#1
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1954 Epiphone Blackstone may need a new truss rod
Hi Folks,
I recently acquired a vintage 1954 Epiphone Blackstone archtop guitar in need of repairs. I purchased the instrument with the neck separated from the body. There was no damage, the neck glue joint simply came loose and the dovetail joint slid apart cleanly. In a plastic bag containing the rosewood bridge was a short steel rod, about 5 inches long, threaded at one end, the other end is a 3/16 inch hex socket tube welded to the end of the steel rod. This short steel rod looks like it is part of the truss rod, neck adjustment system. I am holding out all hope, that this is some fancy, over-engineered two-piece truss rod system and that the rod didn’t just snap off at the anchor nut The steel rod looks like it threads into the channel/hole under the fretboard extension. However, the fit is very tight and the steel rod will not slip in smoothly, or thread all the way into this channel/hole. Does anyone know how a 1950’s Epiphone truss rod is supposed to work? What looks like the main truss rod adjusting nut is very much like a Gibson. There is a brass hex nut located under a small plastic cover plate on the headstock. I tried tightening this adjusting nut to correct the up-bow in the neck and after I tightened the nut as tight as I dared, I gave up and backed it off, since there was no reaction, and the neck did not straighten as it should have to this adjustment. I am fairly experienced at guitar repair, however, this is the first vintage Epiphone Archtop I now own and before I dig in, and remove the fretboard, I thought it best to get a second or third opinion on this repair project. |
#2
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I'd be very curious to see some other pics, for several reasons:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#3
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I have here in my shop, a ‘47 Blackstone, with the same inlay(not the stickpin).
Epiphone ‘thrust’ rods, as the company called them, do not always work well, even when intact. I often, when doing fretwork on one, simply treat it as a non-adjustable neck, like a pre-85 Martin. |
#4
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Here are a few photos of the guitar before I started to to take it apart. The reason I thought it was a 1954 was mainly because of the truss rod adjustment nut at the headstock, so, now I'm not sure. The previous owner was quite talented at DYI repairs and upgrades. The floating pickup arrangement, mounted to the homemade pickguard, was well done by someone who knew their way around tools and fabrication of small delicate parts; and I really appreciated the care that was taken to duplicate the original pickguard profile (which I have already used to fabricated a copy profiling jig, so that I can make a new pickguard from a more period correct material). So...do you think the fretboard has already been off in order to install an aftermarket truss rod? If it was, it was really done well. No scarring, do dings or dents; the finish is almost perfect at the board/neck joint. (note: the truss rod, brass hex nut is a modern, Gibson style, it is cone shaped with 5/16" wrench size, with not much tarnish or signs of age).
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#5
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Quote:
Quote:
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#6
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I've had/played three '47 Blackstones, and they've all been superb sounding instruments. I'm guessing your '49 will be too, once you've made the repairs. Replacing a trussrod is a significant repair, given the fingerboard removal. BTW, I have a Facebook page, David Richard Luthier, where I post photos, descriptions, and videos of instruments i've repaired, including many vintage Epiphones.
There is a website, 'The Unofficial NY Epiphone Registry', which is extemely informative, and an excellent compliment to the book cited by Steve Rosa, 'The House of Stathopoulo'. |
#7
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If you bought it as a project then you already have some skiils. Get a little portable iron, heat up the fretboard, take it off, remove the dismal original rod. Add a new modern rod. Re-assemble the neck/fretboard. Game over.
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#8
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Well,yes: heat up the fingerboard for removal, being careful not to ignite the highly flammable celluloid binding- best to remove it first. Remove the fingerboard and the broken rod, then fill the old channel with new wood, and re-rout for a modern replacement(which likely won’t fit the original channel). Reattach fingerboard and binding. It will probably be easier to do all that, with the neck removed from the body(it might well need a neck reset anyway).
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#9
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My take on this is it's a quite modified guitar, the obvious being the pickups mounted into what looks like an original carved top acoustic instrument, which of course a Blackstone was (hopefully they are floating as you suggest because the photo's look suspiciously inset into the top). 1949 is acknowledged as the end of that line, so that is fine, and it would have had the push type truss rod adjusted from below the fretboard extension, which if it works is fine (mine does) and if it doesn't it becomes non-adjustable (and still kinda works). The short rod you have is the remains of the now-removed original truss rod. The Gibson style rod you have now was a retro-fit. On an instrument like that, originality is now a moot point, so if the neck is bowed to need a truss rod you can take the fretboard off and install one, you or someone else depending on skills. The damage is already done, now you can simply make it good. Good luck!
As an aside, on my Zephyr the neck joint failed and the fretboard extension got perilously close to the top, such that the truss rod adjuster just about touched the top, you might find a little scar there about an inch from the end of the fretboard under the extension. http://wiedler.ch/nyepireg/models.html#ArchtopAc The headstock logo looks correct for post 1947 Blackstocks, per this anyway. In fact aside from the obvious the whole guitar looks quite correct, good find in my opinion!
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Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia. Last edited by MC5C; 10-01-2020 at 05:03 AM. |
#10
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Quote:
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#11
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I got started on the fretboard removal over the weekend. It rained all day Saturday, so it was a good day to dig in and find out what was under the fretboard. No need to worry about any celluloid bindings burning, the bindings are new, (since it is now obvious that the fretboard had been removed by the previous owner), and the modern bindings peeled off real easy. Well, after about two hours of gentle heat, hot water, some new palette knives, an electric hot plate and a lot of coaxing, the fretboard has been removed. Not too much damage, some minor slivers of rosewood stuck to the maple neck, but overall, not bad. Now the bad news. Steve DeRosa was right, the previous owner "butchered" (his/her) attempt at replacing the original Epiphone truss rod. And, MC5C was spot-on in his analysis of what that short steel rod was.
Apparently, the previous owner, replaced the original truss rod, and used a traditional Gibson style rod, which was installed totally wrong! The original rod slot was not routed and deepened in a gentle, long and deep curve, which is required for the rod to function properly. Not only this, but the rod was glued in the full length . I needed to heat the rod with my soldering iron in order to release it from the groove. Also, a poor attempt at gluing a thin filler strip over the top, of the now rusted steel rod, then needed to be carved out with an Exact-O knife. I am now shopping for a new truss rod on Stew-Mac. I'll use one of the 14-1/2" Hot Rod types, and keep the "butchered" headstock the way it is. Some photos are attached. I can post more photos of the whole process if anyone is interested. Last edited by ArchtopLover; 10-05-2020 at 01:56 PM. Reason: used the wrong tricks for quoting others original text. just removed the quotes |
#12
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The Hot Rod is an excellent idea - follows the concept of the original "thrust rod" with modern performance - but as your project unfolds you might want to reconsider repairing the headstock, whether with a new overlay or a patch-&-match in the trussrod notch...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#13
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Beaitiful project ArchtopLover! The fretboard removal looks really clean. With a new truss-rod and light restoration work here and there, this beauty is sure to be singing again soon. Thanks for sharing, and please keep us posted!
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#14
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You could install the Hotrod truss rod with the adjuster at the headstock, use the cut-out provided by the previous owner, or you could fill and patch that cutout and install the Hotrod with the adjuster inside the heel of the neck, and use the original adjuster extension piece under the fretboard extension to adjust it. You only want to adjust the bit between nut and heel, you don't want a longer truss rod than that. It depends on how close to original you want it to look, I would think.
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Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia. |
#15
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I have authored and attached a public Google Document showing all of the photographs and the steps I have taken so far in the project. I will update this repair project document/archive and upload as I progress https://docs.google.com/document/d/e...lQdgeW3wia/pub |