bigdguitars Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 I started to type a long response of how to practice this.... but that wont help. Go back to the luthier and ask if he will show you how to do this if you buy him lunch/case of beer/drugs/dinner whatever he wants. IF the guitar has binding on the fretboard dont even bother. Bindind melts if you are not careful... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 OK, we got the neck off....so far, so so-so. There was no splintering of wood in the pocket or the heel, so it all looks solid. It was easy, the neck came off in ~15 minutes but this was probably helped by the fact that the joint was partly open to begin with. We were very careful not to use too much force. It turns out (surprise surprise) that he'd left it in the trunk of his car for about a week, that's why the neck joint was loose. Here's what we did: 1) Cut through the lacquer around the neck with an exacto knife, so the finish wouldn't lift. 2) Pulled the neck pickup and drilled 2 small holes ~1 inch deep into the neck joint. 3) Inserted the needle (hooked up to espresso maker) and started steaming; the joint gradually became more loose. 4) Used the needle like a hose to steam around where the fingerboard extension meets the top (this was the scariest part), being careful not to cook the binding. 5) Went back and forth between #3 and #4. Problems: -The binding on the top is starting to come loose on both sides of the neck pocket; easily fixed. -The nitro finish on the top around the fingerboard extension is scuffed up; should be able to clean that up too. -There is a slight lifting of the fingerboard from the neck heel, last 3 frets. It may be from the steaming or from the original joint stress. We're going to inject some glue in there and clamp it down, & see how it holds. The mortise & tenon arrangement was actually easier than the dovetail to get out. The fingerboard binding survived intact, but the fingerboard extension (glued to the top) was the last bit to give. Once we scraped out the glue (helped with more steam) and let things dry awhile, a dry-fit of the neck looks very very good. So we won't have to modify the neck pocket in any way. Once everything is perfectly dry in another day or two, we'll glue it up again. "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German dramatist, novelist, poet, & scientist (1749 - 1832) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 good for you. Tell your buddy not to leave guitars in the trunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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