Official Luthiers Forum!

I am about done shaping and sanding a laminated neck... the center is maple and right when I was about to be done I noticed a knot I did not see before... what a bummer....do you guys have any recomendations? its not too bad but I rather not have it!

peterm39013.033900463

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Hey Peter, how about an inlay a la Tony Karol's?

Warning: PRETTY EXPENSIVE THOUGH !

Peter,
I don't think that is very noticeable. It might not be flawless grain but I
wouldn't consider it a serious defect.

It is ironic - I bought some sapele mahogany from LMII that had some
serious grain issues near the heel. There are about six extremely
noticeable dark grain spots that only became noticeable as I brought the
neck to its final dimensions. I am building it for free for a friend so I am
not going to trash the neck - but I was extremely frustrated. I had to
stain the neck a darker color to hide those flaws. What was a flawless
build with mastergrade woods now has a very less than ideal neck. Such
is life - and life goes on.

But I wouldn't fret over that knot and I wouldn't mention it to the
customer, he will probably only notice it as a flaw if you point it out.


--
Simon

It's not a knot it's a character mark. Looks fine to me, wood is after all wood.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

[QUOTE=Colin S] It's not a knot it's a character mark. Looks fine to me, wood is after all wood.
[/QUOTE]

When I looked at the picture, I was thinking the same thing. So I'll just say: what Colin said.

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John Cavanaugh
Saint Paul, MN
"What could possibly go wrong?"

[QUOTE=SimonF] But I wouldn't fret over that knot[/QUOTE]
Me neither! The frets go on the other side!

Peter,

As Colin mentioned, it's the nature of wood. Besides, it's a nice piece of maple, and your laminations look really good!

If you sell it, I'd suggest that you point it out before your customer takes it out of your shop. As a buyer, I've always been disappointed when I find a small flaw after I've taken an instrument home. But if I know it's there before I buy it, and I still like the guitar in spite of it, all is well. Knots often look dirty, but this one looks clean and solid (and small!), so I don't think you've got a deal-breaker there.

I'd only mess with it if there is a chance it might fall out. Personally I like the little hints that tell me that Mother Nature had her hand in the making.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Peter, the neck and laminations look great, but I'd take it all appart and restart. That is just unacceptable IMHO... Just kidding!!!

If you don't say anything, no one will notice...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

I whole heartedly agree. Wood is wood and in this case, very unubtrusive. Go with it. Of course, some people have higher standards than I do.

Many builders charge extra for birdseye maple.   

You guys crack me up!!

It is a commish though....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

That is a shame. You put a lot of work into it and now it is ruined. If you send it to me I'll take care of it and you can forget about it. I'll even pay shipping for you.   

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Peter,
Just do what I do...get a sharp chisel and dig it out. Then when the customer asks why the gouge in the neck tell him you thought there was a termite infestation but you think you got them all. Sometimes I gouge other areas just to make the story more believable.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

[QUOTE=Dave-SKG] Peter,
Just do what I do...get a sharp chisel and dig it out. Then when the customer asks why the gouge in the neck tell him you thought there was a termite infestation but you think you got them all. Sometimes I gouge other areas just to make the story more believable.[/QUOTE]



Well, I guess I'll just leave it alone!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

This .... is why I like to use birdseye maple