McCarthy Stringed Instruments

The tapered neck heel is designed to have an unobstructed feel as the player reaches for high notes in the cutaway. It also makes the guitar a bit lighter. A traditional tapered dovetail joint and neck extension are chalk fit by hand with no shims, for solid propagation of vibration throughout the entire instrument.




The neck extension floats free from the top beyond the neck block, so that vibration of the upper area of the top is not restrained.

The peg head has no volute; it is tapered thicker as it merges into the neck, so the critical area behind the nut is strong. The neck has a first quality modern two-way adjustable truss rod. The neck shape is a gentle ellipse in cross section, not too round shouldered, and not too triangular, with a relatively small feel for its actual thickness. The thickness increase along the length of the neck follows a very slight curve, for a transparent feel as the player moves up or down.


The peg head shape is proportioned to the size of the guitar (18” Skylark peg head shown here). The maker’s logo, tri-strand peg head decoration, truss rod cover and paired isosceles trapezoid position markers are designed to be unique and modern looking, while recalling some of the flavor of a fine instrument from the classic era.



The “M” crest on the peg head is reprised at the base of the finger board.


I like the natural look of the wood of the neck continuing up through the back of the peg head, so there is no veneer or widows peak. One piece neck of red heart big leaf maple on an 18” Skylark.


Ebony peg head overlay on an 18” Skylark.


European maple neck on a 17” Skylark Spirit, with simplified “M” crest.


Honduran rosewood peg head overlay on a 17” Skylark Spirit. The face of the peg head is finished only with linseed oil, like the fingerboard and other rosewood fittings.


Eastern hard rock maple neck with walnut center stripe on a 16” Skylark Spirit.


Vera wood peg head overlay on a 16” Skylark Spirit. Linseed oil finish here, too.


Snake wood peghead overlay and finger board.