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Neck reset
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=31951		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  banjopicks [ Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Neck reset
eek
After struggling with repeated installation of shims and sanding to nothing and starting again for too many times, I finally settled for the best I'm capable of at this time. The fit to the body is pretty good but I just could not get the dovetail to hold the neck perfectly in place. Pretty close but not quite what I wanted. I ended up using a clamp to hold the heel firmly to the body and I used titebond instead of hide glue to give myself more time to make sure everything lined up well and I had a tight fit to the body. If the glue doesn't hold it in place, I'll take it apart and try again. I guess if I had removed the fret board it would have been a lot easier to get the shims right but I don't think anyone does that so I persisted.

I wonder if it's this difficult with a new build.
Author:  Chris Pile [ Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
Sometimes a neck reset will make you want to cuss.
Author:  Laurent Brondel [ Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
Hopefully the fit is loose on the top and not the bottom part of the heel. Otherwise string tension will inevitably pull the bottom of the heel sooner or later.
Are you using chalk or carbon paper to fit your dovetail? It really helps.
It also really helps for subsequent resets (as I imagine you may have to do) to put only the minimal amount of glue on the dovetail, and not flood the whole joint, especially with TB.
Author:  banjopicks [ Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
Laurent Brondel wrote:
Hopefully the fit is loose on the top and not the bottom part of the heel. Otherwise string tension will inevitably pull the bottom of the heel sooner or later.
Are you using chalk or carbon paper to fit your dovetail? It really helps.
It also really helps for subsequent resets (as I imagine you may have to do) to put only the minimal amount of glue on the dovetail, and not flood the whole joint, especially with TB.


I used chalk. I haven't had any luck finding carbon paper. The fit was tight top to bottom on one side but would wiggle a little on the right side. I'm hoping that the fret-board to the top will keep it from changing this portion of the alignment and the bottom of the joint will be held pretty good by the right side fit. I did use a minimal amout of glue on the dovetail only. I'm pretty sure I can get it apart again if I have to.

I sure wish i could have figured out what the problem was fitting it though. I've done 3 other dovetails on mandolins and all of them fit better than this guitar. I have a guild from the same era that I want to reset next and I had hoped I would have it all figured out before I started it. I will probably remove the fretboard next time. I'm sure it will help.
Author:  George L [ Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
Ask your dentist if they can spare a pack or two of dental articulating paper. Keep in mind that I've only done one dovetail, but I could not get a satisfactory fit until I removed the fingerboard.
Author:  TimAllen [ Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
To avoid another neck reset headache, I just wanted to give you a heads up on neck resets for old Guilds: the shape of the heel makes it really easy to cause cracks when you do neck re-sets. Easy does it with those...
Author:  banjopicks [ Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
TimAllen wrote:
To avoid another neck reset headache, I just wanted to give you a heads up on neck resets for old Guilds: the shape of the heel makes it really easy to cause cracks when you do neck re-sets. Easy does it with those...


Thanks Tim. I think I must have run into every possible problem with this one though. [headinwall] It's a 3 piece neck which I had to re-glue before moving on. If I went into all the gory details I don't think you could take it so I'll leave them for my own sleepless nights. In other words, I must be ready for the Guild after this. Now where is that guitar hiding.
Author:  Dan Pennington [ Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
Change it to a bolt on.
Author:  TonyKarol [ Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Neck reset
I am resetting a Guild right now for a friend .. beware that they glue the whole inside of the heel down otthe body, plus the dovetail, which in comparison is smallish - mine had one side already let go, the other wouldnt totally and it cracked the side wood some (remember also alot of these are plywood back and sides) - but that was also due to the fact the guitar had seen better days and there were alot of fractures thru the top layer of ply all over the sides, moisture had gotten in there and released some of the layers of ply too around the neck .. not very pretty.

What I do to refit dovetails is something I saw at the Larrivee factory years ago - use 4 small shims, about 3/4 long, two top and two bottom on the male dovetail. I put them on in pairs, top first, then sand to fit before adding the bottom pair. easier to figure out which pair it is when sanding !!!! Chances are as well that the bottom pair will be thicker as you have made the dovetail sit further in the pocket with the reset. Dont forget you might need to trim some off the bottom face of the dovetail so it doesnt hit the back of the pocket, depends on how much wood you remove from the heel face and how deep the pocket is.
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