Neck pocket
The recess routed into the body that receives the heel of a bolt-on neck, together with the screws that hold it there.
Its accuracy decides the whole instrument: a pocket cut at the wrong angle changes the neck pitch and therefore the action, and one cut slightly off-centre sends the strings down the neck at an angle. Because it is a shaped route, it is difficult to correct after the fact, and the standard field repair is a tapered shim rather than re-routing. A tight, cleanly cut pocket also transfers vibration more efficiently than a loose one.
Example: a guitar whose strings run closer to one edge of the fingerboard than the other usually has a misplaced or sloppily cut neck pocket.
See also
Related
- PageBolt-on neck
- PageShim
- PageAction
- PageArchtop
- PageB-Bender
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock