Case study: new neck

The client purchased an EVH guitar and loved everything except for the neck; He preferred a thinner profile that flattened toward the heel.

Initial glue up

We chose curly maple and cherry from our stock of hard woods

The maple/cherry/maple laminate is squared, resawed, planed and sanded to thickness

The client picked a curly maple fretboard with some unique figure and color

A low profile 2 way truss rod is inserted into the routed blank

The customer wanted an exact match for the headstock shape and width at the nut and heel

After the fretboard is glued to the neck, jumbo EVO frets are pressed

The client chose abalone for fret markers

The old, neck next to the new. Upgrades at every turn

The customer wanted to use existing hardware and keep the old neck original

sealed with shellac and ready for lacquer

The grain is popping!

Lacquer needs 3 to 4 weeks to cure before polishing

The new neck is leveled, crowned and polished

The client wanted Charvel branding

Neck alignment is critical for playability

Once assembled, a full set up is executed

The attention to detail makes this neck stand out among factory standards

The customer was thrilled when he came to pick it up and banged out a few classic VH riffs for good measure!