Ken Parker Archtoppery - The Neck Journey - 18) The Backstrap - Chapter 1 of 3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2024
- Chapter 1 A Introduction to and History of the Backstrap
Chapter 1 B Preparing the Backstrap
Chapter 1 C Trimming the Headstock & J-Strip
Chapter 1 D Cutting the Neck to Receive the Backstrap
LINKS:
Hideo Kamimoto: Complete Guitar Repair:
www.boosey.com...
Ken Parker Archtoppery -
Riff 020 - A “PSA” on Tape:
• Ken Parker Archtoppery...
Ken Parker Archtoppery -
The Neck Journey 17) Fitting
& Gluing the J-Strip:
• Ken Parker Archtoppery...
Ken Parker Archtoppery -
Riff 017 - Tool Maintenance -
Master Spindle Sander Wrench:
• Ken Parker Archtoppery...
Ken Parker Archtoppery -
The Neck Journey 15) The Neck Layup -
Chapter 2 of 4 (Carbon Fiber):
• Ken Parker Archtoppery...
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The dedication to building lifetime lasting jigs for each job is fantastic. I adore the real engineering mentality and I'd wager these guitars are as good as it's possible to make. Great stuff
Wow, thanks for your appreciation and extravagant praise!
This is giving me a lot of great ideas, thanks so much for sharing Ken!
You're most welcome, and thanks for sharing this, it's the whole idea, isn't it?
Every episode gives me insights or idea. I might use something in a completely different way or even area on the guitar. ❤ it, can’t thank Ken enough. It’s hard enough for me to do the work, I can’t imagine staging video too.
The attention you give to this is a real joy to watch, thank you!
It's all about obsession and thirst, you're so welcome, I've had a joyous work life, alright.
What a great series. I have to say that I think a Volute does in fact strengthen the headstock if placed properly. I use a 7° break angle and I carve the Volute so the thickest mass of the Volute rides almost directly below the nut or slightly back away from the nut line towards the tuner side. The combination of the shallow break angle and the Volute carve not only looks really nice but based on my research it does make some difference in the strength. Not as strong as your reinforcement method but better than a non Volute neck, especially on a thinner neck. I also use a heel adjusted truss rod so there is no slot or hole beneath the nut! I love your methods and wanted to thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us so we can all become better at our lovely craft. ✌️&💙
Thanks for watching! I'm so pleasedyou're grooving with the program!
I won't argue that the addition of a chunk of wood behind the nut might help to prevent a failure, but if you veneer it, you've already done a lot of extra work, and so why not just do a proper backstrap? I wish there was a better word for what everyone calls a volute on the back of a guitar neck. Ski - jump? Headstock flip? The word volute means scroll, and a violin head is a perfect example of a volute in instrument making. Truncated volute? Just thinking about starting to make a volute? Volute embryo?
Seven degrees is around half of a "normal" headstock angle, and this is a huge help! It greatly reduces the "short grain" failure likelihood compared to a 15* headstock angle. Bravo! Also, your trussrod design is a big help. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for the response and for the education. I absolutely love your approach to instrument making and this neck journey is such a helpful tool for any of us looking to create something unique and useful! I really do appreciate it Ken. ✌️&💙
I look forward to these interesting videos. This one reminds me of the saying "work smarter, not harder". Love how you use the mill to create very precisely fit pieces.
It's all evolution at the bench, right? Frustration is the mother of invention.
@@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 As well as necessity 😉
Amazing craftsmanship and wealth of knowledge, thank you for sharing all of that 🌟
Glad you enjoyed it. Give it a try!
I love back straps, and also veneer laminates in neck joints and elsewhere, because besides curbing movement and stabilizing, their contours and contrast after carving add a great look one can even play with.
The only thing I might stay shy of is a stack of veneers glued with a water-soluble adhesive. Sometime it could exert a force or induce movement that you don't want.
fascinated by the sanding wheel - thanks for the insight!
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
Loving your work Ken.
How nice of you! Much appreciated
Preparation is the key, you've made tools and jigs for almost every details of the build.
Seems to be the recipe for consistancy and quality.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, it's a long story, starting with the questtion "Is this what I want to do and commit to?" The tools help, but they're just tools, and they don't do it all, and there's still lots of tricky details to perform.
That double wide milling vise is wild and awesome.
This is one genius vise that for some dumb reason never got close to being a commercial sucess. Too bad, it's the best vise for a Bridgeport Milling Machine, 10" back jaw width is just right.
Love a magical look. I think it was Alembic instruments I first saw a backstrap.
I've done a few by hand. Tricky but so worth it ; )
It really does help the neck's ability to survive, especially a Gibson design in crispy, splitty, non-shock resistant mahoganny, which is otherwise a fantastic neck material.
Kamimoto’s book is where I first leaned about repair and building in the early 70s. I’m not sure what became of my copy, I need to purchase a new copy.
I sure learned a lot from this book when it first published. Hideo was quite a good repairman, having started with violins in the '50's. He was a really good teacher, and helped us all tremendously with his "Complete Guitar Repair" in 1974. This was the first title of its kind, and a huge positive influence on the field. Thanks, Hideo!
You're like Dr. Professor Groovington!🤓 Art in engineering: My favorite kind of engineering!😜🤪🧐😁
And just to think that all I wanted to do was build a better guitar, who knew I wuz gonna be a Professor!!
I believe that good engineering IS art, and vice versa, as you suggest.
Our whole marvelous world is full of nature's engineering triumphs that we all take for granted somehow.
Who thinks they can make something as "simple and ordinary" as a bird's feather! Really? Not even one?
Some things are beyond us, but we can dream, can't we?
It's like machining aerospace parts - but with wood!
Ha! Let's hope we don't have to launch into space!
Fascinating as always Ken. I wonder, would it have been an option to have extended the carbon up the back of the headstock to have achieved the same result? I know you lay it up thinner towards the end of the neck for flexibility as you mention in the video so maybe it would have been too stiff, but as you have the carbon right there it would seem like the logical solution (if not the aesthetic one).
There are all kinds of options, as you suggest, many of which would work fine depending on the design. You touch on a concerrn that I have about making the neck too stiff to comply with varying string forces. One use of the backsttrap that I forgot to mention in my current work is that it covers up all kinds of transitions of materials at the back of the neck in the nut area, and makes everything look calm and simple, my favorite look.
@@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 Thank you Ken. Indeed it is a clean, beautiful look. If you don't mind a follow up question; why would we want the neck to comply with varying forces? As I understand on an archtop such as yours the sound is determined almost entirely by the body and a flexible, compliant neck would rob the body of energy. Not to mention alter the geometry with different string gauges.
Informative as always! I can see how the bridgeport with that radiussing jig would be great in a production shop, but fundamentally, if you are trying to reinforce the weakness in a machined part aka the neck interface, how much more strength is being added with another machined part? Did you consider or try bending the backstrap like a violinmaker bends the bouts/sides over an iron? Would it make a difference at the end of the day? Thank you.
I'm thinking about this a litle diferrently. The style and details of the termination of the backstrap behind fret 4ish isn't the point, and won't really influence anything. I did, in fact, bend the backstrap in two places for many years, as you suggest,both at the headstock bend and at the end on the back of the neck. I can't really see how any of this makes a difference to the strength of the neck, or the ability of the backstrap to do its crucial job, keeping the headstock from cracking if it takes a blow.
I know they work, and I know they improve the sound of necks. Have fun with the backstrap, it's a very satisfying part of lutherie!
Absolutely great! Thank you for sharing all this knowlege with us. :)
One question. If you are sanding the neck inkluding the carbon fiber. How is it about the healthfactor? Is sanding carbon fiber dangerous? Or unproblematic? Thank you for your help
No dust is good to breathe, and carbon/epoxy is no exception. A good particle mask or supplied fresh air mask is needed to protect your pretty pink lungs. As I mentioned, the best way to go is to try to design your carbon-reinforced parts in such a way that the cured carbon/epoxy doesn't need much (ideaally any) abrasion or other shaping.
@@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 Thank you so much to get in touch. :D Means a lot to me. I love your work and try to incorporate your thoughts in my guitar building.
In fact i always use a particle mask with filters when i produce dust. And overall try to minimize dustproduction ;).
I was just wondering if Cabon/epoxy is similar bad healthwise as wood dust or more or less the same.
Again. Thank you very much :)
what do you use to finish your necks? is it tru oil? shellac? would love to know thanks.
This is fully demonstrated in previous Archtoppery films, have a look!
Hey Ken, could you elaborate on the cutter you have on your copy machine? For copying the neck and plate shapes? Is it a 45degree type of cutter?
Good eyeball. I guess I should have explained this marvellous cutter already . Let me do a little research, and I'll film a riff on this incredible invention.
"Whirling Spoons"
Patented in 1929 by Salstrom, the "Smoother- Rougher" cutter. Still unsurpassed in wood!
@@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 ah I found a picture of it, now I sorts know what to buy
I'd like to see some destructive testing.
Would you now? How about a sizeable donation to the "let's see what explodes first?" fund?
I hope I've provided enough technical details for you to copy my work, so maybe just do that and send movies?
@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 I'm only joking, I'm sure these necks will last forever. One has to wonder what the limits are though.
Why the tilt back at all?
Eliminating most of the complex fabrication.
??
Tradition again, maybe.
Well, we need at least 4 degrees or so of angle to get sufficient downward pressure to keep the string in the string groove. Fender's string trees are one great example of alternatives to angling the whole headstock to achieve this. This was done in order to get guitar necks out of 5/4 (1 1/4" thick commercial lumber) There are Lots of good string management ideas from the piano family as you well know!
Doug Irwin was doing the back strap on Garcia's guitars.
Yeah, his are several layers, very nice!