Cost of a neck re-set

JEM · April 2023

I know this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question but does anyone know a rough figure for the cost of a neck re-set on a flat top acoustic?

I have an old Korean made acoustic jumbo which the action is now getting unplayably high on and the saddle is as low as it will go without turning into a sitar. It's not particularly valuable (or even that good if I'm honest) but it does have significant sentimental value and if possible I'd like to keep it in a playable state.

I'm aware the obvious thing to do is ask a luthier but I'd like to have a vague idea of what I might be letting myself in for before going down that route.

Thanks.

PAL · April 2023

It may need more than a neck reset. From what you are describing it sounds like the top of the guitar where he bridge is has
bellied and the bridge shave to compensate for this. If this is the case it may not need the neck reset it could be the braces
under the top becoming unglued. You can watch videos of this on YouTube check out Rosa String Works it may give you an
idea of the work involved . sometimes the back of the guitar needs to be removed.
Most acoustic guitars have a slight curve across the top if you have a straight edge lay it across the top behind the bridge
and check the amount of curve. You could also slacken off the strings then gently apply pressure to the top of the guitar
and if it goes back down you will see the action lower if this is the case it will be the internal bracing. This issue is quite
common on some of the less expensive guitars but you can also get this on old martin guitars as well so if you like the sound
of the guitar and it has sentimental value it may be worth the cost of the repair.
It is best to know what the issue is yourself then you can describe it to a luthier who then should be able to give you an
estimate of the cost of repair. Hope this helps.

JEM · April 2023

Thanks for the info. I have had a look at the braces and can't see any that are obviously loose. There is definitely some degree of bellying but it doesn't seem that severe and it doesn't really go back down when I apply pressure.

I'll check out the Rosa String Works channel to see if I can figure out better what the problem is.

PAL · April 2023

You could also try a set of lighter strings as this will put less tension on the bridge and top. If you do this check after a week or two to see if the bellying comes down if it does you will find the action will come down as well. Good luck.

JEM · April 2023

I already dropped down to 11s a while ago, maybe I could go down another gauge. I might try some silk and steel instead.

Thanks again.

deejayen · April 2023

I recently took a Japanese guitar to a tech to ask about a neck reset. Unfortunately, my memory is vague, and I can't quite remember the actual prices! The tech said he no longer does neck resets, but gave a price for the last time he did one. I think it might have been somewhere around £450 - £600. I was totting up the prices of some additional work the guitar might need, including a refret and replacement nut & saddle, and I think it was coming out to around £850+. I haven't yet taken the guitar for assessment and a quotation to one of the places the tech recommended.

He did say that some of the Japanese guitars can have unusual neck joints, which can be difficult to loosen (potentially more costly).

Like yours, my guitar has sentimental value, but I haven't played it in many years. I only noticed the problem when I went to play it again, but thinking back it had always been a bit difficult to play, and I'd already had the saddle lowered back in the day.

I'll need to get a firm price from whoever would do the work, but I'm in no rush, and I may decide to just keep the guitar and put the cost of the repair towards a new guitar.

JEM · April 2023

Okay, thanks. I suspected it was likely to be in that order of magnitude. Quite a lot of money to spend on a guitar that never really played that well and only cost about £300 when new.

It's a shame but I too am leaning towards spending the money on something new that will play better and relegating the old one to ornamental duties.

I'll give PAL's suggestion of some lighter strings a go first to see if I can squeeze a coupe more playable years out of it.

Soupman · April 2023

@JEM you could try Newtone Heritage strings, round core so low tension. A set of 11s will have less tension than most other comparable strings. The poundage is listed on their website. They are good strings too.

JEM · April 2023

Are Newtone the ones you have to be careful of when cutting them as the outer wind can unravel?

I'll check them out, thanks.

BillDL · April 2023

There are two distinct areas of the guitar that can cause this. The bridge pulling the soundboard up into a "belly" behind the bridge (as previously mentioned) and pushing the soundboard into a concave between the bridge and the rear of the soundhole, AND/OR the tension of the strings eventually causing the soundboard around the fretboard extension and in front of the soundhole to go into a concave. Sometimes you can have a combination of both.

If the issue is only with the top bellying up behind the bridge there is a device that MIGHT be able to reduce/minimise the belly and make the guitar playable, but it's not something you could fit yourself unless you have a bit of experience working through the soundhole of acoustic guitars.

JLD Bridge Doctor

https://www.btnmusic.co.uk/product/jld-bridge-doctor-screw-mount/

Animated video instructions with vocal narrative:

https://www.btnmusic.co.uk/jld-bridge-doctor-faqs/

The above was just located by a Google search. There are lots of retailers and lots of installation videos, like these:

Soupman · April 2023

@JEM yes, you string it up as normal, tune up THEN cut the ends off last.
(By that I mean don't trim the string length until it's tensioned up).

JEM · April 2023

The bridge doctor thingy looks interesting, I'd not come across that. I guess the key is to determine where exactly the problem lies. If lighter strings improve the action that would imply that something like the bridge doctor might provide a longer term solution.

Thanks everyone, that's given me some things to look into over the weekend.

deejayen · April 2023

Reviews and opinions on the Bridge Doctor are mixed. I'm no engineer or guitar tech, so can't say whether or not it's a good or bad solution. However, I'd probably want to explore and consider other options, including a neck reset, before going that route.

Tannin · April 2023

JEM said:

Are Newtone the ones you have to be careful of when cutting them as the outer wind can unravel?

Yes, Newtones and any other round core string. (There are many brands.) The heaxagonal core of a standard string has corners which bite into the winding and stop it unravelling. With round cores, you need to do something yourself to achieve that. Most people say that you just need to fit them and tune them to pitch before cutting, and yes that mostly works but it is no guarantee. What I do is fit & tune to pitch, then bend the string hard against the pin, and finally use a pair of needle nose pliers to put in a second bend before the cut. (This is easier than it sounds, and takes less time to do than it did to type this sentence.) Some round core brands are more prone to unravelling than others, I don't know why. Dogals are particularly bad in this respect, you have to be super careful (which is a pity as they are brilliant strings in other respects).

Some low-tension round core strings I like:
DR Sunbeam
Newtone roundcore
Optima Vintage Flex low tension round core

Some low-tension hex core strings which will achieve much the same result:
Galli LS
La Bella
Martin Flexible Core
Pyramid 307 silver plated
Santa Cruz Parabolic

Timcito · April 2023

I had a neck reset and refret done here in the States on a British handmade guitar by John Hullah which I bought brand new in 1988. It cost around $700, which must be in the 600 pounds sterling zone. But that was then, and I'm sure it's more expensive now.

A neck reset is major surgery, though. I was without mine for months while the job was being done, and when it came back, there were additional problems. A guitar would have to be very special indeed for me to consider doing it again.

jw_H-535 · April 2023

Have you tried a humidifier? Sometimes bellying can be mostly fixed with something as simple as a humidifier. Give it a couple weeks try, if nothing then maybe try your nearest guitar shop, they may be able to do a bridge plane for you. If non of the above work it really is at a luthiers discretion what they charge for a neck reset.

thermionic · April 2023

Bellying of a top is usually caused by high humidity. Check what the humidity is like in your environment before you try and correct it.

JEM · April 2023

I don't think the issue is due to the to bellying. As I mentioned there's a bit but it's not excessive.

I'm pretty sure that it's the top around the soundhole that's collapsing.

I'm leaving it with no strings on for a bit to see how it settles with no tension and will then try some lighter strings.

If that doesn't help it'll be a luthier or a new guitar.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Mellish · April 2023

The OP would need a DEhumidifier, not a humidifier.

EDIT: please ignore - misread the guitat issue!

crunchman · April 2023

If you want to get an idea of what is involved, watch a few of Ted Woodford's videos on YouTube. He has a few where he installs a bridge doctor, but from memory I think they were ladder braced oddities.

Ted's videos are worth watching anyway. They are one of the best things on YouTube.

earwighoney · April 2023

crunchman said:

If you want to get an idea of what is involved, watch a few of Ted Woodford's videos on YouTube. He has a few where he installs a bridge doctor, but from memory I think they were ladder braced oddities.

Ted's videos are worth watching anyway. They are one of the best things on YouTube.

Yes. He is superb.

BillDL · April 2023

The 2nd of the 3 videos I embedded earlier on this page is of Ted Woodford fitting a Bridge Doctor.

Stuckfast · April 2023

The quoted prices seem very high to me. Keith at Imperial Guitars near Cambridge did a difficult neck reset and a bunch of other work for me a couple of years back and the total was £300. And he did a hell of a job.

ElectricXII · April 2023

Jimmy Moon did a neck reset and some cosmetic work on my vintage Hofner bass a few years ago. All up it was around £300.

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