My oldest wooden friend needs a neck reset (part. 1)
It’s clear I’m a bit sentimental when it comes to my guitars… I love them all but this one holds a special place in my heart. It was the first “nice” instrument my father bought back in 1974. I grew up listening to him play folk songs on this particular guitar, and it was mesmerizing. As a child I found it was a big, beautiful, magic, and kind of impressive piece of wood. It was on this guitar that I played the first few basic chords my father taught me. When I was in college I borrowed the guitar and it stayed with me…
This model is a Martin D18 copy made in Japan by luthier Sadao Yairi. Sadao (or Sada) was the uncle, or cousin (unclear) of Kazuo Yairi (K. Yairi guitars). He made great guitars that are little-known by the public at large. I honestly think I’m a lucky guy to have one. Crazy coincidence given the rarity of Sada Yairi guitars in France, my guitar guy had the exact same model for sale a few weeks ago, as well as a Martin D18 from the same era. Fun fact, he did a little blind test for some customers and many preferred the sound of the Yairi.
Unfortunately this old lady is ill. The neck angle is way off, and this makes the guitar almost unplayable. The operation needed is called a “neck reset” : taking the neck off the guitar using steam, correcting its angle and then reattaching it in the corrected position. The instrument also needs to be refretted afterwards. This is a complex and expensive work, it costs appromixately the price the instrument would worth second-hand, but this piece of my family’s history is meant to be played for many more years.
