neck reset info

[i want a d100]

Could someone in simple terms explain how you know when a guitar needs a reset, and how they go about it without destroying the guitar. I have seen many different guitars that had a reset and none of them looked the same before they started. What exactly would i look for on my guild 6 string dreads that would be a hint of needing a reset?

 

[hideglue]

I have seen many different guitars that had a reset and none of them looked the same before they started

Poor workmanship will do that. Aside from an occaisional (inevitable) chip-out at the finished-over heel/body area on Guilds & Gibsons; a reset, in capable hands, is visually unnoticable.

 

[pickoid]

It's all about the saddle height. AS LONG AS the following conditions are met: (1) the guitar is properly humidified - not dried out or swelled up, (2) the truss rod is adjusted to provide the proper neck relief, and (3) the action at the 12th fret is good or at least acceptable, then the saddle height and the break angle of the strings over the saddle will be the indicator of a need for a neck reset. If the neck relief is correct, then action is lowered by reducing the height of the saddle (typically sanding it down). At some point, the saddle can become low enough that the break angle is very shallow, so there is very little force bearing down on the saddle, impairing the tone of the guitar. In the extreme case, the strings may be barely resting on the saddle at all, making them very easy to move around and usually resulting in a sitar-like buzzing. By then it's WAY far gone. A healthy saddle is a tall one, but it is possible for a saddle to be too tall, increasing the chance of breaking the front of the bridge off. That might be the case if the neck angle is over-set, or if the guitar is severely dried out without the proper "dome" to the top. I recommend the following articles on frets.com to explain all this stuff better than I ever could:

Truss rod adjustment:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musicia ... tradj.html

Looking at saddles:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musicia ... dle01.html

Checking neck angle:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musicia ... angle.html

If you read and understand those pages, you'll be able to diagnose the need for a neck reset.

Here's some information on how the neck reset is actually done:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... set01.html
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... eset1.html
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... reset.html
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... reset.html

Happy reading!

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Pickoid,
that's great information.
Thanks for posting it.