Yasuma Neck Reset

[David Radlin]

Does anyone have any experience with neck resets on Yasuma guitars made in Japan?

 

Specifically I'm looking at a model 130 presumable made in the 60's.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[Ian Barker]

Unless you are lucky enough to find someone who has reset the same model, you are looking at an Asian Mystery Joint. The most common joint found on Japanese guitars of this era is the 5-dowel butt joint, and the default solution is conversion to bolt-on. The only way to be sure is to X-ray it, you might be lucky and find a tenon or a dovetail. 130 sounds like a 30,000 yen instrument, mid-range, certainly not the cheapest and probably all solid woods. Let us know how you get on (we like pix!)

[Ned Knepp]

It MIGHT be possible to lift the fingerboard extension enough to get a look at the joint or even remove the fingerboard completely. That is provided that it is glued with something you can get apart with out too much trauma.

[Mark Pollock]

Look here -

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=43210

Go down 3/4 of the way, and a guy comments that he had the neck reset on his. That doesn't actually MEAN anything, but at least one other person has had this done somehow.

[Hesh Breakstone]

IIRC some of the Yasuma guitars are referred to as "lawsuit" guitars or, in other words, direct copies of something else, in this case CF Martin.  If this is the case and if the copying was comprehensive enough there is a pretty good chance that this one has a dovetail joint too.

[Ian Barker]

Hesh, the term 'lawsuit' seems to be used pretty liberally to add sex-appeal to any Martin-esque Japanese guitar of that era.  In my experience it means 'looks like a Martin', rather than 'built like a Martin'.  Even if it has a dovetail (and some do), their use of AMG may preclude a simple reset.

Found a site www.yasumaguitars.com, but no real help there.

[Hesh Breakstone]

Right-You-are Ian and we recently saw another "lawsuit" guitar, a very nice one I might add, that had been taken to a very reputable AND talented shop and even though it was indeed a dovetail the JMG would not release forcing the repair person to try other methods....  Danger Will Robinson....

[David Radlin]

Thanks for your replies guys.

 

Note the middle picture on the top of the page found at http://yasuma-guitar.com/index.html (the picture of the guy sitting with a pile of necks in front of him) - initially I though it was a butt joint, but zooming the photo it looks like a very shallow dovetail.  However the picture on the right - note there is no mortise/dovetail cut in the head block of the body.

 

One can't say that this is specifically the joint on the guitar in question, but it's the best I have to go on without x-rays.

 

Any other observations from the photos?

 

 

[Ian Barker]

David - well spotted!  It looks to me like a straight, shallow tenon rather han a dovetail.  I have the same joint on my MIJ Epiphone.

My local vet x-rayed mine for me.  Be prepared for some strange looks in the waiting room...

[David Radlin]

I was able to connect with luthier Hideyuki Higuchi of Odyssey Guitar Crafts, Kobe JAPAN.  Hideyuki is a skilled and experienced repairman and has performed repair work on Yasuma guitars, amongst many other high quality guitars.  Hideyuki was also fortunate to have met Luthier Yasuma and discussed the build and construction features of Yasuma built guitars.  The report from that meeting is that the neck joint is a traditional dovetail and hide glue construction.  I'll report back later with my personal findings...

[Tim Mace]

let's see some pics

[Hesh Breakstone]

Great info David, thanks for posting this.

I'm not surprised in so much as what I have encountered of the Martinesque... imports from this region of the world and of this vintage is that innovation was not nearly as present as an all out effort to copy the tried and true.

Dovetail it is then....  This takes us back to Ian's excellent point regarding the tenacity of the glue.  Wonder if you could find out the glue as well, David and if a claymore is required to get the neck off?