God bless you. I can’t wait to do it. I have a 1968 Luna 12 string I bought in Japan when I was discharged from the military over time and misuse it needs this. I was quoted $600.00 to repair it so I was going to put it on the I love me wall with the metals I also brought home. Again God bless you for sharing this fix. Sincerely, Pops Fitch
Used this method on two vintage Daions. I don't have a steam gun and so used a contained cloth soaked in hot water, repeatedly, and applied pressure gradually. Gave them a long time to acclimatise/ dry out too afterwards before restringing. A year later and still solid. It's just a less brutal neck reset and maintains the integrity of the guitar. Patience being the key. Kudos to you John Miner.
Well after 3 full weeks of clamping and steaming (3 to 5 times, roughly 1 to 3 days apart) and then removing all clamps and towels and allowing it to dry out for a full week before stringing, this seems to be a big success on my first victim (a high-grade Japanese solid spruce-top classical guitar from the mid 70s). I play bossa nova and jazz, and I like my action quite low, around 2 mm instead of the usual 3 to 4 mm that classical players like. Without changing the bridge saddle at all, this guitar went from about 3.5mm string height at the 12th fret to about 1.5 mm. Plays like a dream without buzzing. I’ve only had it strung up for a few days, and won’t mind a bit if it raises up a bit. A couple of tips from my experience so far: be careful about what material you are clamping the back of the guitar down onto for that long period, so as to protect the finish. Also I noticed a slight warping on the back of the guitar a few inches down from the heel of the neck (where presumably steaming and clamping has forced it in that direction). I would advise releasing the front and back of the guitar from traction every week or so look at the back, to make sure that you’re not inducing too much warping on the back of the guitar. I wonder if reinforcing that area would help or hurt. I didn’t chintz out on the steaming/clamping/drying time. Straight edge on the fretboard hit roughly halfway down the bridge on these guitars before this process, and without measuring I just gradually clamped down the neck until the straight edge was roughly 3 or 4 mm above the top of the bridge, knowing that there would be some springback. This approach seems to have hit a sweet spot for this guitar. I’ve got another old Japanese classical laminate top which is drying out, and two more Vintage Japanese solid top classicals in traction now, and I’m excited about making all of them easily playable once again. Thank you John Miner!
John, you’re a genius! I’ve used this technique on two guitars in a row just recently: one an old Guild M-20 which also needed a refret and a new bridge, the other a Yamaha 400, for which a traditional neck reset would have been prohibitively expensive. Now, in a couple of weeks, it’ll play nicely. You’ve started a revolution!
I used a wall paper stripper steamer for this. I switched it on, placed a polythene shaped template through the soundhole, then some t -shirts. I made sure there was just steam coming through the hose (no water droplets) and followed your directions. I also put some steam around the bridge and the back of the bridge as there was a 4mm belly bulge on the old guitar I was working on. I thought that the pressure of the clamp might cause some problems on the bulge if it was cold. I took the t shirts and plastic out straight away. The t shirts were only mildly damp not wringing wet, and the label underneath the soundhole is fine. Pressing the guitar neck down pushed the top of the guitar more firmly into the clamp. Unexpectedly this flattened the top of the guitar! The fretboard is now pointing nicely at the top of the bridge and the belly bulge has been mostly removed (about 1mm left). A 2mm defect in the upper bout has been removed. Thanks a lot! Do you change your technique for a cutaway? There is a lot more bracing in the upper bout on the cutaway side. All teh best Thanks again
I tried this method on an cheaper guitar that needed a reset as a trial run before doing on one of my nicer guitars. I used rags, clamps and wallpaper steamer and after a week I took the clamps off to check the neck angle to the bridge and it was spot on, but the only mistake I made was that it pulled in the wood on the back side of guitar near the heel from the hot steam condensated water resting on the bottom inside of guitar. Its about a 1" x 6" section that softened and raised within the guitar. I allowed it to dry well for a few days before stringing up and it did hold at a good action height once the strings were on! Next guitar that I try this with will be getting some plastic and rags placed on the bottom inside the guitar near the neck block to ensure no moisture hits the bottom side. Might be a good idea to remove and replace rags in this heel section after each steaming to get any excessive moisture out of there.
I just completed my second reset using a slight modification and it worked great. The guitar was a "hot mess". The 12th fret action was about 4 mm. Saddle was sanded down to nothing and there was a huge belly. The guitar is an Epiphone FT145N. Here are the mods to John's procedure. Humidify the interior of the body to 70% for 3 weeks. Install 2 JLD Bridge Doctor devices. Wait 3 weeks. Apply clamps as John directed. Steam upper and lower chambers for 3 minutes each. Slowly apply tension to clamps to realign neck -- 5 minutes. Slowly apply pressure to belly -- flatten it with an oak plank and clamps -- 2 days. Leave it under tension for 6 weeks at 70% humidity. Remove all clamps. Leave it alone for 4 weeks. DONE - 100% success. Sure that's a lot of waiting, but the wood's memory needed to be reset without breaking anything.
Hello Jack, I have a 48 year old Guild F-212 12 string that's a bit of a mess also. The action is way too high & it has a huge belly. I recently bought a JLD Bridge System to address the belly & I am contemplating using John's method to correct the neck angle. I'm wondering, why did you need two Bridge Doctors, and did you leave them in after all your procedures? Also, how did you keep the humidity at 70%?
I have fixed 2 guitars 1 12 string and 1 6 string with this method. I didn't have a steamer I just let them sit for 3 months. during the winter . It fixed them and after 6 years or more they are still in good shape.
Thanks so much I figured this could be done and here you are ! I have restored Antiques for decades and straightened warped table tops and leaves etc. Always worked like a charm, I did not use steam just damp towels on the shrunken side and stiff hardwood boards and clamps. Come by an tighten the clamps when the pressure backed off sometimes within 20 minutes and repeat until it was flat then hit the side with boiled linseed and turps. It was always the underside as the top would have the finish on it and would dry out. 10 years later and the warps never came back.. Thanks so much for giving me the confidence to do this on a guitar, I have a few vintage ones that I picked up cheap due to a reset and figured I would give it a try now I will :-) ... you ROCK ! All the best to you from Alberta Canada
John, I owe you a huge thank you for passing on your knowledge and experience. I decided to give your method a try on a Ramirez that showed the exact deflection in the neck as a result of excessive drying/shrinkage. This is my favorite guitar to play as the tone is amazing but it had become unplayable. I'm not a luthier but I am good with my hands and I immediately understood the concept you were demonstrating. I consider my results a complete success! After making a new bone saddle I was able to go to work and dial in my requirements for playability based on my style and so on. I consider the 'standard' (3-3.5mm) at the 12th fret excessive. My 'standard' is 2mm. Again, thank you.
Absolutely brilliant. I did a similar idea on a nice old classical guitar by removing the finger board and pulling down the bent neck, (the neck itself was bent up) used a steam iron to heat the neck / left it set for a while then re-attached the finger board, after doing a similar process with that. Had to do it 2x (was very cautious the first time- put more pressure on it the second time) and it turned out great. Praying for Justice on the evil tyrants in your land. It is coming...... Mike
WOW, John this is absolute gold. Thank you for posting, I have a guitar that is so ready for a neck reset and I haven't played it in a long while due the need of that reset.
I used your technique on my Puerto Rican cuatro and the action now is very playable. Thank you. I used blocks of thick polyethylene foam packaging cut to size to wedge between the back and the soundboard to restrict the steam to just the area needed. This worked very well with no need to stuff the guitar with rags.
I did exactly this to an old Gibson a couple years ago and it still plays a treat ..... I didn't fill with rags (but great idea I will next time)and didn't use steam but used a light bulb till it was pretty warm then clamped a little tighter ..... let sit for a couple days and did it again then let it sit for a couple weeks .... it worked and really surprised the luthier that wanted $500 ..... ..... Thanks for the great video and confirmation of a really great way to get unplayable guitars playable again! Many Cheers :) David
@@pietrorissotti2488 there may have been a little spring back but it did make a noticeable difference ..... I may do it again .... I left the clamps on the whole time and would heat and tighten and heat and then later do the same and clamp a little more ..... sometimes I would heat and not tighten ..... It was all experimental and wasn't following any particular method ..... the bulb gets hot and I didn't want everything to get too hot so I would heat a while and stop and then add some heat and stop etc ..... Good luck with yours and let us know how it turns out! David
@@JohnMinerLuthier i think i might have bended mine a little too far, whoops, as it settles it gets better though, you ight have just saved a rather nice old early tanglewood that was only good for firewood...was bloody hard to balance over the kettle though.
I'm going to save this video and build a work space to try this. There is a lot of old guitars out there that isn't worth putting big money into buy are worth saving. I have found ways to fix everything but a neck reset. This is great.
Thanks John, what a simple YET LOGICAL way of doing that, leave it for 3 weeks is the key, let the wood's Fully settle, kind regards Don from Hamilton NZ 😊😊
That is the missing bit of information that tells me rec the method should work if done properly. I have an old 60s Goya made in Sweden and I am not set up to do this reset technique-I must inquire at my local guy-Tom's in Medford, Oregon if his Luther has ever used this method.
@@marcosofsky2605is your Goya a classical? If not, is it a bolt on like most 60’s Levin-made acoustics? That is a much easier reset job for you or your luthier.
Tried John's method and it defiantly worked for me with no ill affects to my guitar at all. He has another video that along with this one, helped a lot, so if you're considering using John's method I would suggest checking that one out too. Take your time and follow his instructions and there's a good chance it will work for you too. Thank you John, appreciate your help!
Did a Yammy FG 230 , 2 times steamy windows and a week in recovery (the guitar). Guitar is better then new ( 1969) . ! Once i must do my backbone to 🙂 THX.
ooh this could be the answer I am after for a Breedlove I have. The guitar is not expensive enough to warrant the cost of a full reset so will give this a go. Nothing to lose and judging by the comments, it appears its worked fro many people. Just need to work out how to support the back of the body as it is curved.
I did similar on a yamaha fg 200 that was in bad need of a neck reset. I built a simple plywood jig with 3/4 plywood and 3/8" all thread where the body was samwiched betweem them and attached a unfinished oak 2x4 to put pressure on the neck which was braced with 2x2 square tubing, two clamps holding it to the neck and one holding it at the soundhole. I measured how much i needed the neck angle to come up to get the height above the bridge i wanted, and the starting measurement at the headstock recording both, stiuffed the lower body with rags. I used a stanley hand held steamer and steamed the neck block area inside umtil it was nice and hot to the touch on the outside. Once i stopped i covered the sound hole and applied some downward force to the neck, About once a week id do this until i had the measurement at the headstock pulled down double what i needed at the bridge. If i startedout needing to raise the neck angle projection 3mm so that it would hit just above the bridge, overtime i would keep applying steam and adjusting the pressure at the nut end of the neck until id moved it about twice my bridge measurement. So if i needed 3mm at the bridge, id move the nut end 6mm or so, id leave the clamps on and appplky steam once or twice a week for 3 or 4 weeks more and then restring it, worked good for me
I'm confident that will work fine... provided that 100% of the problem stems from the upper bout - the area you indicated between the sound hole and the neck block. It's not always the case.
Update: It's working. I am adding the tension and I'll see how well it holds the new position. If it works, then I'll provide more details. I also lowered the belly and used more time and steam.
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this technique of yours on a Hans Hauser 12 string from 1942 and it worked perfectly. I did steam it twice and let it sit for a month racked up but the result was great. It brought this old guitar back to life. Thanx Much!!!
I've done this to 6 guitars so far. One had about 1/2" action at the 12th fret. Came out great. I thought I was the only person to try something this crazy.
Can you please confirm If should I put that last clamp directly on the headstock? Should I tighten it so that it moves the same distance that it is missing from the bridge? There´s no risk to break the headstock?
@@carlosprex John has removed the nut, and clamped the neck just before the headstock. The headstock is not stressed. Sometimes I also apply a force to get the neck to line up ideally with the bridge, and a little more because it will spring back after the clamps are removed.
This is great but the time is what I dont have. In 2 weeks I can have a dozen neck resets done. I dont use steam I use heat so I dont have to wait days for the wood to dry out.
Timothy Get a syringe fill it with liquid hide glue pump glue from syringe into loose heel or use a thin piece of paper that will get glue down the heel then get a long bar clamp or long clamp or a band clamp put pressure on neck clean squeeze out out of it. Also use peaces of wood if your using a long clamp so you don't damage finish . Is it white glue or hide glue if its white glue use regular wood glue if its hide glue use hide glue. Then once you get the heel fixed you can use the method in this video but first loose heel got be repaired.
This of course assumes the neck joint doesn’t have any mechanical problems. May of the projects I have worked on have a gap at the neck joint. I suppose if it was an inexpensive guitar being fixed for show or a student you could inject some glue in the gap before clamping but I would be concerned if was to be a “proper” repair. It would be worth a shot on some guitars though. I’ll give it a shot the next time a good candidate comes along. Cool idea, thank you sir!
I really appreciate a professional like yourself who is willing to share tricks and secrets of the trade for those of us who are still learning or just hobbyist luthiers.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us all! I'm going to (very carefully!) try this method on a high end flamenco guitar I'm repairing for a friend. It had been sitting in a forgotten corner for years, covered in dust. I have already straightened the neck using a heatpad and clamps but the neck angle is still wrong. Wish me luck!
I just want to say a couple of things about moisture.. too much will crack the finish.. .. Also some of you will find that some necks will be nice after your done but will go back to where they were . You have to remember that the upbow on that neck got there over years of constant tension being on it .. the cells in the wood were basically crushed over time .. yes . You can make it go back but it may not stay.. and some people will experience an underbow from this .. not a problem if you have a double acting truss rod .. but anmajor pain if you have a single acting truss rod. Also your problem coupd simply be caused by environment.. If you guitar spent most of its life in a high humidity area of the country and you now have it in a desert like area with no humidity all year except 10 or 30 % in summer .. the wood simply shrunk .. and you'll prettymuch have to do a reset ..
I'm doing this now and the neck distance can move 1cm to 2cm with the clamp. I'm not sure though how much spring back there will be when the clamps are removed. One thing I would suggest is after giving it steam, cover the hole than let it cool. When it's cool inside remove the rags in the front half of the guitar. They soak up the steam and I don't think them sitting in there wet will do the guitar any good. You can also run a string from one peg hole to the nut to get some idea about saddle height considering some spring back when the clamps are removed.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Thank you so much for this video. If you didn't post a reply my neck would have been too high for the bridge. Here is what I figured out. The top of my frets were just about even or slightly lower then the top of the bridge. I couldn't adjust the saddle any lower without the strings hitting the bridge. After clamping everything I measured from the top of the zero fret to the top of the clamping table. It measured 92mm, I clamped it down to around 72mm or 2cm. I gave it steam maybe twice the first time just to get the top and sides hot. Covered the sound hole with a plastic container lid. Once cool I removed all the damp rags from the front of the guitar. Wiped up any water left inside. I did the same routine maybe two more times during the course of around 1 week. I released all the clamps tonight and the neck sprung back to roughly 82mm....which ended up being perfect for a new saddle. I think if you clamp it more distance than you actually need you don't have to wait the full three weeks as long as you don't over do it. I'm not sure if the neck will go back to were it was...only time will tell. Thanks again.
@@adub5208 While I was working on other things with the guitar I kept track of it and it took around a week to slowly go back to were it was. So I suggest waiting the full three weeks or even more and only giving it slightly more distance than actually needed. It mostly likely will spring back a little bit even after three weeks or more from what I have seen. I didn't want to risk it again because the steam and pressure affected a small section of edge binding on the bottom of the guitar which I had to repair. The guitar is a 1980 Lys L-15 acoustic which I did a total makeover to. It now has stainless steel frets and a custom Tusq nut zero fret. The intonation is just about spot on and the action is unbelievably low. I decided because of it's cost that I would try to shave the bridge down. I shaved the front of the bridge down around 5mm than lowered the saddle slot to make up the difference. It worked perfectly and I didn't notice any tone difference.
@@alancrull Sounds like you got a guitar you’re happy with now that’s great! I got an 80s Japanese Yamaha for a good deal that I picked up and the action is super high on it. The saddle has never been sanded but after looking at the action and saddle height I knew I probably couldn’t get the action to a height that would make it an enjoyable guitar to play. And thats where I found this video and figured I’d give it a shot. He mentioned 1-2cm in the video and sense the action is so high I went the full 2cm expecting some rebound. But I appreciate you commenting back because it’s now a week in on the clamps and was thinking about removing them but will definitely go the 3weeks now. Today I steamed it one more time which would be the fourth time, I just felt like it needed it for some reason and really just experimenting because I don’t have much money invested in it. I’ll let you know the results in a couple weeks!
I rolled three toilet paper tubes into a fourth, and shoved it in below the whole. A Washburn jazzbox that was sinking under the bridge. I couldn't find any broken bracing. The cardboard had strength, but give. Noticed no difference in tone. Was it going to push out the back? See us here next week for another episode...
I’m doing this on a 1970’s j50 started two days ago and it seems like the neck is stable already I’ll leave it clamped up but just curious what’s the shortest time anyone has let it stay in the jig?
I'm getting ready to try this on my old Yamaha FG-75 & I'm wondering where the neck clamp that goes in the sound hole should be placed on the inside. There's a cross brace about .5" from the edge of the hole & a wood top reinforcement piece just behind that brace. Should it be on the cross brace or the top reinforcement?
What if i don't have a steamer and clamps ? Do you think it's possible to somehow obtain similar effect with some dumbbell weight plates or other weights available at home?
That's wildly unorthodox...but interesting. You might consider doing this again but showing the work and what gets measured where and when in more detail. Have you had follow up input on guitars you have done this too? Do they hold after say a couple of years?
I'm extremely busy but I may get some time to do a follow-up, I only developed this technique about a year ago & so far so good. There is no reason why it wouldn't be permanent, you are returning the neck to where it should be & steam is a permanent bending process for timber.
I tried this on my 1982 Guild D 16 and it apparently did not work. String height is about the same, not sure if its any worse although the steam apparently did free up my truss rod which was extremely hard to adjust! I left it clamped for three weeks so I'm not sure why it didn't work but thanks for the idea! Apparently no one responds anymore to this post, so I may be just talking to myself anyway.
WOW! I have a 1930s Vincente Tatay classical that has a bit of a neck problem. Unfortunately, the back of the guitar covers the heel as well (assuming for support) , and redoing the neck meant taking off the back too. Complete nightmare. I am excited to try this on the Tatay. I also have an old German violin that needs Reset. Obviously, it’s not going to be the same - I can’t “check the height to the bridge” like you did in your video, but if I can loosen it up enough to get the neck to quit touching the body of the violin, I could sell this violin and use the money to buy a Martin! Do you think this might work on a violin? I am excited about the possibilities and both instruments are valued too low for a traditional reset. Thank you so much. The world needs more clever and kind folks who are willing to experiment and share knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have an early 70s Yamaha fg75 with a terrible neck angle. The only worry I have is that it’s a laminate top and construction. Have you John, or anyone else here, had issues with a laminate top with the steam, versus a solid top?
Hey Mr. John Miner! I'm watching your video and was wondering how the 'steam neck set' was holding up? It is September 6th 2021, and its been 2½ years since you made this video. How have they held up? Is this something that will last many years, or just a temporary fix? I am really interested in knowing what two years of string tension has done as far as the soundboard holding its form. Also, have you tried this on laminate top guitars? Thank you, and God Bless you!
My action is sky high. I clamped it down 2cm, visually looking at it if I were to put strings on it right now they would bottom out and touch around 14th fret. Obviously the strings will be pulling the neck back up but how much rebound would I be expecting when releasing clamps?
I have a Yamaha 12 string Apx which has a very ugly neck.. the strings buzz a lot... but the strings are very high so I need to do a neck reset but I don’t trust any luthiers.. I am in the Fresno, California Area.. if I can’t seem to find any luthiers I will try this method
Thanks John I’m going to try this on a $20 guitar I picked up . Looks like it could be an old Harmony or something similar . Unplayable at the moment , not worth paying for a pro job but if I f#@&* it up I’m out $20 .
Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the time (three weeks) you leave it before removing the clamps is depending on local humidity and if living in a more "dry" climate would shorten the time you have to keep it under tension? I mean most wood glue cures pretty quick
Thank you John, very interesting ! I need to try this on my 1973 GUILD F30. The neck is pretty tied on the body but the soundboard has sunk a bit around fingerboard extension. So I believe your method is the one I should try to solve this matter. But how long this repair should last if it succeeds ? Regards from France
@@mikehunty20 Hi Mike, I finaly tried it on a lower end guitar ( Suzuki f10) suffering same problem. And it worked quite well I must say. I wish it gonna last sometimes. Best regards
I am getting ready to try my first neck reset on a Washburn EA 20MB. So this looks right> the guitar is dry and finish cracked bur i love it. So I just need to buy a steamer and that square pipe? thanks any more tips would be great.
Fantastic, I’m doing this now on a vintage Japanese classical guitar with a solid top. Any advice regarding warning signs to look out for (how to know when you’re clamping the headstock too far down, or if you’re applying too much steam/heat)?
As others have noted, this method would seem preferable to removing the neck and sanding away wood. After you’ve applied steam, did you say you filled the soundhole in to hold the warmth? Also, probably good to clamp all this against a firm surface and not some soft pad that could change tension.
I was enthusiastic about it, but unfortunately, no luck for me. Don't feel like trying it again. I am now busy getting the reck completely off on a Dutch Martin/Vega guitar. But first i tried it, the whole procedure. After three weeks and following all instructions, it looked good. But when the strings were put on, everything just went back, to the old high string action position. A luthier reported to me that wood, once it went in a certain direction, after years. It doesn't just go back under pressure and heat. I'm afraid he's right. At least with my guitar.
Hello John - thanks ! what a great idea ! I will try, but before I start I need to know, what kind of "steamer" is the right one ? Will 900 Watt - 3 bar be enough ? which temerature to dial in ? Please answer ; ) Hello brave users who tryed this, What are the longtime results 2 or more jears later . . ? Thanks for sharing
Hi John, I have a Martin guitar that’s in need of a neck reset. Would you be comfortable doing this procedure on a Martin guitar or would you likely go the way of a traditional neck reset?
So does the steam bend the neck or loosen the glue? No shim? Do I relieve the truss Rod? Help me understand because my Yari Alvarez Tree of Life needs a neck reset. And I can’t wait to start playing it. Thanks👍🏽
John I have an old Japanese classical guitar that need to reset the neck & I will try that method. Can I use the washing machine hose on the pressure cooker?
Hi John. This seems like a brilliant idea. I've got to ask you about the longevity of the fix. Has this fix lasted a long time or do the guitars have a tendency to go back to their sunken top state?
John, that's amazing! I just tried it on my older 1982 Guild D- 16. Should I now leave it clamped now (body and neck) for 3 weeks or do I unclamp it and let it sit for 3 weeks before re stringing it? Thank, I also sent you an email but figured just in case you see this first. Thanks again
Hello John from Chicago Illinois USA. I was given a family members Kay Arch top guitar and well, it cleaned up very nice. The problem is that the heel of the neck at the narrowed bottom has pulled away about 1/4 inch and I can see the dove tail. This guitar needs work. I figured it was left strung and in a hot farm house and this heated up the hide glue and the string tension pulled it apart. I could be completely wrong. Will this method allow me to push that gap closed, or do I have to remove the neck completely and re glue it? I know this guitar may just be wall art, but it would be cool to finger pick some old blues on it. Thank you. Tim
God bless you. I can’t wait to do it. I have a 1968 Luna 12 string I bought in Japan when I was discharged from the military over time and misuse it needs this. I was quoted $600.00 to repair it so I was going to put it on the I love me wall with the metals I also brought home. Again God bless you for sharing this fix. Sincerely, Pops Fitch
Used this method on two vintage Daions. I don't have a steam gun and so used a contained cloth soaked in hot water, repeatedly, and applied pressure gradually. Gave them a long time to acclimatise/ dry out too afterwards before restringing. A year later and still solid. It's just a less brutal neck reset and maintains the integrity of the guitar. Patience being the key. Kudos to you John Miner.
Did you have to take the nut off ?
I can from experience say this method works.
Only waited 14 days and it's unreal how well it worked.
So thankful to you Mr. Miller.
Fantastic. I love it when someone comes up with a far more simple alternative to what is traditionally a big, expensive job. Great thinking.
Thanks, John, it just seemed logical to me.
@@JohnMinerLuthier I agree. I’ve always thought that taking the neck off to reset it was tackling the symptom rather than the cause of the problem.
Well after 3 full weeks of clamping and steaming (3 to 5 times, roughly 1 to 3 days apart) and then removing all clamps and towels and allowing it to dry out for a full week before stringing, this seems to be a big success on my first victim (a high-grade Japanese solid spruce-top classical guitar from the mid 70s). I play bossa nova and jazz, and I like my action quite low, around 2 mm instead of the usual 3 to 4 mm that classical players like. Without changing the bridge saddle at all, this guitar went from about 3.5mm string height at the 12th fret to about 1.5 mm. Plays like a dream without buzzing. I’ve only had it strung up for a few days, and won’t mind a bit if it raises up a bit. A couple of tips from my experience so far: be careful about what material you are clamping the back of the guitar down onto for that long period, so as to protect the finish. Also I noticed a slight warping on the back of the guitar a few inches down from the heel of the neck (where presumably steaming and clamping has forced it in that direction). I would advise releasing the front and back of the guitar from traction every week or so look at the back, to make sure that you’re not inducing too much warping on the back of the guitar. I wonder if reinforcing that area would help or hurt.
I didn’t chintz out on the steaming/clamping/drying time. Straight edge on the fretboard hit roughly halfway down the bridge on these guitars before this process, and without measuring I just gradually clamped down the neck until the straight edge was roughly 3 or 4 mm above the top of the bridge, knowing that there would be some springback. This approach seems to have hit a sweet spot for this guitar. I’ve got another old Japanese classical laminate top which is drying out, and two more Vintage Japanese solid top classicals in traction now, and I’m excited about making all of them easily playable once again. Thank you John Miner!
excellent i had to do this on a classical.....worked a treat, saved me loads of hassle cheers from the uk .
Brilliant! I followed your procedure on my 20-year-old Larrivee 12-string with excellent results. Thank you!!
John, you’re a genius! I’ve used this technique on two guitars in a row just recently: one an old Guild M-20 which also needed a refret and a new bridge, the other a Yamaha 400, for which a traditional neck reset would have been prohibitively expensive. Now, in a couple of weeks, it’ll play nicely. You’ve started a revolution!
Thank you
Hello - how is the action on your two guitars 11 months after the neck resets? I'm considering doing this on one of my guitars. Thanks
@@1Calusa According to their owners they’re doing just fine.
I used a wall paper stripper steamer for this. I switched it on, placed a polythene shaped template through the soundhole, then some t -shirts. I made sure there was just steam coming through the hose (no water droplets) and followed your directions. I also put some steam around the bridge and the back of the bridge as there was a 4mm belly bulge on the old guitar I was working on. I thought that the pressure of the clamp might cause some problems on the bulge if it was cold.
I took the t shirts and plastic out straight away. The t shirts were only mildly damp not wringing wet, and the label underneath the soundhole is fine. Pressing the guitar neck down pushed the top of the guitar more firmly into the clamp. Unexpectedly this flattened the top of the guitar!
The fretboard is now pointing nicely at the top of the bridge and the belly bulge has been mostly removed (about 1mm left). A 2mm defect in the upper bout has been removed.
Thanks a lot!
Do you change your technique for a cutaway? There is a lot more bracing in the upper bout on the cutaway side.
All teh best
Thanks again
I tried this method on an cheaper guitar that needed a reset as a trial run before doing on one of my nicer guitars. I used rags, clamps and wallpaper steamer and after a week I took the clamps off to check the neck angle to the bridge and it was spot on, but the only mistake I made was that it pulled in the wood on the back side of guitar near the heel from the hot steam condensated water resting on the bottom inside of guitar. Its about a 1" x 6" section that softened and raised within the guitar. I allowed it to dry well for a few days before stringing up and it did hold at a good action height once the strings were on! Next guitar that I try this with will be getting some plastic and rags placed on the bottom inside the guitar near the neck block to ensure no moisture hits the bottom side. Might be a good idea to remove and replace rags in this heel section after each steaming to get any excessive moisture out of there.
I just completed my second reset using a slight modification and it worked great. The guitar was a "hot mess". The 12th fret action was about 4 mm. Saddle was sanded down to nothing and there was a huge belly. The guitar is an Epiphone FT145N. Here are the mods to John's procedure. Humidify the interior of the body to 70% for 3 weeks. Install 2 JLD Bridge Doctor devices. Wait 3 weeks. Apply clamps as John directed. Steam upper and lower chambers for 3 minutes each. Slowly apply tension to clamps to realign neck -- 5 minutes. Slowly apply pressure to belly -- flatten it with an oak plank and clamps -- 2 days. Leave it under tension for 6 weeks at 70% humidity. Remove all clamps. Leave it alone for 4 weeks. DONE - 100% success. Sure that's a lot of waiting, but the wood's memory needed to be reset without breaking anything.
Hello Jack, I have a 48 year old Guild F-212 12 string that's a bit of a mess also. The action is way too high & it has a huge belly. I recently bought a JLD Bridge System to address the belly & I am contemplating using John's method to correct the neck angle. I'm wondering, why did you need two Bridge Doctors, and did you leave them in after all your procedures? Also, how did you keep the humidity at 70%?
Make a video, a lot of us are clueless, especially me.
I have fixed 2 guitars 1 12 string and 1 6 string with this method. I didn't have a steamer I just let them sit for 3 months. during the winter . It fixed them and after 6 years or more they are still in good shape.
Thanks so much I figured this could be done and here you are ! I have restored Antiques for decades and straightened warped table tops and leaves etc. Always worked like a charm, I did not use steam just damp towels on the shrunken side and stiff hardwood boards and clamps. Come by an tighten the clamps when the pressure backed off sometimes within 20 minutes and repeat until it was flat then hit the side with boiled linseed and turps. It was always the underside as the top would have the finish on it and would dry out. 10 years later and the warps never came back.. Thanks so much for giving me the confidence to do this on a guitar, I have a few vintage ones that I picked up cheap due to a reset and figured I would give it a try now I will :-) ... you ROCK ! All the best to you from Alberta Canada
John, I owe you a huge thank you for passing on your knowledge and experience. I decided to give your method a try on a Ramirez that showed the exact deflection in the neck
as a result of excessive drying/shrinkage. This is my favorite guitar to play as the tone is amazing but it had become unplayable. I'm not a luthier but I am good with my hands
and I immediately understood the concept you were demonstrating. I consider my results a complete success! After making a new bone saddle I was able to go to work
and dial in my requirements for playability based on my style and so on. I consider the 'standard' (3-3.5mm) at the 12th fret excessive. My 'standard' is 2mm.
Again, thank you.
Well done Greg, I'm glad I could help.
Absolutely brilliant.
I did a similar idea on a nice old classical guitar by removing the finger board and pulling down the bent neck, (the neck itself was bent up) used a steam iron to heat the neck / left it set for a while then re-attached the finger board, after doing a similar process with that.
Had to do it 2x (was very cautious the first time- put more pressure on it the second time) and it turned out great.
Praying for Justice on the evil tyrants in your land. It is coming...... Mike
WOW, John this is absolute gold. Thank you for posting, I have a guitar that is so ready for a neck reset and I haven't played it in a long while due the need of that reset.
Good no nonsense remedy. Confirms my own boat building ideas.
I done the same with my both clasical guitars.But i leave it with clamps for more than 6 months and it worked great.Greetings from Greece.
Yup... worked brilliantly on my old Harmony... a guy's impressed...
I used your technique on my Puerto Rican cuatro and the action now is very playable. Thank you. I used blocks of thick polyethylene foam packaging cut to size to wedge between the back and the soundboard to restrict the steam to just the area needed. This worked very well with no need to stuff the guitar with rags.
I did exactly this to an old Gibson a couple years ago and it still plays a treat ..... I didn't fill with rags (but great idea I will next time)and didn't use steam but used a light bulb till it was pretty warm then clamped a little tighter ..... let sit for a couple days and did it again then let it sit for a couple weeks .... it worked and really surprised the luthier that wanted $500 ..... ..... Thanks for the great video and confirmation of a really great way to get unplayable guitars playable again! Many Cheers :) David
Did you use a heat lamp or just an ordinary light?
@@iankyoko ordinary 75 watt bulb
Hello. Did you keep the lamp on for a while after clamping or you just let it sit until the next heat&clamp? Did the work last?
@@pietrorissotti2488 there may have been a little spring back but it did make a noticeable difference ..... I may do it again .... I left the clamps on the whole time and would heat and tighten and heat and then later do the same and clamp a little more ..... sometimes I would heat and not tighten ..... It was all experimental and wasn't following any particular method ..... the bulb gets hot and I didn't want everything to get too hot so I would heat a while and stop and then add some heat and stop etc ..... Good luck with yours and let us know how it turns out! David
Done on a guitar with 5mm of action, now this guitar is almost perfect, thank you very much
My pleasure.
@@JohnMinerLuthier i think i might have bended mine a little too far, whoops, as it settles it gets better though, you ight have just saved a rather nice old early tanglewood that was only good for firewood...was bloody hard to balance over the kettle though.
Hi Omar, how long did you leave it clamped? Thanks.
@@MisterE428 a month
... after clamp release in my case there was no elastic return, the neck stayed exactly in position
i done this to my ibanez 2006, clamped for 4 weeks, now the action is good with 0,09 strings, hope can use 0,10 next, tank you from Italy
Genius! Gonna give this a try on a buddy's junk guitar he pulled out of storage and see if I can get it playable.
I'm going to save this video and build a work space to try this. There is a lot of old guitars out there that isn't worth putting big money into buy are worth saving. I have found ways to fix everything but a neck reset. This is great.
Go for it!
Thanks John, what a simple YET LOGICAL way of doing that, leave it for 3 weeks is the key, let the wood's Fully settle, kind regards Don from Hamilton NZ 😊😊
Makes sense!If people doubt this method remember your guitar was shaped this way in the first place
That is the missing bit of information that tells me rec the method should work if done properly. I have an old 60s Goya made in Sweden and I am not set up to do this reset technique-I must inquire at my local guy-Tom's in Medford, Oregon if his Luther has ever used this method.
@@marcosofsky2605is your Goya a classical? If not, is it a bolt on like most 60’s Levin-made acoustics? That is a much easier reset job for you or your luthier.
Tried John's method and it defiantly worked for me with no ill affects to my guitar at all. He has another video that along with this one, helped a lot, so if you're considering using John's method I would suggest checking that one out too. Take your time and follow his instructions and there's a good chance it will work for you too. Thank you John, appreciate your help!
Well done for sharing that information. I have a 2011 HD28 and might need to do that down the line. But not yet.
Did a Yammy FG 230 , 2 times steamy windows and a week in recovery (the guitar). Guitar is better then new ( 1969) . ! Once i must do my backbone to 🙂 THX.
Very cool!
ooh this could be the answer I am after for a Breedlove I have. The guitar is not expensive enough to warrant the cost of a full reset so will give this a go. Nothing to lose and judging by the comments, it appears its worked fro many people. Just need to work out how to support the back of the body as it is curved.
If this works it would be amazing.
Thank you for posting this video!
I did similar on a yamaha fg 200 that was in bad need of a neck reset. I built a simple plywood jig with 3/4 plywood and 3/8" all thread where the body was samwiched betweem them and attached a unfinished oak 2x4 to put pressure on the neck which was braced with 2x2 square tubing, two clamps holding it to the neck and one holding it at the soundhole. I measured how much i needed the neck angle to come up to get the height above the bridge i wanted, and the starting measurement at the headstock recording both, stiuffed the lower body with rags. I used a stanley hand held steamer and steamed the neck block area inside umtil it was nice and hot to the touch on the outside. Once i stopped i covered the sound hole and applied some downward force to the neck, About once a week id do this until i had the measurement at the headstock pulled down double what i needed at the bridge. If i startedout needing to raise the neck angle projection 3mm so that it would hit just above the bridge, overtime i would keep applying steam and adjusting the pressure at the nut end of the neck until id moved it about twice my bridge measurement. So if i needed 3mm at the bridge, id move the nut end 6mm or so, id leave the clamps on and appplky steam once or twice a week for 3 or 4 weeks more and then restring it, worked good for me
I'm confident that will work fine... provided that 100% of the problem stems from the upper bout - the area you indicated between the sound hole and the neck block. It's not always the case.
Thank you John. I am doing this now. I'll be back after May 16th 2021 to post the results.
Update: It's working. I am adding the tension and I'll see how well it holds the new position. If it works, then I'll provide more details. I also lowered the belly and used more time and steam.
So how is it now? Does it hold the string tension?
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this technique of yours on a Hans Hauser 12 string from 1942 and it worked perfectly. I did steam it twice and let it sit for a month racked up but the result was great. It brought this old guitar back to life. Thanx Much!!!
Glad to hear it Troy, well done.
Fantastic… not only a great technique but the video was a pleasure to watch…
I've done this to 6 guitars so far. One had about 1/2" action at the 12th fret. Came out great. I thought I was the only person to try something this crazy.
Great minds David
Can you please confirm If should I put that last clamp directly on the headstock? Should I tighten it so that it moves the same distance that it is missing from the bridge? There´s no risk to break the headstock?
@@carlosprex John has removed the nut, and clamped the neck just before the headstock. The headstock is not stressed. Sometimes I also apply a force to get the neck to line up ideally with the bridge, and a little more because it will spring back after the clamps are removed.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Would a steamer for fabric (like for curtains) produce hot enought steam?
Yes that's what I use
This saved 2 of my favorite guitars. Thank you so much!
This is great but the time is what I dont have. In 2 weeks I can have a dozen neck resets done. I dont use steam I use heat so I dont have to wait days for the wood to dry out.
This method is obviously tailor made for amateurs.
Timothy Get a syringe fill it with liquid hide glue pump glue from syringe into loose heel or use a thin piece of paper that will get glue down the heel then get a long bar clamp or long clamp or a band clamp put pressure on neck clean squeeze out out of it. Also use peaces of wood if your using a long clamp so you don't damage finish . Is it white glue or hide glue if its white glue use regular wood glue if its hide glue use hide glue. Then once you get the heel fixed you can use the method in this video but first loose heel got be repaired.
Excellent suggestion, thanks John.
This of course assumes the neck joint doesn’t have any mechanical problems. May of the projects I have worked on have a gap at the neck joint. I suppose if it was an inexpensive guitar being fixed for show or a student you could inject some glue in the gap before clamping but I would be concerned if was to be a “proper” repair. It would be worth a shot on some guitars though. I’ll give it a shot the next time a good candidate comes along. Cool idea, thank you sir!
I really appreciate a professional like yourself who is willing to share tricks and secrets of the trade for those of us who are still learning or just hobbyist luthiers.
We do what we can, thank you.
Yes he is a Good Man for sure
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us all! I'm going to (very carefully!) try this method on a high end flamenco guitar I'm repairing for a friend. It had been sitting in a forgotten corner for years, covered in dust. I have already straightened the neck using a heatpad and clamps but the neck angle is still wrong. Wish me luck!
John awesome video What should be done with the truss rod adjustment prior to clamping ?
Thank you for share that post. I try the method and it works finde for me.
Excellent!
Another question; is it the steam or the clamping pressure or both together that's actually changing the neck angle?
Unreal! Gently reversing the force from the string tension that caused the problem in the first place... Why didn't I think of that...
Wow! This is SO much easier!
I just want to say a couple of things about moisture.. too much will crack the finish.. ..
Also some of you will find that some necks will be nice after your done but will go back to where they were . You have to remember that the upbow on that neck got there over years of constant tension being on it .. the cells in the wood were basically crushed over time .. yes . You can make it go back but it may not stay.. and some people will experience an underbow from this .. not a problem if you have a double acting truss rod .. but anmajor pain if you have a single acting truss rod.
Also your problem coupd simply be caused by environment.. If you guitar spent most of its life in a high humidity area of the country and you now have it in a desert like area with no humidity all year except 10 or 30 % in summer .. the wood simply shrunk .. and you'll prettymuch have to do a reset ..
I'm doing this now and the neck distance can move 1cm to 2cm with the clamp. I'm not sure though how much spring back there will be when the clamps are removed. One thing I would suggest is after giving it steam, cover the hole than let it cool. When it's cool inside remove the rags in the front half of the guitar. They soak up the steam and I don't think them sitting in there wet will do the guitar any good. You can also run a string from one peg hole to the nut to get some idea about saddle height considering some spring back when the clamps are removed.
Excellent suggestions, re: spring back I don't measure it I just steam & clamp until I get the desired action height.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Thank you so much for this video. If you didn't post a reply my neck would have been too high for the bridge. Here is what I figured out. The top of my frets were just about even or slightly lower then the top of the bridge. I couldn't adjust the saddle any lower without the strings hitting the bridge. After clamping everything I measured from the top of the zero fret to the top of the clamping table. It measured 92mm, I clamped it down to around 72mm or 2cm. I gave it steam maybe twice the first time just to get the top and sides hot. Covered the sound hole with a plastic container lid. Once cool I removed all the damp rags from the front of the guitar. Wiped up any water left inside. I did the same routine maybe two more times during the course of around 1 week. I released all the clamps tonight and the neck sprung back to roughly 82mm....which ended up being perfect for a new saddle. I think if you clamp it more distance than you actually need you don't have to wait the full three weeks as long as you don't over do it. I'm not sure if the neck will go back to were it was...only time will tell. Thanks again.
@@alancrull How is the neck looking now? Is it still in the same spot from when you removed the clamps?
@@adub5208 While I was working on other things with the guitar I kept track of it and it took around a week to slowly go back to were it was. So I suggest waiting the full three weeks or even more and only giving it slightly more distance than actually needed. It mostly likely will spring back a little bit even after three weeks or more from what I have seen. I didn't want to risk it again because the steam and pressure affected a small section of edge binding on the bottom of the guitar which I had to repair. The guitar is a 1980 Lys L-15 acoustic which I did a total makeover to. It now has stainless steel frets and a custom Tusq nut zero fret. The intonation is just about spot on and the action is unbelievably low. I decided because of it's cost that I would try to shave the bridge down. I shaved the front of the bridge down around 5mm than lowered the saddle slot to make up the difference. It worked perfectly and I didn't notice any tone difference.
@@alancrull Sounds like you got a guitar you’re happy with now that’s great!
I got an 80s Japanese Yamaha for a good deal that I picked up and the action is super high on it. The saddle has never been sanded but after looking at the action and saddle height I knew I probably couldn’t get the action to a height that would make it an enjoyable guitar to play. And thats where I found this video and figured I’d give it a shot. He mentioned 1-2cm in the video and sense the action is so high I went the full 2cm expecting some rebound. But I appreciate you commenting back because it’s now a week in on the clamps and was thinking about removing them but will definitely go the 3weeks now. Today I steamed it one more time which would be the fourth time, I just felt like it needed it for some reason and really just experimenting because I don’t have much money invested in it. I’ll let you know the results in a couple weeks!
John, this is fantastic, you’re kind to share this valuable information.
thank you Sir John, Thank you God Bless you
Gonna give this a try on a badly warped Classical that would otherwise be uneconomical to repair - cheers mate. :)
Did it work?
Hmmmm… worth a try on my old Martin DM. Thank you.
The laquer on the shoulders bubbled up. How can I prevent this in the future
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.
I think I’m gonna give this a go. 🤙🤙
There’s more than one way to skin a cat huh.
Good Job figuring this out.
I rolled three toilet paper tubes into a fourth, and shoved it in below the whole. A Washburn jazzbox that was sinking under the bridge. I couldn't find any broken bracing. The cardboard had strength, but give. Noticed no difference in tone. Was it going to push out the back? See us here next week for another episode...
I’m doing this on a 1970’s j50 started two days ago and it seems like the neck is stable already I’ll leave it clamped up but just curious what’s the shortest time anyone has let it stay in the jig?
Its really hard to play after about the 10 th fret. I am trying to hydrate it now.
Great video John. I'm trying to get all the supplies for this project. Could you please let me know what size square tube you use. Thanks
Hey there Ralph, what did you end up using? I'm gonna try 1.25" square tube. Thanks!
I'm getting ready to try this on my old Yamaha FG-75 & I'm wondering where the neck clamp that goes in the sound hole should be placed on the inside. There's a cross brace about .5" from the edge of the hole & a wood top reinforcement piece just behind that brace. Should it be on the cross brace or the top reinforcement?
What if i don't have a steamer and clamps ? Do you think it's possible to somehow obtain similar effect with some dumbbell weight plates or other weights available at home?
Thank you!
That's wildly unorthodox...but interesting. You might consider doing this again but showing the work and what gets measured where and when in more detail. Have you had follow up input on guitars you have done this too? Do they hold after say a couple of years?
I'm extremely busy but I may get some time to do a follow-up, I only developed this technique about a year ago & so far so good.
There is no reason why it wouldn't be permanent, you are returning the neck to where it should be & steam is a permanent bending process for timber.
I think your strategy is excellent. When restringing the instrument, does it matter how sloooowly you bring the tension up to concert pitch?
I'd probably leave it for a couple of weeks
I tried this on my 1982 Guild D 16 and it apparently did not work. String height is about the same, not sure if its any worse although the steam apparently did free up my truss rod which was extremely hard to adjust! I left it clamped for three weeks so I'm not sure why it didn't work but thanks for the idea! Apparently no one responds anymore to this post, so I may be just talking to myself anyway.
Great video, but how the hell do you function for 2 weeks without your bar?
A spare or two is essential LOL
WOW! I have a 1930s Vincente Tatay classical that has a bit of a neck problem. Unfortunately, the back of the guitar covers the heel as well (assuming for support) , and redoing the neck meant taking off the back too.
Complete nightmare.
I am excited to try this on the Tatay.
I also have an old German violin that needs Reset. Obviously, it’s not going to be the same - I can’t “check the height to the bridge” like you did in your video, but if I can loosen it up enough to get the neck to quit touching the body of the violin, I could sell this violin and use the money to buy a Martin! Do you think this might work on a violin?
I am excited about the possibilities and both instruments are valued too low for a traditional reset. Thank you so much. The world needs more clever and kind folks who are willing to experiment and share knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
wow i have 4 opd yamaha Red Labels ALL need resets. ill try it with the one thats is in least valuable condition to experiment
I have an early 70s Yamaha fg75 with a terrible neck angle. The only worry I have is that it’s a laminate top and construction. Have you John, or anyone else here, had issues with a laminate top with the steam, versus a solid top?
Chris, did you ever try this technique on your FG75? I've got a FG75, also a FG110 that could benefit from this.
@@bobfellows6974 I haven't yet, sorry. best of luck to you though!
I also have an fg75 that needs a neck reset. Currently doing mine. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out.
@@kevinklien90 please and thanks!
@@kevinklien90 how’d it turn out? I’m about to do my FG150
Hey Mr. John Miner! I'm watching your video and was wondering how the 'steam neck set' was holding up?
It is September 6th 2021, and its been 2½ years since you made this video. How have they held up? Is this something that will last many years, or just a temporary fix? I am really interested in knowing what two years of string tension has done as far as the soundboard holding its form.
Also, have you tried this on laminate top guitars? Thank you, and God Bless you!
Amazing!
My action is sky high. I clamped it down 2cm, visually looking at it if I were to put strings on it right now they would bottom out and touch around 14th fret. Obviously the strings will be pulling the neck back up but how much rebound would I be expecting when releasing clamps?
I have a Yamaha 12 string Apx which has a very ugly neck.. the strings buzz a lot... but the strings are very high so I need to do a neck reset but I don’t trust any luthiers.. I am in the Fresno, California Area.. if I can’t seem to find any luthiers I will try this method
Sounds like it needs other work as well as the neck reset to address the string buzz.
John Miner I’m gonna give this a try, not sure how to do the steam part but I’ll figure it out thanks for the idea.. I’ll keep you updated
Thanks John I’m going to try this on a $20 guitar I picked up . Looks like it could be an old Harmony or something similar . Unplayable at the moment , not worth paying for a pro job but if I f#@&* it up I’m out $20 .
Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the time (three weeks) you leave it before removing the clamps is depending on local humidity and if living in a more "dry" climate would shorten the time you have to keep it under tension? I mean most wood glue cures pretty quick
Thank you John, very interesting ! I need to try this on my 1973 GUILD F30. The neck is pretty tied on the body but the soundboard has sunk a bit around fingerboard extension. So I believe your method is the one I should try to solve this matter. But how long this repair should last if it succeeds ? Regards from France
Hi lizenwen, it should last for many years I haven't heard of any not lasting yet.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Thank you John.
What was the result?
@@mikehunty20 Hi Mike, I finaly tried it on a lower end guitar ( Suzuki f10) suffering same problem. And it worked quite well I must say. I wish it gonna last sometimes. Best regards
I am getting ready to try my first neck reset on a Washburn EA 20MB. So this looks right> the guitar is dry and finish cracked bur i love it. So I just need to buy a steamer and that square pipe? thanks any more tips would be great.
Thanks very much for this John...ingenious...have you had much feedback from other luthiers who have tried it? Cheers, Greg
Fantastic, I’m doing this now on a vintage Japanese classical guitar with a solid top. Any advice regarding warning signs to look out for (how to know when you’re clamping the headstock too far down, or if you’re applying too much steam/heat)?
As others have noted, this method would seem preferable to removing the neck and sanding away wood. After you’ve applied steam, did you say you filled the soundhole in to hold the warmth? Also, probably good to clamp all this against a firm surface and not some soft pad that could change tension.
I was enthusiastic about it, but unfortunately, no luck for me. Don't feel like trying it again. I am now busy getting the reck completely off on a Dutch Martin/Vega guitar. But first i tried it, the whole procedure. After three weeks and following all instructions, it looked good. But when the strings were put on, everything just went back, to the old high string action position. A luthier reported to me that wood, once it went in a certain direction, after years. It doesn't just go back under pressure and heat. I'm afraid he's right. At least with my guitar.
I'm going to try it, thanks.
Hope you enjoy
Hello John - thanks ! what a great idea !
I will try, but before I start I need to know, what kind of "steamer" is the right one ?
Will 900 Watt - 3 bar be enough ? which temerature to dial in ?
Please answer ; )
Hello brave users who tryed this,
What are the longtime results 2 or more jears later . . ?
Thanks for sharing
GENIUS
Not quite but thank you.
Hi John,
I have a Martin guitar that’s in need of a neck reset. Would you be comfortable doing this procedure on a Martin guitar or would you likely go the way of a traditional neck reset?
.No problems Fred, I've just done a 1952 Gibson J45 which was unplayable & now it's perfect.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Thanks, John...appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Cheers!
Hello John. Thanks for the info . Just wondering which steamer you use or anybody else here could recommend a steamer
So does the steam bend the neck or loosen the glue? No shim?
Do I relieve the truss Rod?
Help me understand because my Yari Alvarez Tree of Life needs a neck reset.
And I can’t wait to start playing it.
Thanks👍🏽
It does neither, the steam softens the timber beside the neck extension (until it dries) & puts the neck back to were it should be.
John I have an old Japanese classical guitar that need to reset the neck & I will try that method. Can I use the washing machine hose on the pressure cooker?
That sounds like a good idea. Did you try it?
@@festushaggen2563 Not yet because I'm working on some of my old guitar.
Will this work on old Yamaha Red Labels that supposedly had really stubborn glue?
Do you leave it for three weeks with the clamps on?
You're a good man...
Thank you 🤛💥😁
Glad to help
Hello may I as if it is applicabke to classical guitar?
It will work on a classical guitar.
Thank you sir
Is steam best? Other people on here are saying hair dryers or even light bulbs...
Hi John. This seems like a brilliant idea. I've got to ask you about the longevity of the fix. Has this fix lasted a long time or do the guitars have a tendency to go back to their sunken top state?
I haven't heard of one reverting, it should be permanent.
@@JohnMinerLuthier Fantastic. Thank you.
John, that's amazing! I just tried it on my older 1982 Guild D- 16. Should I now leave it clamped now (body and neck) for 3 weeks or do I unclamp it and let it sit for 3 weeks before re stringing it? Thank, I also sent you an email but figured just in case you see this first. Thanks again
Hello John from Chicago Illinois USA. I was given a family members Kay Arch top guitar and well, it cleaned up very nice. The problem is that the heel of the neck at the narrowed bottom has pulled away about 1/4 inch and I can see the dove tail. This guitar needs work. I figured it was left strung and in a hot farm house and this heated up the hide glue and the string tension pulled it apart. I could be completely wrong. Will this method allow me to push that gap closed, or do I have to remove the neck completely and re glue it? I know this guitar may just be wall art, but it would be cool to finger pick some old blues on it. Thank you. Tim
I also have the same problem, but my guitar has a gap where under the fretboard where the neck meets the body...