Neck Re-set. Anybody ever give it a go?

I've got an old Kay archtop that could benefit from a good neck re-set. I have been using it for slide but it would be nice to have it set up properly.

I assume that applying a fair amount of steam would allow me to get the neck free but I'm concerned about the neck binding and inlays. Any suggestions?

Not sure what the cost would be to have it professionally addressed or the condition/value of the guitar would even justify having it done. I'm thinking no to both so may just give it a go myself.

Just looking for opinions or advice.

RC

I know nothing about guitars but these folks may be able to help.

http://www.stewmac.com/?gclid=CMDYhtmkgMQCFS3l7Aod-gkApA

(No affiliation)

I have purchased from Stew Mac in the past and I'm sure they would have any additional tools I would need but was interested in hearing from others that have tackled a neck re-set. They may have some how to videos on the subject though. I'll check it out, thanks.

RC

I've done a few and just finished a neck re-set on a Martin D16R. Not terribly difficult but you have to be careful, especially breaking the glue under the fingerboard. I used a heat lamp and a heated palette knife to detach it. After that steam into the neck joint. I'll be glad to get more specific if you need me to. I have a 00-18 waiting to be done which I will document here eventually.

It sure looks like I could make a mess out of it if I got too crazy with the heat and steam. I would think it would effect the finish or pop the binding etc. I'll be watching for your thread on the re-set.

RC

I would seek a professional to do this job.You being in the Twin Cities there should be plenty of folks available.

Oh yeah, we have a whole bunch of luthier shops around here. It's not s super expenslve guitar so I figured I may give it a go myself. I'd hate to ruin jt though. It's all original sans pickguard.

RC

I always recommend looking for a trashed guitar to practise on. Yeah, ou have to be careful. Patients is the key here. Don't force anything off or on. I haven't done one for a long time. We are talking the early 90s on a friends Martin. But I may have to soon on a red label Yamaha.

Check out this guys sight. No affiliation. Used to write a repair column for Guitar Player. I have several of his books and he has dvd's available, one on neck resets. You may know the name.

http://www.danerlewine.com/index.html

I hadn't done one since the nineties either but the guy kept asking because he couldn't find anyone he trusted anywhere close. My fear was that I didn't want to f**k up an expensive guitar as I was pretty rusty. This was not an old guitar but the neck joint was separating, or was never set properly. There was a gap at the heal, high action, and a low saddle. Not very playable at all. The joint was not a dovetail but a straight mortise and tenon type with one screw through the neck block into the tenon. The neck was not loose and once removed the glue beads that had built up around the mortise led me to conclude that it was never in the proper position. The brass insert in the neck that received the screw was pulled out (stripped) and was not pulling the neck to the body. This screw is secondary to the glue joint in the scheme of things and is really inconsequential once the glue dries. It's hard to imagine that Martin would let an improperly set up guitar out of the factory but that's the only conclusion that I can come to since a glue joint once broken does not re-set itself. This was a straight re-set and did not involve altering the heal to change the angle of the neck.

I personally leave neck resets to a profesional luthier.
It is really not a DYI repair if you care anything about the guitar.
If you insist on doing it yourself for financial reasons, I 2nd the Stewmac recommendation.
They will have the proper tools ,supplies & instructional materials.
Looks like the proper tools might cost more than a professional reset...

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tool...nd_Fingerboards/Neck_Removal_Jig.html#reviews

There is a lot of love for old Kays in certain circles.:yes:

Good luck with your repair
PQ

Falstaff said:

I always recommend looking for a trashed guitar to practise on. Yeah, ou have to be careful. Patients is the key here. Don't force anything off or on. I haven't done one for a long time. We are talking the early 90s on a friends Martin. But I may have to soon on a red label Yamaha.

Check out this guys sight. No affiliation. Used to write a repair column for Guitar Player. I have several of his books and he has dvd's available, one on neck resets. You may know the name.

http://www.danerlewine.com/index.html

Click to expand...

On red label Yamahas the neck is glued on with epoxy. A standard neck reset is impossible. You have to either slip the block (California Neck Reset) or cut the neck off and make it into a bolt on neck.

doucanoe said:

Oh yeah, we have a whole bunch of luthier shops around here. It's not s super expenslve guitar so I figured I may give it a go myself. I'd hate to ruin jt though. It's all original sans pickguard.

RC

Click to expand...

Ron I have a guy that works VERY cheap. Let me know.......

^cheap!

specialidiot said:

Ron I have a guy that works VERY cheap. Let me know.......

Click to expand...

I prefer the term inexpensive but cheap works also

I'll give you call.


RC

I've done 3 neck resets. The guitars were cheap (err inexpensive) to me because of damaged necks. I didn't have much to lose and wanted to learn something. They all turned out fine, although I did have to do the first one twice because I got the angle a bit wrong. I still have that one around here somewhere, I think it's an old Kiso Suzuki with a zero fret. You just need a few tools, a steam setup, and a bunch of reading up about it online. Gotta love a guitar put together with hide glue :yes:.