#1
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Guild F50 neck joint
I’m doing a neck reset on a 1976 Guild F50. When I removed the neck, noticed a 3mm gap between the dovetail tenon (extends 14mm) and mortise (17mm deep). The neck fits flush with the body. The sides and bottom of the joint are tight, and the neck fits snug – it’s just that gap at the back. ?? Never seen before – does this make sense to anyone? Might this have been a Guild design for resonance? Did someone muk with this before and remove something – and if so, what? When I set the neck, should I fill this gap – and if so, with what? Your thoughts are appreciated.
Follow up. Cut a 3mm thick piece the shape of the tenon with some walnut on hand and glued it into the mortice. Set the neck, etc.,etc., and all is fine. Why that mortice is 3mm deeper than the tenon is still unclear. Last edited by davecis; 02-13-2024 at 01:47 PM. |
#2
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I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you. I do have a question though. I am going to look at a 1977 D50 for sale. They want $1500 for it. According to the ad, "Has not been played in about 20 years but has been stored with strings loosened in a smoke free home."
I really like the idea of owning a vintage Guild. However, naturally I am apprehensive about purchasing a vintage guitar. I am prepared to bring a 2' straight edge to see how the neck lines up with the bridge (learned about that here on AGF). Was 1977 a good year for Guild manufacturing? Any tips you could offer? Thank you. |
#3
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Guild F212: 1964 (Hoboken), Guild Mark V: 1975 (Westerly), Guild Artist Award: 1975 (Westerly), Guild F50: 1976 (Westerly), Guild F512: 2010 (New Hartford), Pawless Mesquite Special: 2012, 90s Epi HR Custom (Samick), 2014 Guild OOO 12-fret Orpheum (New Hartford), 2013 12 fret Orpheum Dread (New Hartford), Guild BT258E, 8 string baritone, 1994 Guild D55, Westerly, 2023 Cordoba GK Negra Pro. |
#4
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I vote to leave it as is. You might ask on the Let's Talk Guid forum.
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--------------------------------- Guild F-40 Traditional Guild F-50 Guild D-15m Guild M-40 Guild F-47R Martin J-40 Recording King RO-318 |
#5
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Yes, this is normal and necessary for a tapered dovetail guitar neck joint; the critical contact area is the (slightly hollow) face of the heel being pulled against the guitar sides at the neck block, and this contact force is created by the tapered dovetail tenon sliding into the tapered mortise. If the neck tenon were to bottom out against the back of the mortise in the neck block, that would restrict the ability of the tapered surfaces to pull the neck tenon firmly into position. That gap is an important part of the design of the joint.
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John Allen Frink Bourgeois OM CB/HS Collings OM1T, OM1MhVN, OM3MhVN RainSong CH-OM-N2 Santa Cruz OM, H13 |
#6
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Most of my resets have been on Martins, which always have the gap. It is essential to facilitate removal of the neck via steam injection.
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#7
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#8
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Totally normal and desired actually. If you have ever removed a neck with a perfect fitting dovetail, with no gap, you would very much appreciate that there is a gap there.
The dovetail is a mechanical joint and the area behind it has nothing to do with the integrity of the joint but it helps to get a steaming needle in the gap to remove the neck in the future. So leave it. |