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I had a client call me and say that the heal on one of my archtops had started to open up a bit. This client was VERY bad about keeping humidity in the case (22% when I took a reading last month) so I assumed tha neck block had shrunk a bit, allowing the neck to canter.
Got it in my shop and got the pickups out to tighten the neck. But the lower bolt just spun without gaining any purchase. Hmmmm. Pulled both bolts to remove the neck and see what was going on. But the neck still wouldn't come off, it just teetered. After some head scratching I remembered that he wanted the strap button to go on the back of the guitar into the neckblock because he uses the cutaway a lot and didn't want to hit his hand on it. And after I took it off, the neck released just fine. The idiot that put that strap button forgot that he was driving it into the tenon a bit and cracked it just enough to allow the insert to spin freely. Man, who would do such a thing. Well, and epoxy fix and a shorter screw and it's back in business.
Just one of those lightbulb moments I thought I share with you all.

Sounds to me that the owner bears some responsibility , he had the option of contacting you or having his repair guy contact you so as to have avoided the situation. I had a similar event, over 19 years ago,with a mandolin, a strap button and a customer's repair guy. I don't know that I'd go far enough to call the guy installing the button an idiot though..
..just one old mans opinion.

hmmm. Paul would never speak derogatorily of someone else...

Who has the moniker:

"OH no another learning experience?"

Who is that?

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Terry might just be on to something.
Though I'd like to blame the owner, yes, I was the idiot that installed that pin. I'm always careful when installing them through the side of the heal so that I don't hit a bolt. It didn't even occur to me when going up through the bottom. And I didn't actually hit anything, just the soft tissue of the tennon which split it just enough to make the insert spin.
Yes, Hesh, it was "your" guitar. Sorry.

[QUOTE=Bruce Dickey] Who has the moniker:

"OH no another learning experience?"

Who is that? [/QUOTE]

That's me Bruce!!   And I would say this situation fits the bill. I'm glad
Paul was able to diagnose and fix the problem without puling his hair out
and making the situation any worse.

This is one of those situations that have the penitential to drive you off
the deep end; the ones that are so simple once you’ve spent half a day
figuring them out!


As for the saying, I graduated from the University of Mass in the
University Without Wall program. I had taken that "Semester Off" to
study guitar making which ended up lasting 3 years.

One of the things that attracted me to the program was the ability to gain
credits through life experience. The only downside was the actual
creating of the Prior Learning Portfolio that would be evaluated for depth
and breath of experience and a number of credits would be awarded for
your efforts outside the classroom.

During the class time that accompanied the righting of the portfolio the
phrase "Learning Experience." came up quite a bit.

During my last few days push to get my portfolio finished I stopped
behind a truck at red light and there was the bumper sticker that read,
"Oh, No! Not Another learning Experience!"

Inset hysterical laughter followed by spilt coffee and the rest is history!

Louis

_________________
- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

I had a student once who was removing a dovetailed neck form a repair guitar - he was just about to drive the steam into the 15th fret slot when I noticed a screw inside on the neck block - I said wait a sec, lets get that out first . .. so while taking out the screw I jokingly mention that maybe thats all that holds her in .. sure enough, the screw came out, and the neck fell off

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

[QUOTE=TonyKarol] I had a student once who was removing a dovetailed neck form a repair guitar - he was just about to drive the steam into the 15th fret slot when I noticed a screw inside on the neck block - I said wait a sec, lets get that out first . .. so while taking out the screw I jokingly mention that maybe thats all that holds her in .. sure enough, the screw came out, and the neck fell off [/QUOTE]

Of course I would have steamed for hours and cussed for hours more. After throwing it across the shop and picking up the pieces would have noticed the screw.