I miss my first steel string acoustic which was an FG-160 Yamaha... it sounded great and I got it used and cheap in 1980, then sadly it was stolen in a bar in Donaldsonville Louisiana. It was the history of me learning to set up guitars. Anyway, thanks for the great content Jerry, I'm catching these vids 5 years after the fact, while also watching your new ones.
Jerry, I just want to remind you of the difference you've surely made in the lives of your viewers. It's really pretty fantastic that you have all the energy it takes to fly through so many tough jobs and then have the energy left over to put it all together on video, time after time. I've learned so much and had had so much fun from watching your videos, that it's as if you've taken over the top spot as the most influential teacher I may have ever had. I'm confident that many other viewers feel the same. Thanks so much!
47 years in the music business. I really enjoy your repair videos. i just a bit serious repairs. thank you for all the great ideas on repairs and tools.
I've been a fan of lighter gauge strings on acoustics for years (40+). Thick enough to drive the top (might take a few tries). My Martin D35S came with some real cables on it and to me ... sounded muted. Went down to lights and she found her voice. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but this old dog learns something every time I watch you.
Among my guitars, I’m the original owner of a Yamaha FG-160, built in 1973. It’s like a scaled-down dreadnaught. In part, due to its age, I put Nashville-style strings on the instrument. It sounds great (jangles like a 12-string) and there’s less stress on the neck. Fun to play. I’m a big fan of Yamaha guitars. They’re well-built, very reasonably priced, and sound great.
@@BFClayto I use a set of D’Addario Nashville strings. The strings come in only one gauge (10-27), not a choice of gauges. You could purchase them on Amazon.
Aw Jerry...we all "love you and care!!" So sorry that 2018 is starting bad for you. I felt it coming when you said the furnace quit...I thought "oh no, frozen pipes!!" What a drag! So glad that you can still keep your sense of humor...hope the year get better!!!
Hello Jerry. I might have a tip that will help. When you remove strings, if you push the ball end below the bridge plate, you can easily pull the bridge pins by hand. You are the one with experience though, so please don't be offended. Thanks for all your work in producing these videos. They are excellent! Bobby Hall Greensboro, NC
Thanks for the info! I am gonna take it to a local man a lot of friends recommend. Greats videos, I enjoy them every time I get the alert of a new one uploaded.
Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck, Jerry. The old adage "When it rains it pours" always holds true. Keep on chuggin along Brother, it'll get better. As always, I enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing.
I agree with you about using the light gauge strings on the Yamaha's of that vintage. I have a FG 200 I picked up in 1979 and it was about 5 years old at the time. I use the lightest strings I can get and it sounds and plays beautiful. The truss rod is very tight like the one you were working on. I've played in bands and members always loved to play it.
I couldn't help thinking the Bridge had been Shaved Down...I noticed Yours was Flat. A Yamaha I'm Currently working on had a Radius to It, and had the Same Height Problem, with the Rod not Working no matter What, so I'm Scraping it down. And Sanding the Height of the Saddle, and needing to Re-Ream the Pinholes, Chamfer them, and Re-saw the String Slots. And the Saddle also was Loose. So since I'm doing all this FREE for my Nephew, I just Added a Bead of Crazy Glue to Thicken It on the Backside, to stop the Waddling-It does the Trick.
+chickengnawer good luck with your project. Thanks for watching. I can't say about the bridge whether it was flat or not it was too long ago and I don't remember.
Sorry for the troubles you’ve been experiencing like they say when it rains it pours. Very impressive video. your years of expertise are quite evident. I totally agree with your gut feeling about the light strings everything you said is pretty obvious to me. My first acoustic was a 12 string alcohol and they can last with proper care like what you just did. Good job man
Congrats(I guess) on the LLC. I'm sure you made the right move to it. Many problems!! I've had my share here in the west US. Hank Sr. said"We're still livin', so everything's OK". You may not agree! Home appliances, you love em, you hate em! Great Yamaha video, like all your videos. Good to have a video I can watch. Thankz
+Audio Tech Labs you're welcome my friend. Yeah I've got my home appliances in issue also. And I didn't even mention my Honda four wheeler or the Polaris Ranger. Everything's falling apart. Thanks for watching good luck to you.
I picked up an older 20 to 25 yr. old Vantage "VA-12" which had high strings when bought second hand. There was a fair amount of under-bow in the neck, specially in the middle section,(much like the one shown in the video. I removed the string stress, and started working on the Truss rod, to help get rid of some of the under-bow. The adjustments are made from inside the sound hole. Like in your video, the nut adjuster, was tight, so I backed it off by a fair amount, and began moving the nut adjuster, back and forth over the hidden threads inside, to help loosen the adjuster up, seeing it hadn't moved (I don't think) since it was sold new. When I first started, the height of the strings were almost double the height they should have been, and possibly when it was sold new. Did a check on the strings, and found the strings installed, were a heavy set ( at 74 Thou on the low "E" string). I installed a set of Erie Ball "lights", because like with guitar shown, the bracing of the sound board is of light nature. I did get the neck nice and flat, with a very slight under-bow, using the truss rod adjuster (got it working again). With the light "E" strings installed, found the height had dropped by a fair amount (which is good), but not far enough to be where they really should be. Think I'll have to do a neck reset to get it down to the level the strings should be properly sitting, as I don't trust adding more added tension on the truss rod, that's quite tight now. Like yourself, I think the last owner caused this problem, by using over sized strings, where he should have been using a set of lights, not heavies. I noticed as I went over the neck, and body joint, that the neck has been removed at one time, and re-glued back on, so it appears it was re-installed improperly. Sometimes a person can't get out of doing a Neck reset. Using a straight edge along the center line of the fret board, the neck is now flat from fret 1, and on up to, and including fret 8, where it then begins to rise on a slow slight angle to a max of about the thickness of a business card, with no strings strung on it at the 12th fret, Continuing on along the straight edge, it comes in-line at around 1/8th of an inch, "below" cresting the top of the manufacturers made saddle. I think that neck needs a wee bit more angle for good proper string height, by doing a neck reset, don't you think?
Have a blessed 2018 brother, yer videos/quality are always of a high standard, the work ye put in tae achieve that is greatly appreciated. THANK YE . Scotland UK 🇬🇧
Jerry I agree w some of the other comments re clamping a backbow into the neck and then just snugging the truss rod nut up to meet it. I've have a few of these Yammies also and I believe the neck wood is not as hard as it might be so when you crank that truss it just pulls the buried end into the neck instead of straightening it. So I set up a cpl cauls to put actual backpressure on the neck.
+Tioga Fretworks definitely could have done that. This one seemed to improve enough with light strings that I didn't feel any further action was necessary. Thanks for watching. Happy New Year.
Rosa String Works back at you Jerry! PS I have a Framus Mando Im going to do surgery on - it has no truss rod but needs one. It's a bolt-on neck so later this winter I'm going to pull it apart and either pull the fingerboard or go in from the back and do a fender- style skunk strip. It was a gift from my parents when I was 10-11 yrs old so has sentimental value - otherwise would not be worth the effort. But it's borderline playable now even w the lightest strings - way too much relief
Love how you approach the set up...not just this Yamaha but all others. Wish you were near I have a Martin and a Fender accoustic you could really improve... also have a "no name," guitar with probably 150 reading at the 12th... no truss rod just cannot figure how to bring it down even to 100 at the 12th.
I have found on a couple guitars over the years, that the truss rod nut had reached the end of the threads before moving the neck enough to pull it back and remove the under bow. I removed the nut and added a washer over the truss rod behind the nut and it added enough that I was able to adj the truss rod and get the under bow out. Just wanted to share my solution, peace
Boudreau Guitars I had the same issue with my 1964 Gibson acoustic. The truss rod nut bottomed out and would not fully adjust the neck. Possibly, the wood anchoring the truss rod at the body end of the neck compressed over the years, in effect lengthening the truss rod. That’s only a theory, but adding two thin washers under the truss rod nut took care of the problem. Another great video, Jerry.
Wow you are having way to many problems. I hope things improve for you soon. There's a small farm near my house. I pass by it every day. Last week I saw them loading wood on to a trailer like you describe. Today I saw them out with two trailers and trucks loading wood. They had cut down two big trees last summer and cut them into fire wood. Anyway I thought of you. I feel for you. Good luck to you. I hope you have a great blessed week. God bless you.
This is a great video! I have an old Yamaha fg110, but I’ve always put silk and steel lights on it, so I’ve never had to adjust the truss rod fortunately.
I bought this same guitar Red label FG140 brand new in around 1967 for $100.00 I still have it and it is still a great playing guitar. I never really babied it besides keeping it in the case. I put Grover pegs on it a long time ago and thats about it. It looks used. This was not a high end guitar at the time the FG180 was the upgrade IIRC.
I was in the USAF traveling home to Long Island NY from Texas going to stop in Buffalo NY to drop a couple brothers off before heading home . Long story short , my Chevy vans gas pump on the side of the engine leaked and seized my motor when the gas thinned the oil . I was in Rollo Missouri . Got a new motor in two days and was on my way . Funny I’ve never heard of anybody ever mention that place ever ! Any way thanks who ever you were in Rollo ! The motor lasted longer than the transmission years later .
Your right! That Yamaha has plenty of vol. even with the lighter gauge strings... Those older Japanese Made guitars often have that in my experience. However I've seen plenty with non working truss rods and have to do the exact same thing! At first was expecting to learn how to fix the issue, (guess you can't on a $300 guitar) But at least now I have confidence telling my customer that lowering string ga. or drop the tuning if they play by theirselves.... Great video!
Happy 2018, when it rains it pours. I have always liked those F140 Yammis they typically sound and play nicely. I've run into a lot of necks like that and I loosen the rod then clamp a back bow into the neck then re-tighten the rod. Usually works after that. Good one Jerry, hope your year turns around soon.
Hope things get better which I am sure they will. Great video. I just picked up a Yamaha FG red label 150 made in Taiwan. I am in NJ and really wish you were close by because I 'd love to have you work on it and set it all up for me. You are really good at what you do.
For those who care to know, the Yamaha FG140, and indeed, all Yamaha's FG models from the 70s with a model number lower than 300, are ALL-laminate guitars, no solid wood panels. Some, the Nippon Gakki-made, red label FG150, FG180 and FG300, were probably the best sounding plywood guitars every made. I've heard bluegrass players call the FG300 a "poor man's Martin" due to it being such a good sounding boomer. After 1975, a Yamaha with a solid wood top would have an "S" in the model number, like FG365S or FG460S. Yamaha's all-solid wood models begin with an "L", like my beloved LL35.
hi jerry from suffolk england sorry to here about your problems.love the vids.cheers me up on a cold winters night.have played bluegrass for many years.not so much nowadays.we have a local bluegrass festival each year.hope you have a better rest of the year kind regards pete k.
Offhand, it isn't hard to imagine that a thin layer of dirt & oxidation on a metal instrument will act in a manner similar to the rubberized undercoating on a vehicle. It dampens vibrations.
Great video as per usual Jerry. Computers are a pain in the ass when they start going wrong. Thanks for putting out these videos. I love them. Cheers. Fino.
That is exactly the issue I am having with my Yamaha fs700. As far as I can see no under or overbow with no string but put them on and HIGH strings at the neck joint.
Anthony Allen if the neck is straight. Then one of two things needs to happen either you need to lower the saddle on the bridge. Or if that is not possible, the neck would have to be reset. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
When I have a case with a big underbow, I loosen the trust rod, put a guitar in a vice and secure the neck in a position where I want it to be and then tighten the trust rod just enough to secure it in that position.
I have also recently used that trick on a bass guitar neck. As I worried that depending only on the truss rod to do all the work could damage it from over-exertion.
Jerry: Art Ogle Ft Worth at you. Fully agree on using the gauge strings appropriate to a guitar. Just purchased a 2020 Yamaha FG830 (same model as my sons) OEM strings were D'Addario light gauge strings. I too believe that having heavier gauge strings than those recommended are a case of "that ole dawg won't hynr" (Not fer long anyway)
Low heat pad on fret board with weight forcing a tad back-bow, rod full loose. 10-15 min, then let cool. I've had mostly success trying this, but some failures too where adjustment didn't stay. Never damaged guitar. Have had to level frets though a few times.
Jerry: Whatta coincidence "Nobody loves me" by the BGAB is one of my fave tunes!!! But "When you are lonely" by Sideline (b flat) is my fave. Steve Dilling now on the ole 5. Bought grandson a F335 and played it 3 hours at yesterdays jam session. Wayne played it a half hour.
9:30 FYI. Here's how to get the screws off the truss rod cover when the wood below is stripped, without damaging the wood or the cover: Slide something very thin, maybe a small flat head under the truss rod cover. Pry the truss rod cover GENTLY! Not enough that the cover breaks, but gently .Keep the pressure on it, then as you are doing that use your philips to unscrew the screws. You will notice the screw is unscrewing and the cover is coming up as well. Im not the best at explaining it and I'm definitely not a professional luther but it works 100%.
Jerry i have a 140 yamaha guitar and i love it , i`ve owned some good sounding guitars . but i believe i like this one the best . and by the way i really do enjoy your videos i watch 2 or three every night . and i guess i about watched them all , keepem coming lol
Rosa String Works When I got guitar the heel was split I had to glue the heel back together so that most likely because of break might have affected the angle. I put shims near dove tail glued them in so hopefully they help the neck also got clamps on it. I reed a article that you can remove the tongue of fretboard and put shims in dove tail and that can fix the neck angle instead of steaming it off then put shims under the tongue basically poor mans neck reset reed on Harmony forum about Harmony neck resets.
I've worked on maybe 100 vintage Yamaha FG's and done 50 vintage FG neck resets. The neck angle on that guitar is definitely no good. A visible bend in the fretboard where the neck meets the body is common, as is the top caving in at the sound hole, both causing a bad neck angle and high action. 50 years of string tension will do that. To adjust the truss rod, remove the nut, LUBE the internal threads, reinstall, it SHOULD be easier to turn. I backbow (with a custom designed block and clamp) the neck to get a slight back bow, tighten the nut, remove the clamp, and loosen the nut slightly to set the neck relief. I have NEVER found a vintage FG truss rod I couldn't adjust. The neck relief should be set with the strings at full tension. Overtightening the truss rod will pull the head of the truss rod (at the other end) into the neck and eventually you will run out of adjustment. Backbowing is the only option. I tried to post a link to my forum but it seems CZcams deletes posts with links.
Regarding the string weight question, when Billy Gibons of ZZ Top met BB King, BB tried out his guitar an noting the heavy strings he asked "why are you making so much work for yourself?" From then on Billy has used light strings. 🎸
Good point.. although a bit of a apples to oranges thing. Those guys used electric guitars , so they relied on their AMPS ! A better example would be an acoustic guitar guy that doesn't like heavy strings.
You can definitely see the underbow in this video. I don't know if it's your videos or not, I expect it is not, but the comments are not coming up at all on youtube today. Consequently, I don't, know if you will even get this comment. In any case great video.
good point jerry sir, i also dont think yamaha's are made for 13's 11 is way light light 12's will do some players tune it down half a step. well it sure eases of some tenson.
Sorry to hear about your start of the new Year. There is a virus relating to USB ports. Hope you didn't get this one. It's difficult to detect and is a bad one to fix. Hope you have a good backup. May have to reformat to get it removed. Internet has some information on this. Good luck.
Just so I'll know, how is it that paste wax improves tone, applied to the top and/or back of a guitar and mandolin. That sounds a bit counterintuitive, but you are, after all, the expert. I don't have experience with newer Yamahas, but the old Japan-made Red Label sounded very good. Thanks for another good video.
WryGrass100 first of all it is more obvious on older neglected guitars that haven't been cleaned in a long time. When you clean them up and you put a paste wax on the finish it seems to crisp up the finish and you get a real clear noticeable difference. On some the difference is absolutely huge. On others you can barely tell any difference at all. Thank you for watching.
+Sean Mccord thank you very much. The well got fixed today and it turned out to be fairly simple. A blown capacitor. I had check the capacitor and thought it was okay. But apparently not. Thanks for watching.
Rosa String Works wow thanks for the reply great videos, you're an awesome repair guy. I do have a question ,a scenario where my Guitar have fell over and a chunk got carved out of the back of the neck, I thought about using wood putty but I heard that shrinks over time. I heard people say Bondo is good ,what do you think? 😊
… You mentioned that it might be possible, that the Truss Rod might have been glued in some manner during either a neck reset, or at the factory when it was made. Heating the neck, and the Truss rod with an iron might loosen/soften the glue just enough to allow the rod to be adjusted properly, and get rid of, or lessen the under-bow. Just a thought.
The amount of heat required to loosen the truss rod would certainly be more than enough to loosen the fretboard and the neck joint. Just wouldn't want to go that deep and the customer didn't want to pay to go that deep
I just purchased a fg-260. 12 string . it had to heavy of strings and really has a belly on her. I took them off and the truss rod was scary tight trying to loosen it but it finally cooperated. (probably should have tried to loosen with the neck under tension) . I'm thinkin a bridge dr. and the lightest strings I can get help the belly issue. It had a wound 3rd . it had tuning issues because the string slots were to narrow not allowing the strings to slide properly. I bet the previous owner put these heavier strings on it and exarerbaterd the belly issue. you think the tuning issue would have gave him a clue but I guess he didn't see it. this fret board is a 20+ radius. The bracing is odd. not symmetrical. very light top. wondering which bridge dr. to use.? oh yeah. the bridge plate could be a little wider imo because it doesn't quite extend pass the string pegs. I'd thought it should.
Sorry domed capacitors they look like little battery's standing up on the motherboard, if top of them is domed there faulty they should be flat its worth a look as it a problem with electronics.
I've owned a Yamaha FG-230 12 String since new, in '72 - a great guitar. There is one thing which I do not like about it though, it goes through 'nuts' quite regularly. It reaches a point where I cannot manage to keep it tuned. Each time this happens, I take it to a different luthier, and they wind up installing a new nut. An ebony nut was installed this last time, and it seems to have held up better than the others. I was told that keeping a 12-string in tune is a never ending task, but now I wonder if it is a "Yamaha - centric probllem", instead. But they just sound so good!
+AMStationEngineer It probably shouldn't be going through nuts just because it's a 12-string. Though they are much harder to keep in tune there's no question about that. They really put a lot of stress on a guitar top. Thanks for watching.
Is there a chance that all the previous nuts were just made of inferior plastics? Another possibility is that in all previous cases, the nut slots were cut too wide, and allowed the strings to move slightly in the slots & create wear. A lot of tuning & string changes over time can act to cause the strings to cut their slots deeper, but it won't cut them to fit the string properly and the slots will soon become irregular and can often bind on the strings as a result, creating a need for a replacement. I've heard several times that some makers allegedly recommend that a 12-string should be tuned a full step lower than a 6-string, to help limit destructive forces of all kinds. If I were to be in the market for a 12-string, I think I'd look for one with a shorter scale length, so that the strings are under less tension to begin with. The neck itself doesn't seem to need to be thick & chunky to have good stability, but the extra tension can really play hell with the body, and the only way around that is to beef up the dimensions of the top, the bracing, & the bridge, which unfortunately also has a tendency to kill the tone & response. So if a guitar is a collection of balances & compromises, the life expectancy of a 12-string is compromised by the added string tension in a way that means 'the better it sounds, the quicker it self-destructs'. Or, you can build on the heavy side, & settle for longer life but with worse tone & volume.
I have one of the newer Martin DX series 12 strings and I have never tuned it. Imagine how good it would sound if I did, seriously, it has stayed in tune with only needing slight adjustments, I keep it in the case and in check humidity. In the other corner I have an FG75 I've owned since 75, it stays in tune, but has the same bow in it and shreds my fingers, but I still play her bc she sounds so nice. I am going to go over her with all this info learned here today, just ordered light folk strings and gonna take a look at that truss rod situation. Gonna wax it up too, never heard that one, but the finish is gone from the top of this guitar so...
+Reel McCoy yeah it seems to be hot and cold. Things usually come in threes and that was three for that place so hopefully we're done for a while. Thanks for watching.
If you are tightening it that much and it is not effective, you may be bottoming out on the threads on the rod. A washer on it, or a spacer may prove to be a fix.
+chump5101 well I don't think I'd call it hot. And by the way that's 68 degrees at chest chest-high. My guess is it's probably closer to 58 degrees at your feet because of the concrete floor. So it does not feel hot at all if anything it feels pretty cool. Thanks for watching.
Wow. You have had a bad spell of troubles all at once. On the computer side you can use Device Manager to remove the drivers for USB devices, reboot the computer, and let it reinstall the drivers for the USB devices the next time they are plugged in to the computer. Similar to what you would say to someone working on an instrument, if you aren't sure what you are doing have someone else who does help you to get the computer working as it should. When a computer isn't working right you soon realize just how much you use it. I was able to see the neck underbow and the bulge on the top by the bridge in the video. After you loosened the original strings I noticed an odd bend in the low E at the 10th fret. The measurements of the strings says they were Light strings (12 to 53). Custom Lights are 11 to 52. If the action is being set a bit high using Custom Lights could help with playability. I've been using Custom Light strings on my steel string acoustic as I felt it would help me when I started out. I recently discovered the guitar shipped from the factory with Custom Lights so I'll be staying with that gauge of string.
Actually I did just that on the USB. I was at break-fix guy for AT&T for several years on PCS. So I'm pretty familiar with how to work on them. I use custom lights quite often. Thank you very much for watching.
Do you ever do heat clamping? That might be a good way to get the neck back to original flatness with a loose truss rod, then you might not have to tighten the truss rod so much to get a little overbow. Just a thought. I bought an old 65 Harmony H22 bass that really had bad under bow, so I bought an angle iron piece and clamps, and put it over a floor heater for about 20 min (carefully at 90 degrees) and let it straighten and cool slowly, overnight. The neck ended up perfectly flat. Then when I did a setup I didn't have to tighten the truss rod quite so much to get a little overbow, and leveled the frets individually wherever they buzzed. Just a thought. Thanks for the video, learned a lot. You've got real patience!
I've done it a lot over the years. Really don't have much luck with it. Seems that everything that you been that way eventually pulls back to where it wants to be.
wow Jerry sounds like you didn't get off to a good start! from the looks of that belly and bridge tilting forward a bridge doctor I bet would flatten it right out, I'm not crazy about them but in cases like this they do work. good to hear you say not tighten thr truss under string tension, people give me a lot of flack for that.
+Randy Schartiger well you know how it is people know everything. Thanks for watching old friend. A bridge doctor probably would help it but after I put the light strings on it I think everything looked a lot better.
Randy I just had a small argument with a guy for 3 days about tightening under string tension. He has a channel here on YT and will not accept that it's best to loosen the strings first. I guess he'll learn when he snaps a truss rod and has to spend money on someone's guitar.
Tony Polecastro and me got into it about this once and he has a huge channel, I told him that very thing, if he ever gets hold of an instrument that hasn't had the truss turned in 30 years and tries going even the slightest amount tighter under string tension then good chance he will learn the hard way, he disagreed and said tightening in small increments was ok, WRONG! he's been lucky if ht has gotten by with it!
Catching up on your videos (you’re one of my favorites to watch) and I was wondering if you think that a 3/4 sized should have lights or extra lights? I have a Fender MA-1 and the factory strings are 12’s and as both a beginner and knowing that it’s obviously a smaller guitar, I think that it could potentially be better for the guitar (and my fingers) to switch to lighter strings. Thanks in advance, Marisa
Thank you for watching my videos. And your kind comments. I would definitely think it should have light strings on it. I don't think you have to go to extra light. You will be surprised sometimes guitars like that actually sounds better with lighter strings. You might be able to get ahold of the mx7 seven fives by Martin those are a custom light. I can also sell those to you via email if you want for about $12.50 including shipping. I saw that you just became a patron on patreon. Thank you for that. I will knock an additional dollar off your set of strings if you'd like to order.
Rosa String Works Hi there! Sorry I’m just now seeing this! That would be great actually! And it’s no problem. I saw you had a Patreon and had to support one of my favorites!
marisathebibliophile great if you'd like to buy the strings via email just send me a note to my email address which is rosastringworks@gmail.com. Thank you very much.
I have a FG-411L bought in 95, actually I bought one in Oct 94 but returned it in May 95 due to a warped neck. These Yamadogs are notorious for bellied sound boards due to the lightweight top bracing. Mine will be getting a "Bridge Doctor" real soon. However, they do have a loud, awesome sound.
Have you heard of a floating floor, where you lay sheet insulation on a floor and then put sheet floor material on to of that, no fixings just glue the sheet floor together, You need to remove skirtings and shorten doors but at least the floors are then toasty, cheers
We actually have a floating floor in the largest great room. Doesn't really seem to do that much. You have to understand this is not your average house. 7000 square feet of concrete floor is just a bit of Overkill. The other very ironic part of the situation is we live in a deep valley and we truly are one of the coldest spots that you'll find in this area of Missouri. 7 miles away the temperature can easily be 12 degrees warmer where the altitude is higher
Mr. Rosa, have you ever use Stewmac's Bridge doctor ? If you did, can we have your opinion on it... does it work at all what they tell us supposed to do ? Ty ser. Love your videos and old school knowledge 👏
+Ivan Dimitrijevic I have seen plenty of videos on it but I have never used it. Therefore I guess I won't offer an opinion. I will say that it looks like it ought to work. But I can see issues with it also.
Jerry on one of your videos could you do all the repairs and set up on an Instrument play it. And THEN Wax it so we could hear the difference. Can you use any Paste Wax ? Say Car Wax ? Or is it just Furniture Wax ? Thank You and hope your year gets better.
+mike landreth I'll try to find one where I know it's going to make a difference. Usually the ones that come in really grubby and gross are the ones that you really hear the difference when you clean him up and wax them. Thanks for watching.
Do you think that the truss rod nut had bottomed out on the thread, i.e. can't turn any more? I have seen that and there are tools available to cut more thread on the truss rod. You can put a small outside diameter washer under the truss rod nut too.
Sorry about your Bad Deep freeze pipe bursting & Banjax computer problems news. Global Warming right..... the Country is in a ICE BOX THESE DAYS BRAKING ALL THE RECORDS !! I always thought Yamaha guitar & Takamine guitar are just beginning . Thank you Jerry for all you tips I bought Renaissance Wax 8 months ago I really like the stuff . I couldn't get the arm mark off the top with Renaissance Wax . I had some Martin Guitar Polish it took out that arm mark out . Than I applied Renaissance Wax I'll never go back to Guitar Polish Crap again. Renaissance Wax is number one in my book Thanks Jerry
+scott ford thanks for the note. Yes I like paste wax is much better than liquid polishes. They're not even in the same category in my book. Thanks for watching.
I am enjoying your videos. Neat stuff. I have a Yamaha FG365s with a non functioning truss rod. Back in 1978 I bought it new for $200 CDN. Recently I tried adjusting the truss rod and no matter how many turns the action does not change. Since then I have learned it will cost a small fortune to replace. After much research and conversations replacing the rod may not be necessary. Unfortunately I have not found any pics of the type of rod that is used in a FG365s but I did find a pic of the ends of the rods for a FG375s. Would you know if the rod for the FG365s is the same type of rod for the FG375s? Thanks Pat
Eagle eye! The horse fence did it :-) Yeah on the LLC! Also, a trust, with you, your heirs as beneficiaries :-) Do it through your attorney, then the attorney isn't required to divulge ANY info :-)
+Brian Smith raising the nut is only advisable if the action is too low at the first fret. Otherwise raising the nut won't help you. It sounds to me like you will need a neck reset if your saddle is really tall. Sorry.
Jerry, What would happen if you added a washer to the end of the truss rod? Im wondering if the rod is bottoming out on the threads like they didn't thread it as much as they should have. Just a thought
Somehow I KNEW where U were Going, when U Started to Talk about the Furnace going Out... I HATE being Right!!! Too Funny about the "Old Man Fingernail Syndrome"! About Waxing the Guitar...I compare that to Waxing the Car...It seems to Drive Better after a Shining, too! : )
That sounds superb... Jerry, or anyone who knows more about Electric acoustic guitars... I am buying a guitar, some sort of entry model... And i got a sugestion to take LAG 100 Tramontane... Price is some 600$... I would like it to be designed for light or medium strings... What would you sugest, Yamaha 700 II, Ovation 44, Fender 140...or LAG... Both China made... For my budget, what else?! I would like full, but mild sound... What do you think?! Greeting from Croatia!
+Tihomir Kolarek I would love to help you my friend. But I'd be lying if I said I had a good suggestion. I'm sure someone on here will help you out. Thanks for watching.
Rosa String Works good luck with your computer and rental property. I have a cheap Rogue guitar when I strung it up action was way way to low I tried loosening rod and it had no affect what so ever so I took the board off and took rod out of it and tried it again rod would not relax and loosen. I ordered new rod for it new 2 way hopefully cures it. Rosa String Works ever have issue of action being to low because rod will not loosen? Going to ever work on anymore Harmony guitar's again?
+Brian Smith I hate to sound like a know-it-all. But I believe you're chasing the wrong problem. The truss rod is only there to adjust the under bow in the neck it does not adjust the action. I can show you that in black and white writing from Gibson Martin and Taylor. Therefore if the action is too low you either need to put a taller nut on it or a taller saddle or you need to adjust the angle of the neck with a neck reset. That's really the only three options. Actually I know of a few other ways to tweak it and help it out without a neck reset but the truss rod is not the right answer I'm sorry. Good luck with it hope you're able to fix it.
Working on two old red label yahama’s. You are an enjoyment to watch.
I miss my first steel string acoustic which was an FG-160 Yamaha... it sounded great and I got it used and cheap in 1980, then sadly it was stolen in a bar in Donaldsonville Louisiana. It was the history of me learning to set up guitars. Anyway, thanks for the great content Jerry, I'm catching these vids 5 years after the fact, while also watching your new ones.
Jerry, I just want to remind you of the difference you've surely made in the lives of your viewers. It's really pretty fantastic that you have all the energy it takes to fly through so many tough jobs and then have the energy left over to put it all together on video, time after time. I've learned so much and had had so much fun from watching your videos, that it's as if you've taken over the top spot as the most influential teacher I may have ever had. I'm confident that many other viewers feel the same. Thanks so much!
Thank you very much. Very kind of you to say that.
i guess I am kinda randomly asking but does anyone know a good site to stream new series online?
@Harry Lorenzo i would suggest Flixzone. You can find it on google :)
@Thiago Francisco definitely, I've been using FlixZone for years myself =)
@Thiago Francisco Thank you, I went there and it seems to work :D I really appreciate it !
so I'm not the only one who flexes the neck while I'm adjusting the truss rod!?
Very refreshing!
subbed!
47 years in the music business. I really enjoy your repair videos. i just a bit serious repairs. thank you for all the great ideas on repairs and tools.
I've been a fan of lighter gauge strings on acoustics for years (40+).
Thick enough to drive the top (might take a few tries). My Martin D35S came with some real cables on it and to me ... sounded muted. Went down to lights and she found her voice. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but this old dog learns something every time I watch you.
Thank you very much my friend.
Among my guitars, I’m the original owner of a Yamaha FG-160, built in 1973. It’s like a scaled-down dreadnaught.
In part, due to its age, I put Nashville-style strings on the instrument. It sounds great (jangles like a 12-string) and there’s less stress on the neck. Fun to play.
I’m a big fan of Yamaha guitars. They’re well-built, very reasonably priced, and sound great.
What strings and size are you using on the FG-160? Thanks
@@BFClayto I use a set of D’Addario Nashville strings. The strings come in only one gauge (10-27), not a choice of gauges. You could purchase them on Amazon.
Aw Jerry...we all "love you and care!!" So sorry that 2018 is starting bad for you. I felt it coming when you said the furnace quit...I thought "oh no, frozen pipes!!" What a drag! So glad that you can still keep your sense of humor...hope the year get better!!!
+thats2kewl thank you very much. At least in terms of the business it has to get better.
Hello Jerry. I might have a tip that will help. When you remove strings, if you push the ball end below the bridge plate, you can easily pull the bridge pins by hand. You are the one with experience though, so please don't be offended. Thanks for all your work in producing these videos. They are excellent! Bobby Hall Greensboro, NC
Bobby R Hall thanks for taking a look. I'm familiar with that approach. I use it whenever they're stuck a little bit.
Thanks for the info! I am gonna take it to a local man a lot of friends recommend. Greats videos, I enjoy them every time I get the alert of a new one uploaded.
+Anthony Allen good luck.
Hi Jerry! The intro reminds me of Hank Williams “everything’s ok”. Thank you for everything! Love your work.
Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck, Jerry. The old adage "When it rains it pours" always holds true. Keep on chuggin along Brother, it'll get better. As always, I enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing.
+Chris Clark thank you very much.
I agree with you about using the light gauge strings on the Yamaha's of that vintage. I have a FG 200 I picked up in 1979 and it was about 5 years old at the time. I use the lightest strings I can get and it sounds and plays beautiful. The truss rod is very tight like the one you were working on. I've played in bands and members always loved to play it.
+Ben Kelly thanks for taking a look. But yamaha's are real nice guitars.
I couldn't help thinking the Bridge had been Shaved Down...I noticed Yours was Flat.
A Yamaha I'm Currently working on had a Radius to It, and had the Same Height Problem, with the Rod not Working no matter What, so I'm Scraping it down.
And Sanding the Height of the Saddle, and needing to Re-Ream the Pinholes, Chamfer them, and Re-saw the String Slots.
And the Saddle also was Loose.
So since I'm doing all this FREE for my Nephew, I just Added a Bead of Crazy Glue to Thicken It on the Backside, to stop the Waddling-It does the Trick.
+chickengnawer good luck with your project. Thanks for watching. I can't say about the bridge whether it was flat or not it was too long ago and I don't remember.
Sorry for the troubles you’ve been experiencing like they say when it rains it pours. Very impressive video. your years of expertise are quite evident. I totally agree with your gut feeling about the light strings everything you said is pretty obvious to me. My first acoustic was a 12 string alcohol and they can last with proper care like what you just did. Good job man
Congrats(I guess) on the LLC. I'm sure you made the right move to it. Many problems!! I've had my share here in the west US. Hank Sr. said"We're still livin', so everything's OK". You may not agree! Home appliances, you love em, you hate em! Great Yamaha video, like all your videos. Good to have a video I can watch. Thankz
+Audio Tech Labs you're welcome my friend. Yeah I've got my home appliances in issue also. And I didn't even mention my Honda four wheeler or the Polaris Ranger. Everything's falling apart. Thanks for watching good luck to you.
You're so busy now, but I have TWO of those Yamahas that need you.
1970 Yamaha FG 140 dreadnought acoustic guitar, Japan production with Nippon Gakki red label. Laminate spruce top and mahogany sides and back.
Those old red label yamahas from the 60' and 70's were very well built and lovely sounding guitars. I think it sounded just fine with light strings!
I picked up an older 20 to 25 yr. old Vantage "VA-12" which had high strings when bought second hand. There was a fair amount of under-bow in the neck, specially in the middle section,(much like the one shown in the video. I removed the string stress, and started working on the Truss rod, to help get rid of some of the under-bow. The adjustments are made from inside the sound hole. Like in your video, the nut adjuster, was tight, so I backed it off by a fair amount, and began moving the nut adjuster, back and forth over the hidden threads inside, to help loosen the adjuster up, seeing it hadn't moved (I don't think) since it was sold new. When I first started, the height of the strings were almost double the height they should have been, and possibly when it was sold new. Did a check on the strings, and found the strings installed, were a heavy set ( at 74 Thou on the low "E" string). I installed a set of Erie Ball "lights", because like with guitar shown, the bracing of the sound board is of light nature. I did get the neck nice and flat, with a very slight under-bow, using the truss rod adjuster (got it working again). With the light "E" strings installed, found the height had dropped by a fair amount (which is good), but not far enough to be where they really should be. Think I'll have to do a neck reset to get it down to the level the strings should be properly sitting, as I don't trust adding more added tension on the truss rod, that's quite tight now. Like yourself, I think the last owner caused this problem, by using over sized strings, where he should have been using a set of lights, not heavies. I noticed as I went over the neck, and body joint, that the neck has been removed at one time, and re-glued back on, so it appears it was re-installed improperly. Sometimes a person can't get out of doing a Neck reset. Using a straight edge along the center line of the fret board, the neck is now flat from fret 1, and on up to, and including fret 8, where it then begins to rise on a slow slight angle to a max of about the thickness of a business card, with no strings strung on it at the 12th fret, Continuing on along the straight edge, it comes in-line at around 1/8th of an inch, "below" cresting the top of the manufacturers made saddle. I think that neck needs a wee bit more angle for good proper string height, by doing a neck reset, don't you think?
Have a blessed 2018 brother, yer videos/quality are always of a high standard, the work ye put in tae achieve that is greatly appreciated. THANK YE .
Scotland UK 🇬🇧
+mjcos1 thank you very much. I appreciate your compliment. Thanks for watching.
Jerry I agree w some of the other comments re clamping a backbow into the neck and then just snugging the truss rod nut up to meet it. I've have a few of these Yammies also and I believe the neck wood is not as hard as it might be so when you crank that truss it just pulls the buried end into the neck instead of straightening it. So I set up a cpl cauls to put actual backpressure on the neck.
+Tioga Fretworks definitely could have done that. This one seemed to improve enough with light strings that I didn't feel any further action was necessary. Thanks for watching. Happy New Year.
Rosa String Works back at you Jerry! PS I have a Framus Mando Im going to do surgery on - it has no truss rod but needs one. It's a bolt-on neck so later this winter I'm going to pull it apart and either pull the fingerboard or go in from the back and do a fender- style skunk strip. It was a gift from my parents when I was 10-11 yrs old so has sentimental value - otherwise would not be worth the effort. But it's borderline playable now even w the lightest strings - way too much relief
Love how you approach the set up...not just this Yamaha but all others. Wish you were near I have a Martin and a Fender accoustic you could really improve... also have a "no name," guitar with probably 150 reading at the 12th... no truss rod just cannot figure how to bring it down even to 100 at the 12th.
I have found on a couple guitars over the years, that the truss rod nut had reached the end of the threads before moving the neck enough to pull it back and remove the under bow. I removed the nut and added a washer over the truss rod behind the nut and it added enough that I was able to adj the truss rod and get the under bow out. Just wanted to share my solution, peace
+Boudreau Guitars thanks for the note. I have seen that as well. But that wasn't the case here. Thanks for watching old friend.
Boudreau Guitars I had the same issue with my 1964 Gibson acoustic. The truss rod nut bottomed out and would not fully adjust the neck. Possibly, the wood anchoring the truss rod at the body end of the neck compressed over the years, in effect lengthening the truss rod. That’s only a theory, but adding two thin washers under the truss rod nut took care of the problem. Another great video, Jerry.
Wow you are having way to many problems. I hope things improve for you soon. There's a small farm near my house. I pass by it every day. Last week I saw them loading wood on to a trailer like you describe. Today I saw them out with two trailers and trucks loading wood. They had cut down two big trees last summer and cut them into fire wood. Anyway I thought of you. I feel for you. Good luck to you. I hope you have a great blessed week. God bless you.
+Thomas Tommy thank you very much my friend.
This is a great video! I have an old Yamaha fg110, but I’ve always put silk and steel lights on it, so I’ve never had to adjust the truss rod fortunately.
The old red labels are probably more valuable. Like your long detailed videos the best, thanks Jerry.
+Gary Yeigh thank you very much for watching.
I bought this same guitar Red label FG140 brand new in around 1967 for $100.00 I still have it and it is still a great playing guitar. I never really babied it besides keeping it in the case. I put Grover pegs on it a long time ago and thats about it. It looks used. This was not a high end guitar at the time the FG180 was the upgrade IIRC.
+Raymond A. Levesque thanks for checking it out.
I'm in the same boat well wise. Had to put in new pump in December. January starts out with 2 stents in the heart. Look out February!
+bobkins270 wow. I need to count my blessings. Thanks for watching.
Another great video.
Congrats on the LLC!!
Hope the property issues calm down.
Maybe you're getting all of the problems solved early this year.
+johnny howard boy I sure hope so. Thank you very kindly. Happy New Year.
I was in the USAF traveling home to Long Island NY from Texas going to stop in Buffalo NY to drop a couple brothers off before heading home .
Long story short , my Chevy vans gas pump on the side of the engine leaked and seized my motor when the gas thinned the oil . I was in Rollo Missouri . Got a new motor in two days and was on my way . Funny I’ve never heard of anybody ever mention that place ever ! Any way thanks who ever you were in Rollo ! The motor lasted longer than the transmission years later .
Don't worry Jerry my friend, in my long experience, what starts bad, ends up good!! Happy New Year, Regards Steve,from England.
+steveparkes1 thank you my friend. Thanks for your continued support.
Your right! That Yamaha has plenty of vol. even with the lighter gauge strings... Those older Japanese Made guitars often have that in my experience. However I've seen plenty with non working truss rods and have to do the exact same thing!
At first was expecting to learn how to fix the issue, (guess you can't on a $300 guitar) But at least now I have confidence telling my customer that lowering string ga. or drop the tuning if they play by theirselves.... Great video!
+Jason Robinson thank you very much.
Happy 2018, when it rains it pours. I have always liked those F140 Yammis they typically sound and play nicely. I've run into a lot of necks like that and I loosen the rod then clamp a back bow into the neck then re-tighten the rod. Usually works after that. Good one Jerry, hope your year turns around soon.
+Dane Nichols thanks for taking a look.
Hope things get better which I am sure they will. Great video. I just picked up a Yamaha FG red label 150 made in Taiwan. I am in NJ and really wish you were close by because I 'd love to have you work on it and set it all up for me. You are really good at what you do.
For those who care to know, the Yamaha FG140, and indeed, all Yamaha's FG models from the 70s with a model number lower than 300, are ALL-laminate guitars, no solid wood panels. Some, the Nippon Gakki-made, red label FG150, FG180 and FG300, were probably the best sounding plywood guitars every made. I've heard bluegrass players call the FG300 a "poor man's Martin" due to it being such a good sounding boomer. After 1975, a Yamaha with a solid wood top would have an "S" in the model number, like FG365S or FG460S. Yamaha's all-solid wood models begin with an "L", like my beloved LL35.
hi jerry from suffolk england sorry to here about your problems.love the vids.cheers me up on a cold winters night.have played bluegrass for many years.not so much nowadays.we have a local bluegrass festival each year.hope you have a better rest of the year kind regards pete k.
+peter keeble thank you so much for watching.
has anybody told youu how much you sound like mitch jayne of the dillards
thanks again for yet another comforting video.
Like your view on the string weight, I always use light gauge on my Larrivee, being one of the first Larrivees, it has no truss rod, great video.
+Rod MacKinnon thank you very much. You might be surprised how many real good players use light strings. Thanks for watching.
Funny your comment about polishing. Saxes especially silver plated old ones sound much better cleaned and shiny.
Nice work
Jim
+phooesnax yes they do. Thank you for watching.
Offhand, it isn't hard to imagine that a thin layer of dirt & oxidation on a metal instrument will act in a manner similar to the rubberized undercoating on a vehicle. It dampens vibrations.
great job jerry as usual, I am frantically trying to catch up with your videos. love and peace from bonny scotland. cheers, Andy.
Thank you very much my friend.
thank you for the advice. Really awesome!
Great video as per usual Jerry. Computers are a pain in the ass when they start going wrong. Thanks for putting out these videos. I love them. Cheers. Fino.
And btw Jerry we all love you and we all care!!!!!😂😂😂😂
+Fintan Gilligan thank you very kindly my friend.
That is exactly the issue I am having with my Yamaha fs700. As far as I can see no under or overbow with no string but put them on and HIGH strings at the neck joint.
Anthony Allen if the neck is straight. Then one of two things needs to happen either you need to lower the saddle on the bridge. Or if that is not possible, the neck would have to be reset. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
When I have a case with a big underbow, I loosen the trust rod, put a guitar in a vice and secure the neck in a position where I want it to be and then tighten the trust rod just enough to secure it in that position.
+Ivan Dimitrijevic I have done that as well my friend. In this case once I put the light strings on it it seem to be quite a bit better.
I have also recently used that trick on a bass guitar neck. As I worried that depending only on the truss rod to do all the work could damage it from over-exertion.
Jerry: Art Ogle Ft Worth at you. Fully agree on using the gauge strings appropriate to a guitar. Just purchased a 2020 Yamaha FG830 (same model as my sons)
OEM strings were D'Addario light gauge strings. I too believe that having heavier gauge strings than those recommended are a case of "that ole dawg won't hynr" (Not fer long anyway)
Another job well done Jerry
+michaeladam caira thank you very much.
Low heat pad on fret board with weight forcing a tad back-bow, rod full loose. 10-15 min, then let cool. I've had mostly success trying this, but some failures too where adjustment didn't stay. Never damaged guitar. Have had to level frets though a few times.
Thanks. I've done that many times myself. I didn't feel it was warranted in this particular case. Thanks for watching.
Jerry: Whatta coincidence "Nobody loves me" by the BGAB is one of my fave tunes!!! But "When you are lonely" by Sideline (b flat) is
my fave. Steve Dilling now on the ole 5. Bought grandson a F335 and played it 3 hours at yesterdays jam session. Wayne played it
a half hour.
9:30 FYI. Here's how to get the screws off the truss rod cover when the wood below is stripped, without damaging the wood or the cover: Slide something very thin, maybe a small flat head under the truss rod cover. Pry the truss rod cover GENTLY! Not enough that the cover breaks, but gently .Keep the pressure on it, then as you are doing that use your philips to unscrew the screws. You will notice the screw is unscrewing and the cover is coming up as well. Im not the best at explaining it and I'm definitely not a professional luther but it works 100%.
Jerry i have a 140 yamaha guitar and i love it , i`ve owned some good sounding guitars . but i believe i like this one the best . and by the way i really do enjoy your videos i watch 2 or three every night . and i guess i about watched them all , keepem coming lol
Happy New Year Brother Job Rosa.
Rosa String Works When I got guitar the heel was split I had to glue the heel back together so that most likely because of break might have affected the angle. I put shims near dove tail glued them in so hopefully they help the neck also got clamps on it. I reed a article that you can remove the tongue of fretboard and put shims in dove tail and that can fix the neck angle instead of steaming it off then put shims under the tongue basically poor mans neck reset reed on Harmony forum about Harmony neck resets.
+Brian Smith good luck with it.
I've worked on maybe 100 vintage Yamaha FG's and done 50 vintage FG neck resets. The neck angle on that guitar is definitely no good. A visible bend in the fretboard where the neck meets the body is common, as is the top caving in at the sound hole, both causing a bad neck angle and high action. 50 years of string tension will do that. To adjust the truss rod, remove the nut, LUBE the internal threads, reinstall, it SHOULD be easier to turn. I backbow (with a custom designed block and clamp) the neck to get a slight back bow, tighten the nut, remove the clamp, and loosen the nut slightly to set the neck relief. I have NEVER found a vintage FG truss rod I couldn't adjust. The neck relief should be set with the strings at full tension. Overtightening the truss rod will pull the head of the truss rod (at the other end) into the neck and eventually you will run out of adjustment. Backbowing is the only option. I tried to post a link to my forum but it seems CZcams deletes posts with links.
Regarding the string weight question, when Billy Gibons of ZZ Top met BB King, BB tried out his guitar an noting the heavy strings he asked "why are you making so much work for yourself?" From then on Billy has used light strings. 🎸
Good point.. although a bit of a apples to oranges thing. Those guys used electric guitars , so they relied on their AMPS ! A better example would be an acoustic guitar guy that doesn't like heavy strings.
OMG you're a great singer too!
You can definitely see the underbow in this video. I don't know if it's your videos or not, I expect it is not, but the comments are not coming up at all on youtube today. Consequently, I don't, know if you will even get this comment. In any case great video.
good point jerry sir, i also dont think yamaha's are made for 13's 11 is way light light 12's will do
some players tune it down half a step. well it sure eases of some tenson.
Sorry to hear about your start of the new Year. There is a virus relating to USB ports. Hope you didn't get this one. It's difficult to detect and is a bad one to fix. Hope you have a good backup. May have to reformat to get it removed. Internet has some information on this. Good luck.
+George Stone I never thought about it being a virus. I need to look into it thanks. Thanks for watching.
Lol Jerry, wait a couple years... It's sooooo much better now...
New prerequisite for luthiery school; alignment by eye, ie "horse fence installation"
.
+Richard Amey well it was a prerequisite for me anyway. Thank you for watching.
Just so I'll know, how is it that paste wax improves tone, applied to the top and/or back of a guitar and mandolin. That sounds a bit counterintuitive, but you are, after all, the expert. I don't have experience with newer Yamahas, but the old Japan-made Red Label sounded very good. Thanks for another good video.
WryGrass100 first of all it is more obvious on older neglected guitars that haven't been cleaned in a long time. When you clean them up and you put a paste wax on the finish it seems to crisp up the finish and you get a real clear noticeable difference. On some the difference is absolutely huge. On others you can barely tell any difference at all. Thank you for watching.
So, it looks like I have my work cut out for me. Thanks
Good luck on your rental house I hope 2018 gets better for you.
+Sean Mccord thank you very much. The well got fixed today and it turned out to be fairly simple. A blown capacitor. I had check the capacitor and thought it was okay. But apparently not. Thanks for watching.
Rosa String Works wow thanks for the reply great videos, you're an awesome repair guy. I do have a question ,a scenario where my Guitar have fell over and a chunk got carved out of the back of the neck, I thought about using wood putty but I heard that shrinks over time. I heard people say Bondo is good ,what do you think? 😊
Hang in there. Sounds like a rough start to 2018.
Jim
+phooesnax yeah it's a rough start. But as they say it could always be worse right? Thanks for watching. Happy New Year.
… You mentioned that it might be possible, that the Truss Rod might have been glued in some manner during either a neck reset, or at the factory when it was made. Heating the neck, and the Truss rod with an iron might loosen/soften the glue just enough to allow the rod to be adjusted properly, and get rid of, or lessen the under-bow. Just a thought.
The amount of heat required to loosen the truss rod would certainly be more than enough to loosen the fretboard and the neck joint. Just wouldn't want to go that deep and the customer didn't want to pay to go that deep
I just purchased a fg-260. 12 string . it had to heavy of strings and really has a belly on her. I took them off and the truss rod was scary tight trying to loosen it but it finally cooperated. (probably should have tried to loosen with the neck under tension) . I'm thinkin a bridge dr. and the lightest strings I can get help the belly issue. It had a wound 3rd . it had tuning issues because the string slots were to narrow not allowing the strings to slide properly. I bet the previous owner put these heavier strings on it and exarerbaterd the belly issue. you think the tuning issue would have gave him a clue but I guess he didn't see it. this fret board is a 20+ radius. The bracing is odd. not symmetrical. very light top. wondering which bridge dr. to use.? oh yeah. the bridge plate could be a little wider imo because it doesn't quite extend pass the string pegs. I'd thought it should.
Jerry, got a little "Yammie" APX-4A. Nice little unit. One of the better budget brands that sound OK.
Well, it sounds like the beginning of 2018 is giving you some problems, but that guitar sounds great!
+Jeff Grier thanks for taking a look. Yes those Yamaha guitars are very good sounding guitars.
Jerry can you teach me, how to make straight again, guitar Underbow without tusrod, 🙏🙏classical guitar nylon string.
I had an fg160, It was a great instrument.
If you still have computer problems might be worth checking is it has dome caps if so that will give you all sorts of problems.
I've never heard of Dome caps.
Sorry domed capacitors they look like little battery's standing up on the motherboard, if top of them is domed there faulty they should be flat its worth a look as it a problem with electronics.
I've owned a Yamaha FG-230 12 String since new, in '72 - a great guitar. There is one thing which I do not like about it though, it goes through 'nuts' quite regularly. It reaches a point where I cannot manage to keep it tuned. Each time this happens, I take it to a different luthier, and they wind up installing a new nut. An ebony nut was installed this last time, and it seems to have held up better than the others.
I was told that keeping a 12-string in tune is a never ending task, but now I wonder if it is a "Yamaha - centric probllem", instead.
But they just sound so good!
+AMStationEngineer It probably shouldn't be going through nuts just because it's a 12-string. Though they are much harder to keep in tune there's no question about that. They really put a lot of stress on a guitar top. Thanks for watching.
Is there a chance that all the previous nuts were just made of inferior plastics? Another possibility is that in all previous cases, the nut slots were cut too wide, and allowed the strings to move slightly in the slots & create wear. A lot of tuning & string changes over time can act to cause the strings to cut their slots deeper, but it won't cut them to fit the string properly and the slots will soon become irregular and can often bind on the strings as a result, creating a need for a replacement. I've heard several times that some makers allegedly recommend that a 12-string should be tuned a full step lower than a 6-string, to help limit destructive forces of all kinds. If I were to be in the market for a 12-string, I think I'd look for one with a shorter scale length, so that the strings are under less tension to begin with. The neck itself doesn't seem to need to be thick & chunky to have good stability, but the extra tension can really play hell with the body, and the only way around that is to beef up the dimensions of the top, the bracing, & the bridge, which unfortunately also has a tendency to kill the tone & response. So if a guitar is a collection of balances & compromises, the life expectancy of a 12-string is compromised by the added string tension in a way that means 'the better it sounds, the quicker it self-destructs'. Or, you can build on the heavy side, & settle for longer life but with worse tone & volume.
I have one of the newer Martin DX series 12 strings and I have never tuned it.
Imagine how good it would sound if I did, seriously, it has stayed in tune with only needing slight adjustments, I keep it in the case and in check humidity.
In the other corner I have an FG75 I've owned since 75, it stays in tune, but has the same bow in it and shreds my fingers, but I still play her bc she sounds so nice. I am going to go over her with all this info learned here today, just ordered light folk strings and gonna take a look at that truss rod situation. Gonna wax it up too, never heard that one, but the finish is gone from the top of this guitar so...
I know what mean with rental property. When every thing is going good it is like someone gives you money.When things go bad it is just awful.
+Reel McCoy yeah it seems to be hot and cold. Things usually come in threes and that was three for that place so hopefully we're done for a while. Thanks for watching.
If you are tightening it that much and it is not effective, you may be bottoming out on the threads on the rod. A washer on it, or a spacer may prove to be a fix.
garry7263 thanks. I'm very aware of that issue. That was not the case. Thanks for taking a look.
Rosa String Works I just bought a heat matt made for guitars hope it helps neck.
Good luck to you I hope it works.
68 degrees! that's hot!
+chump5101 well I don't think I'd call it hot. And by the way that's 68 degrees at chest chest-high. My guess is it's probably closer to 58 degrees at your feet because of the concrete floor. So it does not feel hot at all if anything it feels pretty cool. Thanks for watching.
Wow. You have had a bad spell of troubles all at once. On the computer side you can use Device Manager to remove the drivers for USB devices, reboot the computer, and let it reinstall the drivers for the USB devices the next time they are plugged in to the computer. Similar to what you would say to someone working on an instrument, if you aren't sure what you are doing have someone else who does help you to get the computer working as it should. When a computer isn't working right you soon realize just how much you use it.
I was able to see the neck underbow and the bulge on the top by the bridge in the video. After you loosened the original strings I noticed an odd bend in the low E at the 10th fret. The measurements of the strings says they were Light strings (12 to 53). Custom Lights are 11 to 52. If the action is being set a bit high using Custom Lights could help with playability. I've been using Custom Light strings on my steel string acoustic as I felt it would help me when I started out. I recently discovered the guitar shipped from the factory with Custom Lights so I'll be staying with that gauge of string.
Actually I did just that on the USB. I was at break-fix guy for AT&T for several years on PCS. So I'm pretty familiar with how to work on them. I use custom lights quite often. Thank you very much for watching.
Rosa String Works StewMac used make neck heaters but quit making them.
The old overpay trick...you'll have to let us know how that plays out!
+John Garrison thank you very much for watching. Happy New Year.
Do you ever do heat clamping? That might be a good way to get the neck back to original flatness with a loose truss rod, then you might not have to tighten the truss rod so much to get a little overbow. Just a thought. I bought an old 65 Harmony H22 bass that really had bad under bow, so I bought an angle iron piece and clamps, and put it over a floor heater for about 20 min (carefully at 90 degrees) and let it straighten and cool slowly, overnight. The neck ended up perfectly flat. Then when I did a setup I didn't have to tighten the truss rod quite so much to get a little overbow, and leveled the frets individually wherever they buzzed. Just a thought. Thanks for the video, learned a lot. You've got real patience!
I've done it a lot over the years. Really don't have much luck with it. Seems that everything that you been that way eventually pulls back to where it wants to be.
wow Jerry sounds like you didn't get off to a good start! from the looks of that belly and bridge tilting forward a bridge doctor I bet would flatten it right out, I'm not crazy about them but in cases like this they do work. good to hear you say not tighten thr truss under string tension, people give me a lot of flack for that.
+Randy Schartiger well you know how it is people know everything. Thanks for watching old friend. A bridge doctor probably would help it but after I put the light strings on it I think everything looked a lot better.
Being that the truss rod moves, and that, as hard as it is, it does move the neck, you might leave it overnight, then give it another half-turn.
*with the strings off.
Randy I just had a small argument with a guy for 3 days about tightening under string tension. He has a channel here on YT and will not accept that it's best to loosen the strings first. I guess he'll learn when he snaps a truss rod and has to spend money on someone's guitar.
Tony Polecastro and me got into it about this once and he has a huge channel, I told him that very thing, if he ever gets hold of an instrument that hasn't had the truss turned in 30 years and tries going even the slightest amount tighter under string tension then good chance he will learn the hard way, he disagreed and said tightening in small increments was ok, WRONG! he's been lucky if ht has gotten by with it!
Catching up on your videos (you’re one of my favorites to watch) and I was wondering if you think that a 3/4 sized should have lights or extra lights? I have a Fender MA-1 and the factory strings are 12’s and as both a beginner and knowing that it’s obviously a smaller guitar, I think that it could potentially be better for the guitar (and my fingers) to switch to lighter strings. Thanks in advance,
Marisa
Thank you for watching my videos. And your kind comments. I would definitely think it should have light strings on it. I don't think you have to go to extra light. You will be surprised sometimes guitars like that actually sounds better with lighter strings. You might be able to get ahold of the mx7 seven fives by Martin those are a custom light. I can also sell those to you via email if you want for about $12.50 including shipping. I saw that you just became a patron on patreon. Thank you for that. I will knock an additional dollar off your set of strings if you'd like to order.
Rosa String Works Hi there! Sorry I’m just now seeing this! That would be great actually! And it’s no problem. I saw you had a Patreon and had to support one of my favorites!
marisathebibliophile great if you'd like to buy the strings via email just send me a note to my email address which is rosastringworks@gmail.com. Thank you very much.
Rosa String Works sounds good! Thank you!
I have a FG-411L bought in 95, actually I bought one in Oct 94 but returned it in May 95 due to a warped neck. These Yamadogs are notorious for bellied sound boards due to the lightweight top bracing. Mine will be getting a "Bridge Doctor" real soon. However, they do have a loud, awesome sound.
The Bridge Doctor definitely pulls out the Bulge but in my opinion it also affects the tone.
Have you heard of a floating floor, where you lay sheet insulation on a floor and then put sheet floor material on to of that, no fixings just glue the sheet floor together, You need to remove skirtings and shorten doors but at least the floors are then toasty, cheers
We actually have a floating floor in the largest great room. Doesn't really seem to do that much. You have to understand this is not your average house. 7000 square feet of concrete floor is just a bit of Overkill. The other very ironic part of the situation is we live in a deep valley and we truly are one of the coldest spots that you'll find in this area of Missouri. 7 miles away the temperature can easily be 12 degrees warmer where the altitude is higher
Mr. Rosa, have you ever use Stewmac's Bridge doctor ? If you did, can we have your opinion on it... does it work at all what they tell us supposed to do ?
Ty ser. Love your videos and old school knowledge 👏
+Ivan Dimitrijevic I have seen plenty of videos on it but I have never used it. Therefore I guess I won't offer an opinion. I will say that it looks like it ought to work. But I can see issues with it also.
Jerry on one of your videos could you do all the repairs and set up on an Instrument play it. And THEN Wax it so we could hear the difference. Can you use any Paste Wax ? Say Car Wax ? Or is it just Furniture Wax ? Thank You and hope your year gets better.
+mike landreth I'll try to find one where I know it's going to make a difference. Usually the ones that come in really grubby and gross are the ones that you really hear the difference when you clean him up and wax them. Thanks for watching.
Do you think that the truss rod nut had bottomed out on the thread, i.e. can't turn any more? I have seen that and there are tools available to cut more thread on the truss rod. You can put a small outside diameter washer under the truss rod nut too.
Damian Strochnetter thank you for taking a look. I don't think that was the issue. It's long gone at this point. Thanks for watching.
Sorry about your Bad Deep freeze pipe bursting & Banjax computer problems news. Global Warming right..... the Country is in a ICE BOX THESE DAYS BRAKING ALL THE RECORDS !! I always thought Yamaha guitar & Takamine guitar are just beginning . Thank you Jerry for all you tips I bought Renaissance Wax 8 months ago I really like the stuff . I couldn't get the arm mark off the top with Renaissance Wax . I had some Martin Guitar Polish it took out that arm mark out . Than I applied Renaissance Wax I'll never go back to Guitar Polish Crap again. Renaissance Wax is number one in my book Thanks Jerry
+scott ford thanks for the note. Yes I like paste wax is much better than liquid polishes. They're not even in the same category in my book. Thanks for watching.
I am enjoying your videos. Neat stuff. I have a Yamaha FG365s with a non functioning truss rod. Back in 1978 I bought it new for $200 CDN. Recently I tried adjusting the truss rod and no matter how many turns the action does not change. Since then I have learned it will cost a small fortune to replace. After much research and conversations replacing the rod may not be necessary. Unfortunately I have not found any pics of the type of rod that is used in a FG365s but I did find a pic of the ends of the rods for a FG375s. Would you know if the rod for the FG365s is the same type of rod for the FG375s? Thanks Pat
Eagle eye! The horse fence did it :-)
Yeah on the LLC! Also, a trust, with you, your heirs as beneficiaries :-) Do it through your attorney, then the attorney isn't required to divulge ANY info :-)
Rosa String Works I put a really tall saddle and it was to low also maybe nut I lost original nut put a different one on.
+Brian Smith raising the nut is only advisable if the action is too low at the first fret. Otherwise raising the nut won't help you. It sounds to me like you will need a neck reset if your saddle is really tall. Sorry.
Having just said that, just busted the D string, so need to change out. :)
Jerry, What would happen if you added a washer to the end of the truss rod? Im wondering if the rod is bottoming out on the threads like they didn't thread it as much as they should have. Just a thought
FG 140 and 180 are both Plywood and , if '70s, it's probably Japanese but maybe Taiwan.
Japan.
Somehow I KNEW where U were Going, when U Started to Talk about the Furnace going Out...
I HATE being Right!!!
Too Funny about the "Old Man Fingernail Syndrome"!
About Waxing the Guitar...I compare that to Waxing the Car...It seems to Drive Better after a Shining, too!
: )
+chickengnawer thank you for watching. Glad you enjoy my little bit of humor. The wax works wonders especially on some instruments.
This is not the first Yamaha that has the same problem. During the 60's this was common.
That sounds superb...
Jerry, or anyone who knows more about Electric acoustic guitars... I am buying a guitar, some sort of entry model... And i got a sugestion to take LAG 100 Tramontane... Price is some 600$... I would like it to be designed for light or medium strings...
What would you sugest, Yamaha 700 II, Ovation 44, Fender 140...or LAG... Both China made... For my budget, what else?!
I would like full, but mild sound...
What do you think?!
Greeting from Croatia!
+Tihomir Kolarek I would love to help you my friend. But I'd be lying if I said I had a good suggestion. I'm sure someone on here will help you out. Thanks for watching.
what are you using to smooth out the fretboard from the fingernail issue? Sandpaper -what grit? Thanks
Rosa String Works good luck with your computer and rental property. I have a cheap Rogue guitar when I strung it up action was way way to low I tried loosening rod and it had no affect what so ever so I took the board off and took rod out of it and tried it again rod would not relax and loosen. I ordered new rod for it new 2 way hopefully cures it. Rosa String Works ever have issue of action being to low because rod will not loosen? Going to ever work on anymore Harmony guitar's again?
+Brian Smith I hate to sound like a know-it-all. But I believe you're chasing the wrong problem. The truss rod is only there to adjust the under bow in the neck it does not adjust the action. I can show you that in black and white writing from Gibson Martin and Taylor. Therefore if the action is too low you either need to put a taller nut on it or a taller saddle or you need to adjust the angle of the neck with a neck reset. That's really the only three options. Actually I know of a few other ways to tweak it and help it out without a neck reset but the truss rod is not the right answer I'm sorry. Good luck with it hope you're able to fix it.
All of my guitars dictate what gauge strings they each require. I have no say in it.