Official Luthiers Forum!

I set out to do a normal neck reset on a 1940's L-00 acoustic. Ued a heater blanket to soften the neck extension and used a spatula to release the glue. Took off the 15th fret, drilled a hole for my steamer needle, put on the neck removal jig, heated up the cappacino maker to the steam stage, inserted the needled and had a million rags ready to sop up the moisture. No problems so far! Well, this is where it all went south.

The neck joint wouldn't budge,even after about 10 minutes of steam! I was frantically sopping up moisture from the steam around the fretboard extension, but as you can see, it dulled the finish, yellowed the black color between the fretboard and the soundhole, and turned the finish white in some spots on both sides of the soundhole on the upper bout...what the heck is that?! The steam also shot out of the truss rod channel on the headstock and before I realized it, it had bubbled some of the finish a little and dulled it. And to add to the frustration, the finish was softened the heel cap and came off with the caul I had between the fixture and the heel.

And the neck joint still didn't come loose! Is there something unusual about this neck joint on this model? Any suggestions on how to get the neck off and repair the finish damage, aside from a refinish? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

The white splotches were mineral stains--- Ha! Didn't use purified water. Duh! They came off with some Mequire polish. But how the heck do I get the neck joint apart? Is it attached different than a normal dovetail? I have heard that some of the early gibsons had the neck set, then the top put on, and the fretboard then glued on. Anybody with Gibson L-00 neck joint experience?

That is a real beauty!

I am not a repairer but I just built one like that. I looked at a bunch of original photos and I wonder if that 15th fret is beyond the dovetail.
The dovetail is only about a half inch long. So measuring from the edge of the body, can you mark where that would be on the fretboard and put a piece of tape to mark the end of it. Then take another photo.

I think the white spots will go away with time.

_________________
Ken

Not trying to be unkind but this is no beater guitar and if you don't know what finish "blush" you might want to consult with someone who does.

It's pretty impossible to help from here in that I would need to see it in person to better understand where you are with the reset.

The fretboard extension should be loose from working the pallet knives carefully and being mindful of runout.... You also have to know what runout is to be mindful of it.... We loosen extensions with heat lamps and shields AND bubbling finish is not allowed... The runout direction tells us the appropriate directions to work the pallet knives.

It's true that some L-OOs did have the top installed over the dovetail pocket after... the neck was installed and set. Not only was this an incredibly stupid thing for G*bson to have done it makes resetting much more complicated..... Some of the other lines that G*bson made in this time period such as Kalamazoo KG-11's and others they did this same thing, install the top over the dovetail. It still can be reset though.

As Ken mentioned too you have to be sure that the steam probe is actually in the very small void behind the dovetail on these. The pocket is hard to hit.

G*bson was also known to use so much HHG that they often glued their cheeks to the sides..... No jokes please...

Anyway you may want to consult someone who's done this before on valuable, vintage instruments and who also knows how to cut the top away over the dovetail. We don't and won't accept shipped in work so not trying to get any business out of you, just trying to help you and the guitar.

Don't know if you understand that this is a highly coveted instrument, a personal all time favorite of mine so please, please be kind to this old girl she's important, rare, highly sought after and valuable? Thanks.