Laminated guitar necks are not much more difficult to make than single species guitar necks, but the difference in the look is worth it. Essentially, you are just making a piece of laminated wood before you do the normal neck making process. The only real difference is the small amount of extra time to laminate the blank.
Making a Laminated Guitar Neck Blank
The first step in making a laminated guitar neck is making the blank. This can be as simple or elaborate as you like.
If you are a beginner, or you have not done much wood lamination before, go for a simple design done well.
The example to the left shows a Goncalo Avles board with an East Indian Rosewood center stripe.
This is one of the classic looks in guitar making, and for good reason. The finished neck will have a nice looking contrasting center stripe when finished, and it gives the neck a good look. This is also a simple glue up, and does not add much time to the build.
Using the Laminated Blank in a Neck
After you glue your pieces together, you will need to plane them flush. This can be done by hand too, but a power planer is the best choice for speed and accuracy.
If you do not have a power planer, most wood stores will run it through theirs for small fee.
From that point, you can then plan out the construction of the guitar neck in the same way as normal. In this case, I am making a stacked neck.
I cut the pieces to the same length as when I used one species, and just arranged them on the bench for gluing. All of the steps are the same, but the only difference is that I am using the laminated wood.
Why You Should Make Laminated Guitar Necks
These guitar necks look great. That’s the biggest reason you should start making them. Also, the time involvement is low, and you can get really creative if you like.
Some makers go to incredible lengths to make extreme examples of laminated guitar necks. I don’t know how long they spend on them, but it looks like a lifetime.
These necks are pieces of art, and an example of what you can do if you take this technique to the next level. For now, consider adding laminated guitar necks to your next build.
Take the time to make an attractive lamination, and pay to have it smoothed out if you don’t have the tools yourself. Not only will your guitar look better, but you will be adding an easy custom element to the instrument.
If you have any questions on Laminated Guitar Necks, please leave a comment and I will be glad to answer them.
Also, please share my work with your fellow woodworkers and guitar makers. It helps me spread my message, and the love I have for woodworking. Happy building.
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