I never cease to be amazed by all the armchair experts claiming you "ruined a perfectly good guitar" or telling you to "never touch a guitar again." They seem to think that every instrument in desperate need of a neck angle adjustment needs to have a full $500+ neck reset job, even if the the guitar is a $40 craigslist find. Not a single one of these overly harsh critics has anything worthwhile to say. Obviously if simply lowering the saddle height or shaving the bridge would have fixed the issue, you would have done that first. What you did here may be "crude" to some, but it was a necessary fix for an instrument that's not even worth the minimum bench fee for a reputable luthier. You did a good job restoring playability to a guitar and most would consider not worth fixing. Ignore the trolls.
I'm a luthier with a busy shop. I build custom guitars, I do repairs, and I restore historical guitars. I work on everything from prewar Martins and Gibsons, to 19th century guitars, to inexpensive guitars like in this video. I've run across many guitars where the dovetail tenon is bottomed into the mortise, or in the case of a bolt-on, the tenon is bottomed out. Most "chicago" made guitars will have bottomed out tenons. I've also done resets on necks that have been installed using dowel rods. In short, I've pretty much seen it all. I'm a veteran, so I also donate my time and guitars, with veterans, through the Guitars 4 Vets program. This is how I would have handled this reset (assuming it's not a 100+ year old historical): first I would have looked to see if it's a bolt-on (they're concealed, so you need to recognize the cover). If not a bolt-on, I would have recognized a problem when I drilled and not hit the pocket normally found under the tenon. I would have taken the 9th fret out (yes, this high) and sawed through the board ONLY, through that slot, carefully avoiding cutting into the neck. By removing only the lower part of the board at this level, you can visualize the joint, plus you can glue it back accurately and with enough neck to properly clamp. You can now drill holes for the steam needle, either at the mortise/tenon seam, or if this is missing, at the junction of the body/neck. This way, you can loosen the glue and remove the neck, retaining whatever method was used to install the neck, short of a screw through the heel, into the body. But, I promise you, you will not see this on a production guitar. I have a custom guitar on my bench, right now, with a drywall screw, installed at an angle through the heel, then concealed with the heelcap, obviously by someone who didn't understand the mechanics of guitar necks. Unless you run into the scenario of the screw through the heel, like I have on my bench, bolt-ons not withstanding, steam will remove the neck. So, you're most likely dealing with a mortise/tenon of some kind, and you can take the appropriate amount of wood off to affect an angle which will set the neck at more of a backward angle, thus resetting the action. After fitting the neck geometry properly, and some scribe sanding to sit the heel onto the body seamlessly, the neck can be glued back on properly. The only bolt should be the original, if a bolt-on (yes, glue is involved in bolt-on necks too). The one other scenario is a pocket installation, usually seen on 19th century guitars, but if you remove the fretboard up to 9th fret, you'll see that too, and you'll just follow the protocol for a bottomed out neck. If the neck is being held by dowels, not likely in a modern steel string guitar (and assuming it's not of historical significance) I would turn it into a proper bolt-on, by drilling holes from bottom of the neck block (accessible through the soundhole), into the neck (2 for larger guitars), install threaded inserts into the holes in the neck, and bolts through the block into the threaded inserts. The bolts need to be countersunk and once the reset is done, they're covered with a wooden plate. I've never seen an adjustable neck on an expensive guitar, and I've worked on $60,000 guitars. I do have a 1950s era guitar with an "adjust-o-matic" neck sitting in the shop, but it's value is about $150.
Saved my 1972 Elger acoustic which isn't too shabby of a guitar/Brazillian rose wood back/solid top. Didn't do exactly what you did but same basic idea. Thank you thank you. Elger had 5 dowels -repaced three with wood dowels/other 2 thin bolts. Did not cut a wedge out of the heel but rather larger drill hole into thinner drill hole but just into it a 1/4 inch and cover bolt head with wood filler. Thanks again...never expected this the neck did NOT steam out and was at a loss for what to do.
Thank you so much for posting this! I found a 1967 Marquis Harmony Acoustic at the local goodwill ( for $10) and the thing sounds better than my brand new $500 mid range acoustic. The problem is that the action is crazy high and no amount of truss rod adjustment is helping. It apparently sat in a closet for years with the string wound way too tight and the neck is severely bowed. I can manage to play cowboy chords and that's it. I will follow your lead and use an iron and an old espresso machine to remove the neck. I definitely cant spend the $600 it would cost to have it done professionally. Hopeful I end up with a $10 beast! Thanks again.
I picked up a Suzuki acoustic cheap from a secondhand store. It appeared to be in good condition, but the strings were too high, and the sound board and bridge was all chewed up and cracked across the middle. I was able to lay the sound board flat, and solid again by clamping it down tight and regluing the lifting pieces back down into their normal resting areas where they came out of. I took a mirror look inside and saw in a couple of places some wood splinters had disappeared over the years of abuse stringing this guitar.. It wasn't really all that bad overall that some epoxy couldn't level out and have a complet level suface again that would do the job of holding the string buttons solid once installed. The bridge had to be removed and replaced with a new one. There was no way to save and repair the old bridge, so it's getting a new bridge in the days to come. Back to the neck, I had to completely cut it off to reset the neck to the right angle as it was held in place by dowels. I haven't finished the job yet, but I plan on using a couple of dowels to keep the neck from twisting once reinstalled and will bolt the neck back on from the inside of the guitar area (through the inside neck block) that way no bolt will be seen form the outside of the neck heel area. It's sad that guitar makes make guitars in such a destructable condition that require neck resets over time. Using a straight edge across the frets it laid level with the guitars body when I first started this project. When I'm finished that neck will be correct t the right proper level it should be for a nice sounding small guitar some person will enjoy playing down the road. It's as nice a guitar as the one shown here in this video. Chow...
Holy shit, im guessing youre joking. Lmao. Im doing this to an old Chinese guitar and im sweating bullets although ive done stuff like this before. Lmao i could only imagine what real luthiers feel.
@@the_original_Bilb_Ono I don't think it's a real martin. It's all wonky at the stem and some of the turning screws don't even turn. You can't get a tune out of it at all.
It was under my Great Aunt's bed since my dad went to the war. We had to clear her stuff out and we found it. My brother tried to tune it and the string just broke. The third one is stiff, and the other tuning screw doesn't turn at all. The neck part is loose and on a bad angle, I'll try your fix and maybe get some new glue. The pot I have is pretty old.
Wow. Quick n easy. A little rough way to do it but a student guitar has been returned to service. Mission accomplished. Currently, I’m trying to undo a repair like this.
okay so for your procedure in particular you didn't saw the neck completely off? you mainly sawed up to the truss rod and then reattached to the body, letting the small bit of remaining wood on the sides of the truss rod experience some flexion? just trying to understand. is this advisable or harmful? i want to do a quick reset and know that little bit where the truss rod is will be tricky
Fantastic adaptation of ordinary tools to do luthier work! I love your level/fret level! You used common geometry and handy man logic to do a righteous repair! Bravo my friend Bravo!
You can use a very thin saw with no set in the teeth to saw the neck off. Then, install proper bolts as per modern bolt on necks. The finger board extension shouldn't be left flapping , so to speak, but should have an appropriate wedge fitted under it. That heel gap just looks awful !!
Dont understand all the hate here, its not your guitar, you didnt buy it, you didnt repair it, guitar isnt worth anything so why worry? If ya dont like it just move along man! Great video man, I got an old cheap Silvertone where im gonna do something similar (minus the screw in the heel lol)
If you used a heat gun on the fretboard at the 12th fret, so that it would bend, you would not have had to separate it from the body. Doing so would allow a lower string action and cleaner finish.
Could have run that mechanical fastening via the inside of the body, without cutting the heel. Use hanger bolts. Would take a while longer due to drilling in that confined space, but a much cleaner and less invasive way to do it.
At the very very least, could you not have countersunk the hole in the heel and used a screw/bolt that would sit flush? then you could easily glue the heel piece over it.
Thats not a Fender Squier BTW......and cheap guitars usually dont release with steam, the glue is not hide glue or waterbased....usually high chemical off gassing glues that are hard and non flexable....
Friends are always coming to me wanting the action lowered. And lowering the saddle would be the better solution. But there are limits to how much lowering I can get before break angle problems and sound problems. And friends aren't satisfied when it only takes it down a mm or two. My solution here is not appropriate for a nice guitar, but fine for craigslist junk. On these guitars I never worry about resale value. This guitar is quite fun to play now. I performed with it a couple weeks ago, and everyone who picked it up loved the action.
@@mikeregan3265 No it is not. If the action really was .240", there is no amount of saddle adjustment that could fix that. Even to bring it down to the average action of .100", you would need to remove .280" off of the saddle, which is literally impossible to do.The strings would be resting directly on the bridge plate.
I thinks it’s safe to say that no repair would have been better. I’m sorry, but cutting the heel was not necessary. I think you gave up too soon trying to loosed the neck tenon.
I agree but that is not a dovetail situation. Its a block of wood held in with glue. I'll know next time, when small guitar neck resets become the thing and I'm a millionare ! :)
The holes are properly placed on the 15th fret, because this is where the pocket is found under a mortise/tenon. If however, you don't feel the bit hit this pocket, you know something else is going on. Please see my extensive reply, above for more information.
I never cease to be amazed by all the armchair experts claiming you "ruined a perfectly good guitar" or telling you to "never touch a guitar again." They seem to think that every instrument in desperate need of a neck angle adjustment needs to have a full $500+ neck reset job, even if the the guitar is a $40 craigslist find. Not a single one of these overly harsh critics has anything worthwhile to say. Obviously if simply lowering the saddle height or shaving the bridge would have fixed the issue, you would have done that first. What you did here may be "crude" to some, but it was a necessary fix for an instrument that's not even worth the minimum bench fee for a reputable luthier. You did a good job restoring playability to a guitar and most would consider not worth fixing. Ignore the trolls.
I'm a luthier with a busy shop. I build custom guitars, I do repairs, and I restore historical guitars. I work on everything from prewar Martins and Gibsons, to 19th century guitars, to inexpensive guitars like in this video. I've run across many guitars where the dovetail tenon is bottomed into the mortise, or in the case of a bolt-on, the tenon is bottomed out. Most "chicago" made guitars will have bottomed out tenons. I've also done resets on necks that have been installed using dowel rods. In short, I've pretty much seen it all. I'm a veteran, so I also donate my time and guitars, with veterans, through the Guitars 4 Vets program. This is how I would have handled this reset (assuming it's not a 100+ year old historical): first I would have looked to see if it's a bolt-on (they're concealed, so you need to recognize the cover). If not a bolt-on, I would have recognized a problem when I drilled and not hit the pocket normally found under the tenon.
I would have taken the 9th fret out (yes, this high) and sawed through the board ONLY, through that slot, carefully avoiding cutting into the neck. By removing only the lower part of the board at this level, you can visualize the joint, plus you can glue it back accurately and with enough neck to properly clamp. You can now drill holes for the steam needle, either at the mortise/tenon seam, or if this is missing, at the junction of the body/neck. This way, you can loosen the glue and remove the neck, retaining whatever method was used to install the neck, short of a screw through the heel, into the body. But, I promise you, you will not see this on a production guitar. I have a custom guitar on my bench, right now, with a drywall screw, installed at an angle through the heel, then concealed with the heelcap, obviously by someone who didn't understand the mechanics of guitar necks.
Unless you run into the scenario of the screw through the heel, like I have on my bench, bolt-ons not withstanding, steam will remove the neck.
So, you're most likely dealing with a mortise/tenon of some kind, and you can take the appropriate amount of wood off to affect an angle which will set the neck at more of a backward angle, thus resetting the action. After fitting the neck geometry properly, and some scribe sanding to sit the heel onto the body seamlessly, the neck can be glued back on properly. The only bolt should be the original, if a bolt-on (yes, glue is involved in bolt-on necks too). The one other scenario is a pocket installation, usually seen on 19th century guitars, but if you remove the fretboard up to 9th fret, you'll see that too, and you'll just follow the protocol for a bottomed out neck.
If the neck is being held by dowels, not likely in a modern steel string guitar (and assuming it's not of historical significance) I would turn it into a proper bolt-on, by drilling holes from bottom of the neck block (accessible through the soundhole), into the neck (2 for larger guitars), install threaded inserts into the holes in the neck, and bolts through the block into the threaded inserts. The bolts need to be countersunk and once the reset is done, they're covered with a wooden plate.
I've never seen an adjustable neck on an expensive guitar, and I've worked on $60,000 guitars. I do have a 1950s era guitar with an "adjust-o-matic" neck sitting in the shop, but it's value is about $150.
Thanks lots of interesting information that you took the time to share.
I too thank you DK. Much appreciated!!!👌🏽🤙🏼😎.
That was a humble and respectful responses. Your restraint is impressive.
Saved my 1972 Elger acoustic which isn't too shabby of a guitar/Brazillian rose wood back/solid top. Didn't do exactly what you did but same basic idea. Thank you thank you. Elger had 5 dowels -repaced three with wood dowels/other 2 thin bolts. Did not cut a wedge out of the heel but rather larger drill hole into thinner drill hole but just into it a 1/4 inch and cover bolt head with wood filler. Thanks again...never expected this the neck did NOT steam out and was at a loss for what to do.
I think I haven't seeing such a destruction like this in just one video.
Good job! You salvaged an unplayable guitar without absolutely butchering it. I have removed a couple necks and appreciate your efforts.
Thank you so much for posting this! I found a 1967 Marquis Harmony Acoustic at the local goodwill ( for $10) and the thing sounds better than my brand new $500 mid range acoustic. The problem is that the action is crazy high and no amount of truss rod adjustment is helping. It apparently sat in a closet for years with the string wound way too tight and the neck is severely bowed. I can manage to play cowboy chords and that's it. I will follow your lead and use an iron and an old espresso machine to remove the neck. I definitely cant spend the $600 it would cost to have it done professionally. Hopeful I end up with a $10 beast! Thanks again.
Good luck, let me know how it goes.
How did the Harmony turn out?
Hey man, did you adjust it successfully?
The truss rod is not for adjusting the action. Though it has an effect on it.
Absolute best fix of a POS guitar. Great job. That guitar was less than $100 new. Don't mind the Know-it-alls in comment section
Absolutely NOT, fella.
I agree that cheap guitars are great to learn repairs on but there is good information out there . I recommend Twoodfrd on utube to see how it’s done.
I picked up a Suzuki acoustic cheap from a secondhand store. It appeared to be in good condition, but the strings were too high, and the sound board and bridge was all chewed up and cracked across the middle. I was able to lay the sound board flat, and solid again by clamping it down tight and regluing the lifting pieces back down into their normal resting areas where they came out of. I took a mirror look inside and saw in a couple of places some wood splinters had disappeared over the years of abuse stringing this guitar.. It wasn't really all that bad overall that some epoxy couldn't level out and have a complet level suface again that would do the job of holding the string buttons solid once installed. The bridge had to be removed and replaced with a new one. There was no way to save and repair the old bridge, so it's getting a new bridge in the days to come. Back to the neck, I had to completely cut it off to reset the neck to the right angle as it was held in place by dowels. I haven't finished the job yet, but I plan on using a couple of dowels to keep the neck from twisting once reinstalled and will bolt the neck back on from the inside of the guitar area (through the inside neck block) that way no bolt will be seen form the outside of the neck heel area. It's sad that guitar makes make guitars in such a destructable condition that require neck resets over time. Using a straight edge across the frets it laid level with the guitars body when I first started this project. When I'm finished that neck will be correct t the right proper level it should be for a nice sounding small guitar some person will enjoy playing down the road. It's as nice a guitar as the one shown here in this video. Chow...
I applaud you for keeping your guitar alive and serving you. I'm following your lead. Thank you bro.
Its a dirty but functional repair, I really hope you're not doing it on any old or possibly valuable instrument
Great video. I'm going to try this on my dad's old guitar. It's been gathering dust for 50 or 60 years.
Holy shit, im guessing youre joking. Lmao. Im doing this to an old Chinese guitar and im sweating bullets although ive done stuff like this before. Lmao i could only imagine what real luthiers feel.
@@the_original_Bilb_Ono I don't think it's a real martin. It's all wonky at the stem and some of the turning screws don't even turn. You can't get a tune out of it at all.
It was under my Great Aunt's bed since my dad went to the war. We had to clear her stuff out and we found it. My brother tried to tune it and the string just broke. The third one is stiff, and the other tuning screw doesn't turn at all. The neck part is loose and on a bad angle, I'll try your fix and maybe get some new glue. The pot I have is pretty old.
Wow. Quick n easy. A little rough way to do it but a student guitar has been returned to service. Mission accomplished. Currently, I’m trying to undo a repair like this.
Great quick fix.....
okay so for your procedure in particular you didn't saw the neck completely off? you mainly sawed up to the truss rod and then reattached to the body, letting the small bit of remaining wood on the sides of the truss rod experience some flexion? just trying to understand. is this advisable or harmful? i want to do a quick reset and know that little bit where the truss rod is will be tricky
Fantastic adaptation of ordinary tools to do luthier work! I love your level/fret level! You used common geometry and handy man logic to do a righteous repair! Bravo my friend Bravo!
You can use a very thin saw with no set in the teeth to saw the neck off. Then, install proper bolts as per modern bolt on necks.
The finger board extension shouldn't be left flapping , so to speak, but should have an appropriate wedge fitted under it.
That heel gap just looks awful !!
Nice work. Thanks
U sound like u had a lot of fun
Is this video a wind up?
Dont understand all the hate here, its not your guitar, you didnt buy it, you didnt repair it, guitar isnt worth anything so why worry? If ya dont like it just move along man! Great video man, I got an old cheap Silvertone where im gonna do something similar (minus the screw in the heel lol)
If you used a heat gun on the fretboard at the 12th fret, so that it would bend, you would not have had to separate it from the body. Doing so would allow a lower string action and cleaner finish.
Could have run that mechanical fastening via the inside of the body, without cutting the heel. Use hanger bolts.
Would take a while longer due to drilling in that confined space, but a much cleaner and less invasive way to do it.
The kamakazi neck reset is about the worst idea I can think of for a guitar.
Brilliant. This was so needed :)
At the very very least, could you not have countersunk the hole in the heel and used a screw/bolt that would sit flush? then you could easily glue the heel piece over it.
Very entertaining video, love the voiceover. Just one small note: You really shouldn't use a nut removal device for clamping
Fret dust evacuation system😂😂
Please don't ever touch a guitar again. lol
It is helpful to see how to do it with your instruments. But I just can't do it, noway.
if you remove the fingerboard first you would see the joint and see how to reset it
But did you have fun? Looks good to me!
Ha he buys a stew Mac file and uses it after doing this to a guitar 😂😂
Thanks for posting this. I was wondering, was the finish a plastic - type (polyurethane) or something else?
I am pretty sure it is polyurethane, it is a cheap guitar.
Thats not a Fender Squier BTW......and cheap guitars usually dont release with steam, the glue is not hide glue or waterbased....usually high chemical off gassing glues that are hard and non flexable....
Interesting how it says squier right on the headstock 🤷
Strange
No
🙀🙀🙀
looks like you drilled in the wrong place
That's the most appalling remedy for a high action I've ever witnessed.
It's better than throwing it in the trash can. These high action guitars are useless.
@@markwillis2980 a lower bridge saddle height is all it needed. You ruined a perfectly good guitar.
Friends are always coming to me wanting the action lowered. And lowering the saddle would be the better solution. But there are limits to how much lowering I can get before break angle problems and sound problems. And friends aren't satisfied when it only takes it down a mm or two. My solution here is not appropriate for a nice guitar, but fine for craigslist junk. On these guitars I never worry about resale value. This guitar is quite fun to play now. I performed with it a couple weeks ago, and everyone who picked it up loved the action.
@@mikeregan3265 No it is not. If the action really was .240", there is no amount of saddle adjustment that could fix that. Even to bring it down to the average action of .100", you would need to remove .280" off of the saddle, which is literally impossible to do.The strings would be resting directly on the bridge plate.
@@unsubpress7093 you're as bad as the hack in the video.
just made cheap guitar even cheaper.
You put that guitar through hell!!!!! You should have been polite to the guitar!! And threw it in the garbage!!!! Instead
What a waste.
...the better thing to do: don't touch guitars anymore...
This is "killing" the luthiery....
I thinks it’s safe to say that no repair would have been better. I’m sorry, but cutting the heel was not necessary. I think you gave up too soon trying to loosed the neck tenon.
Suprisely, this man don't know how to treat music instrument.
Brutal terrible job
big yikes
I live on the edge :)
@@center77 hahaha best youtube comment I have heard for a while. Great Job for a cheap guitar now it is playable !
This is so wrong
Might have been more successfull if you drilled the holes at the 14th fret!
I agree but that is not a dovetail situation. Its a block of wood held in with glue. I'll know next time, when small guitar neck resets become the thing and I'm a millionare ! :)
The holes are properly placed on the 15th fret, because this is where the pocket is found under a mortise/tenon. If however, you don't feel the bit hit this pocket, you know something else is going on. Please see my extensive reply, above for more information.