1979 Yamaha FG-331, to reset or not??
 

Hi All. First post here. When I was 10 I received a Yamaha FG-331( 1979) for my birthday and have had it ever since. It is the only acoustic guitar I have ever owned. To put it mildly I have played the living S out of this thing. Every song I have ever written has been on this guitar. Gigs, recording sessions, you name it. It is my most prized possession.

Over the past year or two I have had some work done on it to improve the action. Various set ups, saddle shavings, bone nut and saddle. It has become really difficult to play past the first few frets. I do not want to abandon this guitar for a newer one. I brought it in last week to my luthier to have some open back tuners put on and was discussing with him on the way out about the action. He said a re-fret would certainly help the playability. It was sort of in passing this comment. We did not discuss a neck reset at all. I did a sight check on my own and noticed the fretboard is noticeably below the top of the bridge which seems to indicate the need for a reset. The saddle appears to be as low as it can go.
I know a reset on these guitars is not financially worth it. But its not about finances. This is my baby. So my ultimate question is this: What is the luthier looking at to get this thing back to playable condition? Is it a dovetail joint, epoxy glued??? Will it need to be sawed off and converted to a bolt on?? What is the prognosis on resetting these late 70's Yamaha's as far as eventual playability and tone? Lots of questions and lots of unknowns. If there is anyone who has experience with this particular model as a reset or a close model please chime in. Or if anyone has any advice to offer. It is appreciated. Thanks for enduring my long post but I wanted to give some history here. Cheers!

Welcome to the group. My answer is simple - you need to ask the luthier as he is the one doing the work. My (now irrelevant) question is why after 38 years of owning the guitar did you decide to have work done on it that made it less playable. Next answer is get it straightened out and then don't bother what isn't broke.

I guess I should clarify that I have had basic setups on this guitar done for the past 25 years, which usually includes fret dressing and/or adjustments at the saddle to improve the action to some degree. So the action has been something that has been gradually degrading all this time. It has now become something that makes it hard to play this guitar anymore. The bone nut and saddle were something that has improved the guitar IMO just not the action. What did I do to it to make it less playable? As I understand it shaving the saddle to improve action is not unusual, especially in older guitars where the top starts to belly and action gets worse.

All that will depend on who is doing the work but even the cheapest luthier won't be cheap for the work you need done.

You won't find many people who have had this kind of work done to that guitar or one similar because it isn't cost effective. You're talking about sinking $300 or more (and it may be quite a bit more if the frets are showing their 39 years) into a guitar that is worth about $100 in its present condition. Then after you sink all that money into it, the value won't be significantly raised as it will only be worth in the neighborhood of $175-$250.

I do understand that you have some sentimental attachment to the guitar but when it was gifted to you at age 10, it wasn't meant to be a forever guitar. It was meant to be something that you learned on and moved on from at some point.

So here's my suggestion...
Don't throw it away. Polish it up and hang it on the wall so it will be right there to inspire you. Then take the money you'd have spent on fixing that guitar, and buy yourself something newer and better.

You know Jim that is some wise advice. It's been quite difficult deciding what to do. If I was honest with myself your advice is exactly what I should do. It is actually hung up on the wall next to my bed. I guess I feel like I'd actually be cheating on my Yamaha if I purchased another guitar. I know thats silly and ridiculous. But you are right. Thanks for the advice.

You would repair your car if it needed a new front end or transmission repaired. You've played it for 40 years and it has done it all, it appears. I would certainly repair it and not look back. People take their 14 year old dogs to the vet even though they won't be around for much longer. Fix her and play her.

I kind of have a different perspective on this, but it boils down to how fixable, how long it lasts, and for how much. Even given the cost of repair isn't worth it, I suggest considering another view point.

Say it was $500 to fix. Would/could you play this guitar for the next 10 years, the same songs you've written - happiness and joy, heartbreak and sadness - and all the songs to come? $50 a year, or $4 a month, $1 a week, for the company of an old friend doesn't sound like a lot to me.

It seems to me you know you can always go to the store and pick up a new guitar without all the troubles this one gives you, and no reason you can't do that next year or the year after. But yet you still have this one. Maybe I'm sentimental because my folks bought me a Yamaha when I was 16 and I don't even know where it is anymore - left behind in some house I can no longer picture. I wonder if it's in a landfill somewhere, or cracked, or developing some great patina in the hands of someone who loves it more than I did.

Sometimes it's not about the money or what's sensible. As with jewelry and real estate, memories are worth what the buyer is willing to pay. Sensible people have paid far more to recapture far less.

chippygreen you've hit the nail on the head. I have been in countless guitar stores over the years. I always seem to gravitate to the acoustic room and try different guitars and I have never come out with anything. I always go back to the "cheap" Yamaha that has a sound that is comforting to my ears. Many friends and fellow musicians have always remarked how great the "yamaha" sounds. Just recently I recorded some demos on my computer with just one mic to record vocals and my Yamaha. I sent it to a friend for advice and who I haven't seen in over ten years. The first thing he said was "is that the Yamaha". So you know. Like I said in my original post its not about the finances. A poster above did remark that I can just hang it on the wall for inspiration and put the money towards a new one. Wise advice also, but I can't get past the part of just hanging it on the wall and not have it be my number one player. Even if I decided to buy a Martin. Which has crossed my mind.

Man there are some wise people on this forum. Thats exactly how I feel. I guess what I really need to do is to talk to my luthier and get an honest assessment of what needs to be done and what I can expect. Especially the expectation part! That will ultimately influence my decision.

Well you could spend $500 for a nice new Yamaha or you could spend the same for a neck reset on your old one.

Now...would Willie cheat on Trigger? ;)

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1d/ee...3c2b4d49ef.jpg

Get it worked on. Obviously the guitar is worth way more to you than the street value or the cost of the work you want done....and that's really the bottom line. Unless the price is somehow ridiculous go for it. As far as what it needs, your luthier should answer all that as they're the ones who've seen your guitar.

You and your Yamaha are soul mates, so fix it and you'll both be happy.

You should talk to a qualified Luther about what's involved and the cost.
I'd take into consideration Jim1960's advice, but it's a "is it worth it" call and only you can make that decision.
I have a 1979 Yamaha too (it was given to me), but mine hasn't been played to the extent that yours has, as I"ve picked up other guitars along the way.
Good Luck in working through your decision.

Best of both worlds.
Go buy a new guitar. After 40 years you deserve it.
In the meantime find out how much it will cost to repair your Yamaha.
If you don't mind the price, get it fixed. This could be up to a 6 month wait for the repair.
Who wants to be without a guitar for that long?

Exactly! I'm not Willie but my Yamaha is my signature guitar.