Neck reset on older Yamaha acoustic?

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by snow creek

Is my guitar going to slowly die??? bump....?
Will a collapsing sound hole render it unplayable at a certain point?

Yep, but it can be repaired, typically i remove the back, rebrace the the top.

Steve

[snow creek]

Thanks, Steve- Thats what I was worried about
My guitar is not worth professional repairs. I guess I will have to be happy with the years I got out of it for so little money
time to save up for a travel eastman

[mirwa]

Or, feel confident and remove the back, most older yamahas have a black binding strip around the perimeter, remove that binding and its very easy to seperate the back off

Fit new bracing, most guitar techs just use products from stewmac or similiar companies so get that for a cost of $30 I think, you can hold the bracing in place whilst drying with a kitchen table and some scrap pieces of dowel to put pressure on the braces for next to no cost

Steve

[JLS]

Originally Posted by mirwa

That and a well fitted tenon, make it a tough joint to get apart.

Steve

No kiddin'!

[Everton FC]

I found this advert that seems to be your guitar;

https://www.shoppok.com/greensboro/a...Case-Rare-.htm

The "dash-1" was used on an FG-75-1 I had from '75. It meant these FG-75's were X-Braced, as opposed to the ladder braces 75's, prior. Looks like yours would have a solid spruce top, based on the linked advert. I would say, if you love it, do it - get the reset done. I just dropped $500.00 into my Yamaha L5-A (pickup tomorrow) and I'll probably not regret it. The solid top Yamaha's from this period are fantastic guitars - as good as any solid-top costing double, from the same era, generally speaking. If you are fiscally comfortable, and love the guitar... Why not? But you'll never get your money back.

Thing is... You'll also never find another FG-480-1, in this lifetime. Few seem to exist. Like my L5-A. That's what influenced me. And I am not fiscally "loaded".

[hurling frootmi]

I run really light strings on all of my acoustics. Less tension seems like it should result in a longer life for the guitar before it ends up pulling itself apart. Or at least that's what I'm going with. :-)

I have had a few old Yamaha's and wondered if the heat stick might not be the best solution for the older FG's that likely used epoxy since steam won't really work for them. One of these days I'll find another FG-75 that needs a reset and try the heat stick.

[phavriluk]

As if there weren't enough divergent attempts by us bystanders....another idea: If OP's braces need help, and the neck needs resetting, and I'll put my comments out as a question, what's wrong with removing the back, fixing the internals, and reinstalling the back so as to pull the lower end of the neck block 'inward' enough to establish a good neck angle? Back's off anyway, there's no stopping the geometric change, and nobody's wrestling with/invading/assaulting the neck installation. Neck angle gets fixed for free.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

what's wrong with removing the back, fixing the internals, and reinstalling the back so as to pull the lower end of the neck block 'inward' enough to establish a good neck angle? Back's off anyway, there's no stopping the geometric change, and nobody's wrestling with/invading/assaulting the neck installation. Neck angle gets fixed for free.

Nothing, mississipi neck resets were the way we use to do them in the past, loosen the back, lock the neck in new position, glue the back back on, trim the excess wood away. Job done, have not done it that way however in at least 10 years, maybe even 20

I reset the neck on a fg340 yesterday, no mystery glue or epoxy had been used, just good old fashioned well fitted tenon joint by the manufacturer, it had a broken truss rod as well.

Steve

[viento]

Yesterday I took the neck off my Yamaha FG 512. I used steam and it took me about half an hour.
The wet glue leftovers felt like jelly but might get harder when dry.

What would you recommend for gluing the neck in again?

I´ve a bottle of "Titebond Original" and a bottle of " Fish Glue" waiting on the shelf.
Hot hide glue isn´t bad but gels too fast...

[mirwa]

Get it dry, get it clean, if necessary reshim the socket with fresh wood for a nice fit, glue it up with Titebond original

Steve

[viento]

Thanks!

That is how the divided parts look:
I will clean them before gluing.

What irritates me is the cut lacquer line at the neck heal.
I have to think about a solution
to make it look smooth again...
Wouldn´t a "worm" of brown hideglue
cover up the rough cut line and do the job??

[phavriluk]

Cleaning up that neck heel/body intersection. If it was mine, and I had determined that the finish was indeed lacquer, I'd mask off all but a quarter inch of the front, scrape/sand the finish joint level, and respray with rattle-can Minwax lacquer. I think adding stuff will just look like I was adding stuff rather than dealing with the now-cut right angle of excess lacquer.

But that's one person's opinion and I am not at all familiar with how the guitar was originally finished.

[viento]

Thanks for describing a solution!
I had a can on the shelf with a rest of still usable nitro lacquer, masked the lines and added two brushstrokes with a fine hairbrush: I am satisfied with the result...