Neck reset - impact on guitar value ?

[guitarlover]

I am still looking at listings of vintage guild guitars . So maybe onr day I can buy one.
I saw an X 175 from 1966. It looks ok but the seller said that the thinks the guitar had a neck reset in the past. Does this affect the value of the instrument and should I be more cautious ?

Denis

 

[fronobulax]

My opinion, worth exactly nothing is that if the market value of an instrument that doesn't need a reset is $X then the value of one that does would be $X-$400. You can adjust up or down based upon what you think a reset costs locally. My opinion is that having had a good reset done does not lower value. Needing one in the near future does.

 

[guitarlover]

That makes sense ! Thanks.

 

[parker_knoll]

Yes, I don't think it decreases value if done well and means the instrument is playable

 

[GAD]

My take is that "if done well" is the key. The likelihood of an old archtop or flattop needing a reset go up as time goes on, so having it already done could be a good thing. There are a lot of hacks out there, though. I've had a guitar or two where I thought it might have had a reset done because it was just too perfect for the age, but I figure that if I can't tell, then who cares? I would think a reset should show up with a UV light, though.

 

[kakerlak]

Some of it depends on how typically each model needs resets. A well done reset on a guitar that's known for needing them over time (flattops, certain Gretsches, etc.) is less a detriment than it is on something that almost never needs one, like a Les Paul. If you can look at the model as a whole and say "they all either have had a reset or need one," then it's almost a non-issue. I'd say a Guild archtop doesn't always/usually need a reset, so it's gotta be worth at least $100 less. Gotta evaluate how much less by cosmetic condition and playability. Was it a simple, clean removal and reset, or was there some break involved? Since the owner just suspects one might have been done, what's the tell? Glue squeeze-out? Finish wonkiness? Cracks in the sides, running from the heel? Something off with the fretboard extension?

 

[wileypickett]

If the luthier really knows their job, it can be very hard to tell if a guitar has had a neck reset. My GV70 had had one before I bought it and I didn't notice it for several years.

The tell? If the reset is done properly then the fretboard extension will need a slight ramp / wedge under it in order to keep the geometry of the fretboard playing surface consistent for its full length. That ramp is the tell.

The GV70 ramp matched in color and lacquer application the color of the neck binding, which made it very hard to see. Eventually I noticed it, and if I remember correctly it after neck resets had been discussed here on LTG!.
.

 

[kakerlak]

If the luthier really knows their job, it can be very hard to tell if a guitar has had a neck reset. My GV70 had had one before I bought it and I didn't notice it for several years.

The tell? If the reset is done properly then the fretboard extension will need a slight ramp / wedge under it in order to keep the geometry of the fretboard playing surface consistent for its full length. That ramp is the tell.

The GV70 ramp matched in color and lacquer application the color of the neck binding, which made it very hard to see. Eventually I noticed it, and if I remember correctly it after neck resets had been discussed here on LTG!.
.

They don't always need a ramp/shim, particularly if they've been reset because the factory joint came loose.

 

[wileypickett]

They don't always need a ramp/shim, particularly if they've been reset because the factory joint came loose.

You're right that there are other reasons why a neck might need to be removed, but we're talking about resets, right?

Guitars that need their necks reset generally need them due to the neck pulling forward.

The question asked was, "Whats the tell?," ie, "How can one tell if a guitar has had a neck reset?" My point was simply that if a guitar has had a neck reset done properly, there will be a ramp or shim or wedge under the fretboard extension to maintain proper geometry, and that's one way to tell.

It's true that not every luthier adds the shim, but uness they've compensated for the geometery being off (you can pull the frets, level the neck and refret, for instance) you're going to have buzzing or noting out around the 14th fret.

Re; other reasons to remove a neck: My D50 needed to have the neck block reglued as it had shifted due to decades of improper maintenance in a hot climate. That repair involved removing the neck.

I had Guild in New Hartford do the job, and though I didn't ask for the neck to be reset, they did it at the same time as they felt the the guitar needed it, and since the neck was off anyway. . . .

 

[Shakeylee]

Is this the 66 x-175 in Amsterdam?Looks pretty good.

 

[guitarlover]

Yes it is from Amsterdam but the seller does not want to send it. Normally I could go there by train to collect but with covid 19 I don't want to take public transport ( high risk person in family). Oh well I guess there are bigger problems in the world right now than me wanting a guitar....

 

[guitarlover]

Situation changed : Seller might be willing to send...