Guitar Neck Removal Jig
Source: Guitar Neck Repairs

Tools and Materials Required:

Guitar Neck Removal Jig:

If you want convenience in removal of an acoustic guitar neck with a dovetail joint, this jig will be the ticket. It combines the work of several clamping cauls and the clamp used in neck removal as well.

With just a few pieces of plywood and some easy to obtain hardware you can make one of these useful tools for just a few dollars – less than the price of one clamp.

Obtain The Detailed Plans From Our Plan Shop:

These plans are available from our Plan Shop in the Free Tool Plan section towards the bottom of the page – Yep it is a free one you. How can you go wrong? Just click the handy download link and you can download it instantly and print one at your local printer or print a small copy and just follow the dimensions.

While you are in the Plan Shop, take a look around because we have a lot of useful tool plans and some really great guitar plans too, with more being added every month!

Making The Jig:

Making this jig is really quite easy. Just paste the templates on some scrap pieces of plywood or follow the dimensions and cut out the plywood pieces.

Next use your band saw to cut the radii on all of the corners.

Drill the 1/4″ holes for the Carriage Bolts and next countersink these holes in the top plate piece so the bolt heads can be glued and recessed. Also drill the holes in the other compression plates.

With the Drill Press and a Brad Point Bit, drill and mill the adjustable slots in the plywood. You can do this by setting up a temporary fence on the Drill Press Table and drilling the holes very close to each other while using a bit of sideways pressure to bit through the adjacent hole. You can make nice smooth slots this way.

Drill out the center compression hole to receive the threaded insert. Screw the insert in so it seats very tightly.

Next fit the plastic star knobs on the bolts, and fashion the plastic tip for the compression screw.

Finally slip 1/4″ vinyl or plastic tubing over the (4) carriage bolts to protect the guitar finish from the bolt threads and glue some sheet cork or sheet rubber on the faces of the jigs that will come into contact with the finished guitar surfaces. Use a rubberized glue so it stays flexible and will have some ‘give’ over time.

Using The Jig:

The jig is used to pop the neck out of the dovetail joint after loosening it using the procedures described within these articles.

Just slip the top plywood on the guitar face, attach the jig by slipping on the rear compression plate and tightening it up so the jig is solid on the guitar face. Just use the adjustment slots to adjust for different sized guitar bodies. You should mount is so that the front compression plate’s center compression screw will be centered directly over the guitar heel cap.

I would recommend that you use a protection for the heel even though the compression screw has a plastic tip. Use a small scrap of plastic or wood for this.

Crank in some pressure on the compression screw and the neck should pop out. If not you need to apply some more solution to loosen the joint.

Additional Guitar Making Tool Plans We Have:

Note: Click on each link below to go to our secure online shopping cart. Click on in info link for the information page for all the detail of each plan. You can order from the info page too.

Order Heated Guitar Side Bender Plans:
Heated Side Bender Info page

Order Cutaway Jig For Heated Side Bender Plans:
Cutaway Jig Info Page

>Order Unheated Guitar Side Bender Plans:
Unheated Bender Info Page

Order Go Board Gluing Jig Plans:
Go Board Info Page

Order Guitar Plate jointing Jig Plans:
Plate Jointing Jig Info Page

Order Belly Bridge Ramp Sanding Jig Plans:
Ramp Sanding Jig Info Page

Guitar Kerfing Cutting Jig Plans:
Kerfing Cutting Jig Info Page

Order Wooden Cam Clamp Plans:
Wooden Clamp Info Page

Order Adjustable Fret Slot Miter Box Jig Plans:
Fret Slot Miter Box Info Page

Order Inlay Cutting Jig Plans:
Inlay Cutting Jig Info Page

Guitar Inside Form Plans:
Inside Form Info Page (note order this plan from info page or plan shop page because it varies with each guitar shape.

Guitar Assembly Workboard Plans:
Assembly Workboard Info Page (note order this plan from info page or plan shop page because it varies with each guitar shape.

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F
Source: Guitar Neck

Tool and Materials Required:

36″ Steel Straightedge
Wood Chisel Set
Sanding Surfaces:
Garnet Sandpaper Assortment
Titebond III Glue
5-1/2″ x 12″ Bessey Heavy Duty Tradesman
6″ Medium duty C Clamps
LED Work Light
Mechanics Inspection Mirror
Wood Clamping Cauls:

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

In this article, the 6th in this series on a neck reset, we will discuss the gluing procedure of the neck back into the dovetail joint, including the fretboard from the body joint to the sound hole.

Make one last dry fit check of the neck to the body of the guitar. Use the Stainless Steel Straightedge and check the the horizontal and vertical alignments are absolutely perfect with no wobble in the joint. This time put a clamping caul on the face of the guitar and on the heel trim and clamp the neck into position.

Check the neck joint where the neck joints the body to make sure they are tight. Also grab the neck and body of the guitar and try to initiate movement in the joint.

If the joints are tight and there is no movement in the joint. disassemble the neck and get ready to glue.

Glue the Dovetail Joint:

First take your clamping cauls and wax the face of them with paraffin wax thoroughly. A option to this is to use waxed paper to prevent the cauls from sticking to the guitar face.

Carefully apply glue to both the male and female portions of the dovetail and to both sides of any wood shims that you may be using. Slide the neck into place, assemble the wood clamping cauls and clamp tightly with the Bessey Heavy Duty Tradesman Clamp.

Cleanup and glue squeeze-out with a damp cloth. Set the neck aside to dry thoroughly.

Glue The Fretboard:

Next fashion a couple of clamping cauls for the fretboard. You will need one for the inside of the guitar and one that sits on top of the fretboard.

I made my fretboard caul the same size (roughly) as the fretboard. Actually it is about 1/8″ smaller around the perimeter. Next I cut channels in this caul for fret relief. I didn’t want to compress the frets into the fretboard and desired to have the caul apply pressure directly to the fretboard – not through the frets.

The caul for the underside of the fretboard will need to be made with cutouts for braces, reinforcement strips etc. that you may encounter on the inside of the guitar. Be sure to check it out completely with an Inspection Mirror and a LED light source.

Place some double stick tape on the face of the caul that goes inside. Another option is to use a couple small pieces of Velcro to hold the caul in place. You don’t want to be concerned about this caul dropping out of place while you are wrestling with the clamps.

Press the inside caul into place.

Clean Up The Glue Joint:

Now mask off the fretboard area on the guitar tap. Take a sanding stick and carefully sand the guitar top at the fretboard attachment and get off all the old glue and smoothen the surface to prep it for glue.

Remove the tape and carefully fit the fretboard piece to make sure the fretboard fits tightly on the top and against the edge of the fretboard attached to the neck.

Glue the Fretboard In Place:

Spread glue on both surfaces of the fretboard. Use glue sparingly as you don’t want the fretboard to slide around too much.

Set the top clamping caul into place and lightly secure the C clamps into place. You will need to place at least (4) 6″ C clamps for this.

Clean up the glue squeeze-out with a damp cloth and set aside to dry.

Once dry, release the clamps and make any final cleanups.

Replace the Body joint Fret:

Your last step is to replace the fret that in located at the body joint. This will likely need to be glued into place. For directions of gluing frets see the articles:
How to Do A Glue-In Fret Job.

Check the fret height with a Fret Rocker. Adjust height as required and shape and finish fret.

Ultimate Guitar Repair Tip: Refer to our fretting section for detailed instruction on replacing this fret like a pro.

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Source: Guitar Neck

Tool and Materials Required:

36″ Steel Straightedge
Wood Chisel Set
Sanding Surfaces:
Garnet Sandpaper Assortment

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E

In this article, the 5th in this series on a neck reset, we will discuss the fitting of the guitar neck to the guitar body. Be absolutely sure that the neck aligns perfectly both horizontally and vertically to the global centerline of the guitar before you go on to the next step, gluing the neck.

Make sure that the neck joints are completely dry before continuing.

Next complete a final cleanup on all surfaces of the dovetail joint. Go lightly with your chiseling and sanding because we don’t want to take too much material off or we will need to reshape the joint.

Check The Joint Position:

Upon finishing cleaning and sanding the joint it is time to check the fit of the joint. Press the neck into the body and gently work it down as far as you can. The neck should seat perfectly level with the top of the guitar. Check the tightness of the neck and make sure there it is not loose.

If the neck seats low, you will have to add some wood shims to both sides of the dovetail joint. I usually use varying thicknesses of hardwood veneer and add the same thickness to each side of the joint. Adjust the dovetail itself as required to get the neck to set perfectly level with the guitar top plate.

If the neck sets too high you will need to take material off each side of the dovetail. Try to use the same amount of sanding pressure on each side and count your strokes so they are exactly equal.

Check The Horizontal Joint Alignment:

With the guitar neck firmly seated in the dovetail joint. Check the alignment of the neck to the global centerline of the guitar by placing a 36″ Steel Straightedge spanning the entire neck length up to the bridge. Mark the centerline on the fretboard if needed.

If the neck is not centered you will have to take a little material off one side or the other of the neck joint where it joins the guitar body with a sanding surface. By this I mean the neck itself where it meets the guitar body.

If you were careful in the removal of the old glue, horizontal alignment is not usually a problem. If you have to make an adjustment, remember that a little bit of sanding on these surfaces goes a long way, and just a few strokes can change the horizontal angle by 1/32″ to 1/16″.

Check The Joint Alignment Vertically:

Next, take your 36″ Steel Straightedge and check the vertical alignment of the neck to the guitar body. Lay the straightedge on the neck and all the way to the bridge. The neck and body should be in one plane and there should be no gaps whatsoever in this joint.

If the neck sets at an angle, either pulled up or pulled down, you will need to shave some material off the joint.

This will involve the surface of the neck that contacts the guitar sides. If the neck is pulled up you need to take material off from bottom to top on a taper. If the neck is pulled down you need to take material from the top to the bottom on a taper.

Be sure to take exactly the same amount of material off each side so you don’t throw off the horizontal alignment.

Once you have checked both alignments one final time, you are ready to glue the neck back on, and that will be covered in our next article:

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Source: Guitar Neck

Tool and Materials Required:

Hypodermic Needle Gluing Tool:
Titebond III Glue:
Drill Press
Wood Plug Cutter:
Plastic Tipped Hammer:
1/4″ Wood Dowels:
Scrap Fretboard Wood:
5-1/2″ x 12″ Bessey Heavy Duty Tradesman
Wood Clamp Cauls:

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D

This article addresses a condition that is a bit more atypical than our normal neck reset. We will be discussing a neck that has to be reset due to a cracked heel block. You will see this condition on the less expensive guitars and there is quite an easy fix for it.

How to Spot The Cracked Heel:

The heal will split somewhere between the fretboard and the heel trim piece, if there is one. Usually the split will be towards the middle of the heel.

This split will cause the neck to pull forward, because it has lost some of the bond with the guitar body and the head block.

Inject Glue Into the Joint:

The first step is to inject glue into the cracked heal as far into the crack as you can reach with the Hypodermic Needle Gluing Tool. The glue can be Tightbond III for all but exotic woods. If you encounter a neck with exotic wood you will have to use 2-Part Epoxy – Slow Set. You will have to work the glue into the crack with an artist’s spatula and by applying glue and rubbing it with your finger.

When enough glue has been put into the joint, clamp as described below and check for glue squeeze-out. If you have squeeze-out, clean up the glue before it dries and set aside to dry.

With the strings off the instrument, put a couple of wood cauls on the fretboard and heel trim piece and clamp with a Bessey Tradesman Clamp. Check for glue squeeze-out. If there isn’t any you need to inject more glue until it squeezes out of the joint.

Clean up the joint and set aside to dry.

Making the Repair Permanent:

There is a way that you can make this repair a permanent repair and this guitar will not split in this manner again. That is by the use of wooden dowels drilled into the neck/heel through the top of the fretboard.

I use 1/4″ dowels that I make up myself. Cut them so they go about 2/3’s of the way down the heel from above. You should take a normal solid wooden dowel and make it into a glue dowel. By this I mean you need to provide glue escape channels in the dowel so you can pound it into the dowel hole. If you don’t do this the hydraulic pressure from the glue will prevent you from completely seating the dowel. The grooves also tend to make for a much stronger joint.

Just take a dowel and clamp in into a vice and saw 3 or 4 grooves about 1/16″ deep the full length of the dowel. Then take the dowels over to the belt sander and put a chamfer of the end that will be at the bottom so that it will nicely travel down the drilled hole.

Drill The Dowel Holes:

It is best to drill the two dowel holes with a good drill press as you want to be accurate in drilling this or you may drill out the side of the heel.

Set the angle of the table or the drill press head so you can drill a 1/4″ hole about 1/2″ on either side of the center of the neck. (This will miss a truss rod if there is one in the neck.). Angle the dowel so it roughly follows the angle of the heel block. This will have to be calculated differently for every guitar as there is too much variation to give you specific information. This hole will be drilled directly down thorough the fretboard.

Now do the same with the opposite dowel, down through the fretboard. Also, make sure you set your depth stop on the drill press. I like to use Brad Point Drill Bits for this work.

Now measure each hole and cut the dowels to length so the will be recessed beneath the bottom surface of the fretboard or just level with it.

Glue The Dowels:

Now take Titebond III Glue and spread it completely over the surface of the dowel. Insert the dowel into the hole and pound in with a Plastic Tipped Hammer. Take another short piece of dowel and set it on top of the dowel you just tapped in and set the dowel down to the proper level. Repeat with the opposite dowel.

Clean all glue from the remaining portion of the hole very thoroughly, unless you are prepared to set your plugs.

Cut Ebony or Rosewood Plugs:

Now take a dowel cutter and cut some plugs for the fretboard. Carefully select wood to match color and grain pattern of the fretboard.

Smear some Titebond III in the hole with a glue brush and tap the plugs into place, leaving them just a little proud of the fretboard surface. When dry, sand smooth and give the fretboard a nice coat of oil or stain and you will hardly see the repair.

Set aside to dry overnight.

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Acoustic Guitar Neck Removal Part B
Source: Guitar Neck

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C:

Since resetting an acoustic guitar neck is a rather involved process, we will split this process into several different articles. This one is the third in the series

In the last article, gave you instruction as to how to remove an acoustic guitar neck with a dovetail joint and it was a rather simple joint separation process, which describes most of the neck resets you will encounter.

Unfortunately not all the neck joints you encounter will be easy to remove in this manner and you will have your share of tough neck resets ahead of you.

In this article we will discuss removal of a very stubborn neck, by means of super-heating the joint and releasing the glue at the dovetail joint.

Since the fretboard removal gives us easy access to the dovetail (or mortise and tenon joint), we can now proceed with removal of the guitar neck from the guitar head block.

Tools and Materials:

20 gage Hypodermic Needle:
Hand Scrapers:
Old Kitchen Knife:
Propane Torch Kit:
Heat Absorbing Sheet for Guitar Top:
Wood Clamping Cauls:
20 gage Hypodermic Needle::
Double-Stick Tape:
4″ x 8″ Bessey Regular Duty Tradesman
Wood Chisel Set

Glue Softening Recipe:

Mix up a solution of 1 part rubbing alcohol, 4 parts water and a few drop of dish-washing liquid. Mix it thoroughly and fill an long-needle hypodermic needle full of the solution. Carefully squeeze the solution into the dovetail joint as deeply as you can insert the needle and let it stand for a while.

You will find that most of the time there is a gap between the back of the dovetail joint and the front of the head block, which will allow the insertion of the needle very easily.

Prepare The Kitchen Knife:

Now take an ordinary stainless steel kitchen knife and thin the blade on a grinder wheel. The knife should be totally stainless steel and not have an other material on it as this may melt due to the intense heat.

Because you have cleaned the dovetail joint out with the sawzall blade you should be able to insert the knife blade nearly all the way down into the joint.

Fill the joint around the knife with your glue softening solution and protect the top of the guitar with a heat absorbing sheet material to protect the finish.

Super-heating The Dovetail Joint:

Hold a Propane Torch on the kitchen knife handle until the mixture in the joint starts to steam and boil. When the steaming or boiling stops, add more water and continue for several minutes.

Take care not to do this too long as you may start to loosen the glue at the top and back plate head block and or the guitar plate joints themselves. Better to check more often, until you get a feeling as to the correct amount of time that you should use.

By now everything should be loosened up quite a bit. Check the status of the joint by trying to move the neck in the dovetail joint with a back and forth motion. If it won’t move yet, continue with the heating treatment. Once you detect at least some movement in the joint you are done with the torch.

Take this kitchen knife out with leather gloves or a plyers because this is really HOT. Be sure to lay it in a safe place to cool down. I usually lay mine on the concrete floor of the shop, in an out-of-the-way location that is clean

Remove the heat shield for the top and drain out what water may be left in the joint. Install the blocks on the top plate and neck as described in the last article (Part B) and apply the Bessey Clamp on the joint.

Be sure to do this rather swiftly and don’t let the joint cool down too much or the glue may begin to harden and you will not be able to dislodge the neck from the joint.

If you did your heating job properly, the neck should slide right out of the joint with very little clamping action.

Now remove the clamp, the block and turn the guitar facing upwards on a padded workbench.

Clean The Joint Thoroughly:

While the joint is still solution soaked you should thoroughly clean the joint of any old glue with hand scrapers and sharp chisels. This is the easiest time to do this as the glue will peel right off the wood surfaces. Take care not to take any wood off either the neck or the head-block side of the joint as this will compromise the fitting of the neck when it is time to re-glue.

Set the body and neck aside to dry thoroughly and do no work until the joint is completely dry.

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Acoustic Guitar Neck Removal Part B
Source: Guitar Neck

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B:

Since resetting an acoustic guitar neck is a rather involved process, we will split this process into several different articles.

In the last article, we left off at the point of removal of the fretboard from the 12 or 14th fret to the sound hole.

In this article we will discuss removal of the neck, by means of releasing the glue at the dovetail joint.

Since the fretboard removal gives us easy access to the dovetail (or mortise and tenon joint), we can now proceed with removal of the guitar neck from the guitar head block.

Occasionally this process is quite easy, as the glue joint is old and possibly even has failed completely.

You can check it out by grasping the neck with one hand and the trying to work the neck joint back and forth. If you can, then this will be a very easy process for you – check out the Ultimate Guitar Repair Tip below for information on this.

Tools and Materials:

20 gage Hypodermic Needle:
Hand Scrapers:
Wood Clamping Cauls:
Double-Stick Tape:
4″ x 8″ Bessey Regular Duty Tradesman
Wood Chisel Set

Ultimate Guitar Repair Tip: If you find the guitar neck is already loosened, you may not need to separate the fretboard separately from the guitar neck. You can simply work a sharpened spatula beneath the fretboard to separate the fretboard from the guitar top and you can separate the neck from the guitar very easily. If it does not dislodge, follow the clamping procedure outline below.

Glue Softening Recipe:

This is an old trick my father used to use to get old wooden furniture joints apart.

Mix up a solution of 1 part rubbing alcohol, 4 parts water and a few drop of dishwashing liquid. Mix it thoroughly and fill an long-needle hypodermic needle full of the solution. Carefully squeeze the solution into the dovetail joint as deeply as you can insert the needle and let it stand for a while.

You will find that most of the time there is a gap between the back of the dovetail joint and the front of the head block, which will allow the insertion of the needle very easily.

Work The Joint Loose:

Next slip a long sharp blade, like a sharpened sawzall blade into the joint as far as you can. If you leave the teeth in tact, you will be able to work out old softened glue while you are at it. Work the blade back and forth and continue to go deeper. If you can’t complete the dis-assembly, squeeze more solution into the joint with the needle and try again.

Clamping The Neck Off:

Now we need to force the joint apart with a Bessey Bar Clamp.

Lets start by fashioning three 3/4″ plywood blocks. The first one is designed to fit around the dovetail joint while supporting the top (see diagram at the top of this article). The next one will be a long block to support the body of the guitar just behind the bridge and the third one supports the neck at the nut.

Note that the block at the nut needs to be trimmed down in thickness, to compensate for the fretboard thickness.

Attach the two blocks on the body of the guitar with double stick tape. Now place the guitar face down on the workbench.

Make sure your Bessey Clamp has a padded jaw, otherwise use a small piece of wood to protect the heel block. Apply the clamp over the heel and apply pressure on the dovetail joint with the clamp, by twisting in some pressure.

If you did your glue softening trick adequately, as outlined above, you should be able to ‘pop’ the neck right out. If it is stubborn, inject some more glue softening mixture into the dovetail joint and let stand for about an hour. Try to clamp the neck out once again.

Clean The Joint Thoroughly:

Once you have the joint separated, carefully clean all of the glue off the joints of all surfaces. On the neck, this is easiest done with a metal hand scraper or a very sharp chisel. As for the head block, use a sharpened chisel. Check your work and do not let any old glue remain as this will compromise the joint.

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Acoustic Guitar Neck Removal
Source: Guitar Neck

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A:

Since resetting an acoustic guitar neck is a rather involved process, we will split this process into several different articles.

First we will deal with the removal of the fretboard. I am assuming that you have already analyzed the guitar and determined the need for the reset. If not go to the article on Guitar Neck Analysis for more information.

More often than not the need for a neck reset will be for a guitar with a fixed truss rod, in other words, a rod or reinforcement that cannot be adjusted and is fixed or glued solidly in place.

Tools and Materials:

Long Sharp Kitchen Knife:
Propane Torch Kit:
Reworked Fret Nippers:
Reworked Putty Knife:
Old Iron:
1/8″ Ceramic Fiber Heat Protector:
4″ x 8″ Bessey Regular Duty Tradesman

Prepare The Guitar:

Start by preparing the work site of the guitar. Place the guitar on a padded work surface on the work bench. Completely remove the strings from the instrument.

Fretboard Removal:

Next we will need to remove the fretboard. It is usually not necessary to completely remove the fretboard, unless you wish to replace it at the same time. We only need to remove the fret board from the point where the neck joins the body (either the 12th or 14th fret) to the sound hole.

Ultimate Guitar Repair Tip: Start by protecting the top from heat with a piece of 1/8″ thick ceramic fiber board that you cut to fit the guitar and cutout around the fretboard. The ceramic fiber is about the best substitute that you will find for asbestos board. The ceramic fiber board will absorb any heat and protect the guitar finish from damage during the fretboard removal process.

While you are fitting the top protection onto the guitar, heat up your iron.

Next take your Reworked Fret Nippers and pull out the fret at the body/neck joint. If you need help doing this visit the article How to Remove Frets for detailed instructions.

Now set the iron on the portion of the fretboard to be removed. Be sure to leave the frets in place as they will serve to help conduct the heat through the fretboard and into the glue. Keep an eye on the work area and make sure things don’t overheat. It usually takes just a few minutes to complete heat the glue enough to soften it.

Now remove the ceramic fiber top plate protector and carefully ease a Reworked Putty Knife under the corner of the fretboard. If you can slide it under the fretboard, you have done a good job of heating the glue. If it won’t go under at all or it is very difficult, you have some more heating to do. Make sure to completely reset the top heat protector each time you reheat the fretboard.

Once you are able to get the putty knife under the corner of the fretboard, gradually ease it alone the sides and up to the removed fret on each side. Start over at the corner and this time shove the putty knife a bit further beneath the fretboard. Continue this until you have completely separated the fretboard from the guitar top plate.

Now you should have full access to the dovetail or mortise and tenon joint that joins the guitar neck to the guitar head block and that will set us up for the second part of this article, which deals with softening the neck/body joint and actually removal of the guitar neck.

Click The Links Below To Go To Other Articles In This Series

Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part A
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part B
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part C
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part D
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part E
Acoustic Guitar Neck Reset – Part F

Gluing a New Bridge Plate
Source: Guitar Bridge Repairs

Gluing a New Bridge Plate:

If you haven’t already, read the accompanying articles on this subject:
How to Remove a Loose Bridge Plate:
How to Make a New Guitar Bridge Plate:

Tools and Materials Required:

Wooden Cam Clamps:
2-Part Epoxy Glue
Acetone:
Bridge Plate Caul:
Mechanics Inspection Mirror
LED Work Light
Paraffin Wax:
Rubber Gloves:
N95 Rated Respirator

Making the Bridge Plate Camping Caul:

This caul is very important in the gluing process. You should take the bridge place and trace it onto a 19 mm (3/4″) thick piece of hardwood. Cut the caul out on the band saw and make sure you make it 1/8″ to 1/4″ smaller on each side than that of the bridge plate.

Next take some paraffin wax and thoroughly wax the bottom side of the caul to prevent glue from sticking to it during the gluing step.

Clean The Bridge Plate:

If you decided to make the bridge plate from an exotic wood, or a wood that contains a lot of resin, you should clean the gluing surface of the plate with acetone until no color comes off on the cleaning rag.

Ultimate Guitar Tip: Be sure to use Rubber Gloves and a Respirator while working with Acetone. It can be absorbed through your skin and into your lungs and is very unhealthy.

Prepare The Guitar:

Make all the necessary preparations to protect and secure the guitar such as placing a top protection template on the guitar, securing the guitar to the workbench or in a woodworkers vice and placing a protective pad in place to protect the guitar finish. Place the LED Work Lightt and Mechanics Inspection Mirror

Glue The Bridge Plate:

Coat the bridge plate with a thin coating of 2-Part Epoxy Gluee. Use a thing piece of plastic with a straight edge to make the coating thin and even.

Place the Bridge Plate into position with one hand and set the clamping caul into place with the other. Make sure the bridge plate is in place by inspection in the mirror. Not take a wooden cam clamp and hold into position and flip the cam to place a bit of pressure on the assembly. Take one final look at the assembly to make sure that everything is in place.

Now place (2) more wooden cam clamps on either side of the center clamp and position them carefully. Place a slight amount of pressure on them. Next apply more pressure progressively until the clamps are tight and set aside to dry overnight.

Remove Clamps and Cleanup:

Remove the clamps the next day. Clean any excess glue with a small sharp chisel.

Chuck a drill bit that most closely fits the bridge pin holes. Hold a sacrificial piece of wood about 1/2 to 3/4″ thick inside the guitar tightly over the bridge plate and drill down through the bridge pins holes and through the bridge plate. The sacrificial wood will minimize tear-out of the drill bit as it exits the hole.

Guitar Fretboards
Source: Guitar Neck

Making a New Bridge Plate:

This simplest way to make a new bridge plate is to make a pattern from the old bridge plate. This may be easier said than done as when you remove the existing bridge plate as shown in the article Removing a Guitar Bridge Plate, you will find that it comes out in pieces.

If it is not possible to piece together the existing plate you will need to construct one use the following method.

Take a piece of cardboard that is about 8″ x 6″ and hold it up against the point where the X braces intersect inside the guitar. Prop the cardboard with a stick that is propped against both the cardboard and the guitar back plate.

Place the Inspection Mirror on the bottom of the guitar, facing upward, along with the LED Work Light. Carefully mark the centerline of all the braces on the cardboard with a pencil.

Remove the cardboard and cut the cardboard out. Try to fit inside the guitar and keep trimming the cardboard until you have a perfect fit. This may take a couple of tries.

Material of the New Bridge Plate:

The best wood material for the bridge plate will be a good quality tonewood that is very hard, as it has to withstand not only the strain of the strings, but the resistance of the string ends from pulling through the wood.

I have the most luck with a piece of Indian Rosewood. The grain should run perpendicular to the grain of the top wood. Thickness should be about 1/8″.

Sizing The Bridge Plate:

For normal top plate conditions the bridge plate extends about 3/4″ to 1″ in back of the back side of the bridge and 1/4″ to 1/2″ in front of the front line of the bridge. Now this is for normal tops. For bellied tops, that is a different matter.

Depending of the severity of the belly you may need to extend the front of the bridge plate nearly all the way to the X Brace intersection, and to the rear of the bridge by 2″ in lieu of 1″. This is needed to straighten out the belly of the top and provide a better connection between the top and bridge plate.

Place your cardboard template on the bridge plate blank and cut to size with a band sand. Sand the edges straight with the Stationary Belt Sander and check the fit. Re-sand until you have tight joints against all the braces.

Finally ease the edges of the bridge plate a bit by sanding a slight chamfer on each edge of the plate. (About 1 mm). Final sand the plate with 220 grit sandpaper.

Checking a Top For Bellying or Cupping
Source: Guitar Bridge Plate Repairs

How to Remove a Loose Bridge Plate:

Bridge plates are an extremely important part of the guitar top plate strength and durability. Often as the guitar dries out over time, the bridge plate glue will dry also and begin to separate from the top.

The bridge plate serves the guitar top plate well as it gives a great deal of stability to the most stressed part of the guitar – the top. The strings exert a tremendous prying action on the bridge and that is conveyed to the top and the bridge plate located beneath the bridge. The structural strength of the top is dependent on this structural bond between these 2 pieces of wood to resist this string tension, thereby resisting bowing or bellying of the top.

If you look at the diagram at the beginning of this article you will see the areas that will display a loose bridge plate problem. Be aware that just about every guitar displays a slight amount of bellying and cupping around the bridge area, especially after years of the guitar being strung up. If a guitar does not display “ANY” amount of deformation, then the top is probably built too thick and it could have sounded quite a bit better with a thinner top.

Usually you will not have a problem with the guitar top if the top pulls up about 1/8″ to 3/16″ from the edges. More than this and it is time to start looking for problems inside the guitar.

Tools and Materials:

Stanley 7.5″ Wonder Bar:
Mechanics Inspection Mirror
LED Work Light
Brace Probe:

Inspect The Bridge Plate:

First you should determine if there is indeed a bridge plate problem. You can sure see one from the exterior of the guitar by the classic bellying of the top behind the bridge that is usually accompanied by a cupping of the top in front of the bridge. (be aware that this same condition can be caused by loose or broken structural braces.)

Place an Mechanics Inspection Mirror inside the guitar and with an LED Work Light and the Guitar Brace Probe, try to find loose areas around the bridge plate. If you can extend the probe beneath the bridge plate in any area, you will need to remove it and reset the plate.

Removal of the Bridge Plate:

To remove the bridge plate we need to pry it off with a reworked Stanley 7.5″ Wonder Bar:. The edge of the bar is sharpened at about a 45 degree angle. We want make this much more tapered, say about a 10 to 20 degree angle so we can slip it under the loose bridge place much easier. Secondly, I cut the wonder bar roughly in half so I can easily maneuver it from within the inside of the guitar. Actually I have reworked two of these. One is about 5.5 to 6″ long – this one has the gradual arc. The second one is about 4″ long that has the hook.

I do have one more of these where I heated the hooked end enough to remove the temper and hooked the end completely around itself to form a “U” shape. This one can be maneuvered from the soundhole much better.

Also before you start prying at the loose place you should place a protection piece of wood between the wood top plate and the wonder bar.

Ultimate Guitar Repair Tip: Pay attention to the grain direction for the top. Remember that we had this concern with removal of the bridge as well. The bridge plate space across 2 different top plates and it will be more than likely that you will have to work in 2 different directions to get the bridge plate loose with minimal damage.

Slowly work the pry bar beneath the plate and gently pry upward. Move a bit more and repeat. Now start over and try to shove the pry bar under the plate a bit more. Do this until the plate separates from the top.

Be very careful not to extend the pry bar beneath structural braces.

It’s almost a sure bet that the bridge plate will come out in pieces. Try to keep track of them as we will attempt to make a pattern for a new bridge plate from them.

Final Sanding

Visually check that there are not pieces of the bridge plate left on the top. Try to clean them off with a small flat chisel or a sharpened putty knife if there is.

Finally, sand the bridge plate area with 120 grit sandpaper and work down to 220 grit, until everything is smooth. Make sure you have all traces of glue removed as well.