Used this method on two vintage Daions. I don't have a steam gun and so used a contained cloth soaked in hot water, repeatedly, and applied pressure gradually. Gave them a long time to acclimatise/ dry out too afterwards before restringing. A year later and still solid. It's just a less brutal neck reset and maintains the integrity of the guitar. Patience being the key. Kudos to you John Miner.

I can from experience say this method works. Only waited 14 days and it's unreal how well it worked. So thankful to you Mr. Miller.

excellent i had to do this on a classical.....worked a treat, saved me loads of hassle cheers from the uk .

Fantastic. I love it when someone comes up with a far more simple alternative to what is traditionally a big, expensive job. Great thinking.

Good no nonsense remedy. Confirms my own boat building ideas.

John, you’re a genius! I’ve used this technique on two guitars in a row just recently: one an old Guild M-20 which also needed a refret and a new bridge, the other a Yamaha 400, for which a traditional neck reset would have been prohibitively expensive. Now, in a couple of weeks, it’ll play nicely. You’ve started a revolution!

WOW, John this is absolute gold. Thank you for posting, I have a guitar that is so ready for a neck reset and I haven't played it in a long while due the need of that reset.

I just completed my second reset using a slight modification and it worked great. The guitar was a "hot mess". The 12th fret action was about 4 mm. Saddle was sanded down to nothing and there was a huge belly. The guitar is an Epiphone FT145N. Here are the mods to John's procedure. Humidify the interior of the body to 70% for 3 weeks. Install 2 JLD Bridge Doctor devices. Wait 3 weeks. Apply clamps as John directed. Steam upper and lower chambers for 3 minutes each. Slowly apply tension to clamps to realign neck -- 5 minutes. Slowly apply pressure to belly -- flatten it with an oak plank and clamps -- 2 days. Leave it under tension for 6 weeks at 70% humidity. Remove all clamps. Leave it alone for 4 weeks. DONE - 100% success. Sure that's a lot of waiting, but the wood's memory needed to be reset without breaking anything.

Well done for sharing that information. I have a 2011 HD28 and might need to do that down the line. But not yet.

Well after 3 full weeks of clamping and steaming (3 to 5 times, roughly 1 to 3 days apart) and then removing all clamps and towels and allowing it to dry out for a full week before stringing, this seems to be a big success on my first victim (a high-grade Japanese solid spruce-top classical guitar from the mid 70s). I play bossa nova and jazz, and I like my action quite low, around 2 mm instead of the usual 3 to 4 mm that classical players like. Without changing the bridge saddle at all, this guitar went from about 3.5mm string height at the 12th fret to about 1.5 mm. Plays like a dream without buzzing. I’ve only had it strung up for a few days, and won’t mind a bit if it raises up a bit. A couple of tips from my experience so far: be careful about what material you are clamping the back of the guitar down onto for that long period, so as to protect the finish. Also I noticed a slight warping on the back of the guitar a few inches down from the heel of the neck (where presumably steaming and clamping has forced it in that direction). I would advise releasing the front and back of the guitar from traction every week or so look at the back, to make sure that you’re not inducing too much warping on the back of the guitar. I wonder if reinforcing that area would help or hurt. I didn’t chintz out on the steaming/clamping/drying time. Straight edge on the fretboard hit roughly halfway down the bridge on these guitars before this process, and without measuring I just gradually clamped down the neck until the straight edge was roughly 3 or 4 mm above the top of the bridge, knowing that there would be some springback. This approach seems to have hit a sweet spot for this guitar. I’ve got another old Japanese classical laminate top which is drying out, and two more Vintage Japanese solid top classicals in traction now, and I’m excited about making all of them easily playable once again. Thank you John Miner!

Brilliant! I followed your procedure on my 20-year-old Larrivee 12-string with excellent results. Thank you!!

Genius! Gonna give this a try on a buddy's junk guitar he pulled out of storage and see if I can get it playable.

I used a wall paper stripper steamer for this. I switched it on, placed a polythene shaped template through the soundhole, then some t -shirts. I made sure there was just steam coming through the hose (no water droplets) and followed your directions. I also put some steam around the bridge and the back of the bridge as there was a 4mm belly bulge on the old guitar I was working on. I thought that the pressure of the clamp might cause some problems on the bulge if it was cold. I took the t shirts and plastic out straight away. The t shirts were only mildly damp not wringing wet, and the label underneath the soundhole is fine. Pressing the guitar neck down pushed the top of the guitar more firmly into the clamp. Unexpectedly this flattened the top of the guitar! The fretboard is now pointing nicely at the top of the bridge and the belly bulge has been mostly removed (about 1mm left). A 2mm defect in the upper bout has been removed. Thanks a lot! Do you change your technique for a cutaway? There is a lot more bracing in the upper bout on the cutaway side. All teh best Thanks again

I used your technique on my Puerto Rican cuatro and the action now is very playable. Thank you. I used blocks of thick polyethylene foam packaging cut to size to wedge between the back and the soundboard to restrict the steam to just the area needed. This worked very well with no need to stuff the guitar with rags.

Excellent suggestion, thanks John.

I done the same with my both clasical guitars.But i leave it with clamps for more than 6 months and it worked great.Greetings from Greece.

Yup... worked brilliantly on my old Harmony... a guy's impressed...

If this works it would be amazing. Thank you for posting this video!

Absolutely brilliant. I did a similar idea on a nice old classical guitar by removing the finger board and pulling down the bent neck, (the neck itself was bent up) used a steam iron to heat the neck / left it set for a while then re-attached the finger board, after doing a similar process with that. Had to do it 2x (was very cautious the first time- put more pressure on it the second time) and it turned out great. Praying for Justice on the evil tyrants in your land. It is coming...... Mike

thank you Sir John, Thank you God Bless you

John, I owe you a huge thank you for passing on your knowledge and experience. I decided to give your method a try on a Ramirez that showed the exact deflection in the neck as a result of excessive drying/shrinkage. This is my favorite guitar to play as the tone is amazing but it had become unplayable. I'm not a luthier but I am good with my hands and I immediately understood the concept you were demonstrating. I consider my results a complete success! After making a new bone saddle I was able to go to work and dial in my requirements for playability based on my style and so on. I consider the 'standard' (3-3.5mm) at the 12th fret excessive. My 'standard' is 2mm. Again, thank you.

This saved 2 of my favorite guitars. Thank you so much!

John, this is fantastic, you’re kind to share this valuable information.

I did exactly this to an old Gibson a couple years ago and it still plays a treat ..... I didn't fill with rags (but great idea I will next time)and didn't use steam but used a light bulb till it was pretty warm then clamped a little tighter ..... let sit for a couple days and did it again then let it sit for a couple weeks .... it worked and really surprised the luthier that wanted $500 ..... ..... Thanks for the great video and confirmation of a really great way to get unplayable guitars playable again! Many Cheers :) David

I have fixed 2 guitars 1 12 string and 1 6 string with this method. I didn't have a steamer I just let them sit for 3 months. during the winter . It fixed them and after 6 years or more they are still in good shape.

Tried John's method and it defiantly worked for me with no ill affects to my guitar at all. He has another video that along with this one, helped a lot, so if you're considering using John's method I would suggest checking that one out too. Take your time and follow his instructions and there's a good chance it will work for you too. Thank you John, appreciate your help!

Fantastic… not only a great technique but the video was a pleasure to watch…

i done this to my ibanez 2006, clamped for 4 weeks, now the action is good with 0,09 strings, hope can use 0,10 next, tank you from Italy

My action is sky high. I clamped it down 2cm, visually looking at it if I were to put strings on it right now they would bottom out and touch around 14th fret. Obviously the strings will be pulling the neck back up but how much rebound would I be expecting when releasing clamps?

I'm going to save this video and build a work space to try this. There is a lot of old guitars out there that isn't worth putting big money into buy are worth saving. I have found ways to fix everything but a neck reset. This is great.

Thanks John, what a simple YET LOGICAL way of doing that, leave it for 3 weeks is the key, let the wood's Fully settle, kind regards Don from Hamilton NZ 😊😊

Thank you!

Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the time (three weeks) you leave it before removing the clamps is depending on local humidity and if living in a more "dry" climate would shorten the time you have to keep it under tension? I mean most wood glue cures pretty quick

I'm getting ready to try this on my old Yamaha FG-75 & I'm wondering where the neck clamp that goes in the sound hole should be placed on the inside. There's a cross brace about .5" from the edge of the hole & a wood top reinforcement piece just behind that brace. Should it be on the cross brace or the top reinforcement?

Done on a guitar with 5mm of action, now this guitar is almost perfect, thank you very much

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I think I’m gonna give this a go. 🤙🤙

Hello John. Thanks for the info . Just wondering which steamer you use or anybody else here could recommend a steamer

Fantastic, I’m doing this now on a vintage Japanese classical guitar with a solid top. Any advice regarding warning signs to look out for (how to know when you’re clamping the headstock too far down, or if you’re applying too much steam/heat)?

Wow! This is SO much easier!

Thank you for sharing your expertise with us all! I'm going to (very carefully!) try this method on a high end flamenco guitar I'm repairing for a friend. It had been sitting in a forgotten corner for years, covered in dust. I have already straightened the neck using a heatpad and clamps but the neck angle is still wrong. Wish me luck!

Great video John. I'm trying to get all the supplies for this project. Could you please let me know what size square tube you use. Thanks

I am getting ready to try my first neck reset on a Washburn EA 20MB. So this looks right> the guitar is dry and finish cracked bur i love it. So I just need to buy a steamer and that square pipe? thanks any more tips would be great.

Will this work on old Yamaha Red Labels that supposedly had really stubborn glue?

Hey Mr. John Miner! I'm watching your video and was wondering how the 'steam neck set' was holding up? It is September 6th 2021, and its been 2½ years since you made this video. How have they held up? Is this something that will last many years, or just a temporary fix? I am really interested in knowing what two years of string tension has done as far as the soundboard holding its form. Also, have you tried this on laminate top guitars? Thank you, and God Bless you!

Amazing!

would this method work on a classical guitar which has a different way of joining the neck to the body

ooh this could be the answer I am after for a Breedlove I have. The guitar is not expensive enough to warrant the cost of a full reset so will give this a go. Nothing to lose and judging by the comments, it appears its worked fro many people. Just need to work out how to support the back of the body as it is curved.

Thank you John. I am doing this now. I'll be back after May 16th 2021 to post the results.

Makes sense!If people doubt this method remember your guitar was shaped this way in the first place

Is steam best? Other people on here are saying hair dryers or even light bulbs...

Hello John - thanks ! what a great idea ! I will try, but before I start I need to know, what kind of "steamer" is the right one ? Will 900 Watt - 3 bar be enough ? which temerature to dial in ? Please answer ; ) Hello brave users who tryed this, What are the longtime results 2 or more jears later . . ? Thanks for sharing

I think your strategy is excellent. When restringing the instrument, does it matter how sloooowly you bring the tension up to concert pitch?

Thanks very much for this John...ingenious...have you had much feedback from other luthiers who have tried it? Cheers, Greg

I’m doing this on a 1970’s j50 started two days ago and it seems like the neck is stable already I’ll leave it clamped up but just curious what’s the shortest time anyone has let it stay in the jig?

Would a steamer for fabric (like for curtains) produce hot enought steam?

This of course assumes the neck joint doesn’t have any mechanical problems. May of the projects I have worked on have a gap at the neck joint. I suppose if it was an inexpensive guitar being fixed for show or a student you could inject some glue in the gap before clamping but I would be concerned if was to be a “proper” repair. It would be worth a shot on some guitars though. I’ll give it a shot the next time a good candidate comes along. Cool idea, thank you sir!

I'm confident that will work fine... provided that 100% of the problem stems from the upper bout - the area you indicated between the sound hole and the neck block. It's not always the case.

Thank you for share that post. I try the method and it works finde for me.

Did a Yammy FG 230 , 2 times steamy windows and a week in recovery (the guitar). Guitar is better then new ( 1969) . ! Once i must do my backbone to 🙂 THX.

As others have noted, this method would seem preferable to removing the neck and sanding away wood. After you’ve applied steam, did you say you filled the soundhole in to hold the warmth? Also, probably good to clamp all this against a firm surface and not some soft pad that could change tension.

Another question; is it the steam or the clamping pressure or both together that's actually changing the neck angle?

Hi John, would this method work well on a classical acoustic with a spanish heel and no truss rod? Thanks.

You're a good man... Thank you 🤛💥😁

Thanks so much I figured this could be done and here you are ! I have restored Antiques for decades and straightened warped table tops and leaves etc. Always worked like a charm, I did not use steam just damp towels on the shrunken side and stiff hardwood boards and clamps. Come by an tighten the clamps when the pressure backed off sometimes within 20 minutes and repeat until it was flat then hit the side with boiled linseed and turps. It was always the underside as the top would have the finish on it and would dry out. 10 years later and the warps never came back.. Thanks so much for giving me the confidence to do this on a guitar, I have a few vintage ones that I picked up cheap due to a reset and figured I would give it a try now I will :-) ... you ROCK ! All the best to you from Alberta Canada

I'm going to try it, thanks.

Hello John from Chicago Illinois USA. I was given a family members Kay Arch top guitar and well, it cleaned up very nice. The problem is that the heel of the neck at the narrowed bottom has pulled away about 1/4 inch and I can see the dove tail. This guitar needs work. I figured it was left strung and in a hot farm house and this heated up the hide glue and the string tension pulled it apart. I could be completely wrong. Will this method allow me to push that gap closed, or do I have to remove the neck completely and re glue it? I know this guitar may just be wall art, but it would be cool to finger pick some old blues on it. Thank you. Tim

Timothy Get a syringe fill it with liquid hide glue pump glue from syringe into loose heel or use a thin piece of paper that will get glue down the heel then get a long bar clamp or long clamp or a band clamp put pressure on neck clean squeeze out out of it. Also use peaces of wood if your using a long clamp so you don't damage finish . Is it white glue or hide glue if its white glue use regular wood glue if its hide glue use hide glue. Then once you get the heel fixed you can use the method in this video but first loose heel got be repaired.

WOW! I have a 1930s Vincente Tatay classical that has a bit of a neck problem. Unfortunately, the back of the guitar covers the heel as well (assuming for support) , and redoing the neck meant taking off the back too. Complete nightmare. I am excited to try this on the Tatay. I also have an old German violin that needs Reset. Obviously, it’s not going to be the same - I can’t “check the height to the bridge” like you did in your video, but if I can loosen it up enough to get the neck to quit touching the body of the violin, I could sell this violin and use the money to buy a Martin! Do you think this might work on a violin? I am excited about the possibilities and both instruments are valued too low for a traditional reset. Thank you so much. The world needs more clever and kind folks who are willing to experiment and share knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

John, that's amazing! I just tried it on my older 1982 Guild D- 16. Should I now leave it clamped now (body and neck) for 3 weeks or do I unclamp it and let it sit for 3 weeks before re stringing it? Thank, I also sent you an email but figured just in case you see this first. Thanks again

This may be a dumb question, I am going to try it on a Sigma guitar and the height is about 1/32 below the bridge, but the thrust rod I as right as it will go and the bow is About 18 thousand. Do I slack back the thrust rod before I perform your procedure and will it fix the thrust rod problem.

The laquer on the shoulders bubbled up. How can I prevent this in the future

I've done this to 6 guitars so far. One had about 1/2" action at the 12th fret. Came out great. I thought I was the only person to try something this crazy.

Hi John. This is a very interesting video. If the guitar I am thinking about operating on has a bit of a belly at the bridge, does that change anything? The bridge seems to tilt towards the neck and the guitar top behind the bridge is a bit "chubbier" than usual. Im wondering if this procedure may just make that warping worse.

What if i don't have a steamer and clamps ? Do you think it's possible to somehow obtain similar effect with some dumbbell weight plates or other weights available at home?

Thanks for the video and information, John! If 3 weeks is not enough time, would applying 30 seconds/side of steam on a regular (daily?) basis speed up the process? I have several guitars that I want to try this on and I am just wondering. Thanks!

Do you leave it for three weeks with the clamps on?

Just wanted to let you know that I tried this technique of yours on a Hans Hauser 12 string from 1942 and it worked perfectly. I did steam it twice and let it sit for a month racked up but the result was great. It brought this old guitar back to life. Thanx Much!!!

Hi, first thanks for the video, this is obviously a great help for many. I tried this method on an Ovation Guitar and I couldn't clamp the body to stay straight because of the bowed bottom... Have you ever did this on an Ovation? Do you have any tips about clamping it to stay put? Thanks!

Thank you

John, I'm getting ready to try your method on an old parlor guitar. But the heel of the neck has separated from the body of the guitar, and a previous owner drove a screw through it to tighten things up. I'm planning to remove the screw before steaming the guitar, but at what point should I attempt to reglue the neck heel? Before or after using your steam-and-clamp procedure, or after? Thanks a lot!

Hmmmm… worth a try on my old Martin DM. Thank you.

Thanks for the video and great idea. I just acquired a 1973 Yamaha FG-160 and it needs a reset even after a trip to my local luthier. For those of us who don’t have steamers available, are there alternatives such as damp rags and a heat gun, microwaved wet rags or some other combination of methods that are available to most of us non professionals? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

So does the steam bend the neck or loosen the glue? No shim? Do I relieve the truss Rod? Help me understand because my Yari Alvarez Tree of Life needs a neck reset. And I can’t wait to start playing it. Thanks👍🏽

What were you measuring at the headstock end of the guitar and were you moving the neck by clamping it down or did the steam do all the moving? You put a bar over the neck; did you put anything under it? Also would a portable household steamer work for this? Thanks

GENIUS

I did similar on a yamaha fg 200 that was in bad need of a neck reset. I built a simple plywood jig with 3/4 plywood and 3/8" all thread where the body was samwiched betweem them and attached a unfinished oak 2x4 to put pressure on the neck which was braced with 2x2 square tubing, two clamps holding it to the neck and one holding it at the soundhole. I measured how much i needed the neck angle to come up to get the height above the bridge i wanted, and the starting measurement at the headstock recording both, stiuffed the lower body with rags. I used a stanley hand held steamer and steamed the neck block area inside umtil it was nice and hot to the touch on the outside. Once i stopped i covered the sound hole and applied some downward force to the neck, About once a week id do this until i had the measurement at the headstock pulled down double what i needed at the bridge. If i startedout needing to raise the neck angle projection 3mm so that it would hit just above the bridge, overtime i would keep applying steam and adjusting the pressure at the nut end of the neck until id moved it about twice my bridge measurement. So if i needed 3mm at the bridge, id move the nut end 6mm or so, id leave the clamps on and appplky steam once or twice a week for 3 or 4 weeks more and then restring it, worked good for me

Hi John, I have a Martin guitar that’s in need of a neck reset. Would you be comfortable doing this procedure on a Martin guitar or would you likely go the way of a traditional neck reset?

Does the type of glue used in building the guitar matter? Hide glue vs modern adhesive for example. Thanks for the video!

Hello John, how do I treat a '59 Framus with F-holes whose neck has sunk and therefore needs an extremely high bridge? Thank you and greetings from Germany.

Thank you John, very interesting ! I need to try this on my 1973 GUILD F30. The neck is pretty tied on the body but the soundboard has sunk a bit around fingerboard extension. So I believe your method is the one I should try to solve this matter. But how long this repair should last if it succeeds ? Regards from France

I'm doing this now and the neck distance can move 1cm to 2cm with the clamp. I'm not sure though how much spring back there will be when the clamps are removed. One thing I would suggest is after giving it steam, cover the hole than let it cool. When it's cool inside remove the rags in the front half of the guitar. They soak up the steam and I don't think them sitting in there wet will do the guitar any good. You can also run a string from one peg hole to the nut to get some idea about saddle height considering some spring back when the clamps are removed.

John, have you ever had a problem with the steam loosening or releasing the glue from one of the braces inside?

John I have an old Japanese classical guitar that need to reset the neck & I will try that method. Can I use the washing machine hose on the pressure cooker?

This is great but the time is what I dont have. In 2 weeks I can have a dozen neck resets done. I dont use steam I use heat so I dont have to wait days for the wood to dry out.

Hi John. This seems like a brilliant idea. I've got to ask you about the longevity of the fix. Has this fix lasted a long time or do the guitars have a tendency to go back to their sunken top state?

I tried this on my 1982 Guild D 16 and it apparently did not work. String height is about the same, not sure if its any worse although the steam apparently did free up my truss rod which was extremely hard to adjust! I left it clamped for three weeks so I'm not sure why it didn't work but thanks for the idea! Apparently no one responds anymore to this post, so I may be just talking to myself anyway.

Hi John. What a blessing! I've got a Guild F-30 I'm going to try this on. However, i did have a question. Do you have any suggestions on what to do with the pickup? I've got the battery case on the neck block. I'm assuming steam isn't good for electronics, or am I wrong?

Hi Mr. Miner. I'm going to try this on a lesser Matsuoka w/ spanish heel. Do you have any recommendations as to room ambient temp while it sits? Thanks from Vancouver Canada!

John, should relief be removed from neck prior to this process?

I'd be interested to know just how to avoid the finish blooming using steam. Have you had any issues with that John ? TIA, Steve, Mallorca