Yamaha flattop neck adhesive

[Dave Richard]

A friend has a 'mid-'80's' Yamaha FG-180.  It needs a neck reset(it's a great sounding guitar...all laminates).  Trussrod at the peghead, standard neck block.  Anyone done a reset on this type guitar, and can comment on steam softening the glue?  The adhesive around the linings (liberally applied) does'nt look like aliphatic to me.

 

 

[Mike Kolb]

Hi Dave.... I've done a couple of resets on these Yamahas , as a local high school had 10 or 12 that needed various repairs. I don't recall that the neck joint separation was anything unusual, and steaming the joint loose went OK... maybe a little longer time "under the needle" than normal, but it worked. One lesson I've learned the hard way: if the steaming doesn't start the separation process as quickly as you'd like, avoid the temptation to bear down harder on the neck jig (assuming you're using one) as there's more of a tendency to crush the wood in the process. Just let the steam do it's work at it's pace. If the glue is hide, it'll work quickly... if it's Titebond (or similar) it'll still work but just take longer. The second lesson (again, learned the hard way) is that someone may have reset the neck in a prior life and used epoxy.... if that's the case, all bets are off and I'd return the guitar to your friend. Give us an update?

[Dave Richard]

Hi Mike, the neck does not appear to have been reset. I was able to improve the playability by adjusting the trussrod and lowering the nut slots(both needed), enough for my friends beginning playing ability, and he wants to defer the reset. Should he want to proceed later, I will follow your advice.

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

I've done lots of Yamahas; they are never a walk in the park, but can be done. FG180s were late 60s-early 70s, not mid 80s. They're not hide glue, and will steam off, though it takes longer. Sometimes the joint is mechanically very tight. i find that I always have to do a lot of lateral stressing of the joint, worrying the neck from side to side, to get it to break loose.

Expect finish touchup, when you reset a Yamaha, esp. when you get into the thick finishes of the 80s.

Having said that, recently I did an FG180, that REFUSED to move, and had to be sawn off. This has happened, a few times.

I'm doing a customer's 1969 FG140, converting it to a bolt-on, my usual MO.

[Rob Mercure]

Jeff,

Just want to echo this as I used to do "mass setups" for a Yamaha dealer with some instruments that came in with broken necks glued with "something" that actually looked like an aliphatic resin but acted like an epoxy. I think that Yamaha was experimenting with various glues during those years.

Rob

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

Yeah, I call it the, "Asian Mystery Glue".

[Dave Richard]

Thanks for your replies. I was able to improve the playability for my beginner friend(for now) by tweaking the rod. Yesterday, my brother gave me his '75 FG-300, which, while not as good sounding as the red label FG-180, really needs a reset. I'm going to attempt it, with steam. If it comes to sawing it off, do you use the special saw used by Frank Ford?