Dove Tail ?

[Eric Hochberg]

Are bass builders are using dovetail neck joints today, or is that a thing of the past? This came up on TB and I thought I'd ask here, too.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

Are bass builders are using dovetail neck joints today, or is that a thing of the past? This came up on TB and I thought I'd ask here, too.

Hopefully not if they are smart. It's not as strong and seems like the fit can't be as tight. Also, with a neck graft in the future, this will be difficult to get out easily and re-fit. I have had one Italian bass with a dovetail that had a secondary neck and the fit was terrible. I had it modified to a mortise joint with the neck graft.

[Eric Hochberg]

So, a dovetail has the angled slot, and a mortise has a 90º slot?

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

So, a dovetail has the angled slot, and a mortise has a 90º slot?

Not exactly; the sides of the mortise are usually about 2 degrees off vertical, like the sides of the neck. This helps hold things together, and it allows the neck sides to be at a constant angle (think of the neck's taper--wide at the bottom, narrow at the nut).

[Eric Hochberg]

Thank you, Arnold!