Circa 1980's Yamaha neck re-set

[keith angus]

I have an FG-512 slot head 12str. that I'm going to take to someone here in Alberta for a neck re-set and I wonder if I could please get some feed-back RE: 'mystery neck joint/adhesive' potential problems; finish 'blow-out/damage' avoidance in the neck heel/body area; finish repair over-spray on the top control & like that? This instrument appears to have Rosewood ply sides &solid Rose-wood back&solid spruce(unknown) top w/very good finish subsidence that I do not wish to see obliterated when the top finish is repaired after the neck is re-installed. Any other attendant points that Imissed, as well? Thanx Gentlemen!

[Paul Verticchio]

Hi Keith.

You pretty well covered several of the concerns involved with a neck reset. 

The final decisions will be left to the "neck-re-setter"  An experienced crafts-person qualified to do re-sets will have all the answers to your questions.

It's probably best to give the repairer a detailed list of expectations [action at 12th fret, types of strings to obtain best sound for the instrument, saddle height, nut height, etc] and discuss what "level" of repair you want, e.g.: finish touch up, correction of fingerboard profile, refret at time of re-set, etc.  The specifics you mention about glues etc, can only be addressed once the re-set is underway, meaning that the repairer will have to deal with whatever Yamaha used that day.  There's no "answer in advance" for that one.

If done well, you'll have a nice instrument that plays like butter.

Best of luck with your project (:

[Josh Fuller]

The second reset I ever attempted was on the same model guitar.  It was a dovetail, but it was filled with Asian Mystery Glue.  I pretty much destroyed the guitar taking the neck out, and the glue seemed impervious to steam.  That was several years ago-if faced with the same job now, I'd seriously consider a bolt on conversion.

[Ian Barker]

Keith - based on Josh's experience, it sounds like a prime candidate for a bolt-on conversion.  I'm indebted to Paul Hostetter for this link, with some good pix of the conversion on a Yamaki/Washburn: http://forums.washburn.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15320.  The luthier did good work, I contacted the owner and he was 100% satisfied.  The clean cut required only local touch-up, not respray.

[keith angus]

Josh&Ian: THANX aMIL. I gotta say my old ticker went to double drop-d when I read your posts;but you may have just spared me ALOT of agony. Much obleeged.

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

I used to use several iterations of hole alignment jigs when I do a bolt-on conversion, now I drill the  holes in the neckblock first, and use a couple of dowel centers to transfer locations to the heel.  I use 1/4-20 hangerbolts rather than threaded inserts.

 

Your 512 should have been made just before the slathered-on finish period, which makes Yamaha neck resets even more of a chore; I used to cut all the way through the finish by hand, with an .008 slitting blade, to keep it from calving finishbergs when the parts separate, when I used to steam out late 70s-early 80s Yamahas.  Now I just saw them off, after loosening the fingerboard extension, another chore (see: "Asian Mystery Glue)

 

Those 5 dowel joints can often be racked loose, by tuning the guitar waaaaaaaaaaaaay high, and heating the heel with a heatgun, while worrying the neck back & forth.

 

If your repairperson says that it's, "not worth it", smile, thank him/her, and find someone else, who might have the sense God gave a goose.  A reset, set up older Yamaha is a joy, and will be for decades.

[Ian Barker]

Jeffrey - I bit the bullet yesterday and cut off the neck of my prized Yamaki (see my earlier thread).  Same 5-dowel construction.

I want to benefit from your experience here - how do you hold the neck in exactly the right position to transfer the hole-centres from the neck block to the heel?  I thought the jig idea sounded good, but you've clearly gone away from it. Also, by hangerbolt you mean a headless half-screw/half bolt, and you put a nut on the inside?  I was planning to use the inserts, and would like to know why you prefer this method.  Thanks in advance!

[keith angus]

Me AGAIN...you know; the guy with 12stringitis? HELP!!! I can't seem to find a luthier up here in Tex-Berta who seems to have aclue about what to do here; even tho I keep telling them to come here & read the posting. Anybody in 'Frets.Net' land willing to take this on or possibly direct me to some one N. of the 'Great Wall"  who has the sense GAWD gave a goose? I hope I'm not breaking the rules by doing this & leaving my E-mail, but I,m getting desperate guys!!!!   [e-mail]

[Jeffrey L. Suits]

Ian-

Hi, just noticed this, sorry it took so long.

 

I've done soooo many of these kind of resets, and find it amusing that I've gone so crude, quick, and effective, after much time & energy expended in attempts to make jigs.  After all the refitting has been done, I clamp the fingerboard tongue down with a couple of mini Quickclamps (the best thing since sliced bread.) to index everything.  A few taps on the heel with a rubber mallet transfers the drilling centers.

That's the hangerbolt I use, with a washer/lockwasher/washer/nut sandwich.  Very cheap, very effective.

The neckblock holes are almost always drilled out to 5/16"

PM me, for email or phone, if you want.

 

[Ian Barker]

Jeffrey - Aha, light dawns!  You leave the FB on the neck, whereas I (for better or worse) took it off to get the trussrod out of the way before sawing.  Having done that, I've made up a jig which should work.  I'm using brass inserts (already ordered before your post about hangerbolts). 

I've PM'd you.