Cheap easy neck reset

musicalstash

Any advice the best way to repair this cheap Japanese acoustic with a high action. 

A repairer friend use to do a cheap neck reset by cutting the neck to the fingerboard across the heel and Clamping - the couple of mm the neck is pulled back  where the wood has been removes improves the neck angle. Anyone tried this? 

I was tempted to just Clamp but not sure if there is enough space for the glue to run into to make strong repair. 

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ICBM

I wouldn't do that on any guitar that isn't more or less firewood and you just want to make sort-of playable.

What is it? Some of these old Japanese guitars are quite nice and worth enough that you don't want to do a bodge job.

It looks like it needs a repair rather than a reset, in fact - something has clearly come adrift inside the joint for the bottom end of the heel to pop off like that.

Don't try to glue it unless you're sure you know what you're doing - if it doesn't work right, removing the old glue to do it properly will be impossible without taking the neck fully off.

musicalstash

ICBM said:

I wouldn't do that on any guitar that isn't more or less firewood and you just want to make sort-of playable.

What is it? Some of these old Japanese guitars are quite nice and worth enough that you don't want to do a bodge job.

It looks like it needs a repair rather than a reset, in fact - something has clearly come adrift inside the joint for the bottom end of the heel to pop off like that.

Don't try to glue it unless you're sure you know what you're doing - if it doesn't work right, removing the old glue to do it properly will be impossible without taking the neck fully off.

Thanks , its an BM OM size guitar but not really soughtafter or expensive even in playable condition .    Would a load of glue injected into the crack  and a sash clamp do the job ? I have done a couple of  headstock repairs in the past but had a lot more " surface " to work with the glue . 

DartmoorHedgehog

I had a similar problem a few years ago with an '80s Hondo 12-string.  In the end people on here talked me into making a new top for it, which was a lot more effort than I was anticipating but I'm glad I did it.  It's still worth sod all but is now a much better playing, and sounding, guitar with a (straight) solid spruce top instead of the original (warped) ply.
I did it all with tools I had to hand, all hand tools and no router or anything.  It's not the best-looking thing in the world but it's actually a useful instrument now.  There's a thread about it somewhere...

Edit: here it is https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/34289/diy-top-replacement-started-off-intending-to-be-a-neck-reset-now-finished-and-playable-again/p1

ICBM

musicalstash said:

Thanks , its an BM OM size guitar but not really soughtafter or expensive even in playable condition .    Would a load of glue injected into the crack  and a sash clamp do the job ? I have done a couple of  headstock repairs in the past but had a lot more " surface " to work with the glue . 

If it's one of those it is borderline firewood, so have a go .

I would use superglue as it will wick very deeply into the crack, but be absolutely certain you have the clamp ready to tighten immediately. How much it will pull the neck back I'm not sure, but it's worth trying before anything more drastic.

It is also possible to fit a strap button on the end of the heel with an oversized long screw right into the internal body block. I cannot deny that I might have reinforced a few like that when I wasn't confident the glue would be enough .

Flip

My grandson who's learning guitar maintenance from me was given an old guitar with the heel cracked right across about 25mm below the fretboard top. Pressing it back it seemed to be set correctly so we filled the crack with Titebond and clamped it. Then, when it had set we tower-drilled a hole up from the bottom of the heel, and glued in a dowel to about 2mm below the fretboard. A keen eye can see the heel's been refinished but that's all.

ICBM

Flip said:

My grandson who's learning guitar maintenance from me was given an old guitar with the heel cracked right across about 25mm below the fretboard top. Pressing it back it seemed to be set correctly so we filled the crack with Titebond and clamped it. Then, when it had set we tower-drilled a hole up from the bottom of the heel, and glued in a dowel to about 2mm below the fretboard. A keen eye can see the heel's been refinished but that's all.

I've used long woodscrews to do that as well. In descending order of difficulty, you can either put a new heel cap on to cover it, a decorative dot, or also fit a strap button there if you can find a screw long enough and with a small/nice-looking head!

Not a 'luthier approved' repair method, but if the guitar is not good enough to matter if it's a slightly questionable solution, and it produces a functional instrument, then it's acceptable in my opinion. You don't do it on a vintage Martin, but fine on an old cheapo.