IV kit- neck set

[otterly2k]

OK-- So I'm making progress on my IV kit... and it came time to attach the neck to the body. #The notch wasn't cut out big enough for the neck to seat properly, so I slowly and carefully removed wood until it seated... There was very little info in the book about how to check the neck angle or test to make sure the neck was in just the right place. #I did the best I could... mocking it up with the bridge and running a string between the nut and the bridge to check the angle, etc. #Then I put it together with wood glue.

Now it's dry and looking at it, sighting down the neck, I can see that it is slightly askew-- that is the fretboard isn't quite flat relative to the body... the treble side is a tad higher than the bass side.

Do I need to re-set this (if so how)?? Or can I adjust for this by adjusting the bridge to keep the plane of the strings at appropriate position relative to the plane of the fingerboard??

Let me add that this is a learning experiment, and I am only expecting a beater out of this...

Any thoughts???
KE

[Chris Baird]

Karen, There are actually some builders who intentionally build the treble side a bit higher because the bass side strings usually need a bit higher action. I think you will be fine as long as the skew is only slight. I think I read about the intentional skewing in John Troughton's book.

[sunburst]

Agreed. If there's going to be a skew, you got it right.

BTW, violins are normally done that way, but with the bass side higher, so that the player doesn't have to reach around as far to play as he/she would with the fingerboard "level".

[fatt-dad]

It's nice to listen in to these threads. I will have to do the same as my neck joint is too snug. For the matter at hand, I'll offer the following: Thank God for thumb screws!

f-d

[Bill Halsey]

Agree with Mandoplyr. Should be fine if your neck points straight South; a little lift on the E side will make the bridge come out level. Plenty of old snosbiG like this (they're all over the map).

Cellos with broad center bouts are sometimes set up like this, for bow clearance when playing on the A string.

Thankfully, the reverse violin setup (low E) seems to be losing favor, with a tendency back to dead level. This affectation appears to have started at least partly in the Weisshaar shop, and was disseminated via their otherwise excellent repair manual published about 18 years ago.

[RJinRI]

Guess i didnt do it right !; the bass side of my IV kit ended up just a tad higher; however, unless i mention it, no one notices, and players much better than I think the kit plays & sounds great.
It's amazing how the dry, trial fits fit so well, and i "assumed" when gluing all would be well...next time i'll "check it" before glue sets up...live & learn

[Bill Halsey]

Probably no great deal. Of course, if desired, either tilt can be corrected with a shim, and/or planing before the board goes on.

[otterly2k]

Bill--
the thing about the IV kits is that the fretboard is ALREADY on (and fretted and bound), so that's not an easy fix in this case. All there is to do with the neck is set it and possibly reshape/inlay the headstock.

RJ--I had the same thing happen. I think I looked at it from every angle EXCEPT sighting down the neck... so when I saw the skew, I had a Homer Simpson "DOH!!" reaction.

It is very helpful to have the reassurance of esteemed luthiers here that this is not unusual, and not an unmanageable mistake. I think I'm going to go ahead and put the back on so that I can keep moving forward. But it has definitely taught me that setting the neck is a part of the process I could use more hands-on help with next time I go about this.

Thanks, all, for your help.
KE

[Bill Halsey]

Bill--
the thing about the IV kits is that the fretboard is ALREADY on (and fretted and bound), so that's not an easy fix in this case.
This is funny. I'm not up on the kits, and had taken this "IV" designation to mean "Four"... so, after Googling IV for a while, it finally struck me that this thing comes from our pals at Int'l Vn.

talk about a Homer moment... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif