Bolt-on neck and simplified neck reset

Even if it ain't broke you can still fix it.
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rcnewcomb
Posts: 359
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:04 pm
Location: San Jose, CA, USA

Bolt-on neck and simplified neck reset

Post by rcnewcomb »

Build #1 celebrated its first birthday. I had loaned it to a friend for the past year with the promise that he would play it regularly and not worry about babying it. I told him I wanted it to look like it had been "rode hard and put away wet". I prefer guitars that are beat-up but sound great vs. instruments that are pristine but have never opened up.

When I got it back I noticed that action was higher than I care for. The neck had the proper amount of relief. The top had bellied up a bit. The saddle wasn't tall enough to adjust the action there. Kathy Matsushita suggested that I use a technique she described (Always Learning) for an easy neck reset with a bolt-on neck.

Basically it amounts to unbolting the neck, but keeping the glued-on fingerboard extension in place, and "flossing" with sandpaper between the heel and body. I used the Neck Reset Calculator to determine how much material to remove from the heel of the neck. In my case it was about 0.030".

I took my time but the whole project was done in about an hour and I'm pleased with the results.
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out - another good day in the shop
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