:( neck reset on nylon string :(
 

So I noticed 2 weeks ago I had some buzz on some frets. If you had told me 10 years ago, when I bought this guitar, that in 10 years it would need a reset, I'd have laughed. It is x braced and truss rodded! It is an Ibanez AEG10ne
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/...psskocyzd8.jpg You can see a crack in the binding at the 14th fret. 13,12,11,10,9,and 8 are low
I always thought that the frets would wear out the strings, but (hard to see) even the plain nylon strings have started to wear divots in the frets :(
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/...pswvza3e4f.jpg dang fretboard needs sanded anyway, it's got some good wear on it

Your enthusiasm is hard to miss, but I'm afraid you're misguided on a good many subjects, in this thread and others. On this topic, X-braces and truss rods are unrelated to the need for a neck reset. What exactly makes you think this guitar needs a neck reset now?

I don't doubt that at all. Truth is I just like/liked playing guitar for the last 25 years and couldn't care less about the intricacies of how they are put together, that is new, only the last few months.
I digress, seems to me the truss rod in the neck should make it a lot more substantial than a lot of classical guitars with t-bars square rods ect. that seem to last pretty well. I agree the x-brace doesn't have much to do with it, but it should be more stable than a fan brace pattern.
It doesn't NEED a neck reset at this point, I could level the frets and redress them, I could pull them, level the fretboard and refret it, but something is going to have to happen because the sound @11. 12 & 13 is not acceptable. I say neck reset because I think I could loosen the fretboard and pull the neck by only removing the 14th fret, which I am thinking would be less work than fooling with the (quite good) fretjob it got from Ibanez

An adjustable truss rod allows you to change the relief. A neck reset has nothing to do with relief. A neck reset is undertaken when the neck angle in relation to the body (specifically the bridge) needs to be changed in order to have the correct combination of bridge, saddle, and action height.

That's not necessarily true.

Like truss rod adjustments, fretwork and neck resets are not alternative ways to correct the same problem.

Again, I don't want to stifle your enthusiasm, but it's clear you don't understand some of the basic concepts required to setup and repair guitars. I'd suggest starting with a few books on the subject. Dan Erlewine's Guitar Repair book would be a good investment. Perhaps some of the professional repairmen here could suggest other books.

The danger of not doing your homework and repeatedly suggesting outlandish remedies here is that those who do know the facts will grow weary of correcting every other post and will just stop commenting. With no one correcting you, you may assume your approach is correct.

More than you asked for I know, but I hope it is helpful.

ok. Well, if you see me post something incorrect, berate me (but also give the correct answer, then I will learn. What is the solution here, as you can see, the neck is (currently) about 1/64th lower than the body, at the joint

How high is the action? I'll assume it's a little low because you mention buzzing. The correct fix, if that is the case, is to raise the saddle.

That's just a guess, there's too many possibilities without more information.

I'll forego berating you, this time, but the neck is actually higher at the body joint, hence the gap between the fretboard extension and the top.

I wasn't berating you, just pointing out some places where I saw your approach heading in the wrong direction.

nah, that is just the way it is built (it's a bottom of the line). There is no gap. Todd is going to come back and say it is too dry, but I don't think it is, has none of the problems of a dry guitar (other than the 14th fret hump, which is actually not a hump, it is a dip on the other side) and not pictured in the photo, the finish is piled on the neck joint (it is wrinkled, the wrinkles going parallel to the strings more or less)

oh, I know, I was suggesting it

5/64 E
4/64 e
12th fret

With the amount of information available on the interwebs these days, it's pretty easy to self-educate one's self on just about any subject.

That being said, Frank Ford's site is a good starting point for lutherie.

Items for Luthiers

No wonder your strings are buzzing. That's standard electric guitar action. Way too low for a nylon string. Make a new saddle (or have one made) that is about 1/16 higher on the high E, and about 3/32 higher at the low E, and your action should be about right for a nylon string. Around 3/32" at the high E, and 1/8" at the low E is about average height. If you still have buzzing, you should dress your frets (or have it done).

I guess I'll be the one to say it: Guitars with low action do NOT need neck resets. A neck reset is usually only necessary when the action has gotten too high and there is no more saddle to cut down. Guitars that need resets never have fret buzz because the action is too high for the strings to rattle against the frets..

+1 on Erlewine's book. This will give you a firm understanding of repair procedures, and the symptoms that indicate which repair is actually needed. and it will save you from being berated here, because you won't misdiagnose your guitar problems anymore. It's a great book, and I promise you will love it.

I contacted Ibanez last week about a new saddle. It has a strange 2 piece deal. Doubt I will be able to get one, but if not, I'll stick a piece of bone in there. Thanks for your responses. I think what made me buy this guitar is that it basically IS an electric guitar, with plastic strings. The neck anyway. It's really wide and it has wide/low frets.
So I should just ignore the non-flatness there at the joint? I know it is minimal, but for 10 years it has been straight as an arrow and played amazing, and now it doesn't. Fwiw I use only high-tension strings (I would get ultra-high tension if I could) edit; I see they do make extra/ultra high tension, going to have to get me some of those, as soon as I wear out these crappy martins, so next week :(

I would evaluate this the way I do all guitars that are new to me. I would check the neck for straightness and relief, check the action at the nut, in this case I would probably go straight to level and dress the frets, since the fretboard looks to have moved slightly (completely normal in an older guitar), after I dressed the frets I would just do a normal setup. I would probably shim the saddle on a guitar like this, or make a new one. Pretty much agree that it probably doesn't need a neck reset. Nothing points to anything more than a routine setup and fret dress to me.