Aggie80

Yeah, time flies when you are having fun! And working and taking care of the family and all that other good stuff. But! Reglued the top to the existing neck brace section and clamped per the description above. It was tricky getting the glue into the top on the right side as the binding was a bit of a challenge. Fashioned two braces from some scrap oak that I had, generally close to the specs provided. Hardest part was cleaning the old hardened glue away from the location of the braces (not the glue I had used to re-glue the top). Used a scalpel to do it and it took a long time! Positioned using the tongue depressor braces as suggested. I also used a Stanley clamp. These have large soft padding on them of a very dense foam that won't harm finishes. They have good control on the force level. It was small enough to fit through the sound hole and catch the end closest to the hole. I did them one at a time. Reglued the brace into place. Was able to use two of the Stanley clamps to catch the brace onto the sound board without any problem. Refashioned a new bridge from a blank, matching the broken one in profile. Reassembled the entire instrument. Successfully strung it up with the lowest tension set of strings I could get. No apparent issues and it has been settling for 24 hours so far. My daughter tuned it up and gave it a few strums. Sounding pretty good! I hope I can get a video clip and a couple of pictures up in about a week once it has totally settled.

I'm guessing factory, as the finish is consistent across the joint. I'm going to do my first glue pass with the epoxy sometime in the next week, I need to get the clamps. Obtained the pins and strings this weekend, so I have everything to make it workable now, though I do want to replace the adjustable metal part of the bridge saddle. Any suggestions? I'm thinking the best course might be to just buy a bridge and cut it down to fit in the slot.

I took a careful look at the neck joint this morning and was quite surprised by what I found. The right edge is actually bound! The neck block is routed out and the binding is still fastened to the top. That is why it looks much thicker than the left edge. It also explains why the top is not as deformed on that side as it is on the other. It is going to make it a bit of a challenge to get the glue up and around the corner in that area.

I'm looking at it and going "What is he talking about?" and then I see it. I'll have to take a closer look at it when I get home, but I can clearly see the issue you are referring to. Thanks for pointing it out, I might have not realized it when I started the glue down!

I'm actually a ukulele guy myself. When I get to the glue stage I've got a bridge on an old uke to re-attach. Here's a couple of the before photos. Not as bad shape is the one described, the soundboard is completely unattached from the block, but the back appears solid.

Yes, it is an FT-160, I fat fingered it! Who ever had the instrument before drilled out the area under the adjustment screws, eliminating the ability to use the adjustment. I suspect that they wanted the screws as low as possible so they weren't in the way. I will probably replace it with an over-sized bone bridge. I should get better sound transfer that way. It appears that the block is solid against the back of the box, but the entire top is loose from the block. I'll set up some pictures in the next couple of days and show the before and afters. I actually have access to a luthier to consult with who works in my office. He works part time at a local instrument shop, used to do it full time many years ago. He recommends putting it together without the one shim that was in there, as it was probably added by someone other than the manufacturer, and may be part of what caused the problem. As I'm collecting materials and parts, I'm hydrating it with the small bowls of water. Good idea!

I don't want to sound like a school girl, but Oh My God! Thank you for posting this! I just purchased an FT-150 12-string with exactly that deformation starting. It was a risk, but it cost me a whopping $25. I believe I can follow these instructions and allow me to create a working instrument. I need a get a new set of pins and a new bridge. I have the metal adjustable saddle, but am unsure how it is supposed to work. Perhaps the screws are stripped.