Gibson MK-35

[David Anderson]

I have a Gibson MK35 in the shop that needs a lot of work.  One big item is a neck reset.  I was wondering if anyone knew if this guitar neck was built with a dovetail joint, or Spanish heel.  The neck block looks like it might be a Spanish heel, but I am not sure.  Would like to know before I proceed.  If anyone actually knows how these guitars were built, I would appreciate the information. 

[Palle Clausen]

I believe the MK-35 was based on the Kasha design principles(?)

This probably means a dovetail, but could also mean strange reinforcements spanning the dovetail...

Let us know how it looks :-)

[David Anderson]

I sent the question to Abe Wechter...this is his reply.  It is always good to know what you are dealing with under the fretboard. 

Mark guitars were built on the production line at Gibson with a conventional dovetail joint and an additional tenon like extension running under the fingerboard. So you will need to free up the tenon too. I can't remember the exact dimensions but it is probably about 1 1/2" wide and no more than 2" long beyond the dovetail.

Abraham Wechter

[Palle Clausen]

Yeah, that extra tenon is the "reinforcement" I was guessing about.

Thanks for letting us know, in the very unlikely event that one of these rare beasts should land in my shop :-)

Please post some pictures once you have it apart.