Is a neck reset DIY-able?

Skodadad

You may have seen my £20 archtop in the guitar section. I am thinking of trying a DIY repair job on the fret board. It has a few problems really, the action is very high and the height of the original pickup means if I lower the bridge the strings touch it. The fret board is also concave, as in each fret has a slight curve towards the centre. All my other guitars seem to curve convex which is much more comfortable. The neck also has a slight forward bow, I thought it had a truss rod as it has a cover on the headstock but looking behind it I can only see what looks like a flat square plate.
So anyway...would this be a solution?
Remove the current fret wire, plane the fret board flat and glue on top a new fretbboard?
Im thinking this would straighten the neck, fix the concave bevel and raise the fretboard allowing for a lower action. I know this is really luthier terrirory but its cheap guitar and would never be anything other. I would dread to think of the cost for the work and am pretty sure I couldnt afford it. At the same time I dont want to ruin it as its lovely.

octatonic

Not really a job for a novice but some people have tried it and sometimes it works out ok.

What you are proposing isn't really a neck reset- that involves removing the neck of the guitar.

Have a look here for the process: http://www.guitarspecialist.com/neck.htm

It is difficult to say if what you are proposing is the right approach without seeing the guitar.

Take it to a luthier, who might be able to advise you about the correct approach to take.

Most will give you a quote on the work and you might get an idea of the right approach to take if you want to DIY it.

If you are close to Oxford I'm happy to take a look at it.

Most neck resets are generally going to run to several hundred quid (as in £300+)- there is a lot of skill & labour in doing it right.

Skodadad

Ah right thanks, I can't really say it's the right approach more the one I can think of that has a possibility of working in my hands. It is definitely not worth spending £300 on as its probably only worth £100 on a good day. I saw some fret boards on eBay and thought it may work out. I'm in Crawley so a bit of a way from Oxford

octatonic

No worries- something like this is very difficult to diagnose remotely.

Skodadad

Yes I understand it would be. I have the option of cutting a pickup hole to lower the bridge I guess but that doesn't solve the horrible convex frets or neck bow. Is this an old instrument thing? It actually sounds lovely but I only just learned to play a bar chord and the inward curve means this is so much harder. The fret wire itself seems straight with the centre much higher than the edges. I'm wondering if the wood has warped somehow.

WezV

Don't rush into anything like cutting holes.

Its not really a DIY job, but you have very little to lose by trying... Other than more time and money

If you can remove the neck you can do a reset fairly easily. Have a look around the back of the neck join, are there any signs of separation at the heel? If so its easy, if not it gets a bit harder but still possible.

The fretboard can be ironed off and replaced. I normally add extra reinforcement at this stage, but it sounds like yours has a steel bar anyway. Obviously once this is done you are into fret and nut work territory, its the time to decide if you invest in some tools, pay someone to do it, or go a bit more guerrilla on it.

WezV

And if all that sounds too much, I will happily double the price you paid so I can do it

Skodadad

I don't want to sell it @Wezv what can you get for £20 worth having nowadays? I have checked again and there would seem to be a metal rod reinforcing the neck but no adjustable truss rod. The bow in the neck isn't as bad as I thought really. Strung up with a straight edge first fret to last fret there is around 3mm at the 8th fret which seems to be the highest part. No break at the heel though, it looks solid.

WezV

If it looks solid at the heel then you can probably forget a neck reset for now

you normally see a gap  at the bottom of the heel, although most of the old archtops won't have a gap, but a line in the finish where its obviously moved out at the same point.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/theaxeman1/goya gg161/goya-gg161-neck-reset-10.jpg

the only caveat i will add to that is it assumes  the neck was at the correct angle in the first place - a lot of these old things where built with high actions and inappropriate neck angles.  I have not met many that wouldn't play better with a neck reset

but you should focus on getting that 3mm gap down to as little as possible.  long way is to plane or replace the fretboard and do all kinds of other structural work involving extra reinforcement and refretting

the simplest is to try a heat treatment.   its not always 100% successful and can only be temporary as wood will continue to do what wood does, but its the least invasive way of getting this playable

the proper way

http://www.lutherie.net/neck.html

http://sfguitarworks.com/straightening-a-warped-neck/

more diy versions

http://www.tz350.net/images/pictures_to_link/neck trueing jig.jpg

http://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/attachments/archived/photos/large/52/52038-159451722102013.jpg

WezV

obviously those two pics show two different bows being fixed

you do need to be careful with heat lamps, too hot will damage the finish

essentially you want to heat it, clamp it in place with a bit of extra back bow, leave it in clamps for a few days.  

Skodadad

Thanks @wezv I think at the very least it needs a refret as they are brass and very worn. I have found a Luthier local to me who is going to look at it. No harm in getting a price I guess. It is playable as an acoustic and I really want a nice acoustic so may be worth spending a bit on. It has a shorter neck than my other guitars and that means it's comfortable for sofa use.