How To Fiix Neck Bow In Old Acoustic With No Truss?

[stratoskier]

Greetings,

I picked up a cool ~1939 Kay "violin archtop" acoustic guitar at a 2nd hand store for very cheap. It's kind of a unique model in that it has a curled headstock, much like a violin or cello, rather than the customary guitar style headstock.

The guitar is in pretty poor shape cosmetically and the bridge and tailpiece have apparently been replaced. I'm not really interested in trying to do a complete restoration, but I would like to make the guitar playable. The first thing I noticed is that the action is crazy high and I can see a pronounced forward bow along the neck. Being rather ignorant about old acoustics, I started looking for the truss nut, but can't find any truss adjustment anywhere. So I guess there isn't one. After a bit of reading, I understand that many old acoustics simply had fixed steel rods or else they relied on the very thick necks to remain straight.

My question -- Is there any way to straighten out the neck on an old guitar like this, or must it become a wall hanger?

Thanks!

Bert

[Southpa]

I've been through a few like that. Three options, wall hanger like you mentioned, poor man's dobro (makes a nice guitar for playing slide and number 3 is to pop the fretboard, level/flatten the neck face and install a proper adjustable truss rod. I've done this to several guitars with great success. After the truss rod is installed and fb glued back on (or on occasion, new fb) you can carve that big chunky neck down and make it REALLY playable.

Edited October 23, 2011 by Southpa

[stratoskier]

Thanks for the response! Your #3 (install a truss rod) is an interesting idea. It'd be neat to have an unusual old guitar like this that actually played well. I probably should have played it some more before I dissassembled it to clean it up, but my first impressions were that it had a very nice full tone. I think it'd be beyond my skill level to attempt the truss installation myself, but I'll try asking the local luthier if he'd consider doing it. If not, then your option #2 would be next.

Cheers,

Bert

I've been through a few like that. Three options, wall hanger like you mentioned, poor man's dobro (makes a nice guitar for playing slide and number 3 is to pop the fretboard, level/flatten the neck face and install a proper adjustable truss rod. I've done this to several guitars with great success. After the truss rod is installed and fb glued back on (or on occasion, new fb) you can carve that big chunky neck down and make it REALLY playable.

[zyonsdream]

Cut a two inch thick piece of hardwood to the length of the fretboard and then run the wide face through a planer or jointer. Place the flattened surface against the fret board and then clamp the board to the neck. place a clamp at the first fret, the fret just before the heal and then between the two. This will straighten the neck. let it sit for a week or two. Then, install the thinnest gauge strings you can and learn to play down tuned. The less tension on the neck, the less likely it will bow so drastically. I've had a few old Classical F-hole Kay and Harmony guitars over the years. This is what I've done in the past to correct the issue.

As a note: if the bow is really bad, don't fully force the neck straight all at once. Do it a little over a few days. This allows the wood time to react to the change and minimizes the risk of cracking.

Edited December 1, 2011 by zyonsdream

[WezV]

Cut a two inch thick piece of hardwood to the length of the fretboard and then run the wide face through a planer or jointer. Place the flattened surface against the fret board and then clamp the board to the neck. place a clamp at the first fret, the fret just before the heal and then between the two. This will straighten the neck. let it sit for a week or two. Then, install the thinnest gauge strings you can and learn to play down tuned. The less tension on the neck, the less likely it will bow so drastically. I've had a few old Classical F-hole Kay and Harmony guitars over the years. This is what I've done in the past to correct the issue.

As a note: if the bow is really bad, don't fully force the neck straight all at once. Do it a little over a few days. This allows the wood time to react to the change and minimizes the risk of cracking.

same as above - but with a metal bar and heat lamps, not for the whole two weeks but a few hours at the start. obviously you dont want to melt finish so careful with the heat lamps - you want it hot as possible without damaging the neck.

the heat will help the wood remember its new shape - just make sure you let it all cool down before removing from the clamps. it should be enough for you to put normal strings on, for a few years at least

you may also find your neck bow is highlighted with a slightly pulled up neck join - meaning it will need a reset

[zyonsdream]

yah, I've had a few where the joint pulled apart. Not fun on those older guitars. The finish is about impossible to repair! Not sure what they used on those old Harmony F-hole guitars but it's real thin. That's the reason I never used heat lamps. They work great but a guitar that's that old... just always stayed away from them.

Many of the old Harmony and Kay necks did not have a fret board glued onto the neck wood either. The frets were installed straight into the neck. This gives you you the ability to pull the frets, plane the neck, add a truss rod (mentioned earlier) and then add on a fret board of your choice. Most of these old guitars sell for 75 to 100$ so the investment in time and money is not always a good idea but if you want a real playable guitar that one eventually spring back into a dobro, then that might be a good repair job for you.