Shaping the necks is a sculptural process. From within a solid (or glued up) block of square edged wood comes a graceful and artistic object. At the end of this stage, the shape of the neck is very close to it’s final form. The neck profile is left thicker so that the rough surface can be further refined by fine filing and smoothing with scrapers and sandpaper.

Each neck is beginning to take on balance as well, and holding it in the playing position (left hand) you can feel how the instrument will cradle in your hand. The shaping from this point on will consist of reducing the neck profile until it “feels” like it would be comfortable to play. As I am refining the shape, I will put a fretboard on top and position my fingers in a few easy and a few hard chord shapes.