1966 Guild D40 neck reset.

[Alalush]

Is it worth doing a neck reset on a Guild D40 1966?
The guitar sounds very good as it is but really needs a reset and new bridge. I ask because I have heard somewhere that it is very hard to do a neck reset on sixties Guilds... So I ask here before I will bring to my luthier.

[CowhornShoehorn]

Not sure what you may have heard and perhaps others might comment, but have done neck resets on 70's and 80's Guilds and I recall them being the a standard dovetail that came apart as expected with heat and steam.

[6L6]

A good luthier can do the work, but it is more difficult on a Guild.

Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, CA did a fantastic neck reset and refret on my '74 Guild D-40NT. Give them a call.

[redir]

It is more difficult for sure and as such tends to cost more. The value of that guitar puts it in the range of 'worth it' to me. But value comes in other forms too. Like if you really love the guitar then yeah it's worth it.

[Dave Richard]

I just reset the neck on my own '64 Guild D-40. Ir was pretty straightforward, with no problems. I must add, that I'm a full time repairman. These days, when I remove a neck, I use two 'Hot Wire Foam Cutters' to heat the glue in the joint, in order to remove the neck(as seen on Gil Draper's FB page). A '66 D-40 would be well worth doing the work(as a quality instrument), although the cost may be an issue for someone who is paying for it to be done.

[Alalush]

Originally Posted by Dave Richard

I just reset the neck on my own '64 Guild D-40. Ir was pretty straightforward, with no problems. I must add, that I'm a full time repairman. These days, when I remove a neck, I use two 'Hot Wire Foam Cutters' to heat the glue in the joint, in order to remove the neck(as seen on Gil Draper's FB page). A '66 D-40 would be well worth doing the work(as a quality instrument), although the cost may be an issue for someone who is paying for it to be done.

Nice! Do the hotwire foamcutters worked for your Guild D40 reset? Or you had to use steam? What diameter drill bit you use when using the hotwire foamcutters? I have succesfully reset a 1966 D40 with steam. I saw some videos about these hotwire foamcutters and looks like it is safer than good old steam for sure

[Dave Richard]

The hot wire foam cutters worked fine for my Guild neck reset. I’ll have to check the exact diameter of the drill bit, but it is only slightly wider than the fret slot(which is around .025”).I did not use any steam, although I do add drops of water with a pipette. It’s important to monitor the cutters in case the wire becomes stuck in the hole: if it does, don’t pull hard on the handle, rather grasp the wire itself with small pliers to pull up. Myself, I no longer use steam, it’s too nerve wracking! I also use one of those StewMac style neck removal jigs, to push out the neck.

[Dave Richard]

The hot wire foam cutters have a wire diameter of .040"

I usually use a 5/64" drill bit, 6" long, to drill through the fret slot and to the bottom of the neck dovetail joint.

For a vintage bar-fret neck, I found a #52 drill bit(.060") worked well. It's smaller than the 5/64" bit, which is .075".

[Alalush]

Originally Posted by Dave Richard

The hot wire foam cutters have a wire diameter of .040"

I usually use a 5/64" drill bit, 6" long, to drill through the fret slot and to the bottom of the neck dovetail joint.

For a vintage bar-fret neck, I found a #52 drill bit(.060") worked well. It's smaller than the 5/64" bit, which is .075".

Thanks! very useful information!