NECK

NECK DESIGN

Our necks are carefully designed to be strong and stable. We use three laminations of rock maple in our necks this gives a much more stable neck than a one piece neck, as if a one of these pieces of wood should decide that it wants to move it is held in place by the other two laminates. The three laminations are also quarter sawn, meaning the grain of the wood runs at 90 degrees to the face of the fret board. Timber is nearly twice as strong in the quarter sawn direction than it is in the flat sawn direction and therefore much more able to resist the forces of string pull.

We use what is known as a ‘true bolt-on neck’ system to attach the necks to the body. Most bolt on necks simply use screws going straight into the guitars neck this can cause problems, as if the neck has to be removed several times in it’s life for repair work or maintenance the screw holes can get worn out. Our bolt on system uses 4 brass inserts that are threaded permanently into the neck. These inserts are of a large diameter giving a greater contact area between the thread and the wood than a conventional screw and therefore making them very secure. These brass inserts have an internal thread in them to accept a steel bolt which attaches the body to the neck, by using this method of attachment the neck can be removed many times over without the risk of wearing out the thread.  The bolt heads are recessed into the back of the guitars body so it is easier and more comfortable to play in high positions. 

We used “Hot Rod” double acting truss rods to make sure that the neck has the correct amount of relief. Using a double acting truss rod means that the truss rod can remedy both forward and backward movement in the neck. Back movement in the neck is not common but it is always nice to know it can be fixed. The truss rod is adjustable from the body end of the guitar via a “spoke” nut, this means it is not necessary to remove the neck to make adjustments it can all be done while the guitar is still fully strung. Also by having the truss rod accessible from the heal it adds strength to the nut area of the neck (traditionally a weak point on guitars), as there is no material removed to create access for the truss rod.

All our necks are made from the highest quality maple selected for whiteness and straightness of grain. We offer either plain or flamed maple all with the option of rosewood or ebony stripes to match the fingerboard.
Maple has a cream-white colour with a reddish tinge. It is usually straight grained but sometimes has figure. Fine brown lines give an attractive growth ring figure on plain surfaces. Texture is fine and even. Weighs around 720 kg/m3.

Plain maple	Plain maple with rosewood/ebony stripes	Figured maple	Figured maple with rosewood/ebony stripes
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FINGER BOARD MATERIAL

The choice of fingerboard material on our guitars is either rosewood or ebony. Ebony is jet black and provides an extremely smooth surface to play on. While Rosewood is slightly less smooth to play on but many people prefer it’s more interesting grain pattern.

BINDING

Binding can be added to make the fret ends look neater and to help stop moisture entering the fingerboard and lifting the frets. Binding will be of the same material as the chosen fingerboard.

INLAYS

We offer a choice of two standard inlay designs, off set dots or diagonal stripes.You can also choose from either pearl, gold pearl or abalone inlays. Of course you can go for the minimalism of no inlays at all. Pearl side dots are fitted as standard also with the choice of gold pearl or abalone to match your inlays.

INLAY MATERIAL

FRET WIRE

We offer a choice of six fret wire sizes. The choice of fret wire is very much down to personal taste and how the player likes the fret board to feel.  The size of the wire (in height and width) has a lot to do with the perceived action of the neck. Lower frets will translate to lower perceived action, while taller frets do the opposite. Also higher up the neck taller and fatter frets can make a difference to the intonation. Fat frets will last longer than thinner frets, a wider crown will allow you to go longer between levelling and re-crowning jobs.

HEADSTOCK SHAPE

Type A	Type B
Standard six in line headstock shape. This design works best with the Mercury and Catena body shapes but can be used with our other body designs.	The same outline shape as the type 1 headstock but with the addition of a carved chamfer for added interest. Again this design works best with the Mercury and Catena body shapes but can also be used with our other body designs.
Type C	Type D
This 3 aside headstock shape was designed for our Corona guitar body shape. However like our other designs it can be used with any of our other body designs.	The type 4 headstock was initially designed for the Syzygy style body shape. Though it is a very versatile shape and works well on all of our designs.