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A friend of mine asked me to take a look at her Washburn D28 s/n. (1990s?) Action is high. Playable for chords that arent' barred, and still playable for those that are, but even more of a chore. Sorry - misplaced my measurements at the 12th fret.

Assuming that it needs a neck reset, what I'd really like your perspective on is whether this is a neck reset nightmare. this guitar seems to have been assembled, then finished.... (finish at the neck joint is clearly a continuous flow), and the the truss rod looks to extend through the upper transverse brace. easy to adjust, difficult to disassemble.... right?

And, whether originally built that way, or adjusted after the fact, the saddle is very low above the bridge, so not an option.

So. what I'm looking for, if anyone has done this before, is, what are the challenges to a neck reset on this guitar. I already know that it's a can of worms.... thanks!!!!

Really need to know how high it is at 12th fret . There may b other aproaches . Pics please?

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Big can of worms. I actually know someone who took in a Washburn of this style and era a few years ago thinking they could achieve a reasonable outcome, only to run in to one issue after another. Although the instrument was playable (and still being played - I know the owner and turned the job down when they approached me with it first), it wasn't pretty or ideal, and the owner was not happy. The end result was a lawsuit, and eventually a settlement which cost them more than the guitar was really worth, but less than it would have cost to fight through it in court.

If you saw the thread on repairing "junk" guitars, this is a good example of why some jobs are best to turn down. There may be some shortcuts like shoulder tuck, cut off the heel and convert to bolt on, shave down the bridge, etc, but usually these instruments just aren't worth what it would take to do the job right.

These are essentially disposable guitars. They can work fine through a fair period, but when it comes time for routine service they are neither built to be serviceable, nor worth the typical investment required. When they reach the point of needing a neck reset, fret work, bridge reglue, etc, you can actually buy a better new instrument than it would cost to help this one limp along for a few more years.

Sometimes a strategic fret dress and perhaps shaving of the bridge (within reason) can extend its usable life for a bit longer. When offering this option though, I always emphasize these points:

1) This will likely be its last visit for maintenance and service - may buy it a few more years, but it will continue to degrade and when it does there is no more wiggle room to work with.

2) The money put in to this repair is arguably throwing good money after bad. If they need a guitar but can't afford one right now you may be able to buy them a bit more time. It will cost them more in the end though, as it will have to be replaced eventually. The money put in to repairs now may be better stuffed in to the new guitar budget if they can afford one, or deal with this as it is until they can save up for a replacement.

Of course if you're doing this in a non-professional capacity as a friend then budget may not be a concern. Still, be forewarned that these guitars were never built as heirloom instruments with service in mind, and are not the easiest or most predictable to work on. If you wanted to venture in to neck reset territory, I'd be prepared to end up spending more time than you'd like on it, and have them sign a waiver of no guarantee that it will turn out pretty.

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Check out www.frets.net. Franks has a neck reset gallery of many different resets. Don't know if the Washburn is there or not but a good place to see what is involved.



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Saw-off reset job. The slathered-on finish is a problem, too; you'll need to cut all the way through it, rather than score it, to keep it from breaking off in chunks. I do resets on old Yamahas, but would have doubts as to whether this guitar would be worth putting the $ into.

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