Beefy Bryn Flat-top

Mmmm... I work with 10 - 11 mm saddle height above the soundboard - but then that's me

Excellent! That is, after all, pretty much where an adjustable truss rod has the most effect, and is where we tend to measure relief......

Keith

(...don't stop posting these digressions - they are really interesting!)

Pretty much my point much earlier in the conversation (not that I haven't found this interesting): that's what the truss rod does.

Kym

PS. I think 1.5 mm is a very large figure for the maximum vibration out of 'horizontal', unless you are slapping.

Yes, you are right.  The thing is, I didn't know you were right and I don't know you well enough to know whether you would be right or not!   Now I've convinced myself that you are right and it's not purely anecdotal any more.  I have, however, picked up the idea from most of the makers who talk sense that you would always hope to produce a neck which, initially at least, doesn't need tweaking with a truss-rod;  judicious shaving of the fretboard together with the pull of the strings should be capable of putting sufficient relief in the right place.

1.5mm may be an over-estimation but I had to pick a number out of the air and was more interested in locations than in dimensions.  And whatever francis thinks, I am not an old slapper.

Thanks for your contributions, Kym, Keith, Dave, Francis and Mel;  it helps to know people are interested.

I've been to Birmingham and Nottingham over the last couple of days to check out campuses and courses and that means very early starts and very knackered returns so I've not been doing an awful lot of building. Before I went, however, I put together a little demonstration of how important it is to be tidy and organised:



Not at all - so long as you can be bothered to tidy up afterwards, which probably takes three times as long:



Here I have glued in place the line of maple which shows at the back of the guitar.  It's stuck with hot hide glue.  It already makes the nasty bits look a bit tidier:





These "lines" are cut from 1.5mm maple veneer so have to be bent to shape before fitting and here is the one prepared to adorn the side channel:



Finally, the line of maple and strip of sapele go in (at the same time) to finish off the back corner of the box:



I still haven't had time to tidy it up to make it look splendid so you'll have to imagine that for now.

Rather more alarming is what you can feel when you run your fingers across the soundboard beyond the bridge.  Sensitive things fingers;  it took quite a lot of adjustment to get a photo lit well enough to show you the problem.  Somehow I don't think this design is going to last a hundred years:



I'd better get it finished quick;  I might never get to hear it at this rate!

I don't have enough experience with different guitars to express a sensible preference. My early cheapo acoustics either had necks like baseball bats (for stability in mass production?) or toothpicks (to feel like fast electric guitar necks?). both of these are unpleasant and tiring to use for any length of time for acoustic fingerstyle.

I found myself adjusting easily to the standard neck shapes on the decent guitars I have now. I'd say they are 'U' shaped, with only a slight increase in depth approaching the body join.

My Martin and the two custom built guitars all have the 'stiletto' type old fashioned neck heel, and this is comfortable enough when getting up the dusty end to the cutaway.

On players' forums you often see people complaining about 'V' shaped necks and talking about returning such guitars, although some really like them and deliberately seek them out. I would suggest that the 'V' neck is quite divisive and probably doesn't appeal to the majority of players.

Kym

The depth of the U seems critical.
My Santa Cruz OM and Martin j40 have similar neck width and string dimensions but the OM feels narrower - a thinner neck I guess. I prefer the J40. My Adrian Lucas neck is nigh on perfect - I guess he might share some tips.