Neck Set Gauge – StewMac

Neck Set Gauge

Finds the correct neck angle and bridge height for flattop guitars without guesswork!

Luthier Bryan Galloup suggested this unique device that brings precision to complicated neck setting. Our Neck Set Gauge, designed for attachment to our #3799 24″ Precision Straightedge, helps determine the exact amount of wood to remove from the neck heel for proper neck angle and best playability. Accurate to .001″, it can also indicate the best presaddle height for a new bridge. Instructions and a mathematical formula for neck heel trimming are included.

Setting an acoustic guitar neck to the proper angle has never been easy. Trimming the right amount of wood from the neck heel has been mostly trial and error. The Neck Set Gauge is a great solution from builder and repairman Bryan Galloup. Bryan does a lot of exacting neck resets for his customers, and this experience has led to a new use for a dial indicator to bring precision to the task.

Attached to a straightedge, this tool helps you determine the exact amount of wood to remove from the neck heel for the correct neck angle. You’ll get the best playability, whether you’re doing a reset or building a new guitar.

Determine bridge height: the Neck Set Gauge indicates the exact distance between the plane of the fret tops and the top of the soundboard, the ideal pre-saddle bridge height.

Adjust the neck heel: it also measures the distance between the plane of the fret tops and the top of the bridge. Apply this distance to the formula in the Instructions, and calculate the exact amount of wood to remove from the neck heel for a precise neck angle.