1976 Yamaha FG-110-1SBK Neck Reset

I didn't find any of the normal markings inside. 



It's VERY clean inside!!


A chalk "C"??


The top bracing.


A red stamped "C"??


Typical of these 3 models, the large black label looks like it was applied over another label.

Removed the 15th fret, drilled (2) 1/16" holes.






The steam setup.


Cut/stabbed into the heel corners. 6 minutes of steam and almost no wiggle, as expected.

LOTS of finish blushing!!!!


WHAT A MESS!!  Probably the worst I've seen!


Stabbed the heel corners more, assuming part of the problem is the heel is glued to the side of the guitar. 6.5 minutes and a slightly more wiggle. Stabbed heel corners more. 8 minutes, more wiggle, a little vertical movement, the heel finish is cracking on the bass side, but it is still stuck!!! Stabbed more. Right hand is hurting. Really tired of this. One more try. 6 minutes with lots of wiggling and it came off, but not without a fight!! A strip of the top was stuck to the bottom of the fretboard, which I removed while it was still wet. A huge glob of epoxy in the back and bottom of the joint. A piece of dovetail stuck in the neck block on BOTH sides, wouldn't even come out with a chisel. 33 minutes of steam!!!!  Another VERY difficult neck removal.






Lots of epoxy at the back and bottom of the joint!  If you look closely you'll see epoxy of the side of the guitar where the heel was stuck to it.  The stabbing breaks thru most of that.  WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??!!




Tore a chunk out of the heel.


Tore a chunk out of the other side of the heel!!  After 33 minutes of steam AND wiggling!!  The Yamaha neck joint is so tight the steam can't get into it!!!


The epoxy mess!


This is how much water my steam trap took out!!  Up to the top of the CHUNK SALSA line!!


The piece of the top glued and clamped.


And let both parts dry out for a day or so.  Then figure out what to do with this mess!!

OK, I couldn't stop!!  I polished out 95% of the blushing on the neck & body, using Meguiar's Fine Cut Cleaner 2.




Before.

Tonight I cleaned the 15th fret slot, chamfered the edges slightly (to make it easier to get the fret back in), hammer the fret in, and glued the fret with thin superglue because the treble side with loose.  Then I started leveling the 13th thru 15th frets, then the first 2 frets (removing the small divots, after back bowing the neck slightly (the truss rod wouldn't back bo ant further).  Then I notices frets 1 thru 4, and 10 thru 15 needed leveling.  It's nearly perfect.

You can see the hump in the fretboard at the 14th/15th frets.




Then sanded the dovetail faces I added epoxy to yesterday.  Once they were close, I marked 7/16" at the end of the heel, drew an angled line, and sanded the back of the heel to the line on the belt sander.  This is needed for clearance, after sanding the heel the back of the heel can hit the back of the neck pocket.




The back of the heel sanded.








Then I undercut the heel with the Dremel and 1/8" ball burr, and filed the heel faces semi-flat.  And sanded the dovetail surfaces more.






The joint almost goes back together.  The fretboard extension is bent down slightly, holding the neck from going fully in.  I clamped it down, finding the neck projects .03" above the bridge on the bass side and .06 above the bridge on the treble side, and the neck is centered.

And I can't stop there!!  My goal for tonight was to get the guitar in the neck jig and strung up for the first time.

I was having a tough time measuring the neck projection, so the best way to know where you are is to string it up, making sure the fretboard is flush wit the top and the heel is flush with the side of the guitar.

The action is still quite high!!  Tunes to "D", 5/32" low E & 1/8" high E.  DOUBLE what I want to see!!