Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello All! I am in the middle of resetting a neck on a guitar that I built a few years ago due to the neck set learning curve. My saddle was too low and I didn't want to shave the bridge down plus I wanted to learn a little about neck resets. Have any of you ever found that the tongue had shrunk while the neck was off and then didn't fully cover it's old footprint? Perhaps a little moisture might make it marginally wider? What do you think? And what is the best way to remove the old aliphatic glue from the underside? Vinegar? Scraper? Thanks, as usual.
Tommy

Tommy,
I have never found a fingerboard extension to shrink noticably during a neck reset. I think it would be a bad idea to attempt to swell with moisture as it will want to shink back when it dries and will introduce stress into the joint with the top. The old glue should be removed by scraping, sanding, or both.
Good luck,
Todd

Tommy, I can't say that I've seen shrinkage you describe either - even if it had you couldn't be talking about more than 4 or 5 thousandths. Chances are better that you're seeing marks left from removal rather than the actual old footprint. Even if it did, messing withe the moisture content to fit an old footprint before gluing would be absolutely terrible. Intentionally swell wood like that prior to gluing and warp/twist/crack/pop/creep/bow are all immediately invited. It probably wouldn't leave much stress in the joint with the top though, as the spruce on each side will act as an effective stress release when it splits open along the grain.

For removing old glue, yes. Scraping, sanding, filing, whatever means works for you.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Try "De-Glue Goo" to remove glue residue. Made from acetic acid.

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Horton, MI

Thanks for the replies. I see the point about adding the moisture and I know this can be a problem area with cracks (reason for the popsicle brace). I will take your advice. Thanks again.