Ridiculous neck twist

Even if it ain't broke you can still fix it.
Skarsaune
Posts: 239
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:12 am

Ridiculous neck twist

Post by Skarsaune »

Neighbor brought this Martin Shenandoah over for me to look at.
He's had it hanging on the wall since it became unplayable.
At first glance from the side, it looked like the neck might need to be reset.
Then I looked down the neck......
TWIST.jpg
I've never seen a neck so twisted.
It has gone so wonky that it has pulled away from the fret board:
FRETBOARD.jpg
Note the gap between the fretboard and neck.

I've seen folks heat & twist necks back into shape - but I've also seen reports that the necks just move back. Which is what I think it would do.

I have seen one luthier heat/twist a neck back into shape then machine it for CF reinforcing strips. I like this idea, as at least there is something keeping the neck straight, preventing it from just returning to the twisted state.

Or there is just replacing the neck.

This isn't a very valuable guitar, and it's had a rough life. Guy would just like it playable for campfires and such, and it does have some sentimental value to him. It's only worth fixing as a favor, because I'm pretty sure a realistic cost for the repair is more than the guitar is worth.

Opinions?
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
rcnewcomb
Posts: 359
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:04 pm
Location: San Jose, CA, USA

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by rcnewcomb »

You should also assume that the truss rod is bent. It should not be hard to pull off the fingerboard and have a look if there is an internal split as well.
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out - another good day in the shop
Skarsaune
Posts: 239
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:12 am

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by Skarsaune »

rcnewcomb wrote:You should also assume that the truss rod is bent. It should not be hard to pull off the fingerboard and have a look if there is an internal split as well.

Yup. Exploratory surgery is on for the weekend. Owner is on board.
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by phavriluk »

Looks like a fine candidate for an 'offshore' neck and fingerboard. Especially considering the value of the guitar when it's all done. Take a picture of the headstock so somebody can print a new logo. Be nice to salvage a decent guitar back to playability.
peter havriluk
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Although, it would be a good learning experience to try to fix it.If the fretboard were off and the truss rod out, what would it look like to flatten the top surface of the neck, re-cut the truss rod groove, and glue the fretboard back on. It would make the neck thinner, but by how much? I think it would be pretty simple to do.

Ed
Ed M
Stray Feathers
Posts: 677
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:39 pm
Location: Ladysmith, BC

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by Stray Feathers »

My first step would be to contact Martin. If I was them, I would not want my name on that neck. What sort of guarantee is on that grade of guitar? If they determine that it has been misused or abused, then you could think about rescue options. They might even offer a good price on a replacement neck if you say you can do the work yourself. Maybe John Hall can offer some insight as a Martin repair facility . . .
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by tippie53 »

they don't have the same guaranty of the martin you may call and maybe you will get lucky. I had gotten a neck like that once. I pulled the neck and took off the fretboard ,I used 2 carbon fiber rods and epoxied them in . I glued it up on a granite plate to get is as flat as I could.
I then manged to take some more off the fretboard. It was playable. It is still being played. I used 1/8 by 1/2 in and set them in following the taper to add some structure to it.
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by MaineGeezer »

Wow. I think I would just carve a new neck. It would probably take less time than you would spend fooling around with that one.

I wouldn't trust that one to stay straight no matter what I did to it. You could take off the fingerboard and cut it flat, etc., but the act of taking off wood could release more internal stress and 6 months late it could be winding again.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by JLT »

I agree that you'd be better off with a new neck. Maybe you could get one from Martin ... send them the old neck so they can give you one that's a pretty good match, and that has their logo on it. They might want to see the old one just for grins.)

It might be a good time to convert the guitar to a bolt-on neck, so that repairs like this will be simplified down the road. And a conversion would be easier than trying to match dovetails, etc.
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Ridiculous neck twist

Post by MaineGeezer »

You probably already know about these, but in case you don't:
https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_S ... Necks.html
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
Post Reply