Neck reset
Removing and re-attaching the neck of an acoustic guitar at a corrected angle, because the original angle has changed over time.
String tension gradually rotates an acoustic guitar's neck forward, and the result is a raised action that no amount of saddle lowering can fix, because the saddle would end up below the bridge. A reset means separating the neck joint, cleaning it, and refitting the neck with a shim or a recut dovetail so the plane of the fretboard points where it should. It is the single most significant repair an acoustic guitar can need, and it is far more common on older instruments than on new ones.
Example: An acoustic guitar whose bridge saddle has already been shaved to nothing and whose action is still high needs a neck reset.
See also
Related
- PageNeck angle
- PageNeck joint
- PageSet neck
- PageAction gauge
- PageAged finish
- PageBack bow
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley