I definitely won't be adjusting the neck angle then, that's away beyond my skill level. I'll not be attempting to remove the fretboard either. I think my first step is to adjust the truss rod if it's not seized up. I could maybe take about 1mm off the bridge. I'll check with the owner before I cut any wood away to adjust the neck height. Thanks again for your help.
Took the trussrod cover off the banjo and found solid headstock under it, just a pretend trussrod cover. So, I removed the resonater and seen how the neck is attached. I put a little veneer in the neck joint to change the angle and a slight adjustment of the coordinator rod brought the string height to 3mm at the 12th fret.
If the plates are 1.5mm thick then I would put some protection on the soundboard, like thick plastic and lever them off with a chisel. Old adhesive shouldn’t be that strong to resist very much. Words fail me for pop rivets.
I gave the "JOE" plates a gentle heat with a hair drier, that was enough to soften the glue and gently eased them off. You were absolutely right about the colour difference under them, its not as conspicuous as aluminium labels though. I could also feel a very slight indentation at their outline, but that polished out. The bridge is definitely pop riveted and also glued. The crack dissappeared with superglue and magic dust. The remaining pop rivet caps fell off and melted when I tried to glue them back on. So I made replacements from mahogany.
Good repair and I would say it will outlast you and me. I like the way you have made new rivet caps. I still can’t work out how they managed to rivet wood without crushing it. Superglue can be dangerous with some man made materials. Once I tried to glue the silver strips on a high vis vest instead of sewing them, and generated so much heat my fingers got burned.
All you need now is a sign “Robins Repair Emporium”
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Looks like we’ve got some competition
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Looks like we’ve got some competition
I'm not planning on making a habit of it. But Joe did mention a mandolin that he thinks is beyond repair, sounds like a challenge to me.
You learn a ton about instruments by doing repair & tech work and it’s fun and rewarding but you need to keep a sharp lookout for the pitfalls which are lurking around the corners.
Have fun with the Mando @robin!
Practice on scrap...
If it’s a Neapolitan bowl back type mandolin it probably is beyond repair. They are a nightmare and hardly ever play in tune. Good decorative pieces but that’s about it.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
I haven't got the mandolin to repair yet, the owner is recovering from covid so I'll be keeping clear of him until he's better. But my daughter gave me her Daisy Rock guitar to fix up for her. It didn't need much, a good clean, new strings, a little adjustment of the truss rod, intonation set and replace the missing tip from the selector switch. She saw this guitar years ago in a shop window, went back to see it again and it was sold, she so disappointed. A few weeks later, hers friends gave it to her as a surprise birthday present. It plays beautifully but is difficult to hold due to the stupid shape, I tried to get a Daisy Rock pink strap for it, but they only seem to be available in the USA, so I've got plain pink strap ordered from ebay.
