynotbe
necessaryiftheyweremaskedpriortofinishing).Todothis,inserttheneckintothebody.Holdingthe
neckfirmlyinplace,useasharprazorknifetocarefullyscribealinearoundthefretboardwhereitrests
onthetopoftheguitarbody.Alsoscribealinearoundtheneckheelwhereitmeetsthesideofthe
Beforeremovingairbubblesand
wrinkles
Afterremovingairbubblesand
wrinkles
Figure4:ApplyingRosetteDecalduringClearCoat

©2014,
R

guitarbo
d
cuttheg
u
Oncethe
thatthe
p
insideth
e
thefinish
touseac
removet
h
scrapeth
e
willbeu
n
Nowthat
fretboard
tobothe
n
practiced
–72hou
r
6. Inst
a
Placethe
Iftheyar
e
totheto
p
Oncethe
tuningm
a
throught
machine
t
holes,m
a
protrude
R
ocklerWoo
d
d
y.Becarefu
l
u
itarbody.
linesarescri
b
p
artsjustout
s
e
scribelines.
offandthen
hemicalstri
p
h
esoftened
f
e
finish,taki
n
n
derthefret
b
thefinishis
r
meetsthet
o
n
dsofthe3
d
in“DryFitt
h
r
sfortheglu
e
a
lltheTu
n
sixferrulesi
n
e
loose,appl
y
p
rimoftheh
ferrulesarei
a
chines.Rem
hebackofth
t
hatneedpil
o
a
kesureallth
fromthehe
a
d
workinga
n
l
nottoscrap
b
ed,remove
s
idethescrib
Thereareat
usesome1
0
pertosofte
n
f
inish.Which
e
n
gcarenott
o
b
oardandth
e
r
emoved,ap
p
o
pofthebod
d
owels.Now
h
eNeckJoin
t
e
todryonth
n
ingMac
h
n
tothesixh
o
y
asmallam
o
ole.Thenins
e
nplace(and
ember,ther
e
eheadstock.
o
tholesdrill
e
etuningma
c
a
dstockata9
n
dHardware
ethesideof
theneck.Fir
s
elinesarep
r
leasttwoop
t
0
0gritsandp
a
n
whatevercl
e
e
vermethod
o
marthesur
r
e
neckheel.I
t
p
lyTitebond
w
yandtheba
c
attachthen
e
t
”.Removea
n
isjointbefor
e
h
ines
o
lesinthehe
a
o
untofTiteb
o
e
rttheferrul
Figure5:G
l
thegluehas
e
are3forth
e
Therewilln
o
e
dwitha1/1
6
c
hinesareali
g
0degreean
g
thefretboar
d
s
t,usingmas
r
otected.No
w
t
ionsfordoi
n
a
pertosmoo
t
e
arcoatwas
isused,bec
a
r
oundingare
a
t
’soktoleav
e
w
oodglueto
c
kofthenec
k
e
cktothebo
d
n
yexcessglu
e
e
proceeding
a
dstock.The
y
o
ndtothein
s
e.
l
uingFerrulesi
n
dried,ifnec
e
e
leftsidean
d
o
wbe2smal
l
6
″drillbit.W
g
nedandtha
t
g
le.
d
ortheneck
kingtape,m
a
w
thefinish
m
n
gthis.Onei
s
t
hthesurfac
e
used,thenu
s
a
refulnotto
s
a
.Youonly
w
e
~1/32″mar
g
theneckjoi
n
k
heelmeets
d
yandclam
p
e
fromthejo
tothenext
s
y
maypressf
i
s
idetopofth
e
n
Place
e
ssary),turnt
d
3fortherig
l
,Phillipshea
henmarking
t
thehandle
s
heelortole
t
a
skalongthe
m
ustberemo
v
s
tousearaz
o
e
afterwards.
s
esometype
s
crapetoom
w
anttoscrap
e
g
inaroundt
h
n
twherethe
thebody.Be
p
.Usethecla
m
intwithada
m
s
tep.
i
tortheyma
y
e
holeanda
v

heneckover
htside.Inse
r
dscrewsfor
e
thelocation
s
foreachtun
P
t
theknifesli
p
scribelines
s
v
edfromthe
o
rbladetos
c
Anotheropt
ofscrapert
o
uchwood–
o
e
thefinishth
h
eedges.
bottomofth
suretoappl
y
m
pingsetup
m
pcloth.Wa
y
bealittlel
o
v
erysmalla
m
andinsertt
h
r
tthetuning
p
e
achtuning
forthepilot
ingmachine
P
age8
p
and
s
o
area
c
rape
ionis
o

o
nly
at
e
y
glue
it24
o
ose.
m
ount
h
e
p
ost

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page9


Figure6:InstallingtheTuningMachines

7. GluetheNutinPlace
Using100‐gritsandpaper,lightlysandthenutwhereitwillbegluedtotheneck.Thiswillhelptheglue
adheretothenormallysmoothplastic.Becarefulnottosandareasthatwillbevisibleafterthenutis
installed.ApplyathincoatofTitebondgluetotheendofthefretboard,putthenutinplace,andclamp.
Onlyasmallamountofglueisrequiredheresincenomechanicalstressisputonthenut;theguitar
stringswillholditinplace.Notethatduetomanufacturingtolerances,thenutmaybeslightlywider
thantheneck.Ifthatisthecase,lookinAdvancedStep,FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth.

8. InstalltheBridge
Thescalelengthofthisguitar(thedistancefromthenuttothesaddle)is25‐1/2″.Thatmeasurementis
requiredforproperplacementofthebridgeontheguitarbody.Measure25‐1/2″fromtheedgeofthe
nut(or12‐3/4″fromthe12thfret,itwillbethesamepoint).Placeapieceofmaskingtapeacrossthe
guitarbodyatthispoint.Itiseasiertoputpenorpencilmarksontapethanonclearcoat.Nowlaya
straightedgealongthesideoftheguitarneckandmarkwherethestraightedgecrossesthetape.Dothe
sameontheothersideoftheneck.Centeredbetweenthosetwolines,and25‐1/2″fromthenut,isthe
Figure7:GluingtheNut inplace

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page10

pointatwhichthesaddleslotonthebridgemustbelocated.RefertothediagramsinFigure9:Bridge
PositionMeasurements,forclarificationofthebridgelocation.Also,measurethedistancefromthe
pointwheretheneckjoinsthebodytothefrontcornerofthebridge.Thisdistanceshouldbethesame
onbothsidesofthebridge.Continuemakingmarksonmaskingtapeuntilthebridgecanbeaccurately
placedintheproperlocation,perpendiculartotheneck.Itmightbehelpfultotransferthecenterpoint
ofthesaddletothefrontofthebridgeusingasquaresothatitcanbemoreeasilyalignedtomarkson
theguitarbody.SeeFigure8:BridgePositioning.


Bothlinesmustbe
equal
Centerofbridgeand
saddlearealignedto
centeroftheneck
Middleofsaddleslot
is24½″fromnutor
12¾”from12thfret
Figure9:BridgePositionMeasurements
Figure8:BridgePositioning

©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page11

Placethebridgeintheproperlocationandholditfirmlyinplacewithonehandandwhileusingthe
otherhandtoscribealineallaroundthebridgeusingarazorknife.Don’tletthebridgeslipwhiledoing
thisandbecarefulnottoaccidentallycutthebridge.Thepurposeofscribingthelineistomarkthearea
oftheguitartopwhereclearcoatmustberemovedsoagluebondcanbeachievedonthebridge‐body
joint.

Oncethelineisscribed,removethebridgeandpreparetoremovethefinishinsidethescribelinewhere
thebridgewillbeglued.Followtheprocessdescribedin“GluetheNecktotheBody”—mask,scrape,
sand.Oncethefinishisremoved,repositionthebridgeontheguitaranddoadryrunoftheclamp
setup.Ideally,2–3clampsshouldbeused,reachinginsidethebodytothebridgepatch—apieceof
woodinsidetheguitarbodydirectlybelowwherethebridgewillbelocated.Awoodencaulmightbe
neededbetweentheclampandthebridgepatchtoallowtheclampstoextendoverthebracinginside
thebody.Besuretousepaddingontopofthebridgetopreventtheclampsfromdamagingthebridge.
Ifclampsarenotavailablethatwillreachinsidetheguitarsoundholetothebridge,anotheroption
mightbetousesomethingstiff,likeawoodenstraightedgeorapieceofwood.Laythestraightedgeor
woodacrossthebridgeandthenclampittothesidesoftheguitar.Again,usepaddingtoprevent
damagetothebridgeandguitarbody.Justbecarefulnottoapplysomuchpressurethatthetopofthe
guitarisdeformed.
Onceyou’rehappywithyourclampingsetup,removetheclampsandlightlysandthebottomofthe
bridgewith100‐gritsandpapertohelptheglueadhere.NowgluethebridgetothebodywithTitebond
usingthesameclampsetupaspracticedearlier.Useadampclothtowipeawayanyexcessglue.Ifthere
isalotofglueexcessglueitmaybedifficulttoseethescribelinemarkingthebridgelocation.Afew
Figure10:PreparingandClampingtheBridgetotheBody

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piecesofbluemaskingtapeplacedontheoutsideofthescribelinemightmakeiteasiertoseeduring
theclampingprocess.Theycanberemovedaftertheclampsareset,beforethegluedries.
Allowthegluetodryforatleast24hours.
9. InstalltheBridgePins
Oncetheglueforthesaddlehasdried,itistimetoinstallthebridgepins.Usea3/16″drillbittodrilla
holethroughthebridge,allthewaythroughthetopoftheguitar,ateachofthelocationsalready
markedinthetopofthebridge.Besuretodrilltheholeperpendiculartotheguitarbody.Afterdrilling,
thebridgepinswon’tfitintheholes.That’sbecausetheholesmustbetaperedtomatchtheshapeof
thebridgepins.Normally,aguitarluthierwoulduseaspecialtoolcalledbridgepinreamerforthistask.
Amorecommonlyavailableandlessexpensivetoolisaroundneedlefile.Usetheneedlefiletoslowly
enlargethetopofthebridgepinholes,taperingthemtowardthebottom.Keepcheckingthefitofthe
bridgepins.Thebridgepinsshouldfitjustsnuglyandtheyshouldn’tbetooloose.

Figure11:TaperingaBridgePinHole
10. InstalltheSaddle
Lightlysandthebottomofthesaddlewith100‐gritsandpaper.Applyasmallbeadofgluetothebottom
ofthesaddleandplaceitintheslotinthebridge.Becarefulnottogetanyexcessglueonthebridge
andmakesurethebridgeisinsertedintotheslotfacingtherightdirection(seeFigure12:Saddle
Installation,forproperorientation).Lightlyclamp,oratleasttape,thesaddleinplaceuntilthegluehas
dried.Makesurethesaddleiscenteredinsidetheslotinthebridge.Ifthereisanyplayintheslot,front
toback,itisbettertohavethesaddlecontactingthefrontofthebridge,facingthesoundhole.The
stringswillforceitinthisdirection.

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Figure12:SaddleInstallation
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11. InstalltheStrapButton
Witha5/64″drillbit,drillaholeintheendoftheguitar,inthemiddle.Alternatively,a1/16″bitand
slightlyexpandingtheholewillprobablywork.Afterdrillingthehole,screwthestrapbuttonontothe
guitarbody.Besurethefeltbuttonisinplacetoprotecttheguitarfinish.
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Figure13:StrapButtonInstallation
12. OiltheFretboardandBridge
Useclothwithasmallamountoflinseedormineraloiltoprotecttherosewoodfingerboard.Besureto
thoroughlycleananyexcessoiloffofthefrets,nut,andsidesoftheneck.Dothesametothebridge
(withthebridgepinsremoved).Commercialfretboardoilsarealsoavailableatguitarshopsorluthier
supplyoutlets.

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Figure14:Onlythe3rdand4thFretsOiledforComparison
13. StringandTuneYourGuitar
Therearemanywaystostringandtuneaguitar.Thissetofinstructionswon’tofferaparticularmethod,
buttheResourcessectionoffersseverallinksontheInternetthatdescribethestringingprocess.There
arealsoreferencesfortuningtheguitar.Electronictunersareavailableatmusicstoresoronline
retailersorevenassmartphoneapplications(alsolistedintheResourcessection).
AdvancedSteps
1. FineTunetheNeckJoint
Whiletheneckisattachedtothebody,itisagoodtimetochecktheneckjointalignment.Theneck
shouldbeperpendiculartothebody(sidetoside)andthefretboardneedstohaveaveryslightangle.
Theseareascanbecheckedwithastraightedgeoracarpenter’ssquare.Ideallythesemeasurements
shouldbedonewiththeneckclampedtothebody.Inthefollowingfigures,notethattheclampshave
beenremovedinthepicturesforclarity.
Checkthattheneckisperpendiculartothebodybymeasuringthedistancefromtheendofthe
fretboardtothesideoftheguitarbody.Repeatonboththeleftandrightsidesoftheneck.Bothsides
shouldbeapproximatelythesamedistance.SeeFigure15:CheckingtheNeckisPerpendicular

Figure15:CheckingtheNeckisPerpendicular

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Checktheneckanglebylayinga24″straightedgealongthemiddleofthefretsonthefretboard.Align
the12¾″markonthestraightedgewiththe12thfret(theonewith2dots).(Note:12¾″isusedbecause
thescalelength,thedistancefromthenuttothesaddle,willbe25½″.The12thfretisexactly½the
scalelength.Sincewehaven’tgluedthenuttotheneckyet,wecanapproximatethebridgepositionby
measuringfromthe12thfret.)Undertheendofthestraightedge,placethebridge,centeringlefttoright
andaligningtheendofstraightedgeovertheslotwherethesaddlewillgo.Thestraightedgeshouldjust
clearthetopofthebridge.SeeFigure16:CheckingtheNeckAngle.Ifitdipsbelowthetopofthebridge
orismorethan1/8″abovethetopofthebridge,adjustmentsmayneedtobemadetotheneckheel.

Tomakeadjustments,useasharpchisel,afile,oracardscrapertoremovematerialfromthe
appropriatesideoftheneckheeltogetthenecktoraiseorlowerasdesired(ormoveleftorright).Itis
criticalthatthefaceoftheneckheelthatmeetsthebodyremainflat.Ifitdoesnot,theneck‐bodyjoint
willnotbeasstrongaspossible.
2. FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth
Ifthenutiswiderthantheneckitispossibletofiletheendsofthenutsothatitisthesamewidthas
theneck.Itisbesttodothisbeforethenutisgluedinplacesothattheneckisn’tscratchedbythefilein
theprocess.Filebothsidesequallysothatthestringsdon’tendupoffcenterontheneck.Onlyfilea
littleatatimesothatthenutdoesn’tendupnarrowerthantheneck.

Figure16:CheckingtheNeckAngle
Checkgaphere
12¾″at12thfret

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Resources
AcousticRe‐StringingTutorial(video):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5DaSHIID‐sor
http://youtu.be/d5DaSHIID‐s
ChangingSteelStrings(PDF):http://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files/Steel_Restring.pdf
GuitarTuna(guitartunersmartphoneapp):http://ovelin.com/guitartuna/
HowtoTuneaGuitar(webpage):http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/