Dan E's Neck Reset video

[Kerry Krishna]

 In the Vid, Brian Gallop is chatting away with the camera, and casually says something about "if you have a magnetic pickup on your acoustic guitar like an Ibeam,don't use a soldering gun to take the frets out, as the magnetic feild can demagnatize the pickup. Make sure you use a soldering Iron instead as it does not have a magnetic field".

 So three things here: 1: I had absolutely no idea about this.

                                2: I did not know that these guns HAD a magnetic field.                                                     

                                3: I had no idea that soldering IRONS do NOT have a magnetic field. 

   I have to say that the entire vid was pretty informative, and some of the tiniest details were done in close up shots, so there would be no questions about it. 

 The disappointing part about it is that , though they do three neck resets (almost!) from start to finish, I think that if they had shown 5 or 6 of them, that many more of the problems that occur would have popped up, and I could see how it was that it was dealt with. 

At $50, it was an expensive vid, but I have 6 flat tops and a mandolin(all of them mine) in the next room needing this work. 

  I hope I am able to get these axes up and running soon...

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Just a suggestion, maybe post a picture or two of each one before you start and see what advice the troupe might have. I've avoided several mishaps that way. Also check out Franks post at Frets.com. Best of luck.

[Thomas James]

1. You will never need a soldering gun to remove frets.

2. IMHO - It's total overkill, better heat control is achieved with an iron.

3. There is no transformer in the basic soldering iron.

4. I am sure you can get those instruments playing! - If you do, you will easily make your video money back.

Cheers, Tom

[John]

Yes a soldering gun can demagnetize a pickup but re magnetizing is not difficult. More importantly even if an iBeam pickup was magnetic (which it isn't) unless you have a fret for a saddle you won't get close enough to it to cause any demagnetizing. Also, I second what Brian said bout the gun being a bigger heat source than what is needed, 

Personally I think neck resets are done too often. There are many (not all) cases where planing a bridge will do the job and not affect the value of the instrument.  On cheaper instruments I'll thread a strap pin with a 1/4 - 20 tap and drill a hole straight through the heel of the neck into the neck block, push a bolt through from the inside and tighten the strap pin onto the end of it. 

If the guitar really needs a neck reset do what Eric says.

[onewent]

 "There are many (not all) cases where planing a bridge will do the job and not affect the value of the instrument."

Just to reiterate this point regarding the not all:  Planing a bridge on a vintage Gibson, Martin et al, will either effect its market value, or make it harder to sell, or both.  The level of sophistication in vintage instruments is getting to the level that even things that were unremarkable 10 or 15 yrs ago like an original bridge profile, are now appreciated for its aesthetic value as well as its functional value.

Back to the video, I have the neck set video, too, and it's a good jumping off point for someone about to take the plunge.  Coupled with available books, and the wealth of knowledge on the net, plus picking the brains of lulthier friends, I think it's well worth the price.  I've watched the video many times and often pick up things that I missed in prior viewings, (or maybe I'm just really slow?)  Good luck with the projects..Tom

[Ned Knepp]

Current through a wire of any kind will produce a magnetic field at right angles to the wire. In our modern homes we are surrounded by deviced that produce megnetic fields.... just not very big or powerful magnetic fields. The strength of the field falls off very quickly with distance.  Think of it this way, we use powered devices all over our homes and shops and don't spend any time picking steel off of the cords. 

   To me, the use of a solder gun has more to do with applying heat where I want it, when I want it. My soldering irons are low wattage and take much longer to heat a fret wire than my gun. It's more a matter of convience than anything. 

[Robbie Collins]

Ned's right...that's why when you're running audio cords on stage or in the studio you try to separate them from drop cords or cross them at a right angle. Otherwise the drop cord's magnetic field will induce a voltage we hear as hum. A transformer has a magnetic field in proportion to its size and power and is similar in build to an electromagnet.