Neck Reset on a 68 D40

[wileypickett]

I had a '73 F-512 that had a shim. Tom Jacobs fixed it and eliminated the shim. I don't think placing a shim is the best way to deal with a neck reset. IMO.

Hey Rich,

So far as I know, it isn't so much a matter of opinion as it is geometry. Did Tom do a neck reset on your F-512, or some other repair to the neck? If he did a neck reset, how did he accomodate the change in angle of the neck above the 14th fret without adding a shim?

Everyone,

I'm not being contrary -- I simply don't know of a way around shimming the underside of the fretboard extension -- assuming the geometry of the neck is going to work as it's intended.

But if there is one I'd love to know about it!

In the various luthier publications I subscribe to, adding a shim under the fretboard extension is part of a neck reset job -- it's the only way to maintain the proper geometry of the neck for its full length.

If you change the angle of the neck and don't shim under the fretboard extension you're left with a bend in the neck where it joins the body, and no way to play above the 14th fret.

This discussion came up before on LTG and people were split on the idea of the shim, some prefering to maintain the proper geometry of the neck, others saying, "I hate the shim and I never play above the 12th fret anyway," or things to that effect.

But no one has pointed to a method of doing a neck reset without shimming

Maybe I'm not up to date on neck resets? If so, please englighten me!

 

[richardp69]

Yup, that's the one. Many here can give you his email address or phone # if/when you want to contact him.

 

[fronobulax]

Is that the former Guild employee residing in Florida that I keep hearing about? When the time comes to have it done on my D-35 two way shipping costs wouldn’t be much of an issue for me. Local guy wants $1300 to do one and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the touch up done on my D-4 that had a top crack repaired.

Jacobs Custom Guitars – Custom Guitars & Guitar Repair

www.jacobscustomguitars.com

Tom Jacobs

@Fixit

 

[valleyguy]

For those that have had a neck rest where a shim was used, is the shim visible?

 

[Rich Cohen]

On mine, the neck block had shifted. Tom did everything which involved removing the shim, fixing the neck block situation and resetting the neck. He did a great job...as usual.

 

[mavuser]

For those that have had a neck rest where a shim was used, is the shim visible?

the shim is from the factory. it is going to be visable after a neck reset, because u cannot perfectly color match just that small part of the side of the fretboard, to a sunburst top from 53 years ago. unless u were to refinish the entire guitar (or at least the majority of it)...i have a similar one in cherry, u can see where the work was done, although it is very clean and neat. yours looks to have been in pretty rough shape going in, and I would assess w what we know right now, that your luthier did good work, and gave u a good price.

 

[adorshki]

For those that have had a neck rest where a shim was used, is the shim visible?

It just occurred to me that for those builds that were originally "shimmed", at the very least it probably facilitates a reset because it's either easily planed to a good angle without compromising fret board, or even replaced if needed.

Although I'm beginning to suspect that the shimmed design contributed to the "Hoboken sound", even if unintentionally.

A surprising amount of energy can get into the neck through the heelblock and get back to the top through the extension. If you've ever felt the neck vibrating in your hand you know what I'm talking about.

Couple that with what I suspect was the popsicle stick brace under the 'board extension (they didn't go to the "wings" until later AFAIK) and consider how that might affect that part of the top as well.

Not that I'm sure yours is a Hoboken, the earliest Westerlys (which a '68 D40 could very well be) have been said to be very similar to Hobokens in the "light build" quality. Perhaps yours is an example of just how similar the builds were at first, if it's not an actual Hoboken.

If anybody here knows, it would be Hans (post #9), who prefers to be contacted through his email, the last I heard: mousthans@gmail.com