wwatson - Posted - 11/18/2009:  17:40:43

I posted some of these same questions under a different subject, but Perhaps this subject title will illicit more help.

My guitar is a 1928 wood National Trilolian with a neck stick. There are 12 frets clear of the body. This guitar has screens under the hubcap, not perforations. It needs a neck reset among other things. I'm looking for help with the neck removal and reset technique. I understand the process for steaming dovetail neck joints and I'm familiar with banjos and dowels stick and have built a few banjo necks.

I have removed the four wood screws that go through the maple fretboard into the neck block and guitar top and a couple of small wood screws that attach the sound-well lip to the neck stick. I also removed the tailpiece and corresponding screw. The neck is still firm and not loose at this point, but I haven't applied any significant force.

Does the fretboard portion that overlaps the body require heating and spatula work to loosen like typical guitars with dovetail attachment?

Is the heel of the neck glued to the body?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have done a lot of web searching, but haven't found the answers yet.
Thanks,
Bill

phil dean - Posted - 11/18/2009:  18:19:24

Maybe I can be of some help. I believe that you mentioned it is 12 fret to the body. The easiest way to do this is to remove the fret wire at the 12th fret drill a small hole through the fret slot down into the seam that joins the dovetail joint and inject steam into it with a small wire that is hollow in the center to allow the steam to go thru. You should be certain that the guitar and neck are braced well to facilitate only the neck to be shifted back and forth once the glue softens. Be very careful and don't force it ,eventually the glue will soften enough to get the fingerboard access so that you can loosen it with the spatula. Hope this helps. Phil

wwatson - Posted - 11/19/2009:  12:13:47

Thanks Phil, but I probably did not make it clear that this is not a dovetail neck attachment. It is a neck stick or dowel stick attachment, much like an old open-back banjo.

My dilemma is not knowing if any glue was used for attachment. I have removed all visible screws and I'm going to try and gently force a spatula under the fretboard portion over the body, first without heat, then perhaps with heat to the frets.

wwatson - Posted - 11/19/2009:  13:24:49

Neck is out! No heat required and there was no glue.

I had to saw through the stick/dowel posts (2) that are attached to the bottom of the stick/dowel (with a countersunk nail) and pads (1/4 x 2-1/2 x 2-1/2) on the inside back of the guitar. I was planning to replace the posts anyway because they typically shrink over time, causing some of the neck-angle problem. Neck came out clean with no damage.

Now, to change the neck angle. This should be similar to the routine for a banjo, I think.
Bill