I apologize in advance for this document. It will be over the head of 99% of Yamaha enthusiasts. It’s meant for someone who has some guitar repair experience, or maybe someone who has some woodworking experience and is crazy enough to try one. It took months of writing and editing to precisely detail every step I did to remove the necks of (25) vintage Yamaha FG’s. I’ve completed (7) other dovetail neck resets and (7) bolt on neck resets.
A neck reset is not a trivial repair; it requires a precise plan, the right tools, accurate measurements and calculations, attention to detail, and flawless execution. And a certain amount of interest in the unknown. A neck reset on a 40+ year old guitar brings a whole new level of unknown – the method and glue they used to attach the neck.
I’ve written a 17 page (narrow margin, single spaced, no pictures yet) guide to resetting the necks on vintage Yamaha FG’s. It lists (in detail) the tools, parts and steps required. Since I have limited experience with neck resets, someone may have a better way than mine, but mine is proven on vintage Yamaha’s. I did extensive research online and picked the brains of a few luthiers before attempting a neck reset. Between 1966 and 1976 they didn’t use epoxy or some Asian mystery glue, they used plain old hide glue. It looks, feels and smells like hide glue, at least in the 25 I’ve taken apart. BUT!! I’ve taken 3 necks off of guitars made between 1977 and 1980 and they used a small amount of EPOXY in the neck joint!! It was green!! Not the usual smelly brown hide glue. Fortunately, the small amount of epoxy wasn’t hard to separate. Recently I removed the neck of a rare 1976 FG-75-1BK. It had epoxy in the neck joint, and more than the later ones. The necks of vintage Yamaha FG’sare notoriously difficult to remove for two reasons. The neck pocket isn’t below the 15th fret, rather it’s 1/8” to 3/16” towards the heel. If you miss the pocket, steam doesn’t get in, and the neck isn’t coming off. Also, they glued everything, including the face of the heel to the side of the guitar. You have to wiggle the neck to get the joint loose and allow the steam to get further into the pocket and around the heel. So far, the 1977 to 1980 models I’ve seen didn’t glue the face of the heel to the side of the guitar.
Speaking of luthiers, I have to give thanks to Bryan Kimsey, who’s brain must be nearly picked clean with all the questions I’ve asked him! He’s a great guy and incredible luthier, specializing in repairing vintage Martin’s.
I’m a Tool Designer by trade, so I design, detail, and build many of my tools. Along with original tools, I’ve copied or improved many things commercially made. I’ll be sharing them eventually.
The current version (v2020.8), dated 8/10/20, is available –> HERE
I wrote a 1.5 page summary of neck removal notes, available –> HERE
I’ve written Part 2 – DIFFICULT Neck Removals, available –> HERE