Super glued Martin neck/body joint

[thefishinmusician]

So I'm working on a Martin with the laminated neck , with a bad neck angle...I saw it was a bolt on type , so I told the customer it would be easier than a regular dovetail to remove...Loosened the fingerboard extension , unbolted it , and was surprised to only find 1 bolt...No movement at all...Called Martin...They told me it was super glued , and steaming it would only de-laminate the neck...They had no answers for me as to how to remove it...Any advice ?...I mean , c'mon ,     Martin!

[Mark McLean]

So, Martin have decided to make disposable products.  Like Ikea.  Interesting!  It is a valid manufacturing and marketing strategy.  Ikea has its place, and apparently a good business model.  But it is not an ethos that I admire. 

[Walter W Wright]

unbelievable

check that it won't mess up the finish, then flood the zone with CA remover?

[Walter W Wright]

seems weird that martin would bother with one kind of glue for the fretboard tongue and another for the heel, though. maybe just go for it with heat like you did with the tongue

[Redacted]

Sacrifice a saw blade and cut the tenon flush.

Remove remnants of the insert.

Make loose tenon stock.

Route neck and body for loose tenon.

etc.........................

[thefishinmusician]

Customer want's to sell it...Not willing to sink a lot of money into it..I thought it would be an easy bolt on reset...I might consider doing that on a guitar with some actual value...Like a Harmony or Silvertone...

[Christopher Parker]

It's funny that harmonys and silvertones are now considered to be "guitars with some actual value". They used to be a dime-a-dozen at any pawn shop, and they were terrible players even when they were new. Beyond having limited appeal for some blues players, their only use was for luthers to practice doing neck resets. That said, I think they are cool guitars when they made to play well. Sorry for going off topic!

Regarding the topic at hand, I don't have much insight to offer. I have an 1880's Martin parlor (2 1/2 - 17 model) which someone had stupidly squirted superglue under the original ebony pyramid bridge and made a mess with the glue. I can't get the bridge hot enough to remove it, so it must be chiseled off and replaced.

I'd bail on resetting the neck on that guitar if it's superglued.

[Brian Stewart]

I don't have any actual repair advice for you, other than has already been said...it is what it is and a neck reset is most likely out of the question...although maybe heat applied through the bolt hole...hmm...

 I own and operate a guitar and amplifier repair shop that also does retail sales in a small town and have to say, the name Martin sells guitars. I often get customers that come into the shop and ask after looking around a bit..."do you have any Martins?"  It really doesn't matter if it's all HPL or made in Mexico or whatever...if someone can say " I own/play a Martin" it's a big deal to them...it's the name that sells the guitar, not the build quality or style.  My point being, a few guys complaining about repairing Martin's cheap guitars is not going to change their business model.

This is why I always recommend Taylor to customers looking for a new acoustic guitar, whether it's cheap or expensive.  They have a consistency that I've yet to see in any other mainstream brand.  From a repair standpoint,their neck joint is the best in the business and it's virtually the same across all styles and price points.  If someone brings me an Academy series Taylor ($500 guitar) and wants to lower the action, I can unbolt the neck and change out the shim set in about a 1/2 hour total time start to finish.  Also, Taylor has been a really good partner as far as warranty repairs & communication goes.

Anway, apologies for the rant.  Good luck with your customer.