tvguit Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I've already steamed the neck joint on this old Harmony and I am about to attempt to cut the heal and glue it back in tonight- wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted March 18, 2012 Author Share Posted March 18, 2012 I have learned so much from this process. If you have an old (cheap- no Gibsons for your first try!!!!) guitar that needs a neck reset and you are interested my suggestion to you is- dive in! Just do it. You will mess up, but that is just part of the deal. Most of the mistakes can be fixed and you will gain even more experience in the process. Read everything you can on the internet or in repair books about resetting the neck but they really only scratch the surface of what you need to know. The only way to get that knowledge is by doing it. Big lessons I have learned: 1. (from Bob Tedrow of Tedrow Concertinas and owner of Homewood Musical Instruments) "The dovetail joint is a mechanical joint- the glue is only there to keep it from slipping out not to hold the tension of a strung neck." 2. Check and RE-CHECK!!! After cutting the neck, insert it back in the guitar and check your progress. The neck will pull forward under tension so when checking you must account for that. 3. DO NOT use too much glue- Chances are you are not going to get the angle correct on your first try so don't use so much glue that you have to steam the neck forever to get the glue to release it. I use only hide glue because it sets really hard yet is really forgiving when you have to repair it. I have had to steam the neck out twice because I haven't gotten the angle quite right yet. When I glued the neck in the first time I used way too much glue and it took forever to steam. The second time I only used as much glue as it needed and when I steamed it, it only took a minute or so (MUCH more pleasant). This i kind of a crude way to clamp the neck but it was all I had and it seemed to work well. I ended up melting the finish off the heal when I had the heat lamp on in the second picture. I should have seen that coming but that is all part of the "live and learn" portion. Good luck on yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 You are a braver man than I am. Congratulations on taking this on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 I appreciate it Nick. Any excuse to drink some beer I guess. I would suggest it to any acoustic gear head who has the slightest inclination and a free weekend. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Very cool project! I can see me doing that....especially if beer is involved... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Good idea to practice on a less expensive guitar. Maybe someday you'll need to do a neck reset on a Gibson and be ready for the challenge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 I've got 2 J-45s (a '53 and a '46) that need neck resets. I am going to do a lot more before I tackle them. Or I'll just take them to my repair guy, he is really good and uses hide glue too. I am pretty sure a mid 30s L-00 is in my future and I know it will need a neck reset too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am pretty sure a mid 30s L-00 is in my future and I know it will need a neck reset too. Almost guaranteed. I looked at a ton of them before finally buying a year-old L-OO Legend. Most of the vintage ones needed a neck re-set. I suspect many of the others had already been done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I am pretty sure a mid 30s L-00 is in my future and I know it will need a neck reset too. i sure do HOPE it's in your future! LOL. That little guitar needs to come live with me. I WILL make it happen... just waiting for the right time. she ain't going anywhere ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Modoc- I was talking about a sunburst L-00 not your little tuxedo! Although that would be great to have that 12 fretter too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Modoc- I was talking about a sunburst L-00 not your little tuxedo! Although that would be great to have that 12 fretter too... well i need to play the '46 and this new mystery L-00! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Well, you probably noticed that I never posted about the conclusion of this neck set. That is because it was terrible. The fretboard extension broke. The joint had gaps and wasn't tight. The action was still really high. Yesterday I bought an old Kay 17" jumbo in sunburst with maple back and sides, real Kluson tuners and the fancy headstock overlay. Oh yea, and the neck pretty much fell out. Tonight I finished my second neck reset attempt and the first successful attempt. I would venture to say it even looks good. I don't even have a real nut or saddle but the makeshift ones I am using let me string it up and the surgery was successful. Action seems to be good. I'll try to post some pictures after I get a bone nut and saddle made for her. Yeehaw gents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 Here are some shots of the Kay Jumbo with the successful reset: No gaps That is some nice flame maple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Underneath this post is a link to the blog post about this guitar and a quick video. Check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.