These are the best videos on carving a neck that I’ve seen. I have made 6 necks, 3 classical and 3 Maccaferri style jazz guitars, but am always looking for better ways of doing things. Gracias Pablo!
Extremely useful thank you. This neck carving instruction will live on beyond both you and me, as our instruments will. I intend to pass this method of work down, incredibly thankful you are sharing it. I have incorporated much of your methods into my own building. I find your confidence, calmness and craftsmanship inspirational. I am naming my first neck "Pablo". I'm hoping you have created the "part 2" where you blend the neck into the heel and headstock ends- I go now to search for it!
Greetings Pablo, thanks for sharing your neck carving technique with this marvelous video. The method of creating a 25-30 mm space at the heel and peg head ends, makes it so much easier to carve quickly with less risk of nicking heel or head areas. I really liked your supporting jigs for holding the guitar quite securely on the bench with additional adjustable floor neck support.
Great video. I'm preparing to make my 1st classical self-build guitar, and carving the neck was a daunting prospect. Your method gives me the confidence to take the plunge. Many thanks!
These videos helped me a lot in building a guitar I've started. Whenever I find any difficulty, I turn to the videos and find a solution. The man, of course, is a very good craftsman and I hope that at some point I will approach his level. Thank you very much, greetings from Greece
Pablo, All your videos are really great. You explain and show in a manner that provides great (and simple) clarity and the camera work is good. I am learning and planning my first guitar build and your videos are among the most helpful. Thank you for posting them.
sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account? I somehow forgot the login password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me!
@Malakai James I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Muitíssimo obrigado por compartilhar estes fantásticos videos. Pouco Luthiers se dispõem a compartilhar seus métodos de produção de uma guitarra passa a passo porque esse é um segredo que cada qual guarda a sete chaves. Por isso tiro o chapéu a este senhor Pablo Requena. Ja agora, como seria possível obter uma guitarra feita por este Luthier? Alguém sabe? Obrigado antecipadamente
Hola Pablo, sería muy Útil que aclares si las medidas de referencia que indicas en los cortes a la altura del traste 1 y 9 respectivamente, Incluyen el espesor del diapasón, o si sólo es contemplando el cedro del mango. Gracias
Thank you for sharing your skill in this very informative video, I'd like to ask which method do you use to sharpen your chisels and plane. Regards from England. Andrew.
Pablo, I love your videos and I've purchased some of your online lesson. They're unbelievably well done. You mention using a spokeshave for part of the carving. Would you recommend a flat spokeshave? Or a convex one?
Logan Angus thanks for the feedback. I use a flat spokeshave but you could also use a curved one if that is what you have. If you don’t have one and you are thinking of buying one I would recommend the flat one.
I love your tutorials Pablo. Do you bring down neck thickness to exact figure and neck width exactly to fingerboard width before cutting the neck curve profile? Or do you leave a bit extra thickness/width for final sanding?
I bring it pretty much to the final dimension, when I do the shaping I don’t remove any material of the center line of the neck or the width. Once the shape is done I remove scratches with different grades of sandpaper. Just in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
Thanks for another great and informative video. What brand and grain of rasp do you use for neck shping work? Thanks again for all the effort you put in to making such helpful videos
Pickledpepperpicka the rasp I use is the one in this link. www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/rasps-files/hand-cut-rasps/704721/herdim-precision-rasp-cabinet-cut-4-cut-lenght-200-mm
Hi, I am a guitar maker myself. I always went by eye and feel when carving, but decided to go for the more precise approach as you show here. My question is: In your diagrams you show the neck thickness, and then the initial cutting line 8.5 to 9mm. I am guessing that these depths are from the base of the neck line up, minus the fingerboard thickness? it's just that the diagram does not make sense to me with cutting line depths as you do not include the fingerboard depth. (Good work and good videos also, thanks)
When you take the dimensions you have to take both cedar and ebony as a unit as them both form the neck, that’s why I don’t show the fingerboard in the diagram as you need to take dimensions from the front edge of the neck which is also the front of the fingerboard. I hope this makes sense.
@@redkitekk thank you for your reply, as I was hoping for an answer before I begin cutting here. I understand this is the total thickness of the neck and fingerboard, as shown in your diagram. You show the 8.5 and 9mm distance coming up from the edge of the neck and fingerboard (as a single unit) If I took this litterally, then I would have roughly a 2.5/3mm stop cut line running along the length of the cedral, 'above' the edge of the fingerboard? But as I judge by eye on the video, when you begin cutting, the 8.5-9mm depth looks to be taken from the edge of the cedral as it connects to the fingerboard? Sorry for being a pest. I just want to make sure before I cut. Thanks.
Ray the measurements are taken from the front edge as I mentioned before, it might look different on the video but it is the angle of the camera, in any case, if you are not sure try it first in a different piece of wood of the same dimensions to check that it works.
@@redkitekk Ok, thank you Pablo. Just finishing here in my workshop in Brussels. I'll come back to it tomorrow morning with an early clean start. Thank you for your time.
That seems like a great method. What are the thicknesses and widths at the nut and 9th fret for which your measurements work? how much do you have to change them for differently dimensioned necks? Thank you.
Dear Pablo, if a customer would ask for a slightly more D-shape at the 1st fret, after you reducing the height from current 21.5 m.m. to, say, around 19 mil; would you be able to do that with the rest of your set-up unchanged, i.e. w/o introducing a weak spot in the present design? /Hakan
Hi Hakan, If you make the neck to be 19 mm in thickness it won't be a problem for the strength. A "D" shape is fine, many players like this type of shape, however, if what you are looking for is for the neck to be more comfortable, making it thiner is not necessarily the answer, many players over the years tell me that a thin neck produces muscle pain in the hand and arm so bare this in mind. Also, just in case you are interested, I have a complete course that you can find on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
@@redkitekk You have just explained a debate I've had in my head for decades (Hubert Kappel triggered it once at a class): "why don't everybody choose thin necks that I like so much?". Here's the answer, the occasional issues about so important ergonomy. Easier for amateurs like me, hopefully. Thank you Pablo! /Hakan
Excellent tutorial. I noticed the shape of the neck profile is somewhat asymmetrical. is that correct? Is the thicker side for the low string or the high string? Thank again for this video.
Pablo, I believe the the first line is 8.5mm from the bottom of the fingerboard! Not the top of it. I almost made this mistake as per your diagram, which doesn't match what you are doing on the neck. I am correct ?
The lines you see on the neck a the same as in the diagram, it might look different due to the angle of the camera. If you follow the dimensions in the diagram you will get the right profile. Just in case you are interested I have a complete course where I explain all this things in detail done by a professional film maker with a lot better video quality. You can find it at www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
How do you approach the fingerboard itself? do you leave it at 90 degrees as it is first glued on or do you round it with the curve of the neck as you are carving the neck? Thanks again for the great videos.
PabloRequena Thanks for the reply. How do you handle where the neck meets the body in respect of the fingerboard? Do you just gently feather in the curve of the neck/fingerboard? The first one I built I had problems with the sides of the fingerboard as it transitioned from the curved neck to the part over the body.
You are right, that area can be tricky, what I do is to start the transition from curve to flat within the space between the 11th and the 12th frets so that from the 12th fret the fingerboard is perpendicular to the soundboard. I hope this makes sense. Pablo
I am a would be guitar maker when I was a teen but my dream was not supported. I still have a few revolutionary ideas in improving the art of classical guitars id like to share if that is possible. Benicio Dela Vega on fb
Pablo, is there a method to use to determine the dimensions for the facets (i.e 13.5 or 16mm from center)? Or have you determined these dimensions through experience?
PabloRequena thanks for the response. I was going to make my neck a little thicker and didn’t know how the rest of the dimensions would change. Since this is my first build I went ahead and used your thickness and dimensions and actually just finished carving my neck. Using your method it turned out great! Thanks for posting these videos, you are a great instructor, and they are a huge resource for us beginning luthiers.
Unfortunately I misanderstood the drawing (and I had not read these comments) so I made the first cuts deeper, causing a few problems. Anyway the neck carving trilogy is very useful. Thank you.
@@costantinoproietti7578 Sorry I couldn't reply to you on time, the dimensions that you see are always taken from the front face of the fingerboard, taking the cedar and the ebony as one unit, don't take measurements from the join line between the ebony and the cedar.
I use this rasp from Dictum www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/rasps-files/hand-cut-rasps/704724/herdim-precision-rasp-cabinet-ultra?ftr=_5__97_1_12_12
That’s ok, TH-cam obviously doesn’t know how to deal with a Spanish surname. By the way, jut in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
Thank you Pablo for the clarity of your explanations.
These are the best videos on carving a neck that I’ve seen. I have made 6 necks, 3 classical and 3 Maccaferri style jazz guitars, but am always looking for better ways of doing things. Gracias Pablo!
Extremely useful thank you. This neck carving instruction will live on beyond both you and me, as our instruments will. I intend to pass this method of work down, incredibly thankful you are sharing it. I have incorporated much of your methods into my own building. I find your confidence, calmness and craftsmanship inspirational. I am naming my first neck "Pablo". I'm hoping you have created the "part 2" where you blend the neck into the heel and headstock ends- I go now to search for it!
Greetings Pablo, thanks for sharing your neck carving technique with this marvelous video. The method of creating a 25-30 mm space at the heel and peg head ends, makes it so much easier to carve quickly with less risk of nicking heel or head areas. I really liked your supporting jigs for holding the guitar quite securely on the bench with additional adjustable floor neck support.
Great video. I'm preparing to make my 1st classical self-build guitar, and carving the neck was a daunting prospect. Your method gives me the confidence to take the plunge. Many thanks!
Thanks Pablo this technique has worked very well for me on my builds. Thanks for sharing 🎸🎸🎸
Maestro, la mejor explicación de cómo tallar el brazo que haya visto! El trabajo queda perfecto. Gracias por compartir!
Luis Collazo de nada, me alegro de que te guste.
These videos helped me a lot in building a guitar I've started. Whenever I find any difficulty, I turn to the videos and find a solution. The man, of course, is a very good craftsman and I hope that at some point I will approach his level. Thank you very much, greetings from Greece
You are very welcome, I am glad you found my videos helpful.
Thanks Pablo. Looking forward for Moore of your helpful videos. Much appreciated!
Pablo,
All your videos are really great. You explain and show in a manner that provides great (and simple) clarity and the camera work is good. I am learning and planning my first guitar build and your videos are among the most helpful.
Thank you for posting them.
Thanks Paul, I hope you enjoy making your guitar.
Beautiful worksmanship
Nice video ,Pablo is a clever guy and master crasftsman.
Pablo, these videos are great. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skill in such a considerate and meaningful way.
sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?
I somehow forgot the login password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me!
@Liam Christian Instablaster :)
@Malakai James I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out atm.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Malakai James It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thanks so much you saved my ass!
@Liam Christian Glad I could help :D
Thank you...Sir
Will definitely be looking into your
On line course!
Great greeting for you, thanks for the wonderful instructions. You have an fan in Bosnia.
You are welcome!
Thanks for sharing your mastery in these videos
Muitíssimo obrigado por compartilhar estes fantásticos videos. Pouco Luthiers se dispõem a compartilhar seus métodos de produção de uma guitarra passa a passo porque esse é um segredo que cada qual guarda a sete chaves. Por isso tiro o chapéu a este senhor Pablo Requena. Ja agora, como seria possível obter uma guitarra feita por este Luthier? Alguém sabe? Obrigado antecipadamente
Very clever work! Thanks for the tips
Very very good👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
That was brilliant, extremely helpful, thank you!
Your videos are gold valids. Thank you very much.
Super video!!!
Excelente! A forma mais inteligente de o fazer! Parabéns!
fantastic! method, thanks for sharing
Pablo is the best!!!!!!
Merci beaucoup, pour cette méthode simple et sure pour réussir cette étape.
this is fantastic very helpful thank very much
Extremely helpful!
magnífico trabalho parabéns
That's a nice saw.
Hola Pablo, sería muy Útil que aclares si las medidas de referencia que indicas en los cortes a la altura del traste 1 y 9 respectivamente, Incluyen el espesor del diapasón, o si sólo es contemplando el cedro del mango. Gracias
Es incluyendo el diapasón
Magnifico... muito obrigado pela partilha
GuitarraLisboa1977
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you for sharing your skill in this very informative video, I'd like to ask which method do you use to sharpen your chisels and plane. Regards from England. Andrew.
Thanks so much!!
Pablo,
I love your videos and I've purchased some of your online lesson. They're unbelievably well done.
You mention using a spokeshave for part of the carving. Would you recommend a flat spokeshave? Or a convex one?
Logan Angus thanks for the feedback.
I use a flat spokeshave but you could also use a curved one if that is what you have. If you don’t have one and you are thinking of buying one I would recommend the flat one.
I love your tutorials Pablo.
Do you bring down neck thickness to exact figure and neck width exactly to fingerboard width before cutting the neck curve profile? Or do you leave a bit extra thickness/width for final sanding?
I bring it pretty much to the final dimension, when I do the shaping I don’t remove any material of the center line of the neck or the width. Once the shape is done I remove scratches with different grades of sandpaper.
Just in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
@@redkitekk Thanks Pablo. I will look with great interest at your course web page.
Thanks for another great and informative video. What brand and grain of rasp do you use for neck shping work?
Thanks again for all the effort you put in to making such helpful videos
Pickledpepperpicka the rasp I use is the one in this link.
www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/rasps-files/hand-cut-rasps/704721/herdim-precision-rasp-cabinet-cut-4-cut-lenght-200-mm
Hi, I am a guitar maker myself. I always went by eye and feel when carving, but decided to go for the more precise approach as you show here. My question is: In your diagrams you show the neck thickness, and then the initial cutting line 8.5 to 9mm. I am guessing that these depths are from the base of the neck line up, minus the fingerboard thickness? it's just that the diagram does not make sense to me with cutting line depths as you do not include the fingerboard depth. (Good work and good videos also, thanks)
When you take the dimensions you have to take both cedar and ebony as a unit as them both form the neck, that’s why I don’t show the fingerboard in the diagram as you need to take dimensions from the front edge of the neck which is also the front of the fingerboard. I hope this makes sense.
@@redkitekk thank you for your reply, as I was hoping for an answer before I begin cutting here. I understand this is the total thickness of the neck and fingerboard, as shown in your diagram. You show the 8.5 and 9mm distance coming up from the edge of the neck and fingerboard (as a single unit) If I took this litterally, then I would have roughly a 2.5/3mm stop cut line running along the length of the cedral, 'above' the edge of the fingerboard? But as I judge by eye on the video, when you begin cutting, the 8.5-9mm depth looks to be taken from the edge of the cedral as it connects to the fingerboard? Sorry for being a pest. I just want to make sure before I cut. Thanks.
Ray the measurements are taken from the front edge as I mentioned before, it might look different on the video but it is the angle of the camera, in any case, if you are not sure try it first in a different piece of wood of the same dimensions to check that it works.
@@redkitekk Ok, thank you Pablo. Just finishing here in my workshop in Brussels. I'll come back to it tomorrow morning with an early clean start. Thank you for your time.
@@redkitekk I think it was just the dark grain-line on the side of the neck, which I I thought was a pencil line, that was throwing me off. :-)
That seems like a great method. What are the thicknesses and widths at the nut and 9th fret for which your measurements work? how much do you have to change them for differently dimensioned necks? Thank you.
Hi, the widths are 52 at the nut and 62 at the 12th fret, and the thickness at the nut is 21.5 mm and the 9th fret 23.5.
Maestro, could you kindly confirm if when start carving, the neck thickness has just been reduced to the right final measures 21.5 and 23.5?
That's a great technique! what's the rasp you're using there?
Dear Pablo, if a customer would ask for a slightly more D-shape at the 1st fret, after you reducing the height from current 21.5 m.m. to, say, around 19 mil; would you be able to do that with the rest of your set-up unchanged, i.e. w/o introducing a weak spot in the present design? /Hakan
Hi Hakan,
If you make the neck to be 19 mm in thickness it won't be a problem for the strength. A "D" shape is fine, many players like this type of shape, however, if what you are looking for is for the neck to be more comfortable, making it thiner is not necessarily the answer, many players over the years tell me that a thin neck produces muscle pain in the hand and arm so bare this in mind.
Also, just in case you are interested, I have a complete course that you can find on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
@@redkitekk You have just explained a debate I've had in my head for decades (Hubert Kappel triggered it once at a class): "why don't everybody choose thin necks that I like so much?". Here's the answer, the occasional issues about so important ergonomy. Easier for amateurs like me, hopefully. Thank you Pablo! /Hakan
Excellent tutorial. I noticed the shape of the neck profile is somewhat asymmetrical. is that correct? Is the thicker side for the low string or the high string? Thank again for this video.
No, I try to make the neck as symmetrical as possible, perhaps the video shows the image a bit distorted.
Thank you!
Qué bien suena la escofina........
Mui bueno!
q maravilla!
Pablo,
I believe the the first line is 8.5mm from the bottom of the fingerboard! Not the top of it. I almost made this mistake as per your diagram, which doesn't match what you are doing on the neck. I am correct ?
The lines you see on the neck a the same as in the diagram, it might look different due to the angle of the camera. If you follow the dimensions in the diagram you will get the right profile.
Just in case you are interested I have a complete course where I explain all this things in detail done by a professional film maker with a lot better video quality. You can find it at www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
@@redkitekk Thank you so much Paolo. I have made a few guitars already, your videos have been very helpful. I will take a look at your site.
How do you approach the fingerboard itself? do you leave it at 90 degrees as it is first glued on or do you round it with the curve of the neck as you are carving the neck?
Thanks again for the great videos.
I glue it on the neck with the edges at 90 degrees and I shape it into the curve of the neck, ebony and cedar as one unit.
PabloRequena Thanks for the reply. How do you handle where the neck meets the body in respect of the fingerboard? Do you just gently feather in the curve of the neck/fingerboard? The first one I built I had problems with the sides of the fingerboard as it transitioned from the curved neck to the part over the body.
You are right, that area can be tricky, what I do is to start the transition from curve to flat within the space between the 11th and the 12th frets so that from the 12th fret the fingerboard is perpendicular to the soundboard. I hope this makes sense.
Pablo
it does thank you again
thank you
I am a would be guitar maker when I was a teen but my dream was not supported.
I still have a few revolutionary ideas in improving the art of classical guitars id like to share if that is possible.
Benicio Dela Vega on fb
Pablo, is there a method to use to determine the dimensions for the facets (i.e 13.5 or 16mm from center)? Or have you determined these dimensions through experience?
cpage07 there is a method, but it is a little too complicated to be able to explain in a few lines.
PabloRequena thanks for the response. I was going to make my neck a little thicker and didn’t know how the rest of the dimensions would change. Since this is my first build I went ahead and used your thickness and dimensions and actually just finished carving my neck. Using your method it turned out great! Thanks for posting these videos, you are a great instructor, and they are a huge resource for us beginning luthiers.
Maestro, it seems you carve the neck after fretting and before filling the pores and polishing. Do I see well?
costantino proietti yes, that’s correct.
Hello Pablo, thanks for your job. I have a question, In the first cut and 1st fret you mark 8,5 mm from de top or bottom of the scale? thanks
Hi Alonso, in the first cut, the 8,5 mm are taken from the edge of the ebony up towards the cedar.
It is 8.5 mm from the edge of the fingerboard up, not from the join between the ebony and the cedar.
@@redkitekk Hello. If I understand well the first line is 15 mm (8,5+6,5 (about the fretboard thickness)) from the fretboard upper edge.
Unfortunately I misanderstood the drawing (and I had not read these comments) so I made the first cuts deeper, causing a few problems. Anyway the neck carving trilogy is very useful. Thank you.
@@costantinoproietti7578 Sorry I couldn't reply to you on time, the dimensions that you see are always taken from the front face of the fingerboard, taking the cedar and the ebony as one unit, don't take measurements from the join line between the ebony and the cedar.
Pablo, can this carving technique be used when building steel string guitars also?
Of course, any round shape can be form in this way.
What kind of file are you using in this video?
I use this rasp from Dictum
www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/rasps-files/hand-cut-rasps/704724/herdim-precision-rasp-cabinet-ultra?ftr=_5__97_1_12_12
PabloRequena Thank you for the information. Best Regards.
no problem
Thanks for chowing me how to chave the chape...
By the way...on the screen they give your name as "Pablo Laguna..." sorry
I could nt resist...🐸
That’s ok, TH-cam obviously doesn’t know how to deal with a Spanish surname. By the way, jut in case you are interested I have a complete course available on www.onlineguitarmakingcourse.com
And no duck tape insight...
zwei linke hände
?
It is so not daunting...🐸
this is BAD. dont leave the neck in the air. rest it on a desk 😧
The head is supported by an adjustable stick.