New Topic
 
  #16946 Posted 2 Years, 11 Months ago
btubgin
Fresh Boarder
Posts: 1
graphgraph
User Offline
 
I was given an old suzuki acoustic guitar. Its probably 30 yrs old and has been stored with the strings tight. This has warped the neck slightly raising the strings off the frets to make it somewhat difficult to play.

Can I apply reverse pressure for a years or so to make it bend back? The guitar looks to have a steel rod in the neck but it seems pretty tight already.

To e-mail me, remove all of the sevens from my address.
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
The topic has been locked.
New Topic
  #16948 Posted 2 Years, 11 Months ago
SmackedUpTaco
Fresh Boarder
Posts: 1
graphgraph
User Offline
 
Why not go for broke and attempt to adjust the truss rod, if it is adjustable?

Yes, reverse pressure would work, if you have a few years. It is probably the least destructive technique that you could use. Knowing how much to overbend the neck will be the hard part to calculate.

If it is a high quality instrument, it might be worth contacting a luthier to see what they might say. If not, and I imagine that is why you are asking

involves a lot of work.

Ammonia vapor will loosen the lignin, the binder that holds the wood fibers together, and will permit you to reshape the neck. It must be held in a jig until the lignin resets. Naturally, if the truss rod is adjustable, but at its limit, it must be reset to a less stressed position.

Also, any other wood and glue joints must be protected from the ammonia vapor. In order for the ammonia vapor to penetrate the wood, any finish on the affected areas of the neck must be removed and then reapplied once the task is complete.

As I said, it involves a lot of work. But it can be done.
Magnetism, as you recall from physics class, is a powerful force that causes certain items to be attracted to refrigerators.
The topic has been locked.
New Topic

Related Posts:

The Content on this site is provided for general information purposes only. It can not and should not be a substitute for face-to-face professional advice. By entering this site you declare you read and agreed to its Terms, Rules & Privacy.
Copyright © 2006 - 2009 Axe Central