Heel — Lutherie Encyclopedia

HeelType: glossaryThe shaped block at the base of the neck where it meets the body, providing structural support for the neck joint.## Definition The heel is the thickened, shaped portion of the guitar neck at its base where it joins the body. It provides the mass and surface area needed for a strong neck-to-body connection, whether that joint is a dovetail, bolt-on, or mortise-and-tenon design. The heel transfers the considerable forces of string tension from the neck into the body structure and must be rigid enough to maintain the neck angle over decades of use. Heel shapes vary widely among builders and traditions. Classical guitars typically have a large, squared-off heel with a flat or Spanish foot construction. Steel-string acoustics usually have a more tapered, rounded heel. Modern designs sometimes feature a cutaway or sculpted heel for improved upper-fret access. ## In Practice Shaping the heel is one of the final stages of neck construction and requires careful work to achieve both a strong joint and a comfortable feel. The heel must mate precisely with the body, whether it slides into a dovetail mortise or bolts against a flat surface. On acoustic guitars with dovetail joints, the heel carries the dovetail tenon and must be carved to exact dimensions. After the neck is joined to the body, the heel is typically shaped further to blend smoothly with the body contours. A heel cap, a small decorative piece of contrasting wood, is often glued to the bottom of the heel to cover the end grain and add visual detail. The comfort of the heel shape directly affects how easily a player can access the uppe…