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Neck repair advice.


LarryUK

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Having taken up the cello. I'm really surprised how backward the classical instrument world is. There's no technology at all. You can buy electric Cello's but traditional ones are still in the dark ages. Wooded pegs for tuning etc. On the neck point. The fingerboard floats beyond the neck/body joint. So it's a weak point. It could be screwed or doweled. But glueing should be sufficient. I'm surprised that no one does a modern cello, with a proper bridge etc. there's a market there for someone.

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...I'm really surprised how backward the classical instrument world is. ... traditional ones are still in the dark ages. Wooded pegs for tuning etc. On the neck point. The fingerboard floats beyond the neck/body joint.

 

Isn't that on purpose to achieve a desired tone? Would an electronic cello have that tone?

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I meant things like the tuners and bridge really. I know they have fine tuners, but the tuning pegs are still held by friction. Surely there should be some sort of mechanical tuner? I really don't think it would affect the sound. The wooden bridge with grooves cut into it could be advanced somehow. Imagine if we still had the old type tuners etc on guitars now.

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The wooden bridge with grooves cut into it could be advanced somehow.

 

I guess my L-5 should have a stop-tail and stud mounted T-O-M. Oh wait a minute, this one is "advanced", it's COMPENSATED!

 

5923888423_3b60ac2061_b.jpg

 

Many high dollar hand built classical and flamenco guitars use friction fit wooden peg tuners. Many of these types of "outdated" features on many traditional stringed instruments fall into the category of "tradition", just the way we like our GIBSONS.

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I meant things like the tuners and bridge really. I know they have fine tuners, but the tuning pegs are still held by friction. Surely there should be some sort of mechanical tuner? I really don't think it would affect the sound. The wooden bridge with grooves cut into it could be advanced somehow. Imagine if we still had the old type tuners etc on guitars now.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Theres not a lot of pressure but cello's are usually picked up at the neck after all how else wood you hold one? I'd probably drop a few small wood peg's in just to prevent any weakness from twisting on a break that flat with such little grain for glue contact then it should be strong as well as being able to deal with some twisting without issue. That said I have no idea how broken neck joint might impact the sound on a Cello so it would be strong enough but not sure how it would sound so it's all about how valuable the cello is I guess before you decide if you should buy it or not.

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Nah, it's on me, even when I posted it I was thinking of a good way to phrase it, and that was the best I could come up with.

 

Yeah, I've told a couple jokes on here that were taken the wrong way completely. It's easy to misinterpret things on the internet because there's no body language, just words.

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I'd actually send it off to this Youtuber called davey4557. He has tons of repair videos and takes Youtubers guitars and fixes them. Always looking for a challenge, and always doing top notch work as well.

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I'd actually send it off to this Youtuber called davey4557. He has tons of repair videos and takes Youtubers guitars and fixes them. Always looking for a challenge, and always doing top notch work as well.

 

 

 

 

GOOD DEAL, hope he fixes it for you!

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Just glue it. Don't try a wood peg or dowel. It's too hard to get it to line up. Unless you remove the fingerboard then drill the hole after gluing the two parts together. But... It appears this is how the cello's neck was fabricated in the first place, a separate piece of wood for the heel.

 

Us natural hyde glue, the kind you mix with water, then heat up to get gooey. The liquid stuff in a bottle is not strong enough.

 

Check out Frets.com for a couple treatises on the use of Hyde Glue and finding small quantities of it in the grocery store marked "Knox Gelatin". I used it to re-assemble my old Norlin built Epiphone. That was 6 years ago and it's still holding. In this instruction, you'll find the instructions for mixing hyde glue:

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/37812-repairing-a-norlin-era-ft-guitar-with-broken-neck/

 

Once on that page search for "Knox".

 

Make sure to get the two pieces as perfectly lined up as possible. Then get a serious amount of clamping pressure (protect wood surfaces with cauls). If you get a good glue joint, it should hold until the next time someone bounces this cello down the stair well. KSDADDY fixed a cello that looked worse than this.

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