Volute

A raised ridge of extra wood carved into the back of the neck where it meets the headstock.

The volute adds material at the weakest point of an angled headstock, exactly where a fall or a knock tends to snap the neck, and it also thickens the area over the truss rod cavity. It appears on many vintage-style instruments, particularly those with a steep headstock angle, and its presence or absence is a useful clue to when a guitar was built. Modern makers use it deliberately as insurance rather than for tone, since it adds stiffness without changing the sound.

Example: A guitar whose neck thickens noticeably into a small carved bump just behind the nut has a volute.

Volute

See also