Rigid Neck Joint

I’ve always believed that the neck joint, on a fretted instrument, should be as rigid as possible. The aim of the game is to ensure that the kinetic energy, from the movement of the player’s hand, is converted as efficiently as possible into sound. Making the neck joint rigid, is one step to ensure that energy is not absorbed into the instrument itself. I’m sure there are many who will disagree with me, but those are my views.

The walnut archtop’s neck has now been affixed to the body and in these two videos (parts 1 & 2) you’ll see the lengths that I go to ensure the neck and body are as one (or as close to that as possible).