I bought a 1968 365 and I suspect it had a neck reset. HELP!

[gibsonlp]

Hi there,
I purchased that 365 that went on the bay and yesterday a friend brought it from NY.
The guitar is in amazing condition, and in many aspects looks brand new! (not chips at all, 2 very small dings, finish looks in great condition, fretboard finish still sparkles (besides the awesome mop...).

I could not find any marks of an old accent vibrato so it indeed looks like a factory job or a really early modification.

However - I did find out something a little bit scary.
1. The bridge is really high, not as high as it goes, but almost.
2. In order to accommodate that - the bridge pickup is also really high, which leaves a nice cavity between the pickup and the body.
3. This revealed 6 poles coming out of the pickup into the body, I couldn't see them on the neck pickup, is that normal? (not the poles, their length/position)
4. I then decided to check the neck and saw something odd on the joints in the heel, could it be that this guitar had a neck reset???

I have uploaded photos:
Right part of the heel
More heel
And more heel
More heel - buttom part + bindings
More heel - left part
Bridge height
Bridge pickup height & poles

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I took them with one hand holding the guitar and I just woke up...

[gibsonlp]

I believe I wasn't clear enough in my first post...

I am talking about the bigsby 365 that is discussed here.

[ken_j]

After looking at your photos I took a look at my '07 C63 and I can see the pickup poles about the same. It appears that there is still quite a bit of adjustment on the bridge so if plays well I wouldn't be concerned. Looking at the heel to body joint I believe that it appears to have been reset but it looks to be a clean job. I can post or send pics of mine showing the pickup and bridge if you want later today, as I am on my way out the door in a couple of minutes.

[doctorwho]

Gil, if you lower the bridge, do you get bottomed-out strings along the fretboard?

[beatlefreak]

Is it possible the bridge is high because of the Bigsby?

I've heard that some sixties Ricks have long pole pieces on one pickup, but not the other. Others have the long pole pieces on both pickups.

[jingle_jangle]

Does look like a reset. The joint has seen some wood filler; not standard operating procedure at Rickenbacker.

It was a good reset, however; the bridge looks fine height-wise and the extra rubber under the bridge pickup is to boost height and output.

However, I'd like to see a pic of the string height at mid-neck and at body joint to give me a better idea of the geometry. It's possible that it was set with negative angle...even 1/4° makes a noticeable difference in string and bridge height.

[gibsonlp]

Seller claimed "The nut was replaced in 1999, otherwise this Ric 365 is all original, set up perfectly and plays like a dream! The body and neck are in perfect condition".
How upsetting

The thing is that this guitar is a real player! it sounds fantastic and it feels fantastic (and it actually looks fantastic if you ignore the neck reset).
I will keep it, but very upsetting to know that it lost it's collector's value.
I paid $3145 (inc. shipping) on it which is okay, I guess - but I really hoped to gain a contactable instrument "on the way"...

Ken: Thanks, I checked my 366/12 - the bridge pickup does have longer poles, so I guess it is okay...
Gary: I am not sure I follow you, I guess that if I lower the bridge - the strings will hit the frets at some point... what do you mean by "get bottomed-out strings along the fretboard"?

Paul: I measured the spacing of the low "E" string, on the 21st fret it is exactly 2.5mm, on the 10th fret it is 1.5mm.
I have uploaded more photos:
http://gil.disatnik.com/rick/365/IMG_5320.jpg
http://gil.disatnik.com/rick/365/IMG_5321.jpg
http://gil.disatnik.com/rick/365/IMG_5322.jpg
http://gil.disatnik.com/rick/365/IMG_5323.jpg

Thanks guys...

[jingle_jangle]

Good reset, IMO. You could lower the bridge and remove those washers and have a more conventional setup.

[grazioso]

i just looked at those pictures and i don't think this is reset. yes they did use some compounds - mainly this brown grain filler like substance in 60's, sheesh even in 80's and 90's - most of my guitars are mapleglo and it shows a lot more than anywhere else it is mostly around neck heals and treble sides of the necks. it looks like they used this beige brown blob substance to fill in some sanding marks here and there -sometimes it looks almost like grain of wood but it is not.

i think you can bring it down a notch on both bridge and the nut it looks like the new nut changed the whole geometry of the guitar. it doesn't look like typical setup as some of us like it with flat neck. but hey that is nice guitar and it can be setup well. i'd also give it at least a week before doing anything.....to settle it down in its new home.

[gibsonlp]

Thanks guys.
The guitar is very comfortable and sounds great, I don't see a reason to lower the bridge, I can get used to the visual aspects of the high bridge and pickup (unless there is a technical reason for me to lower it, such as stress on the neck...)

[beatlefreak]

If you're happy with it the way it is, there's no reason to fix it - especially if it ain't broke.

[doctorwho]

Gary: I am not sure I follow you, I guess that if I lower the bridge - the strings will hit the frets at some point... what do you mean by "get bottomed-out strings along the fretboard"?

What I meant was in regard to whether the bridge was high because there might be a high fret. If you are comfortable with the action where the bridge is, there is no reason to lower it. I prefer low action, so I usually lower the bridge on a guitar when I get it, and I have occasionally found a high fret or two, not a big deal.