How about remove the skunk stripe as mentioned, get a cheap neck and use that truss rod in your neck?

Hello again of You all

I just did it as You suggested; ordered Stewart Mac kit from US.
The price was about 157:- € + taxes 39:- €

The work itself was't so difficult as expected.
I cut the wood with kit about 20mm deep and just make new threads.
Put a washer in and turn old bullet nut it's place (broked rod end out from nut)
And now my 73 Strat is back to live!!!!!!!!!

I want to thank You all for your help and adices.
I am a little bit proud of myself, because i did the work what my guitar tech could't do (Or he was just too afraid to ruin my guitar)

BR
jorkki

Glad it worked out...

...And now I am having a similar kinda issue with an old 30s wood Regal Dobro. The neck has a bow in it and no tech wants to touch it. Wonder if I could apply pressure and moisture and bend it back myself...

I am just starting to come to term that I will have to do the job myself. I welcome advice

Hey atolleter,
It sounds like you're in the same boat as I am with my grandmother's old guitar in that the instrument was made before the advent of truss rods? My grandmother's guitar is a 1937 Kay acoustic with of course a badly bowed neck and no truss rod to adjust it. I've spoken with a couple of people here in Ohio over the years that said they could do the job but it would be extremely expensive and that this guitar simply isn't worth it. If it were an old Martin or Gibson, they'd be willing but not for a Kay. As such I've done a little research on my own and I'm happy to share what I've learned...

Now before I start here, please let me say that I have NOT tried this...the logic seems sound, but I haven't actually done this on my own guitar. If and/or when you should attempt this repair, be VERY careful and do so at your own risk. Also, please do NOT take my word exclusively here...do as much research as you can! Read and learn and maybe even try it on a cheap, scrap instrument first before trying it on the real thing...as they say, practice makes perfect.

That said, what you say isn't too far off from what I've learned...basically you do have to steam the neck. It's not quite as simple as that however...essentially you need to make an adjustable jig where you can strap the body down and gradually pull the neck back. The issue here is the same as a truss rod really...if you try to do too much too fast, something WILL snap. You will need to set up something such as a closet as a make shift "steam room" where you can keep it -really- humid. After that you basically strap the guitar in to the jig, put it in the steam room and each day turn the adjusting screw that pulls the neck back just a little bit. I've been told that depending on how bad the bow is, this typically takes between 2 to 3 weeks.

There are some inherent risks here as well that you need to be aware of before you even consider doing this (or even consider having it done by someone else). The biggest is that the humidity is likely to effect the body of the guitar...it could cause any bracing, bridge, the neck or even the fretboard itself to come unglued!!! In fact, anything that is glued on the instrument is likely to come loose and will need to be addressed after the neck is straight. It -can- also cause the body...particularly the front and back to warp! Beyond that, depending on how you build the jig, it's also worth noting that there is absolutely NO GUARANTEE that the neck will flatten out perfectly straight! Instead of a bow, you could end up with a small roller coaster with "hills and valleys".

Now, after all of that work you would also need to be aware that if the instrument indeed doesn't have a truss rod, there is absolutely NOTHING to stop the neck from bowing again...it will happen eventually. The only way...that I know of...to keep the neck from bowing again is to pull the fretboard, route the neck and install a truss rod. -Very- tricky and precise work and not something I would recommend for the average "weekend warrior".

And now you know why I've never done my Kay. I won't tell you what to do here...you'll have to decide if the instrument is really worth these risks or not. That said, in my case I just decided to keep the instrument as a family heirloom...it was my grandmother's guitar given to her in 1937 by my grandfather on their wedding day. It's a shame really because it is a very fine sounding guitar but I just decided that I'd rather have it as a keep sake rather than take the chance of completely destroying it. I have enough other acoustics anyways..it's not like I really need to have this one playable.

Seriously...think long and hard before you attempt this kind of repair yourself...or even before you have someone else do it. It may simply be in your best interest to get another Dobro and retire this one simply as an keepsake or something....put it in a display case and mount it on the wall. I really hate saying that because I've always been of the attitude that "guitars were meant to be played" but even I have to admit that there does come a time when they deserve to be retired.

Either way, good luck to you!
Jim

hey frank,
Not that I need to do this right now (and hopefully never will!), but as an avid do it yourself kind of guy I would be very interested to know...how the devil did you get the skunk stripe loose? Heat/steam? Again I sincerely hope this is something that I -NEVER- have to do but it seems like a good thing to make a "mental note of".

Please share your experience!
Thanks,
Jim

Thank you for your quick and detailed advice. This pretty much confirms what I thought might work. The guitar is playable as is, especially that it was made primarily for slide but it is pretty difficult to fret beyond the 9th fret. Maybe a little humidity and pressure on the neck will do it good. I have a humidifer at home, I may just try it and keep and eye on the glue. With the humidifier I should be able to focus the steam on just that area of the neck, good thing this humidifier does not heat the water, it's one of those cold on with a fan blowing. The heat might have made the glue come apart.

I'll keep one string on to check the bow periodically, I have a set of gauges that should give me a pretty accurate reading.

Wish me luck guys

Thank you for your quick and detailed advice. This pretty much confirms what I thought might work. The guitar is playable as is, especially that it was made primarily for slide but it is pretty difficult to fret beyond the 9th fret. Maybe a little humidity and pressure on the neck will do it good. I have a humidifer at home, I may just try it and keep and eye on the glue. With the humidifier I should be able to focus the steam on just that area of the neck, good thing this humidifier does not heat the water, it's one of those cold on with a fan blowing. The heat might have made the glue come apart.

I'll keep one string on to check the bow periodically, I have a set of gauges that should give me a pretty accurate reading.

Wish me luck guys

Thank you for your quick and detailed advice. This pretty much confirms what I thought might work. The guitar is playable as is, especially that it was made primarily for slide but it is pretty difficult to fret beyond the 9th fret. Maybe a little humidity and pressure on the neck will do it good. I have a humidifer at home, I may just try it and keep and eye on the glue. With the humidifier I should be able to focus the steam on just that area of the neck, good thing this humidifier does not heat the water, it's one of those cold on with a fan blowing. The heat might have made the glue come apart.

I'll keep one string on to check the bow periodically, I have a set of gauges that should give me a pretty accurate reading.

Wish me luck guys

How about enclosing just the neck in something plastic? It would concentrate the steam from the humidifier and isolate the body. Just a random thought.

All good ideas, the more the better.

Only thing I am afraid of is getting the fretboard unglued from the neck.

First thing:

Congratulations! That's very impressive - and very satisfying for you too!

Nice work.

Regarding the other issue being discussed here: warped necks.

Just the other day I was discussing with a boat builder friend of mine how he steam bends quite large timbers to become the ribs of traditionally built boats. We're talking fair sized hunks of wood several inches in section.

He explained that they build a box the size and shape of the timber so as to enclose it with not too much spare space. Then they seal it up with a hose running in, the other end of which goes to one of those steam generating units for stripping wallpaper. He told me he's even done it with the hose running into an old saucepan full of boiling water through a hole drilled in the lid. Not hi-tech!

He said that after only 15 to 30 minutes exposure to that intensely steamy environment the timber could then be bent to shape with only the strength of your hands - he said even big timbers would bend like hard rubber.

Of course, the wood fibres are setting in position as they cool, so you have to work fast - minutes. And you must be ready to quickly clamp the wood into the shape you want it. Oh, and you need thick gloves - that wood is hot!

***

I corrected a warped neck in an easier way.

The problem with necks is the lacquer, which prevents steam penetrating the wood. I had a neck that had a hump at the seventh fret creating a back bow that the tension of the strings was not enough to pull straight.

So I clamped the neck to a strong piece of plywood, with a G-cramp on a caul at the seventh fret to bend it in that spot. I could screw the cramp down till the neck was straight, using the edge of a two foot steel ruler as a guide.

I then left it like that in a small utility room with a washing machine and a tumble dryer. That room went through repeated cycles of hot and cold, dry and steamy. I left it there for several months: when I finally looked again the neck had magically straightened. I reinstalled it and there were no further problems. The warp did not return. Here's a pic I took at the time:



Those were the days: I didn't even take the strings off!

***

I recall that Forum user Twelvebar did a similar job and also has pictures of how he clamped a neck. A little different than mine, if I remember right (?).

BTW: don't be too worried about hurting necks by bending them. If you have seen that YouTube vid of necks undergoing testing by violent bending at the Fender factory you realise that they are very tough and springy!

Cheers - C

I remember seeing a documentary where they made grand pianos and how they bend those big chunks of wood. Similar to making a solid wood acoustic guitar of violin, they make it seem so easy, maybe it just is yea right...

Also, I'll be working against a 70+ year old piece of wood. It's a round neck Dobro, those necks are pretty thick though, lot of wood to work with. I'll do lots of googling before I dive in.

I'd be careful about using steam around an old guitar particularly the steam from a wallpaper steamer. Hide glue melts at around 140 degrees F and is water soluable so there's a chance the whole thing could come apart if that's what was used to build the guitar. On the other hand, it will reset once it cools and dries. Humidity (without too much temperature) and pressure over time would be your best bet.

I was thinking maybe a washcloth soaked in warm water applied directly to the neck area would be more localized.