Official Luthiers Forum!

I heard an expression once that I have adopted for myself that says, "experience is something you can only have after you already needed it." I find this to be true all the time in lutherie. Take that Alvarez neck reset attempt I mentioned near the beginning of this thread. I also didn't mention that it was my first ever attempt at a neck reset. So, when I drilled through the fret slot I didn't know what it feels like to drill into the dovetail joint. The mahogany was soft enough that it drilled right down with no effort and I figured I was there. The next guitar I did was a late '60s Gibson. Now, when I drilled into that joint I KNEW it. There was no doubt. Now I know what it feels like to hit it AND to not hit it. Now if I drill and don't feel what I felt on that old Gibson then I just stop, assume it must be a butt joint and proceed from there. That was my lesson learned.

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PMoMC

Keep in mind that many of these guitars have laminated heels on the neck. Heating the neck to loosen the bond on the dowels may also affect the heel lamination. Tread with caution.

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David Radlin
http://www.facebook.com/radlin.guitars