In need of help on how to go about regluing the butt joint (I think it's called) of a mandolin neck

[Ryan Matzen]

I purchased an older Regal mandolin that has a neck that is basically being held on by the fingerboard.

I was hoping that I could get some input on how to go about repairing this (I'd also like an estimate on how old it is if anyone happens to know).  I did a bit of searching on here but wasn't able to come up with much, but I may have not been searching using the correct terms.

I was thinking that dowels might be a good way to go. Can the fingerboard be removed from the body with an iron and something along the lines of a putty knife? Also, what's the recommended glue for gluing this back together. I think that I might have 2 different bottles of Titebond somewhere.

Thanks in advance,

Ryan

[Ned Knepp]

Hi Ryan,

 From your questions, I assume that you are looking at your first repair.  I would recommend that you keep looking and hold off on action until you get more knowledge. It's not easy to do that because you have the instrument and it's exciting to think of getting it playing but it will make your attempts at repair much more likely to succeed if you have patience. 

I can't address the age of the mandolin but the tailpiece and the tuners as well as the overall look makes me think it's from the mid-20th century or somewhat earlier. It's not a terribly desirable mandolin which makes it an excellent choice for a beginner in repair.

Are you sure it'a a butt joint and not a dove tail? This makes a difference on how you might approach the repair.

Usually, I wouldn't recommend a beginner start with a neck joint issue. If you're going to hang it on the wall for decoration just put whatever glue you have in the joint and clamp it up but if the intent is to make the mandolin functional there is probably more than just gluing the heel down again to consider. You will want to look at the "setup", which is a term you can use in searches to get more information. Basically, you will want to insure that the strings relationship to the nut, fingerboard and bridge will be good enough for it to be played. It could be a mistake to just glue things up only to find that the neck angle needs to be adjusted. Removing the fingerboard IS usually done with the application of heat but, as with so many other things, it's the details that can mean the difference between getting it off with little more damage and making a big problem in addition to the loose neck. 

In a nut shell, the post you made may actually require a LOT more explanation than you realize and.this is why I suggest that you hold off on any repair attempts until you have a better idea of what's involved.  There is a lot of information about this sort of repair even if it's isn't specific to the mandolin just on this site. There are also several sites belonging to some of the other posters here that have excellent information along these lines.  The best thing you can do for the mandolin right now is readwhat you can find on the subject and don't get into a hurry to start applying heat or glue or anything else to the problem until you have a better understanding of what is involved.

It's just not possible to give the sort of instruction you appear to need on a site like this. It would be much better for you to continue searching and reading , using the site with specific questions that you can not find answers to or for clairfication on points that you find confusing/ unclear. In the long run it's the best approach to making the mandolin playable again.

 Frankly, if there is time pressure or other circumstances that don't allow for that approach, if you're not really interested in learning how to do repairs, I would say that taking this to a professional is your best bet to get it playable again.

Before I finish. I want to say that it's not my intention to be offensive in any way. If I'm assuming a level of experience/knowledge that is not accurate for you or if I appear to be in any other way offensive, I sincerely apologize.

Many of us have recently come to understand that a lot of our discussions may not be too well suited for beginners. We often do not outline with sufficient detail the processes we discuss because we assume that the readers already know those details. It's often the case that some of the thing we mention may require greater skill, different tools or more knowledge than they may appear to need on the discussion. Most of us make posts assuming a certain level of skill and knowledge that can, unintentionally, make our comments a bit misleading to beginners.

Along those lines, we've discovered that it's almost always better to redirect posters that don't seem to be "there" yet to more study and focused questions rather than try to lead them through what can become a complicated and confusing set of instructions on how to make repairs to an instrument that none of us have actually held in our hands. No offense is intended.  

[Ryan Matzen]

No offense taken.

I am not in any real hurry to do the repair.  I have other mandolins that I can play. 

I have done quite a few of setups and also understand that you need to have a certain neck angle.  I have never reset a neck or removed a fingerboard.  Although, I did help someone remove a fretboard from and old guitar using a heated bar and a knife.  But that was like 15 years ago and it was hide glue.  I really don't know what kind of glue was used on these.  I suppose that when it arrives I can look around the inside and see if I can see any glue.  I am making an educated guess that it is a butt joint that may have a dowel in the center of it.  I guess that I'll have to wait until it gets here this weekend to be sure.  I was thinking (I could be very wrong!) that if the neck wasn't warped or pulled forward that the hardest part would be removing the neck. 

[jbbancroft]

Without actually examining the instrument this is what I might do. I'd attach the neck with a drywall screw. I would counter sink the screw slightly so I could install an ebony plug over the screw when done. First drill a pilot hole for the screw, then install the screw and see how it pulls together, if it looks fine, remove screw apply glue and re-install screw. Plug the screw hole would be the last step and maybe some shellac touchup to the plug.

Glue to use Titebond or hot hide glue.

A simple and effective repair.

Jim

[Ryan Matzen]

Well I was able to get the neck and fingerboard extension off and then put everything back together again.  After a little setup it plays real nice and doesn't sound half bad.  I am going to stick a Tonerite on it for a while and see if it does anything.

[Ned Knepp]

Nice job, Ryan. As someone that is usually working on "cheap" instruments I can appreciate getting one of these old "low end" instruments working again. 

[Ryan Matzen]

Thanks!  I've owned quite a number of high end instruments but lately I have begun to really appreciate "cheap" solid wood instruments.