S6 Cracked heel

frugalaudio
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S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 10:26:06 GMT -5

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Post by frugalaudio on May 3, 2023 10:26:06 GMT -5

Greetings all, newbie lurker here.

I rescued a '92 Seagull S6 from a local thrift store. There is a horizontal crack about 2/3 up the heel. Open enough for me to slide a piece of paper into.
The question is: do I try to glue and clamp it in place, or do I remove the neck?
Am I correct that at this age the neck is bolted but not glued? Will a little heat and patience separate the fingerboard from the top?
Any advice welcome.
Thanks,
John

Derick
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S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 12:04:01 GMT -5

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Post by Derick on May 3, 2023 12:04:01 GMT -5

frugalaudio,

First welcome to the Cabin.
Our resident CTGull will have the answer, I'm sure he will give you the answer very soon.

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sprucetop Junior Member Posts: 65 AKA: My friends call me Carter Location: Minnesota Playing guitar since: 1979	S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 13:12:39 GMT -5 Derick likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by sprucetop on May 3, 2023 13:12:39 GMT -5 Welcome John, I'd usually try the least intrusive option first and force some titebond into the crack and clamp it from the sound hole to the heel.
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CTGull
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S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 13:48:07 GMT -5 Derick likes this

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Post by CTGull on May 3, 2023 13:48:07 GMT -5

May 3, 2023 10:26:06 GMT -5 frugalaudio said:

Greetings all, newbie lurker here.

I rescued a '92 Seagull S6 from a local thrift store. There is a horizontal crack about 2/3 up the heel. Open enough for me to slide a piece of paper into.
The question is: do I try to glue and clamp it in place, or do I remove the neck?
Am I correct that at this age the neck is bolted but not glued? Will a little heat and patience separate the fingerboard from the top?
Any advice welcome.
Thanks,
John

I would force Titebond into the crack and clamp. Wipe it in with your fingers many times to be sure it gets in all the way. If the bottom of the heel isn't flat it may be difficult to clamp. I don't have an old S6 in front of me at the moment.

Yes, it is a bolt on neck, and only the fretboard is glued to the top. Heat and a spatula will separate it. If I was fixing it, I would remove the neck, glue the crack, pin it from the inside, and do a neck reset to lower the action.

yamahavintagefg.boards.net/
yamahavintagefg.com/

frugalaudio
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S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 14:50:30 GMT -5 Derick and seagullplayer like this

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Post by frugalaudio on May 3, 2023 14:50:30 GMT -5

Yes, the bottom of the heel is angled so clamping vertically is gonna be tricky, even if the neck is off.
In a perfect world I think I would get the neck off and drill/dowel across the crack. But the timid side of me hesitates. :-)
As for a complete neck reset....last time I tried that (20+ years ago) I got a bit carried away cutting the heel back! Perhaps I'll resurrect that project here sometime.

I think for now with the S6 I'll try clamping it up dry just to see the best way to go. Can always decide to take the neck off if clamping it up gets too complicated.

Thanks all.

CTGull
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S6 Cracked heel May 3, 2023 18:21:24 GMT -5 Derick likes this

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Post by CTGull on May 3, 2023 18:21:24 GMT -5

May 3, 2023 14:50:30 GMT -5 frugalaudio said:

Yes, the bottom of the heel is angled so clamping vertically is gonna be tricky, even if the neck is off.
In a perfect world I think I would get the neck off and drill/dowel across the crack. But the timid side of me hesitates. :-)
As for a complete neck reset....last time I tried that (20+ years ago) I got a bit carried away cutting the heel back! Perhaps I'll resurrect that project here sometime.

I think for now with the S6 I'll try clamping it up dry just to see the best way to go. Can always decide to take the neck off if clamping it up gets too complicated.

Thanks all.

You are correct, practicing the clamping is the first step. I have the Stew Mac swiveling jaw Guitar Vise, that makes clamping odd angles possible. Without it, it could be tough.

I pin cracked heals on the inside (both sides) with 3/16" hard wood dowel. Yes, one wrong angle or depth can get ugly fast!!

Sanding the heel for a neck reset does take a few tries to get the feel for it and not round off the end of the heel.

yamahavintagefg.boards.net/
yamahavintagefg.com/

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Post by frugalaudio on May 3, 2023 10:26:06 GMT -5

Post by Derick on May 3, 2023 12:04:01 GMT -5

Post by sprucetop on May 3, 2023 13:12:39 GMT -5

Post by CTGull on May 3, 2023 13:48:07 GMT -5

Post by frugalaudio on May 3, 2023 14:50:30 GMT -5

Post by CTGull on May 3, 2023 18:21:24 GMT -5

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