Butt joint for nylon string guitar

[Kevin in California]

My next one, a nylon string crossover OM, and I'm going to use a m & t bolt on.....course I'm not selling it, its for me.
Aren't Taylors crossovers with their special m & t joint?

Kevin

[ken cierp]

Kevin I believe you are correct all the Talors have the High Tech neck system. I think I have my information correct -- seems that Kenny Hill did some design work for "Cordoba" and they have Classicals with bolt on necks. I was trying to find where I read that, no luck yet.

And --my cross over design not only has a MT neck but a truss rod as well.

[Dave Bagwill]

I don't know much about classical gits yet - is there a neck relief for them as well?

[ken cierp]

This is brings up one of those "myths" that developed over the years. Well actually two "myths". To your point no the neck FB plane and the and sound-board plane are straight lines, that is why a solara with neck extension was/is used during construction (I'll get to second myth soon) To create the string relief in fact what is supposed to be done is taper the finger-board, thicker at the nut then it is at the sound hole -- this slope is the built-in string clearance. So myth number one is that the head-stock end of the neck is tilted up toward the sound-board -- wrong. This tilt on the old time guitars is simply wear and tear over time, those guitars were/are in need of a very, very difficult neck re-set. The other thing that happened over time was the sound-board starts to belly or dome -- so the current covensional widom is that the solara is supposed to be dished and the braces are to be glued compressing them in the little dished area -- but there is nothing in the fan brace design to hold this dish shape -- and those that have done this know that as soon as the clamps are released the sound-board flattens out --- as it should. $.02 Also I highly recommend Alfred Sloane's Classic Guitar Construction book

[Dave Bagwill]

Interesting. On cross-over instruments, using nylon strings, can a steel-string neck be used, with relief added as usual?

[ken cierp]

That is what I did -- with slotted head stock. Now just yesterday I made an observation while tuning up a concert ukulele I bought my daughter for her birthday. I came to the realization that there is no reason except for turn ratio that standard steel string machine heads cannot be used with nylon strings -- why not? The uke has nylon strings and standard guitar tuners. Its an Oscar Schmidt Washburn.

[Dave Bagwill]

I'd been wondering about that as well. Other than tradition, I could not think of a reason why regular tuners would not work.