Pics of Rigel's under construction.

[wsm]

I would be interested in seeing them as they are being put together. Especially how the rim is contoured.

[John Flynn]

You might email Rigel. They are pretty nice about that kind of thing and they have had some great construction pictures on thier web page in the past.

[Gary S]

Here is a pic I had received from Rigel.

[Gary S]

Let me try again.

[Scott Tichenor]

They often show pictures of instruments under construction on their this week at Rigel page. Right now there are pix of NAMM on there including a nice shot of Josh Pinkham and his dad.

[wsm]

Could a Rigel owner please tell me if the inside of the rim has a concave contour that matches the convex contour of the exterior? Or is the inside of the rim left the way we see it in the previously posted picture.

[John Flynn]

I just looked inside my A+ and the inside of the rim on mine is concave, matching the convex exterior. Overall, I have to say that that the finishing on the inside is very nice and smooth, unlike the interiors of many instruments. The photo above is obviously an early rough cut in the process.

[thistle3585]

The inside of that mando rim above is already concaved. If you look closely you can see that there is a lip on the bottom side which shows burn marks from the router. The burn marks go up to where the points start, so I would assume that from that mark around the front to the other burn mark is not concaved. I'd be really interested in seeing that router bit. It must be a ball or bowl bit.

I recently read an article about Rigel that was put out by a Vermont business magazine, very enlightening about the business, their history and some of their processes. I am really impressed by the company and their production efforts. I'm sure that was a hard design to sell to a very traditional market.

By the way, I assume the necks are bolt ons based on the above photo? Is that the case for all their mandos? If so, good for them to break the mold.

[John Flynn]

All the necks in thier regular line and on the G5 are bolted. I don't know about thier custom stuff, like the Jethro. They have the coolest bolt system too, not like anyone else's. The neck is held on by three thin bolts that actually go in through the fretboard. The bolt heads are covered up by the position markers on the 12th and 15th frets. I'll bet they can do a complete neck change in almost no time at all.

[wsm]

I don't think this is a Rigel neck but it shows how the position markers hide the neck bolts...

[thistle3585]

Mandojohnny, you just solved a riddle for me. # Someone has been selling Rigel necks on ebay. #They must get them directly from Rigel's supplier. #I thought they looked familiar until you pointed that out about the 12th and 15th fret bolt positions. #I couldn't place them until now. #I was wanting to buy a couple from the ebay seller, but they wanted too much for them. #Don't suppose Rigel would sell them to me. #Anyone know who their supplier is?

[wsm]

This is what they look like before they hit the spray booth..

[wsm]

After spraying..

[wsm]

and the back..

[stanley]

Being an A+ owner I should know this....

What's the reason for there being no truss rod? I always suspected the three glue lam wood added enough strength, or I thought...'maybe there's a bolt adjustment somewhere under the body-side end'....

...but as long as it plays well I happy!

[vedauwoorocks]

I think they told me at Rigel that there is a rod in the neck, just not adjustable. I am not sure about this and could be wrong. I know they told me that they couldn't remember the last time they got a mando back to have its neck re-set.
Where is Dale when you need him?
Peter Mix could tell you too.
-Fred

[mrmando]

That's right, the necks are reinforced with a non-adjustable rod. If there is a neck problem, the neck could just be swapped out for a new one. I think Peter M. told me they've never had to do this yet.

[thistle3585]

Great photos. Any idea why finish it without the neck attatched? What is the benefit other than making it easier to remove later on. Can someone post a picture of the back at the joint. Curious of how the color scheme ends up, as well as the apperance of the joint.

[John Flynn]

I always suspected the three glue lam wood added enough strength

My A+ neck is laminated also, but I noticed on a more recent A+ in a local shop they seem to have gone to a one piece neck. I read the non-adjustable rod is carbon fiber, BTW. I recently had a complete set up done on mine after a year of hard playing. The luthier said the neck was spot on. Even if there had been an adjustable rod, he wouldn't have touched it.

A Naturals & the older A+ standards have 1 piece necks. All A+ Deluxes & above have 3 piece laminated necks.

"Any idea why finish it without the neck attatched? What is the benefit other than making it easier to remove later on."

Easier to buff before final assembly. Ever heard anyone complain about the top finish not looking good under the fretboard extension on a Rigel.......nope......that's why.

[John Flynn]

Dale:

I recognize you have far more expertise on Rigels than I ever will, but I swear, there is a brand new A+ Deluxe in a shop near me, right now, with a one piece neck. BTW, the neck is not all that true either. I was surprised. FWIW, this A+ has a much darker finish than I have ever seen on an A+, almost as dark as an A Natural, but it a glossy sunburst finish and it is definitely an A+ Deluxe.

Johnny, it must be the "missing link" then.....LOL!. Any of the older "standard" models including A+, R100 & Classic S had one piece necks, but all have been discontinued. I've never seen an A+ Deluxe that had a one piece neck.