Gibson ES125T Neck Reset advice please

[capohk]

My 1960 ES125T is in need of a neck reset. Any advice on how the procedure might differ from a regular depth guitar would be much appreciated. There aren't any obviously googleable vids that I can find. (I acknowledge that all of the regular caveats about using a qualified luthier apply)

[capohk]

I'll add that I'm quite keen to try a heatstick approach rather than use steam. Unfortunately, StewMac doesn't make a version for my Hakko FX888 station, so I'm going to try making my own.

[B. Howard]

ES models ( Except the bottom end ES120 which has a different neck joint) are the same. These necks are removed with steam. The heel cap is heated and removed and a hole drilled from the heel at an angle to get to the head-space of the dovetail. Steam is injected here to soften the glue. The joint is typically open at the top under the fret board scarf extension so you may need to stuff a rag under the extension to keep the steam at the joint and prevent loosening the extension scarf joint.

a heatsick will likely cause mall manner of other parts to come loose before you get the dovetail hot enough to release....

[MC5C]

Brian, my understanding is that the thin body ES-335 type guitars had a straight mortise joint into the center block of the body, including under the pickup (sometimes) so no dovetail. The ES-125T has (I think, I owned two but never took one apart) a traditional archtop neck block. I always imaginied it to have a quite different joint to the other thin body ES guitars, more of a short dovetail. So your description has me confused - you say it's the same as other ES models, by which I think of a long, straight tenon and mortise, and you also say it has a dovetail?

Thanks, another Brian

[capohk]

Thanks for your input. I'm glad I asked as there is precious little information on these that I can find, other than the neck joint is often described as "the worst to leave the factory".

I'm pretty sure the guitar is a virgin, therefore the neck should be set with hide glue. I'm encouraged by the user reports of the new StewMac heatstick, claiming it is quicker and less destructive than the steam method. Whats not easy to find is a picture of a disassembled ES125T, showing what the joint looks like inside. With either method, the position of the hole for injecting heat is obviously important.

This thread from FRETS suggests but does not confirm it is a DT joint. https://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topi...k-joint-gibson

Here's another about a es225 - looks very similar - http://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topic...225-neck-joint

[B. Howard]

Originally Posted by MC5C

Brian, my understanding is that the thin body ES-335 type guitars had a straight mortise joint into the center block of the body, including under the pickup (sometimes) so no dovetail. The ES-125T has (I think, I owned two but never took one apart) a traditional archtop neck block. I always imaginied it to have a quite different joint to the other thin body ES guitars, more of a short dovetail. So your description has me confused - you say it's the same as other ES models, by which I think of a long, straight tenon and mortise, and you also say it has a dovetail?

Thanks, another Brian

Thanks, I should have farther specified that we are talking hollow body ES models here and mot semi-hollow like a 335. A 335 with a solid center section has a neck pocket very much like a les paul model, just a straight tennon. But a 125 is a true hollow body and has a small , laminate construction headblock with the neck dovetail set. I cannot find a handy pic of one with the neck out right now but this article has some pics of the side of the head block with the cutaway removed. https://howardguitars.blogspot.com/2...ate-bondo.html

This guitar in this article was a EWS125T when it left the factory, the cutaway was added.

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by B. Howard

Thanks, I should have farther specified that we are talking hollow body ES models here and mot semi-hollow like a 335. A 335 with a solid center section has a neck pocket very much like a les paul model, just a straight tennon. But a 125 is a true hollow body and has a small , laminate construction headblock with the neck dovetail set. I cannot find a handy pic of one with the neck out right now but this article has some pics of the side of the head block with the cutaway removed. https://howardguitars.blogspot.com/2...ate-bondo.html

This guitar in this article was a EWS125T when it left the factory, the cutaway was added.

Makes me wish I had a trashed-but-sentimentally-valued guitar I could send you for work! I saw you referenced (in the Yamaha reset piece) a future bolt-on conversion article, so I'll keep an eye out for that.