Dear Timothy,

I'm glad to hear you managed to solve the problem.  You could also have 
replaced the fingerboard with one which was thicker at the nut end.  I 
agree that trying to remove the neck and reglue it is an absolute last 
resort.

Best wishes,

Martin


Timothy Motz wrote:

>Michael,
>No, it resulted in the opposite problem.  The strings were about 2 mm 
>above the neck at the join with the body, and there wasn't enough of an 
>angle to the strings for them to clear the frets as I played, no matter 
>how much I dropped the diameters of the frets as I went down the neck.  
>I ended up making a new bridge that was higher and increased the angle 
>of the strings (I also made the bridge higher on the bass side by about 
>1 mm, since most of the problem was on the 6th and 7th courses).  I had 
>angled back the neck on purpose (as you say, I was following Lundberg's 
>advice), but I over-did it.  The thought of taking the neck off and 
>re-angling it was more than I wanted to contemplate, so the bridge 
>seemed like the only alternative.  In a way, it was an interesting 
>problem and taught me a lot about string set-up and how to deal with 
>problems.  I learned that I could remove a bridge that had been glued 
>(firmly) with hide glue and not damage the soundboard.  Fortunately, 
>I'm not making a living doing this, so I can screw up without it 
>affecting my income.  I would have been very unhappy if this lute had 
>been intended for a client.
>
>Tim
>
>On Friday, June 17, 2005, at 05:57  PM, Michael Thames wrote:
>
>  
>
>>>  I just got finished fixing a problem with the
>>>neck angling back too much, so I've had reason to know >what the
>>>effect of neck angle will be
>>>      
>>>
>>    Timothy, sounds like you were reading Lundberg's bad advice about
>>angling the neck back. It should be angled forward. As you see this 
>>doesn't
>>work out so well.  Unless you like the strings to float 10mm off the 
>>top.
>>Michael Thames
>>www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "timothy motz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]>;
>><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Sent: Friday, June 17, 2005 11:52 AM
>>Subject: Re: Built-in action?
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Michael,
>>>      
>>>
>>Sure it does.  If the neck angles back it brings the strings closer
>>to paralleling the neck, assuming that the height of the nut and
>>bridge stay the same.  That in turn means that there is a limit to
>>how high you can raise the action by raising the nut before the
>>strings actually angle the wrong way relative to the neck.   But the
>>angle of the neck doesn't have much affect on how high up off the
>>soundboard the strings will be.  That is mostly determined by the
>>height of the bridge. I just got finished fixing a problem with the
>>neck angling back too much, so I've had reason to know what the
>>effect of neck angle will be.
>>
>>Tim
>>    
>>
>>>---- Original Message ----
>>>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>To: [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
>>>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>Subject: Re: Built-in action?
>>>Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 10:20:55 -0600
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>Vance wrote,
>>>>>This is not entirely true.  The most significant influence >upon
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>the action
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>of the Lute is the relationship between the nut and the >bridge and
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>how
>>>      
>>>
>>>>large
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>the clearance is at the joint between the neck and the >belly.
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>    Vance this isn't true either.  The only thing the angle of the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>neck
>>>      
>>>
>>>>will affect, is how high off the top the strings ride at the bridge.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>It has
>>>      
>>>
>>>>nothing to do with the action.
>>>>Michael Thames
>>>>www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com
>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>From: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>To: "lute list" <[email protected]>; "Herbert Ward"
>>>><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>Sent: Friday, June 17, 2005 8:34 AM
>>>>Subject: Re: Built-in action?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: "Herbert Ward" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>To: <[email protected]>
>>>>>Sent: Monday, June 13, 2005 3:35 PM
>>>>>Subject: Built-in action?
>>>>>Hi Herbert:
>>>>>
>>>>>You wrote:  The action depends on where the _tops_ of the frets
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>are,
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>>which is controlled by the person who chooses the fret
>>>>>>diameters.
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>This is not entirely true.  The most significant influence upon
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>the action
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>of the Lute is the relationship between the nut and the bridge and
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>how
>>>      
>>>
>>>>large
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>the clearence is at the joint between the neck and the belly.  If
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>this is
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>not right it does not matter what kind of frets you choose to put
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>on the
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>Lute, the action will forever suck. The reason that a Lute over
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>time will
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>develop a slower or higher action is due to this joint becoming
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>less than
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>180 degrees because the tension of the strings has pulled the neck
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>higher.
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>Vance Wood.
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>I have a regard for the dedication and talent of luthiers,
>>>>>>who build fine instruments from unformed chunks of wood.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Nevertheless, I do not quite understand why they are
>>>>>>credited with the action of a lute.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The luthier's work merely determines where the _bottoms_
>>>>>>of the frets are.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The action depends on where the _tops_ of the frets are,
>>>>>>which is controlled by the person who chooses the fret
>>>>>>diameters.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>To get on or off this list see list information at
>>>>>>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
>
>
>  
>


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