Gibson A2 neck reset

[jeff henry]

I've had a customer bring me a Gibson A2 mandolin that's roughly eighty years old. It could use a neck reset. I've done lots of guitar neck resets but never attempted a mandolin. Any advice is appreciated.

[Ned Knepp]

Tim, it's definitely an archtop. The top is carved so that the fingerboard extension lays on the face of the instrument but it's really only flat under the extension. The carving falls away pretty sharply on either side of that and below the extension the top is arched, not flat. The extension might be loose now but I doubt it it would have left the factory that way. There's a fair amount of the fingerboard in the extension and, to me, it is hard to imagine one of these leaving the factory without it being noticed.

Ned

[Tim Mace]

Still if there's no build up(added wood) under the fretboard where it attaches and the joint does't seem loose I'd just clean out under it(loose glue or particulates),reglue,level frets and move on.

[Ned Knepp]

Sorry Tim, I'm confused. I don't understand what this would accomplish.

Ned