Invasive neck reset

[82360]

I may have ended up with a more compromised 360/12 than I originally thought...
It's a '66 with a poorly (but stably) repaired headstock break...I think cleaning it up and redoing some stuff will make it look fine and be just as stable.
The issue now, which I didn't realize when I first got it is that it's going to need a neck reset sooner than I expected.
Since it's already a cosmetically and structurally compromised guitar, should it be possible for a good luthier without tons of Ric experience to treat it more like a standard acoustic neck reset by drilling some small holes (possibly covered by the neck pickup) or in the back and injecting steam?
Taking into account what a non-issue mid 60's 360/12 costs, I have a small amount in it...some repairs to make it more playable would make it a guitar I'd keep and use, but knowing it will never be a clean vintage guitar.
It does sound and look great...

[collin]

No matter how much of a project it is, don’t take it to a tech who isn’t willing to learn the right way to reset a Rickenbacker neck.

Don’t use steam (I’ve tried it with mixed results and it can easily mess up your finish and add unnecessary moisture to the guitar).

And don’t ever buy it when somebody tells you the back needs to come off for a neck reset (total nonsense, it does not).

The tried and true method of removing a Rickenbacker neck involves a pair of infrared heat lamps on either side of the neck tenon (8-9” from the surface) for about 45 minutes, then pull the neck out.

As of late, I’ve been using a jig that Dale Fortune designed which uses the existing screw holes for the bridge base and bridge pickup, and slowly drives the neck out of the tenon by putting pressure on the fretboard/neck end. Works like a charm.

[collin]

With full credit to Dale Fortune for designing it, this neck removal jig is a game-changer. It screws into the existing holes for the bridge and bridge pickups, and allows you to basically drive the neck out very slowly by putting pressure on the end of the neck after heating the tenon area with heat lamps for 45 minutes or so.

Neck comes out clean, with the body generally intact. Sometimes minor seam separation that is easily remedied by injecting thinned glue and clamping up the body sides.

[jdogric12]

Dumb question, but what do you do about the finish breaking where the separation occurs? Do you razor blade it first so there is a clean break?

[collin]

Dumb question, but what do you do about the finish breaking where the separation occurs? Do you razor blade it first so there is a clean break?

You mean at the neck and body joint?

Often on vintage Ricks, there is already a gap there, but I'll usually score the finish carefully with an Xacto knife to avoid chipping when it separates.

[jdogric12]

Dumb question, but what do you do about the finish breaking where the separation occurs? Do you razor blade it first so there is a clean break?

You mean at the neck and body joint?

Often on vintage Ricks, there is already a gap there, but I'll usually score the finish carefully with an Xacto knife to avoid chipping when it separates.

Yep - cool, thanks. I have an instrument that could use this. I may get brave and try it at some point. Could the Dale machine™ be recreated and assembled with readily available parts? In other words could I make one of these myself with a simple trip to the local hardware store?

[collin]

Dumb question, but what do you do about the finish breaking where the separation occurs? Do you razor blade it first so there is a clean break?

You mean at the neck and body joint?

Often on vintage Ricks, there is already a gap there, but I'll usually score the finish carefully with an Xacto knife to avoid chipping when it separates.

Yep - cool, thanks. I have an instrument that could use this. I may get brave and try it at some point. Could the Dale machine™ be recreated and assembled with readily available parts? In other words could I make one of these myself with a simple trip to the local hardware store?

Yes, it's all pretty standard stuff (though not many hardware stores sell 1/4" thick aluminum plates).

That said, I learned long ago to never make just one of something. So I have surplus parts to assemble at least one of these tools, if you'd rather just buy one ready to go.

[JeffreyK]

Hi,
I'm resurrecting this old thread, hoping the original poster Collin is still around...?
I recently bought a 360/12 and I'm in the process of fixing a few of its issues. The neck has bent a bit at the heel/tenon. I think (hope) it's good for another few years, with a good setup. But it will need a proper reset at some point.
As I live in Japan (part of the problem I think due to the big differences in humidity between Summer and Winter), I have no Rickenbacker specialist tech to fall back on and have to make things happen between myself, a local luthier and as much info I can gather through the interwebs.

Is there a set of building instructions for the neck extraction jig, and the procedure?
And also: if the neck came out successfully, what is the tried and tested method of fixing the tenon angle? Glue a wedge shim to the back of the tenon and shave off some of the top to make it fit back into the pocket (and under the pickup)?

Also: apart from the tenon bent, without strings or truss rods the neck on my 360/12 has a very slight bow/relief still in it. Would it be necessary or advisable to use a heat neck straightener to get it totally straight before putting the truss rods in and applying tension?

Thanks for the help,
Jeffrey

[collin]

Hi,
I'm resurrecting this old thread, hoping the original poster Collin is still around...?
I recently bought a 360/12 and I'm in the process of fixing a few of its issues. The neck has bent a bit at the heel/tenon. I think (hope) it's good for another few years, with a good setup. But it will need a proper reset at some point.
As I live in Japan (part of the problem I think due to the big differences in humidity between Summer and Winter), I have no Rickenbacker specialist tech to fall back on and have to make things happen between myself, a local luthier and as much info I can gather through the interwebs.

Is there a set of building instructions for the neck extraction jig, and the procedure?
And also: if the neck came out successfully, what is the tried and tested method of fixing the tenon angle? Glue a wedge shim to the back of the tenon and shave off some of the top to make it fit back into the pocket (and under the pickup)?

Also: apart from the tenon bent, without strings or truss rods the neck on my 360/12 has a very slight bow/relief still in it. Would it be necessary or advisable to use a heat neck straightener to get it totally straight before putting the truss rods in and applying tension?

Thanks for the help,
Jeffrey

I'm still around, just not on this board very often.

What year is your 360/12? The neck set issues are usually only 60s era models. In any case, you need to have the neck dead flat before considering a neck reset. The board needs to be flat regardless, so sort that out first. It shouldn't require heat to straighten.

I'm not sure what you mean by "the neck has bent at bit at the heel/tenon". Do you mean that the entire neck is pitched forward (thus requiring a neck reset?)

Always start at the truss rod adjustment first, before assuming neck reset. You'd be surprised what a flat neck will do for a Rick's action.

As for the neck reset procedure:

The photos I posted above are pretty self explanatory. It's a large block with a hole drilled through one end. Screw it down to the guitar using the pickup and bridge mounting holes. Fabricate an aluminum plate on one side of the block and tap it to fit a 3/8" piece of all-thread stock. About 18" long.

Then protect both sides of the body and clamp it in a form (see my photos above), cut from a 2x4 lumber to prevent the both from splitting. Then stick an infrared heat lamp on either side of the neck tenon area about 10" away and let it sit for 60-90 minutes.

Then put a small aluminum block at the end of the neck and start slowly turning the 3/8" all thread rod (with double nuts on the tailpiece end) and hopefully if it's warmed enough, the neck will start moving out.

This entire procedure is not for the feint of heart and accidents can happen, so be forewarned. It took a lot of practice and some minor incidents to really get the procedure down. And I still won't do this for other people, for fear of damaging somebody else's guitar.

Once the neck is out, it's a matter of softening the old glue with heat & water, then putting a small shim on the bottom edge to tilt the neck back slightly (and often shaving a tiny amount off the top side to allow it to fit. On 60s Ricks I also shim the sides of the neck pocket because the factory fit is usually not great.

Then glue the neck back in with Titebond original and put High/Low E-strings on the guitar to make sure everything lines up as you re-glue it.

Hope that's helpful info, best of luck.

[kevinh71]

This post was helpful to me as well, so thank you. I was gifted a 1978 360/12 WB years ago. While it didn't need a true neck reset, the neck had pulled away from the body a bit. No shop around here in Ohio would touch it.

Today on 5/8/2025 I used 2 heat lamps and I built a jig and used by bench vise (with slight modifications) to press it out which was a success. The only issue was the center seam joint on the back of the body started to separate (I think I had the back lamp too close causing it to heat too quickly). That will be the next repair I will have to tackle but should be pretty straight forward.

Hoping someone may find use of this as well.

Thanks again for this post as there isn't much on here

[JeffreyK]

Thank you for the replies, those are helpful!

I have a 360/12 V64 from 1993 and the neck issue is two-fold:

1. there is a slight bow (relief) in the neck, without any strings or truss rods (the rods are taken out completely). When I put a straight edge accross the frets, the middle has a gap of about 1 - 1.5mm. So I was wondering if it's prudent to get the neck totally straight, before new truss rods go in. I don't really know of any other method for neck straighening than using a heat iron?

2. while the neck joint is firm and solid without any gaps or buckling etc., the neck points forward a little. The tenon seems to have bent a bit over time.
After the neck is straightened, the truss rods go back in and everything is set up with proper string tension and bridge height, I will assess this again.
I think the problem isn't as bad as needing an immediate neck reset, but it may be worth considering one in the next few years. And this neck removal would definitely be a technique worth mastering.

Virtually all used 360/12 with 21 frets I've seen, in shops, online etc. have a forward bent neck (not relief bow, bent at the joint), with the strings not parallel with the body. Doesn't matter whether they're 60s originals or reissues (V series). Only brand new C63 guitars seem to be OK, but who knows, maybe they'll bend as well over time...

Jeffrey

[collin]

This post was helpful to me as well, so thank you. I was gifted a 1978 360/12 WB years ago. While it didn't need a true neck reset, the neck had pulled away from the body a bit. No shop around here in Ohio would touch it.

Today on 5/8/2025 I used 2 heat lamps and I built a jig and used by bench vise (with slight modifications) to press it out which was a success. The only issue was the center seam joint on the back of the body started to separate (I think I had the back lamp too close causing it to heat too quickly). That will be the next repair I will have to tackle but should be pretty straight forward.

Hoping someone may find use of this as well.

Thanks again for this post as there isn't much on here

Nice work, Kevin! Great to see somebody else brave enough to do their own Rick neck removal. It can be nerve-wracking at first, but preparation and the right technique takes the stress out of the process. Great idea with the bench vise, same concept as the removal jig and the large arm offers plenty of control.

The seams opening is very common, it's usually hard to avoid because if the lamps aren't close enough you won't soften the glue to get the neck out. Looks relatively minor and that's an easy fix. Basically the infrared lamps dried out the wood at that seam location, so you need to add moisture back in while repairing it.

Thin a small amount of standard Titebond by adding some drops of water and mix until the glue is a little runny. Then force it into the gap (I use a glue syringe, followed by a small suction cup to work the glue into the gap.

Then soak a small sponge in water, wring it out completely and place it over the split seam inside the neck pocket. I usually cover the sponge with duct tape to keep it from drying too quickly, and let it sit for a day or so. The gap should be closed up, or mostly closed.

You can also do the above while using a set of body cauls (see my earlier photos, with the 2x4 cauls cut to the body shape) and bar clamps to encourage the body halves seal with the glue.

[kevinh71]

FWIW - This 1978 was an AzureGlo model. Per the previous comment this repair turned into a finish repair as well. I found other posts where there is debate on the Color formulation i.e. being based on Volkswagens L633 Color Code - Volkswagen Blue. I found an online store that sold it by 4 oz bottles for less than 20 USD. I took the risk and I have to admit I cannot tell the difference, even with the aging lacquer. It is about as close as anyone could get. The seller was a place called Scratches Happen and I bought the 1968 variant. Will post photos later.