D42SCE Fix-up

[copperhead]

For the past few months, I have only been playing my Oscar Schmidt.

This past week I decided to have a professional set-up done on the D42SCE. The action is still too high, even though the truss rod has been adjusted. I figured the nut and the bridge could be lowered and it would be okay.

It was a shock to hear from the tech that the D42 is not fixable. The neck angle is way off and needs to be reset.

I took it the D42 to another tech for a second opinion. Same results. Cost? $600 to fix.

Now what do I do? Any suggestions?

***********

I think I have learned a lesson on Craigslist guitars: They are cheap for a reason. 2 out of 3 acoustics I bought have cost prohibitive neck problems. I think the next guitar I buy will be new, with a reliable, reputable warranty and customer service to fix this stuff.

[t.y.]

NO suggestions, but I will be sure to check out the guitars if I get one of CL.   Tom. 

[copperhead]

t.y.,

You are right about checking out the CL guitars better. That's where my inexperience has cost me a few hundred dollars.  The D42 is in very good to excellent condition, finish-wise. There does not appear to be any warpage or damage anywhere.  The pick-up and electronics are very good. I like the way it sounds plugged in.

One tech just flat refused to work on it. The other said he could lower the  nut and bridge a bit and try  adjusting  the truss rod and it would be a bit better than it is. But he said this D42 will never sound as good as it should until the neck angle is corrected.

One tech put a straight edge on the neck which showed how far off it was. At the bridge, the neck angle was off about 3/16".

I like the bright , loud sound of the D42.  The 20:1 tuners are great on it, too.

The one thing about electric guitars is they are fairly easy to fix and adjust.

The Oscar Schmidt, for a low end guitar, has been doing so well.. No neck problems with it. It is so easy to play. The tech got the action just right. I was hoping to do the same thing with the D42.

BTW, I didn't buy the O.S. on CL. It cost more, but it's a good guitar.

[t.y.]

I have the Delta King. And I like it, it plays and sounds great. I paid 250.00 for it and Washburn case delivered new under warranty.   Tom 

[copperhead]

t.y.,

The Delta King is a hollow body electric. I really want to stick with acoustic. BUT....I do like the bolt on neck on that Oscar.

Which brings me to another question: Is their such a thing as a bolt-on neck conversion for a Washburn?

It is now dawning on me that factory specs and tolerances are probably too wide to get a consistently good neck angle. My D42 may well be within factory tolerances. If so, it's still the wrong angle for good playing.  With a neck angle like mine, the strings (so I have read) will not have the proper tension, ever and will never play to their fullest potentional.

t.y.: Do you have a neck angle problem with the Delta King?

[copperhead]

All is not lost with this D42. Imho, here are some options:

1. Try the D42 with nylon strings.
2. Take it to the luthier, I found today, that will adjust the neck angle for $300. (What it looks like when done is a ?)
3. Trade the D42 in on a new acoustic/electric guitar at a guitar store.
4. Part it out and install the parts on my Oscar Schmidt, including the pickup.
5. Loosen the strings a bit and put it back in the case and forget about it for a couple of decades. Maybe it will be worth more as a collectors item since it's somewhat rare.
6. Hang it on the wall with my D2-12 Samick as decoration.



7. Sell it to the tech that offered me $75 for it (NO WAY).

[evenkeel]

Option one is a non-starter.  Guitar will sound horrible.  Nylon string guitars are braced differently.

Option two sounds like the old "slip the neck" trick.  This is very old school and generally considered a bad idea now.

You do have a few other options.

Option 1.  On a mid price to lower end guitar where resetting the neck does not make economic sense you should ask the tech about shaving the bridge.  If all you need to do is take off 3/16" this should be very doable.  The tech will literally shave the bridge down, maybe deepen the slot for the saddle and you should have a much more playable guitar.  If the tech seems clueless, find a better tech.

Option 2.  If you can lower the saddle and get the action where you like it but the break angle is to flat, see about having string ramps cut.  These are just slots from the pin hole towards the saddle. This trick will enable you to lower the saddle, get better action and keep good downward pressure on the saddle.

You could also do both.  These are not high ticket repairs.  A good tech can do both inside an hour and should charge you less than $100.

[t.y.]

No problems, it plays and feels like a much more costly guitar.  there all from the same few factories anyway.     Tom. 

[copperhead]

evenkeel,

Thanks for the options. I think I'm going to try them.

Shaving the bridge will probably wipe out the decorative "butterfly" flange. May have to use a different style/shape of bridge.

I'll post some feedback and photos after these things are done.

[evenkeel]

evenkeel,
Shaving the bridge will probably wipe out the decorative "butterfly" flange. May have to use a different style/shape of bridge.

Should only effect the top contour.  I would not try to have a new bridge put on.  It will look odd as there will be a shadow of the old bridge.  You will also likely need to have the holes filled in the top then re-drilled.  Better to just shave down the existing bridge.  It should work fine.

[copperhead]

evenkeel,

I am showing  my lack of experience. I thought the bridge would have to come off.

At any rate, the D42 is now in the shop. Suppose to be ready next week. (I dropped off another guitar also, for some work (different problem), that's why the week waite.)

Thanks for your advice. I told the tech what you posted and he seemed to agree.  He showed me a guitar he had he had done with a shaved down bridge. It looked pretty good. The action was right down there. The bridge looked very good.

[copperhead]

Sorry it took so long to get back here and post the results of the bridge shave and set-up.

The work on the D42 was completed satisfactorily. The action is now normal and the guitar is much better and easier to play. The action height looks normal to slightly low.  The tech handled the guitar and the repair well. Not a single scratch.

The bridge is definitely lower (about 3/16") but is hardly noticeable. The bridge looks absolutely normal, otherwise.

He did a good job.

I also had him lower the bridge on my Samick D2-12. The 12-string is now much improved and actually improved better than the D42, though the D42 improved quite a bit.

I had the tech install a new set of Martin lights on the D42. While the guitars were in the shop, I restrung the Oscar Schmidt with  some Ernie Ball Slinky Extra Light 10 - 50 strings. I don't know how long the Ernie Balls will last, but they sound good on the O.S.. I like the .050 'E' string in that set. The Martins have an .048. I am going to try the Ernie Balls on the D42 next time.

I'd post photos, except I think this site requires a photo account to link to. I don't have that.

[t.y.]

Just put your pic on, photobucket.com.   free and easy.  Tom. 

[copperhead]

t.y.,

I have an antiquated dial-up connection. It won't load photos. A lot of times it locks up when I try to view a photo. Other times it take "forever" to upload or download. Small photos, like 100 MB, are not too bad.

No DSL or cable out here in the sticks. And in times past, satellite was not even available due to all the accounts being taken.

I have been to some photobucket type sites and it takes too long just to get on.

But the D42 is doing well. Much improved. I have put several hours on it now since the work was done.

[evenkeel]

Glad to hear the luthier work went well.  Well done!