Fine tuning a neck re-set

[Chris Vallillo]

Hi Folks,

I've been re-setting the neck of a Harmony Stella 12 string and have run into an issue I've dealt with before. As I get closer to the final fit, the treble side is tight and the bass side is till about 1/8" high.  I've taken pics to show exactly what I mean.

I'm using the Carbon paper method of fine tuning nd here's what I get on both the Dove tail and the inside of the joint:

It's originally had a shim on the bass side of the pocket and I've kept one there (I replaced the original one w/ mahogany veneer). 

I'm a bit confused as to where to remove more material to get this to sit properly.  Usually I'll keep beavering away until the fit is good, but I'd really like to figure out a better way to understand this.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be gratefully accepted!

[Mark A. Kane]

You need to remove material from the bottom treble side of the dovetail to allow the heel to move towards the treble side. The bass side will then sit flush. Don't be afraid to "get after it". Once the fingerboard is sitting flush on the top, you can then easily shim the neck for a tight fit. It's also possible, but unlikely, that you need to remove material from the bass side dovetail up near the fingerboard. But since it was flush before you removed it, the dovetail is unlikely to have grown in this dimension.

[Chris Vallillo]

Thanks very much, Mark.  I did that and it was a big help.  I've currently got the neck gluing up.  What complicated this one is that it is a Harmony made Stella 12 string with a poplar neck and I had to re-build the dovetail due to tear out on the dove tail itself.  I find this is a common problem with poplar.  Between that and a poor fit with previous shimming, probably from the factory, it tool quite a while to get everything to fit correctly.