My Gibson J-40 repair experience (a bit long)

[David Burns]

My%20Gibson%20J%2040%20repair%20experience.doc

Howdy Folks,

 

This is my first post here,

 

I worked at Gryphon Strings for a year in the 90's which is how I came to know Frank Ford and eventually this website. When a friend gave me a 1972 Gibson J-40 with multiple repair issues I figured I'd start researching for repair info here first. Here were the two main problems:

1) The bridge was not glued to the soundboard.

2) The frets were badly worn.

 

The nut and saddle were also missing so there was lots of work ahead for sure. I'm not a professional repairman but I had done a refret on a Kramer electric guitar and had done several fret levels and restored a few "garage-sale" prizes so I had some of the tool and basic skills I needed.

 

After looking for info on the net about the J-40 and saw several for sale on Ebay I realised this was not a super collectable Gibson that lots of people were looking for so I decided I'd give the repairs a go. ! spent about $80.00 getting some additional tools from StewMac like the clamps for clamping the bridge and a 10" radius sanding block.

I've documented relevant portions of the repairs that I thought might be useful. Sorry If you don't have MS Word, I could post more pictures here if requested. I'm more of a Martin than a Gibson man but I must say this J-40 is one of the best sounding Gibsons new or old I have played. That was a nice surprise.

 

After all this work and playing the guitar a few weeks two problems still remain:

1) The neck needs to be reset   2) The bass side of the saddle is slightly more forward than it should be.

 

Two Questions for you all...

1) Is this model of guitar one that someone with intermediate woodworking skills could tackle a neck reset or should I yield way to an experienced repairman?  (I think I know the answer already; just checking)

2) What would you reccomend as a repair for the saddle positioning: a) a wider saddle to give room for compensation or b) fill the old slot and cut a new one with the proper dimensions?

 

Thank You for any insight you may provide,

 

David Burns

[David Burns]

Thanks for that info... so it sounds like you guesstimate where the where you think the edge of the dovetail is then drill your holes then probe around till you find the joint and then this is the point where you inject the steam. After you loose the connection between the fingerboard extension and the top that is...

Is that correct?

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Si

[Ned Knepp]

Steam isn't very nice on the finish either. Steaming through the heel would probably make a mess of the finish on that side of the guitar. 

 

 If I may be so bold... While I completely understand the excitement that learning to repair you guitar can bring, it seems to me that this particular repair may be beyond you at this time. I'm not saying that you can't do it, only that you will probably be much happier with the outcome if you either wait until you have more knowledge and practice or you turn it over to some that has that now.  

The Internet can make some of this seem very easy but I've learned through experience that there are a lot of small details that are not always readily apparent and those little things can really ruin your day.

 There are approaches that you will need to learn about and compare before you attempt them. In some cases, they are mutually exclusive. A case in point just came up but I don't know if you realized it. One posters mentioned that he had to cut the fingerboard extension off to get to the neck joint. Another posters talks about removing the fingerboard completely to do the same thing. As the tech in charge you will need to determine which of these techniques you will use AND how to repair it afterword. That's just one example of how information and practice will help you manage this better. (BTW, I fall into the "remove the fingerboard camp. I feel that the fingerboard extension adds too much strength to the neck joint to have it separated from the remainder of the fingerboard, but that's my opinion.)

 I really hope you won't take this the wrong way because I think this is a great hobby  I have a LOT of respect for the people that actually do this for a living but, sometimes, they get so busy telling all the different ways to approach a problem that they may not remember that some of us might not be up to the whole project yet. I made ( and make) a lot of mistakes as I got in up over my head, made more mistakes and more repairs and ended up with work that I was not happy with and could have done better with more knowledge and practice. I almost quit because of this but finally realized that I needed to slow down and recognize what I could and could not do. I'm much better than I was but I still  have instruments waiting for my skill level to improve before I tackle them.  Again, I'm not trying to insult you but it seems to me that a couple or your comments might indicate that you're not quite ready for a repair that is this involved and precise. 

Just something to consider.

 

[David Burns]

Point taken and not offended at all, I appriciate your perspective. I'm still not ruling out doing the job myself because I believe the cost to do the neck reset would still be more than this instrument is worth... Having said that I'm also considering leaving the guitar as is and see what I can get for it. It has a nice vintage vibe to it, has new frets, and a decent tone...

Question is do I really want to buy more tools and get into in a project that is as you said "precise and involved"?

I agree with your statement about leaving the fingerboard in one piece, this would of course mean removing the entire fingerboard which also means you've got to glue it back on "precisely" Looks like I need some time to decide if I really want to open this can of worms or not...

 

Thanks Again,