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I am interested in purchasing a Silvertone guitar from the early '60's. However, it is said to need a neck adjustment. I have set up many guitars but never a vintage one without a truss rod. They are only asking about $150 for the guitar.
Is this possible to do on my own? Worth it?
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01-16-2022 11:51 PM
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Possibly possible, depending on what adjustment it needs. But IMO not worth it. Sears and Roebuck did not sell good guitars. Even at $150 I would pass.
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Originally Posted by zboom19
If the neck angle is off and it has bolt-on neck (as on a Danelectro) you can take the neck off and put a shim in the neck pocket to adjust the neck angle, which is a pretty easy, DIY job. Some of them also have a neck tilt screw, but doesn't work very well (at least not on my Danelectro/Silvertone bass, which also has a badly warped neck, but I got it for free). If it has a glued-on neck, fixing the neck angle requires a neck reset, which is a very expensive luthier repair, so only worth doing on one of the collectible ones.
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Here are few methods outlined.
Warped guitar necks: Part 3 - Defining things and Bow — Haze Guitars
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For $150 you would need to see/hear something very special; something well beyond the outward value of the guitar. Frankly, even at their best, they were built for cheapness. That means cheap materials, electronics with a funky limited sound and longevity was not a consideration.
That being said, they are a niche guitar, more prized among the novelty collector and genre players than jazzers.
All good points from the posters, and do try it out. At best, it's a lot of work for your money, and likely even more money for a lot of work and maybe a lot of work to get the player out of you when you're working with one of those.
Just sayin'
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The only ‘adjustment’ you can do yourself on a neck without trussrod is switching to heavier or lighter strings. If the neck is bolt-on, a shim in the neckpocket can also help adjusting things, but won’t change neck relief. Neck relief with a certain string gauge is a given, nothing to adjust there.
As mentioned before, more structural repairs and or changes in the form of shaving/reshaping the fretboard, refret, neck reset (in case of a set neck) or installing a trussrod is only economically feasible if you can do it yourself and like doing it…
Otherwise I would pass….
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I have one of those Silvertone case-in-amp guitars I picked up for a song 40 years ago in a pawn shop. Neck is in similar shape as the OP describes. I found this video informative, gonna give it a shot. Looks simple and easy, hardest part might be finding an old-school tube sock LOL.
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Originally Posted by Little Jay
Tour of Gibson Custom Shop
Today, 06:04 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos