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j.s.c · May 4th, 2012, 05:45 AM

Hi,
I just bought on ebay 1950 old classical guitar made by a french luthier called Louis Patenotte. It's a beautiful spanish guitar style in perfect condition,

but... the neck has a significant positive slope

which makes it difficult to play after the 6th fret.

What are the commun works to do to correct or reduce the slope? I need GT's guitarmakers help !

amx05462 · May 4th, 2012, 03:02 PM

most likely it has no truss rod or a non ajustable one. im dealing withthe same thing on an old marwin from the thirties. the method is to clamp a bar to the neck and apply heat to the neck then let it cool. this is defenitly luthier territory if you dont know what your doing. id remove the strings and feel around inside at the base of the neck for a truss rod bolt. just incase there is an ajustable rod in there and that would solve your problem..

j.s.c · May 5th, 2012, 08:49 AM

I will try the clamp + steam/heat solution...

If it doesn't work, i will unglue the fretboard to sand the wood of the neck directly. If anybody know a good youtube video to unglue a fretboard, I take it!

Must I get of rid of the frets because using a iron to heat the glue?
Is there a special technique to unstike the fretboard part which is on the body table?
...
so many questions. aiaie.

amx05462 · May 5th, 2012, 01:37 PM

go on yotube and look up dan erlewine. he does all that stuff. the technique is remove the frets and drill tiny holes to let steam in under the fret board. as to the clamp i used a heating pad to heat the neck of mine it worked but i havent put the strings back on yet as im installing pickups and had to refin the front of it. also am fitting a new bridge to ts archtop. the refin came good though. this guitar is from the 30s and had no pickups it was just an archtop acoustic.

amx05462 · May 5th, 2012, 01:42 PM

this is how i clamped mine. on two small blocks of wood and then the heating pad. i let it heat for a few hours then let it slowly cool with the pad on it.

amx05462 · May 5th, 2012, 01:55 PM

this is the same method for removing the fretboard. you have to melt that horse hide glue.. u use a thin scraper to get under the neck . preferably ground somewhat sharp.

i checked youtube all i see there are butchers. so id skip that.

like i said check for a AJUSTMENT NUT INSIDE THE BODY BEFORE DOING ALL THIS STUFF.

fender62custom · May 5th, 2012, 02:13 PM

Congrats on your new purchase j.s.c...hey amx...you do some fine work...thanks for taking the time to help a fellow Gretschie...cheers guys!!

p.s. hey amx..would love to see your guitar finished too...maybe you could post a thread with all your progress shots as well...cheers!!

j.s.c · May 7th, 2012, 09:30 AM

Many Thanks amx for your great advises!

amx05462 · May 18th, 2012, 08:28 AM

well heres the finished guitar. played it yesterday.. neck is straight action is nice and low specially for an acoustic guitar, and it sounds great when playing it through the twin reverb amp.

billraymond · May 20th, 2012, 12:41 AM

Your description of the problem, "the neck has a significant positive slope", implies that the neck may need more than just straightening. It may need a neck reset. The heat method of straightening a neck is used, but often provided only temporary results. I would suggest you ask over at the musical instrument makers forum www.mimf.com. They can help you over there in a) determining just what the problem is, and b) finding a solution that will work.

amx05462 · May 26th, 2012, 02:57 PM

not a bad idea . always goot to have a second opinion.. but... i can tell you since the neck straightening. 1 i didnt have to reset the neck. and two the action is very low for any guitar let alone an acoustic.. and no buzzing problem..

usualy if the neck needs a reset its very evident on an acoustic by the gap at the back of the neck joint. if that jiunt is tight then there is no need for a reset . ..

Lizardkinged · May 26th, 2012, 08:12 PM

Uhhhh, well... before you start steaming away, make sure it doesn't have a truss rod... if it does I would start there. But if otherwise, like the others said, steam and clamps is the best bet.

billraymond · May 27th, 2012, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amx05462

usualy if the neck needs a reset its very evident on an acoustic by the gap at the back of the neck joint. if that jiunt is tight then there is no need for a reset . ..

Not necessarily so: Often the body warps requiring resetting the neck to accommodate the new geometry and the neck joint remains intact.

amx05462 · May 27th, 2012, 11:00 AM

true but based on the photos.. and that is all i have to go by the body does not look warped in any way i do however know of which you speak.

i repaired this one for just that problem.. the method was to clamp as shown and then apply heat and moisture.

i can tell you the top was loke a roller coaster due to grandpa over tightening the strings to a point where i t warped the body. it had a 3/4 dip in front of the bridge and a 1/2 inch rise behind it..

when completed the top was dead flat as when new...

again going by the photos . this doesnt seem to be the problem. and i also highly doubt this could happen with this guitar as the strings are nylon and would stretch before warping the top..

ofcourse im assuming the guitar is properly taken care of..

then again it is good to look into everything. a straight edge on the top of the guitar will show any warping imediately..