measuring neck depth

[Woody Sound]

Do you measure from the top of the frets to the back of the neck, or from the top of the fb ?

[P4guitar]

I'm no luthier, but it wouldn't make sense to me to measure from the the top of the frets as they vary so much, both in original profile and wear.

[sgosnell]

The top of the fretboard.

[Hammertone]

Measurement #1:
-top of the board just behind and butting up to the first fret

Measurement #2:
-most archtop guitars, with 14th fret neck/body joints, top of the board just behind and butting up to the ninth fret.
-on most archtops, the curvature of the heel as it blends into the neck starts right around the tenth fret, which tends to distort the description of the neck's taper. I always identify at which fret the second measurement is taken. Recent (late '90s and beyond) European-built Höfner archtops typically have 16th fret neck joints, so the depth on these and similarly configured guitars can be measured further up on the neck.
-on most solidbody and long-neck semi guitars, the second measurement can be made from the top of the board just behind and butting up to the 12th fret.

[Dennis D]

And fwiw :

If '12th fret ' is mentioned as a reference point, someone may mean 12th fret * wire *.......

And if '1st fret ' is mentioned as a reference, someone could mean 'nut' and not '1st fret wire'........

Sorry if this sounds stupid, just hope it saves some confusion.....

[Woody Sound]

What if you were selling a guitar already fretted, or used? Seems to me that the more relevant measure would be from the fret top?

[Hammertone]

What if you were selling a guitar already fretted, or used? Seems to me that the more relevant measure would be from the fret top?

The point of these measurements is to give people a sense of how big the neck is, which has nothing to do with the frets. Neck profile, fret type and fretboard radius are also useful, but separate information. Fret condition is easily communicated through photos. IMO, YMMV, and so on.

[jads57]

Actual shape like C, D, U, V, are also important as well as nut width.

I can usually get along with any shape so long as it fills my left hand.

1) 1&5/8” nut width…..Large U or V .950” to 1”

2) 1&11/16”……..Large C or Med/Large D .880” to 1” .850”to 970”

3) 1&3/4”………80” to .90”

[sgosnell]

Yes, total neck depth is only one factor. Width, shape, et al may all matter to some people, perhaps not so much to others. If something matters to you, you need to ask the proper questions of the seller. But keep in mind that neck shape can be somewhat subjective, so don't expect perfect descriptions. One person's soft V can be another's hard V, and so on.

[jads57]

This why it’s good to have certain model guitars as reference points.

Fender Nocaster, 1956 Soft V shapes

Gibson Historic Les Paul 1958 ,1959, and 1960

And even those can vary a bit, it’s pretty good to use for reference.

[Dennis D]

I wonder how a master carpenter would measure a particular neck, with the intent being to correctly copy it ? Would it be traced somehow ? I can sure see where there'd be mistakes and confusion when someone who's at best a weekend handyman gets asked to measure the neck on his guitar with those 1st and 12th fret profiles....
E.g. when Gibson changed '20's and '30's L-1's & L-4's from (questionably playable ) 'baseball bats' to usable, as with '30's L-7's ? Was there a mandolin-to-banjo-to-guitar neck drawing, print ( or ?? ) , in a drawer somewhere ??

I was also very surprised to read in this Forum how Gibson changed their archtop designs to a taller neck joint in '80's ( ? ), effectively raising the f/b's above the tops. Wonder how they arrived at that and why.

Thx

[Hammertone]

I wonder how a master carpenter would measure a particular neck, with the intent being to correctly copy it ? Would it be traced somehow ? I can sure see where there'd be mistakes and confusion when someone who's at best a weekend handyman gets asked to measure the neck on his guitar with those 1st and 12th fret profiles....
E.g. when Gibson changed '20's and '30's L-1's & L-4's from (questionably playable ) 'baseball bats' to usable, as with '30's L-7's ? Was there a mandolin-to-banjo-to-guitar neck drawing, print ( or ?? ) , in a drawer somewhere ??...

Contour gauges are your friends.

[rob taft]

I wonder how a master carpenter would measure a particular neck, with the intent being to correctly copy it ? Would it be traced somehow ? I can sure see where there'd be mistakes and confusion when someone who's at best a weekend handyman gets asked to measure the neck on his guitar with those 1st and 12th fret profiles...
Thx

I 'm no master carpenter but when I need that info I just use a contour gage to measure the neck on my favorite or preferred neck and then transfer the shape to thin wood for a go-no go template. In my case, I then mailed the templates to the luthier making my guitar. I made templates for the profile at first fret, 7th fret, 12th and where the neck meets the body. And the depth is measured from the top of the fingerboard. Fret height is dictated by the type of fret you use.

[Dennis D]

Contour gauges are your friends.

I had no idea ( no surprise there. ) : )

Thanks !

[Hammertone]

...I was also very surprised to read in this Forum how Gibson changed their archtop designs to a taller neck joint in '80's ( ? ), effectively raising the f/b's above the tops. Wonder how they arrived at that and why. Thx

Taller neck joint means more room to adjust bridge height - looser tolerance. Easier to adjust for variations and errors. Saves time in assembly and glue-up. Time is money.