One piece headstock

Setup, repair and restoration of Rickenbacker Instruments

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me_and_i

One piece headstock

Post by me_and_i »

ok here's a weird question for most of you{I think ;-)}.
I got a 325v59 (my all time favorite) and unlike my other guitars the headstock/neck is out of one piece (not a reversed part of the neck or seperate part.) and I always thought that a glued headstock is stronger because the woodgrain took the reversed way and so it could stand the string tension much better.
Also the headstock isn't set in a that great angle to break the string tension unlike by my glued ones.
Now I was wondering what is the best for using in a guitar; is it sronger out of one piece or out of 2 pieces.
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wim
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Post by wim »

I've got a washburn Eagle with a 1 piece neck (it's actually 5 piece lengthwise) that split starting at the trussrod cavity following the grain down the neck. Nothing irreparable.
The headstock was carved to an angle similar of a Les Paul headstock.
I'd say if one piece is used don't use a great angle, it'll be weaker. No matter the wood was quarter or flat sawn.
See Fender and Rickenbacker.
If you want a 15° angle or more use two pieces.
In any way, the weak point will be the trussrod cavity, which can only be avoided by making it at the body side. Townshend-proof that is.

btw: is your name Dutch?
Be warned! Some here think we still wear 'wooden shoes' (klompen) ;-)
dave4004
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Post by dave4004 »

What you're talking about is a scarf joint headstock. Yes, a lot of builders believe it's better. Others disagree. Rickenbacker and Gibson have certainly made hundreds of thousands of guitars without scarf joints, and most of them have survived without a problem.

Gibsons are more prone to breakage because the angle is usually 17 dgrees, the wood is mahogany, and the truss rod cavity is pretty large at the weakest point. Still, most Gibsons out there are unbroken. Rics being maple and using a much shallower angle have very little problem.
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johnhall
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Post by johnhall »

The only reason for a scarfed joint is to save wood, certainly not for strength. Obviously a much larger neck blank is required to make a neck from solid wood. To use such a larger piece of, say, an expensive exotic wood like Koa or Pau Ferro adds considerably to the price of a guitar.

That's not to say there's anything particularly wrong with a glued up neck- there's plenty of guitars out there to prove it's a satisfactory way to make guitars.
me_and_i

Post by me_and_i »

Hoi wim,

je had gelijk wat mijn naam betreft, maar ik ben wel geen Nederlandse maar een Belgische DUS dat van die klompen geldt niet voormij ;-)
Dus als ik het goed begrijp kan ik als ik de nek uit 1 stuk maak de stelschroef maar beter in de hiel zetten.
Bedankt.
For all the others sorry for this post in dutch from now on I will type further in English.
Oh yeah I would like to say:" no wooden shoes for me just Belgium chocolats ;-)" Keep in mind that PLEASE.
Thanks for your input.
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