Post by CTGull on Aug 12, 2018 19:24:42 GMT -5
A month ago a guy from NYC contacted me, saying my website is beyond phenomenal, and asking if I would do a neck reset on his newly acquired FG-180. I replied with my usual, asking for the serial number and possibly the internal date code. I also said I'd be willing to do the neck reset for $350, including a reproduction bone nut & saddle and complete setup, 2-4 weeks. But, I mentioned I would be possibly having surgery next month and I would know more in the next week or 2.
We went back and forth a few times over the next couple of weeks. I finally got approval for the surgery but had to wait another week to go to the surgeon to schedule it. Last Wednesday he contacted me again and I told him I had just gotten the surgery date, 6 weeks away, a much longer wait than I expected. So we arranged for him to stop in to my work on his way by on his tour. Traffic slowed him down considerably and we ended up meeting at a hotel parking lot near my house 2 hours later than expected. We were also getting our roof replaced at the same time. It was a crazy day. I brought my FG-180 so he could see what I had done to mine and how easy it was to play. He mentioned he's on tour for another 2 weeks, then he's possibly moving to Salt Lake City the first or second week of September. So I have 4 weeks to get it done. That's doable. I'm hoping for 2 weeks so it's done when he gets back.
When I saw the guitar in person I could see it was in pretty good shape, certainly better than mine. And the pickguard was falling off. He was running behind so we chatted for a few minutes and they were off to the venue in Hartford.
The first thing I did, as I do with all guitars, is document and measure everything. AND TOOK LOTS OF PICTURES!!
The saddle is a little low.
Then I removed the pickguard. It was only held on by one small spot, but the force was strong with whatever it was!!
Then it took 2 hours to get the neck off. Loosening the fretboard is always a pain but this one wasn't too bad. Then it took 2 steam sessions to get the neck off. After 6 minutes I stopped to be sure I had completely cut thru the lacquer on the bass side, because I could see movement on the treble side but none on the bass. Another 4 minutes of steam and the neck popped off. A 1-1/4" section of the side was stuck to the heel. Typical Yamaha, they not only glued the dovetail, the glued the heel to the side of the guitar, the steam can't get there. You can't just keep steaming it, hoping the steam will someday find it. The heat and steam will start loosening other joints, such as the heel lamination (the heel is 2 pieces). I've never had a heel come apart, but I've had a few get a crack in the finish at the heel lamination joint. And it looks bad. Amazingly even though it took longer to get the neck off, there was no finish blushing or other joints loosening. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about was about half of the first layer of top under the fretboard was still stuck to the bottom of the fretboard. This is common, you can't tell if the spatula is going straight in or slightly down and cutting the top. I glued any loose pieces and it'll go back together fine.
The steam setup.
The joint.
After letting the joint dry for nearly a day I started fitting the joint back together. I have to get the fretboard flush with the top before I can take measurements to determine how much to take off the heel. Well, it took 3 hours to get the joint back together. Normally I do some sanding to the male & female dovetail parts and they fit. I quickly got it within 1/8" of flush, but after sanding a little more it wouldn't go any further. I took a break and glued a piece of wood in to fix what was torn out of the side. Then I used some carbon paper to find the high spots of the male dovetail. Did some sanding and checked again, and again. Chiseled, sanded and checked. It FINALLY FIT!! That was the toughest one ever!
Then I noticed the neck relief was high so I tried to loosen the truss rod nut to find the corners rounded. I used a large screwdriver and got the nut off. Fortunately I had a few reproduction nuts made at work. The nut was buried 1/16" farther than normal, not leaving much nut to crank on. And cranking on the nut does nothing but bury the nut into the neck, the old mahogany is too hard to bend without some help. That's why I use my back bowing block and a clamp to bend the neck back before tightening the nut.
The nut.
With the neck flat and sitting flush with the top, I could finally check the neck projection to the bridge. It only projected .03" below the bridge. I want to see .07" above the bridge. .03 + .07 = .10". .10"/3 (ratio between the length of the heel and the distance from the heel to the saddle) = .033" off of the heel. That's where I start, but not that night. I had enough after 4 hours work.
Today I sanded .025" of the .03" and the neck only projected flush with the top of the bridge. A bit odd but not unusual. I noticed the neck relief was a bit high again so I did my back bowing and straightened the neck the best I could. But I noticed the head of the truss rod (in the heel) was partially buried into the neck. So I decided to make a shim for it to give it more bearing surface. I had some 1/8" x 1/2" steel and made a 1" long shim with a 7/64" hole. I'm not thrilled with it. It reduces the thread engagement with the truss rod nut by 1/8". I'm going to have a 1/16" thick shim made and get back to it tomorrow.
Pull sanding.
The buried nut.
The truss rod and the neck.
The divot where the truss rod sits.
The truss rod and the shim.
The shim in place.
We went back and forth a few times over the next couple of weeks. I finally got approval for the surgery but had to wait another week to go to the surgeon to schedule it. Last Wednesday he contacted me again and I told him I had just gotten the surgery date, 6 weeks away, a much longer wait than I expected. So we arranged for him to stop in to my work on his way by on his tour. Traffic slowed him down considerably and we ended up meeting at a hotel parking lot near my house 2 hours later than expected. We were also getting our roof replaced at the same time. It was a crazy day. I brought my FG-180 so he could see what I had done to mine and how easy it was to play. He mentioned he's on tour for another 2 weeks, then he's possibly moving to Salt Lake City the first or second week of September. So I have 4 weeks to get it done. That's doable. I'm hoping for 2 weeks so it's done when he gets back.
When I saw the guitar in person I could see it was in pretty good shape, certainly better than mine. And the pickguard was falling off. He was running behind so we chatted for a few minutes and they were off to the venue in Hartford.
The first thing I did, as I do with all guitars, is document and measure everything. AND TOOK LOTS OF PICTURES!!
The saddle is a little low.
Then I removed the pickguard. It was only held on by one small spot, but the force was strong with whatever it was!!
Then it took 2 hours to get the neck off. Loosening the fretboard is always a pain but this one wasn't too bad. Then it took 2 steam sessions to get the neck off. After 6 minutes I stopped to be sure I had completely cut thru the lacquer on the bass side, because I could see movement on the treble side but none on the bass. Another 4 minutes of steam and the neck popped off. A 1-1/4" section of the side was stuck to the heel. Typical Yamaha, they not only glued the dovetail, the glued the heel to the side of the guitar, the steam can't get there. You can't just keep steaming it, hoping the steam will someday find it. The heat and steam will start loosening other joints, such as the heel lamination (the heel is 2 pieces). I've never had a heel come apart, but I've had a few get a crack in the finish at the heel lamination joint. And it looks bad. Amazingly even though it took longer to get the neck off, there was no finish blushing or other joints loosening. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about was about half of the first layer of top under the fretboard was still stuck to the bottom of the fretboard. This is common, you can't tell if the spatula is going straight in or slightly down and cutting the top. I glued any loose pieces and it'll go back together fine.
The steam setup.
The joint.
After letting the joint dry for nearly a day I started fitting the joint back together. I have to get the fretboard flush with the top before I can take measurements to determine how much to take off the heel. Well, it took 3 hours to get the joint back together. Normally I do some sanding to the male & female dovetail parts and they fit. I quickly got it within 1/8" of flush, but after sanding a little more it wouldn't go any further. I took a break and glued a piece of wood in to fix what was torn out of the side. Then I used some carbon paper to find the high spots of the male dovetail. Did some sanding and checked again, and again. Chiseled, sanded and checked. It FINALLY FIT!! That was the toughest one ever!
Then I noticed the neck relief was high so I tried to loosen the truss rod nut to find the corners rounded. I used a large screwdriver and got the nut off. Fortunately I had a few reproduction nuts made at work. The nut was buried 1/16" farther than normal, not leaving much nut to crank on. And cranking on the nut does nothing but bury the nut into the neck, the old mahogany is too hard to bend without some help. That's why I use my back bowing block and a clamp to bend the neck back before tightening the nut.
The nut.
With the neck flat and sitting flush with the top, I could finally check the neck projection to the bridge. It only projected .03" below the bridge. I want to see .07" above the bridge. .03 + .07 = .10". .10"/3 (ratio between the length of the heel and the distance from the heel to the saddle) = .033" off of the heel. That's where I start, but not that night. I had enough after 4 hours work.
Today I sanded .025" of the .03" and the neck only projected flush with the top of the bridge. A bit odd but not unusual. I noticed the neck relief was a bit high again so I did my back bowing and straightened the neck the best I could. But I noticed the head of the truss rod (in the heel) was partially buried into the neck. So I decided to make a shim for it to give it more bearing surface. I had some 1/8" x 1/2" steel and made a 1" long shim with a 7/64" hole. I'm not thrilled with it. It reduces the thread engagement with the truss rod nut by 1/8". I'm going to have a 1/16" thick shim made and get back to it tomorrow.
Pull sanding.
The buried nut.
The truss rod and the neck.
The divot where the truss rod sits.
The truss rod and the shim.
The shim in place.