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I am doing a neck reset on a 60's Guild acoustic. Also replacing the bridge (it had been shaved to accommodate the decaying neck angle. They put finish over the neck joint (cool, not so much), so I scored the joint, but still had some chipping. So, this will require some finish repair. I tested the finish, and it is alcohol soluble, which surprised me. This makes me think it is shellac, also there appears to be another layer of something else below the (maybe) shellac.

Does anyone know what finishes Guild was using in the 60's? I love shellac but it surprised me to find it on a guitar made in the 60's, or am I way off and there is another finish that is also alcohol soluble that was common then?

Thanks,
Geo

I'm pretty sure that it should be Nitro on the old Guild. Does it perhaps look like the neck was reset once before and they may have used shellac to cover it up (assuming you tested the finish at the neck joint).

Those are tough ones to reset.

Agreed that it should have a lacquer finish. Never have had to do neck reset on a Guild. Good luck.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Guild in the 60s used nitro. I've done multiple neck resets on them. Just for future reference a little acetone on the cheek/side line will soften the finish enough for a very clean cut.

Thanks, Dan - I've been at it over 40 years and I just learned a new trick from you.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Thanks guys. Somewhere along the line someone must have put a layer of shellac. I think the coat under is nitro. Yep, I tested in a few spots. Even the top has an alcohol soluble layer on it. . . albeit it looks nice... Dan, thanks for the tip on the acetone. If I see one like this again, I'll do it.

Agreed on the tough reset. I've done quite a few and this is the first that I had to pause to make a removal jig. It did come out clean, w/o damage. I did not score deep enough, next time I'll do the acetone. It sure looks like it was finished in one piece, after assembly.

Regards,
Geo

They are tough. In my shop I charge accordingly for the job.

As a warning be very careful when re-installing the neck, the slim heels are prone to cracking due to the design. And they're much more prone to it after they've been cut down even more after removal. I'm sure you can handle it though, if you got it out clean and without cracking it you've done well and you'll be fine.

No kidding on the heel. This neck angle was so bad that a straight edge on the fb touched the guitar top before even getting to the bridge. As I look at the heel there is a limit to how much I can take off before it gets unstable. The fingerboard extension was also sitting on a shim platform that was ~1/32" which I thought was done later but then saw it on videos of other Guild resets. A decision to make is whether to put that shim back in or leave it out and glue the fb extension to the top. That would required lowering the dovetail further into the joint and thus require more taken off the heel to get the angle right. I'll stew on this one for a bit. I am curious if you saw the same fb extension ship on the ones you have done.

Regards,
Geo

The shims I've found are on pre-early 70s models. Some have it and some don't. I always leave the shims, taking them out causes more problems than it solves. Sometimes the new neck angle requires another shim to be added underneath the factory one.

If you take the shims off the angle gets worse as you have accurately described. If the pocket is too deep I'll just add a fill and trim the bottom of the dovetail so it sits flush. Doesn't hurt anything but makes it easier to get a super solid fit on the reglue.

Super helpful Dan. I think I am going to put a new shim in. If I didn't there would be not enough left of the heel left after correcting the neck angle. I would be afraid it would crack. Thanks.

GS

Glad to be of help. Good luck with the repair. Also what model are you working on? I had a '70 F212XL that I rescued that was a fantastic instrument.

Dan -
It is an F-47. Seems like a really nice instrument. The internals are beautifully done. It looks like a lot of care went into the build.

Regards,
GS