Post by CTGull on May 22, 2020 18:31:40 GMT -5
I actually have (2) 1967 FG-150's! This is the first one. The second one just fell into my lap, although I had to drive nearly an hour to get it. That's another story.
I had to drive an hour and a half for this one, into NY state. It was his wife's, she bought it 45 years ago from the original owner and never played it. It came with original brown cardboard case, 2 picks, a Peter Paul & Mary book with many music sheets from guitar teacher George Walkey - Lynn MA.
It is serial number 622548 and date code 42.3.17 - March 17, 1967!! It is one of the earliest FG's with the slightly different label and "fat" tuners. I only have (11) Red label serial numbers that are older. yamahavintagefg.boards.net/thread/74/red-label-differences-early-common
It's in real good shape. It was obviously not played much. And, of course, the action is high, about 1/8", and the neck projects .10" below the top of the bridge. And the pick guard is about to fall off, very common.
I quickly started this because next Friday (1 week from today) I am expecting to pick up a customer 1967 FG-150 that is the 3rd oldest FG serial number I've seen. It also needs a neck reset and has the pick guard falling off. Ironic?? They're very close brothers, I thought it would be cool to see how they compare. They are only 11,000 serial numbers and possibly less than a month in age apart.
So I quickly removed the neck. The fretboard separated fairly easily, the dovetail did not. The face of the heel was glued almost completely to the side of the guitar. I did (1) 6 minute steaming session (my max), stopped, pulled the neck out of the neck jig, cut around the heel some more, and tried again. 3 minutes later, and lots of pressure from the neck jig, the neck popped. There was some of the top stuck to the bottom of the fretboard which I removed, while the glue is still soft, and glued it back to the top. And glued a couple of small chips back to the fretboard around the 15th fret steam holes. I didn't take a lot of pictures.
All the roughness you see in the bare wood is wood that was pulled away and is stuck to the neck heel face. It actually isn't bad. Sometimes it'll pull away a chunk of the first lamination and I'll have to add a thin insert. I need a flat surface for pull sanding the heel.
The finish at the heel lamination cracked on both sides, typical of badly stuck necks that took a lot of pressure and wiggling to release.
In the next (2) pics you can see the large expanse of the guitar side that stayed stuck to the face of the heel. And the piece of top stuck to the bottom of the fretboard. I used the spatula to remove that and glue it back to the top while the glue is still damp.
The piece of the top glued and clamped.
The reglued top and the chips glued back around the 15th fret steam holes. Tomorrow I'll make those holes "disappear" and put the 15th fret back in.
I had to drive an hour and a half for this one, into NY state. It was his wife's, she bought it 45 years ago from the original owner and never played it. It came with original brown cardboard case, 2 picks, a Peter Paul & Mary book with many music sheets from guitar teacher George Walkey - Lynn MA.
It is serial number 622548 and date code 42.3.17 - March 17, 1967!! It is one of the earliest FG's with the slightly different label and "fat" tuners. I only have (11) Red label serial numbers that are older. yamahavintagefg.boards.net/thread/74/red-label-differences-early-common
It's in real good shape. It was obviously not played much. And, of course, the action is high, about 1/8", and the neck projects .10" below the top of the bridge. And the pick guard is about to fall off, very common.
I quickly started this because next Friday (1 week from today) I am expecting to pick up a customer 1967 FG-150 that is the 3rd oldest FG serial number I've seen. It also needs a neck reset and has the pick guard falling off. Ironic?? They're very close brothers, I thought it would be cool to see how they compare. They are only 11,000 serial numbers and possibly less than a month in age apart.
So I quickly removed the neck. The fretboard separated fairly easily, the dovetail did not. The face of the heel was glued almost completely to the side of the guitar. I did (1) 6 minute steaming session (my max), stopped, pulled the neck out of the neck jig, cut around the heel some more, and tried again. 3 minutes later, and lots of pressure from the neck jig, the neck popped. There was some of the top stuck to the bottom of the fretboard which I removed, while the glue is still soft, and glued it back to the top. And glued a couple of small chips back to the fretboard around the 15th fret steam holes. I didn't take a lot of pictures.
All the roughness you see in the bare wood is wood that was pulled away and is stuck to the neck heel face. It actually isn't bad. Sometimes it'll pull away a chunk of the first lamination and I'll have to add a thin insert. I need a flat surface for pull sanding the heel.
The finish at the heel lamination cracked on both sides, typical of badly stuck necks that took a lot of pressure and wiggling to release.
In the next (2) pics you can see the large expanse of the guitar side that stayed stuck to the face of the heel. And the piece of top stuck to the bottom of the fretboard. I used the spatula to remove that and glue it back to the top while the glue is still damp.
The piece of the top glued and clamped.
The reglued top and the chips glued back around the 15th fret steam holes. Tomorrow I'll make those holes "disappear" and put the 15th fret back in.
