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A friend of mine is interested in purchasing a pre-war Gibson archtop from an out of town dealer but has concerns that it might need a neck reset. The two potential signs of that are the underside of the saddle is notched to recess the thumbwheels to allow the saddle to be lowered even more than it would otherwise be. And, there is very little clearance between the tailpiece and the top of the guitar. I am including a photo showing the saddle and the tailpiece. My friend has been told that the action is "good," but we don't have measurements, and that the guitar has never had a neck reset. Have you seen this notching done to recess the thumbwheels before and is it indicative of the guitar needing a neck reset? I guess it's possible that the guitar is stable at this point but is that just wishful thinking?
Thanks!
Bill
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07-13-2023 11:52 PM
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Based on the one photo, IME, I would say it would likely benefit from a neck reset. The saddle is notched for the wheels, and more important, is thin( or low)in height. The saddle also appears notched to lower the high E and B strings, also indicating a neck set is needed. I usually like to see an archtop bridge height of at least 3/4” to 1”( as a rule of thumb), and that bridge appears lower than that. The guitar might still play well, but I have found that tone and volume will be lacking with a bridge that is too low.
What year and model of Gibson?
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This is an example of what the bridge would have looked like before the saddle was notched. This bridge has a height of 0.85”. This is on a 1937 L-50 with a neck joint that has the end of the fingerboard elevated above the top of the guitar (for sale if he’s looking for other options). The bridges are usually a bit lower than this on the ones that have the fingerboard that is flush with the top of the guitar in my experience.
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Originally Posted by daverepair
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Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
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Originally Posted by Bill Eisele
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Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
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I have seen the Reverb listing for the '34 L-7 in question, in the OP. It does indeed look to be in very nice condition, even needing a neck reset. IMO, and IME, neck resets are often simply 'maintenance', and many(if not most) good archtops and flattops require them, eventually. So the need for a neck reset should not by itself be a reason to not purchase an instrument, especially if the buyer has a trusted luthier to do the work.
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Originally Posted by daverepair
IIRC, a lot of the listings for these pre-war Gibson archtop guitars do indicate the possibility of a neck reset sometime in the past. And, if there is no mention of it being done it probably either needs to be done or it it just wasn't mentioned in the listing. Neck resets for these guitars are just expected sooner or later.
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