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Trimmed out a piece of maple.



Applied a light coat of glue to the heel and bolted the neck back on to clamp it.



After trimming



And it turned out looking quite nice!



Even thought it sounded fine before, I can tell the intonation is ever so slightly better. Seems like I'll be keeping up this practice in the future.

If you darken it with a brown Sharpie it won't look so bright and obvious.

That's a good idea.

I actually don't mind it though, considering it blends decently well with the binding.

The flossing on the 363 has gone wonderfully, but I also have to deal with areas where the poly yanked chunks of wood off the side of the heel before I even started on it.

If you score the joint with a sharp knife before disassembly you won't get as much tear-out.

You're right, of course. I've done that in the past but for whatever reason it didn't cross my mind this time. That polyurethane is so thick in those areas that I'm practically having to chip it off to get down to bare wood.

While I'm in the middle of this completely non-worthwhile project, I just want to say this to everyone who has taken the time to read and interact with my posts:

Thank you.

I am no luthier, I'm a toolmaker (plastic injection molds) and guitar technician in the afternoons and weekends. I have no intent or desire to craft my own acoustic guitar one day, there are plenty of others who will do that much better than I ever can. But it seems I have at least a decent ability to bring life to guitars that others may deem undesirable or a waste of time and money, so I am content to bear whatever title will best-suit such a mission.

Some call it hack work, some say it's a pointless venture because no commercial shop would even consider such a "repair." And it's true - these guitars are not made to be serviceable, as are 95% of the guitars you'll buy from any factory in Asia. It does just so happen that a couple of them are pretty good brands and have a large cult-like following. (Takamine, Yairi, Yamaha, etc.) And with all the disappointment I've found in people who get turned away by a luthier who won't attempt a reset on their Asian guitar, it made me think perhaps this could be a good area of specialization.

The Santa Fe didn't turn out perfect and there were things I should have done better. Perhaps one day I'll disassemble it again and redo. The Jumbo has turned out quite good (if only in my own opinion) and really tickles my fancy with its deep voice. The 363... well, I knew it really wasn't worth my time messing with it, but I did anyway. I'll probably get it nice and playable and donate it to someone who needs it more than I do. Even though I've put a lot of work into it, more learning experience with nothing to lose is never a bad thing.

You guys wouldn't believe how many people out there say their Takamine is their favorite guitar. They've been seen on stages all over the world for decades, and for their price point who can blame them? Plus, not everyone can afford to own a beautiful handmade guitar constructed by the hands of only one or two people. I've been fortunate enough to save up and buy such an instrument, but it still doesn't work for every situation I need it in (non-ideal weather mostly). I know a handful of guys who have had their hearts broken by being told their guitar is irreparable, and through my efforts they have found some hope. Maybe one day they'll ship me their guitar and I'll be able to help them out where everyone else has turned them down before.

I understand this forum is called "Luthier Forum" and not "How-to-repair-guitars-that-weren't-supposed-to-last-this-long-anyway Forum", but it makes me no less grateful to the folks who have chimed in and helped me achieve my goal. I've made a few old guitars playable again instead of into flower pots. Thank you.