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here's a vintage Kay or Harmony archtop. It has a couple of problems. First, it needs a neck reset. Someone "reset" it, by sawing off the dovetail, then using a 2 1/2" screw and glue to reset it.

This is an example of how not to reset a neck.

Also, it has a "repaired" cracked back. It has 4 huge cleats. You only need small cleats. Also, they glued the crack from the outside, smearing glue on the original sunburst nitro finish

Alcohol and acetone will dissolve lacquer. I needed to find something that dissolves glue, but not nitro.

I ended up using white vinegar. It dissolved the glue, but left the finish. I'll deal with the crack from the inside.

More repairs.to come.

exploring you never know what you find when someone else got in there before you.

tippie53 wrote:exploring you never know what you find when someone else got in there before you.

Boy, isn't that the truth!

What’s your plan for the neck reset, seeing as the dovetail is cut off?

Skarsaune wrote:What’s your plan for the neck reset, seeing as the dovetail is cut off?

I'm going to have to turn it into a bolt-on neck. I'll be posting everything that I do with photos.

Diane Kauffmds wrote: I'm going to have to turn it into a bolt-on neck. I'll be posting everything that I do with photos.

Excellent. I look forward to seeing it.

Well, I decided to pull the fretboard off to see what was happening. It has a dovetail and it wasn't cut off, much to my surprise. I guess someone did a neck reset and decided to cut under the fretboard and on each cheek of the neck, making those cut marks. Weird! But Lord knows, I've seen weirdness before. So, steam took it off


I've also decided to open the back to see what was happening. I found 2 cracked and loose braces on the back and a loose brace on the top (which has ladder bracing).

This guitar is solid wood, not laminate.

I glued the top brace. I didn't like the look of the back braces, so I totally replaced them. I also removed the obscenely large cleats and replaced them with smaller cleats, which I make very thin with a hand plane after gluing.

All new wood was oxidized with KMnO₄ so it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

I closed the back. I also installed new binding, which I'll make a separate topic.

it's been a while since I've updated. Boy, this guitar has tried my patience! It definitely has some weirdness going on.

I didn't have to turn it into a bolt-on. I was within a hair's width of replacing the neck, but I managed to save it. After getting the guitar back together and pulling the neck, it was clear that the neck needed some kind of reinforcement. I routed a channel and installed a 1/4" steel rod. After resetting the neck, the neck curved forward again. The popular used for the neck is simply too soft. I decided that the only alternative was to install a truss rod.

Since there's no soundhole access, I routed a channel for a headstocl access truss rod. I got it installed and the neck reset, again, and everything seemed fine...until it wasn't.

I had to add more shims and really tighten up that dovetail. Also, this archtop has the highest arch I've ever seen. I had to really lean that neck back to overcome the arch. I made shims for under the fretboard, out of the rosewood scraps from the fretboard. They helped a lot, but that bloody neck simply didn't want to stay adjusted.

I would adjust the neck/truss rod, and within a day, the neck would revert back. Finally, I let it sit for a week or better. Gradually, the old neck finally started to respond, so I've been able to string and play the guitar and it sounds great.

I made a truss rod cover out of ebony and Korean awabi shell. I've not finished the neck yet. I wanted to make sure that I didn't need to make a nre neck. I'll cover the body and finish the neck.

Diane

didi you take off the fretboard to rout for the truss rod?

Nice looking old instrument

Ed

ruby@magpage.com wrote:Diane

didi you take off the fretboard to rout for the truss rod?

Nice looking old instrument

Ed

yes. I used my laminate router and homemade jig to route the channel. I replaced the fretboard while I was at it. It had a funky, ugly, fretboard, painted to look like rosewood.