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  #1  
Old 09-11-2018, 06:53 AM
Griole Griole is offline
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Default Neck reset on older Yamaha acoustic?

Hi, All -
I got no replies from the forum to the thread I've included below. I had a local luthier refret the guitar, since it had been played extensively, and had a lot of grooved frets. However, he said a neck reset was needed to get the guitar where I wanted to go. He's reluctant to take on that job because he says that Yamaha used epoxy back then, and trying to separate neck and body would be dangerous. Has anyone run into a problem attempting a neck reset on a Taiwan-made Yamaha from this era? Am I just out of luck? I LOVE this guitar, but I don't want to do anything to ruin it. HELP!

"I just purchased a very used Yamaha FG480-1, and I can find nothing on the Internet regarding its history, place in the pecking order, or whether it was produced in limited numbers.

What I DO know is that it is from the Black Label series, made in Taiwan, and the serial number indicates it's from 1975. It's similar to most Yamahas of that era, with these exceptions:

1. It has a 3-piece back, but looks more like the FG340 (black center piece) than the FG180-1 model of the same era
2. It has an ebony fingerboard with block (edges slightly rounded) inlay
3. Gold Yamaha sealed tuners, bound fingerboard and headstock
4. Lots of abalone trim, a la Martin's D-35

I checked on Yamaha's Guitarchive, which has always provided valuable info in the past, and.......NOTHING. I then contacted Yamaha customer support, and I must have them stumped as well, since I have not received a reply, despite providing them with pictures.

Anyway, I know this is a longshot, but does anyone out there know anything regarding the specifics of this particular model? Thanks! "
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  #2  
Old 09-11-2018, 08:51 AM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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I am yet to come across an epoxied yamaha neck socket, I see numerous posts on the phenomenon but have not encountered it.

Yamaha dovetail necks are a very well constructed neck for a mass produced guitar, possibly the quality of the fit make others believe it may be epoxy, steam / pressure they come loose, well they have for me so far.

Steve

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Old 09-11-2018, 09:42 AM
Bax Burgess Bax Burgess is offline
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I had an FG 110 red label, whether epoxied or with another adhesive, reset and in the process the luthier damaged one edge of the dovetail, which he had warned might happen. He adapted the neck into a bolt-on, also mentioned as a possibility. The guitar sounds as good as it had before the modification. Now, if I needed it done and lived near Mirwa, I would approach him about the job.
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Old 09-11-2018, 12:54 PM
redir redir is offline
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Yamaha was using HHG back in the day. They did go through a period where they started using Asian Mystery Glue.

Last edited by Kerbie; 09-11-2018 at 12:56 PM. Reason: Removed link.
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Old 09-11-2018, 01:07 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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i haven't seen any need to convert these to a bolt-on. Even if the dovetail is damaged during removal, it can be reconstructed.
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Old 09-11-2018, 05:15 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
Yamaha was using HHG back in the day.
That and a well fitted tenon, make it a tough joint to get apart.

Steve
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Old 09-12-2018, 05:11 AM
B. Howard B. Howard is offline
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MIRWA, if memeory serves you are in Australia, correct? That means you likely see domestic market Yamahas and not the exports we get here in the states. While not epoxied they are done in AMG after a certain point....

Here is an article I wrote on how to tell which are which as far as resetiing necks here in the USA on models imported here.https://howardguitars.blogspot.com/2...ic-guitar.html
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Old 09-12-2018, 06:22 AM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Interesting read, I also offer an alternative neck reset type and it’s a common one I do on the fg180’s becuase they cut the fretboards wrong at manufacture and the nut sits too close to the first fret.

I machine the old board away at the new optimum angle



Make a new fretboard



Fit / refret and finish




Steve
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Old 05-03-2019, 05:47 AM
viento viento is offline
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Sorry to join in ,
but I could get a Yamaha Yamaha 12 string Western FG 512 with slotted peghead and breathtaking rosewood back I admire.
The string distance at the 12th fret is about 5mm (= 0,19685") so a neck reset would be necessary.
I dont know the production year so my question if anybody has done a neck reset on this type and could give me a hint?
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Old 05-03-2019, 06:17 PM
snow creek snow creek is offline
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No reason for a bolt?
I put TWO in mine!!
LOL
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Old 05-03-2019, 06:30 PM
snow creek snow creek is offline
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"they cut the fretboards wrong at manufacture and the nut sits too close to the first fret."

This makes so much sense now.. Even after a neck reset I have had a heck of a time getting the my fg-180 at the right action and playable.. It seems despite all my efforts the guitar continues to eat itself and the action continues to get bigger despite two bolts...
Is there a point when a guitar becomes unfixable?
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Old 05-03-2019, 06:34 PM
viento viento is offline
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I guess the original joint would be a dove tail.
But bolts aren´t bad at all.
I´ve built two acoustic guitars with bolts and have made the experience that the working efforts on bolts are a bit more easy to do than dove tails.
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Martin D28 (1973)
12-string cutaway ...finished ;-)
Hoyer 12-string (1965)
Yamaha FG-340 (1970)
Yamaha FG-512 (ca. 1980)
D.Maurer 8-string baritone (2013-2014)
and 4 electric axes
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  #13  
Old 05-03-2019, 07:15 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snow creek View Post
"they cut the fretboards wrong at manufacture and the nut sits too close to the first fret."

This makes so much sense now.. Even after a neck reset I have had a heck of a time getting the my fg-180 at the right action and playable.. It seems despite all my efforts the guitar continues to eat itself and the action continues to get bigger despite two bolts...
Is there a point when a guitar becomes unfixable?
By your description i am not to sure what is happening.

Some ideas, if the action is slowly coming up after a reset then i suspect the heel is not shimmed out correctly, alternatively the top could be collapsing around the soundhole or arching around the bridge.

Steve
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  #14  
Old 05-04-2019, 10:01 AM
snow creek snow creek is offline
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" the top could be collapsing around the soundhole or arching around the bridge."

This seems to be what is occurring. When I got the guitar the neck joint was loose but the action OK, so to "fix" it I just worked some glue in it and bolted it tight. For 5 years that worked until the action became too high. When I took out that bolt- it was bent
so after a neck reset ( filing away wood to get the right angle and gluing it back on with no shim- dont even know what that is for) I put two bolts in that were thicker with the hope they would not bend.
Despite this the sound hole seems to continue to pull in the neck. The bracing is not broken. But the top is REALLY warped. The guitar sat in a high heat/low humidity environment for possibly decades.

(edit- sorry for the thread hijack)
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  #15  
Old 05-08-2019, 01:45 PM
snow creek snow creek is offline
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Is my guitar going to slowly die??? bump....?
Will a collapsing sound hole render it unplayable at a certain point?
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