First Neck build..1 or 2 piece

Ok I have the wood to build my first neck
and I was originally going to build a 1 piece neck but after thinking about it in regards to the truss rod installation should I

1. Cut a fretboard out of the same maple neck blank
2. Just build it as it is with a 1 piece and deal with the trussrod and walnut strip

As this is my first build I am a bit concerned with doing the 1 way trussrod with a curved slot

Do you all think it would be easier to do a 2 piece neck for the first one?

well, I've been doing a little of both recently and I will say the 2 piece is a tad easier, but not by much. Most of the same steps need to be done, you just don't have to be quite as clean with your truss-rod routing on the 2 piece, as it is covered in the end. I wouldn't be intimidated by doing a 1 piece, but be prepared to have a few disposable "prototypes" before you get the perfect one.

I decided a one piece was simpler, not necessarily easier. So my first 3 necks are all one piece builds.

Unless you're planning on a dual action truss rod, you'd have to rout a curved channel in either case.

I tried my first neck build and screwed up two good pieces of wood before I got it close enough to work. A two-piece with a two-way truss rod was the way to go for me -- that way the channel can be flat.

I wanted to make the truss rod part as easy as possible because there are so many other variables to try to perfect -- the carve on the back, slotting, fretting, etc.

Unless you're planning on a dual action truss rod, you'd have to rout a curved channel in either case.

for me I don't want the extra weight of a dual action...plus want to keep it as close to vintage original as possible

I tried my first neck build and screwed up two good pieces of wood before I got it close enough to work. A two-piece with a two-way truss rod was the way to go for me -- that way the channel can be flat.

I wanted to make the truss rod part as easy as possible because there are so many other variables to try to perfect -- the carve on the back, slotting, fretting, etc.

Yes I have all kinds of things to get straight before I begin.

You can install a traditional truss rod in a straight slot. Simply glue in a D shaped insert that you cut out with your bandsaw, that corresponds to the curved slot - as you would for the skunk stripe.

Yep, as Nick said, you can make little curves and glue them in at each end of the straight slot and have a corresponding " plug" with the same radius pushing down on the rod.

Might as well make a jig for the curved channel cause I guarantee you cant stop at just one :wink:.