Touch up on Yamaha

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Dick Hutchings
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Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Dick Hutchings »

I just finished resetting a Yamaha neck and need to do a little finish touch up. Wondering what I should use that will adhere to the old finish. I'm thinking lacquer might be the best way to go but also considering poly.
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Barry Daniels
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Barry Daniels »

Poly is not appropriate. Lacquer will match the existing finish but will take a few days to dry. I like Glu Boost which is a CA glue made for finish touch up. They also make tints to color match. It drys quickly and finishes like a dream. I have used it on several Yamahas after neck resets.
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Dick Hutchings
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

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I want to try some glue boost. Which ones should I get? I need to do a couple of drop fills as well as the the joint line.
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Barry Daniels
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Barry Daniels »

GluBoost Fill N' Finish (regular or thin). You also need the GluDry accelerator. If you want to tint the glue, get the MasterTint Vintage Kit. This stuff is pretty expensive, but it is worth it. Nothing else like it out there. And it saves a bunch of time. A couple of hints: If you have deep repairs, build it up in thin layers hitting it with accelerator on each layer. If you leave deeper layers un-accelerated you will not have a fully cured fill. The glue will not cure without the accelerator. A puddle of glue will still be wet the next day if you do not accelerate it. I usually let the glue sit for 24 hours before working it, but you can get by OK if you let it cure for about an hour. I level it with a razor blade with a turned edge. Frank Ford on his Frets.com site shows how to do that. I use Tolecut sandpaper to sand the fill flush. This stuff works great and the hard rubber blocks that come with the kit ensure a level fill.

https://www.amazon.com/Tolecut-Starter- ... 648&sr=8-5
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Barry Daniels
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Barry Daniels »

Also, I don't recommend that you apply glue to the joint between the neck and body. Someone may need to reset the guitar again in 100 years.
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Dick Hutchings
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Dick Hutchings »

Barry Daniels wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:55 pm Also, I don't recommend that you apply glue to the joint between the neck and body. Someone may need to reset the guitar again in 100 years.
Yeah I know but I got anxious and glued the neck in before doing the finish repairs. Next time I'll wait I promise :lol:

I feel like it will never need another reset anyway as the body has had many many years to reach the state it's in.
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Barry Daniels
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

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You are probably right about that.
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Dick Hutchings
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Re: Touch up on Yamaha

Post by Dick Hutchings »

I finally strung it up and was surprised to find the action was still high on the high e strings. When I checked before stringing it up with a straight edge, it was well above the bridge but after stringing it, it was below the bridge. After checking the relief I found there was plenty of room for adjustment so I cranked about 3/4 turn and that helped. Brought it to about About .110" on the high E and .09 on the low E. I think this is OK for a 12 string but I also found that after clamping the fretboard to the body that it looks awful and I don't think I can live with that much fall off so I'm going to un glue it and add a rosewood shim. I may take the neck off again and increase the angle.

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