Burley 335: Setting the Neck

With 7 coats of Tru-Oil on the front of the Burled 335, and the decision finally made to finish the guitar in an all-natural colour, I decided to get the neck on and glued as soon as possible. With 3 coats already on the back and sides, I could see how this guitar was going to look and I'm really digging it. With a natural Tru-Oil finish also planned for the neck, there was no reason to delay setting the neck. In fact, it seemed a better choice than waiting given that it will allow me to get a more even finish around the neck joint.

And so, without further ado, out came the clamp and the Titebond. The neck fit was still super-tight, but with a little coaxing (and clamping) the bugger was finally seated in the pocket and glued down tight.

A little cleanup with a wet-rag around the joint (I always use way too much Titebond) and everything was good to go. The great thing about set-neck kits that don't have the bridge pre-positioned is that you have the flexibility to get the neck glued without having to worry about whether it's centred with respect to the bridge or whether the strings are traveling nicely down it. That can all be fine-tuned when we drill the bridge posts.

Now all that is left for me to do is to  wait 24-48 hours for the joint to fully dry. After that it is back to the Tru-Oil!