• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

1958 Les Paul Junior SC, Needs a Neck ReSet

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
I have a very nice 1958 Les Paul Jr. single-cut that has a very shallow neck set angle, so shallow that the strings nearly touch the pole pieces of the dog ear P-90 when the action is set properly. Although the guitar is playable, the sound is very harsh and strident because the strings are too close to the P-90.

To correct this problem, I have thought about having the neck reset in order to provide more space between the strings and P-90. Can anyone recommend a good guitar tech who has plenty of experience working on the necks of 1950's Les Paul Juniors and/or Specials?

Thanks.

 
Last edited:

Ferdie3564

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2012
Messages
41
Greg Platzer, owner BCR Music & Sound LLC, 300 South 3rd St., Lemoyne Pa. You can check out his work on Facebook. BCR/Greg is his LP Forum member name.
 

Jumping@Shadows

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
1,330
I would strongly recommend buying a replacement baseplate for your P90 that allows you to sink the original pickup deeper into the body to reduce the output before you have a permanent modification done to an otherwise clean and original guitar.
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
I would strongly recommend buying a replacement baseplate for your P90 that allows you to sink the original pickup deeper into the body to reduce the output before you have a permanent modification done to an otherwise clean and original guitar.

Thanks....could you provide a little more detail? Also, the plastic P-90 cover is also the culprit with the very low string clearance.
 

toxpert

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2005
Messages
3,068
My 1958 DC Junior is one of the 4-digit serial number guitars made with a low neck angle and soapbar baseplate for the pickup. There is no problem with playability or pickup performance.
 

pjisaacs

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
39
Another thought, have you exhausted what can be done with truss rod adjustment?

Recently I've done more and more this way - set the bridge for the right height for the pickup, then work on the truss rod.

I've got set-ups I'm much happier with this way.

Sorry if this isn't applicable here
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
This photo shows the neck joint of my '58 LP Junior. Obviously it doesn't have a neck tenon like a LP Std. I would think it would be a simple matter of fixing a small mahogany shim at the bottom of the neck pocket. This would lift the neck up just enough to allow the strings ample clearance from the P-90.

 

P.Walker

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
941
1. Modifying the joint

or

2. Compensating for it with the truss rod

is absolutely the wrong way to go about adjusting the height of the pickup.

This is not a Martin that needs a reset. Sorry but a neck reset or any byproduct of the method should not be prescribed in these events.

It's not as simple as a shim. Also, frets are another tangential issue that would make me very weary of such a method.

I don't mean to sound brash but did someone else recommend this method to you?

I am just honestly surprised so please just take this as a well intended attempt to help you (and the guitar) :)
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
1. Modifying the joint

or

2. Compensating for it with the truss rod

is absolutely the wrong way to go about adjusting the height of the pickup.

This is not a Martin that needs a reset. Sorry but a neck reset or any byproduct of the method should not be prescribed in these events.

It's not as simple as a shim. Also, frets are another tangential issue that would make me very weary of such a method.

I don't mean to sound brash but did someone else recommend this method to you?

I am just honestly surprised so please just take this as a well intended attempt to help you (and the guitar) :)

Okay what would you do?
 

P.Walker

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
941
Okay what would you do?

First, could you give us a general reading of the guitar?

1. Condition of frets/are they the original size/ what is the height?
2. Is there a hump around the neck body joint?
3. What is the current relief measurement?
4. What is the action at nut/12/17/and 22nd fret?

There is much to evaluate before prescribing a neck reset.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to have a great luthier who can do neck resets give you his honest judgment since he will be able to answer all the questions above and beyond.

If those any of those four parameters are seriously out of whack then even starting at the pickup end would be essentially chasing one’s tail, not to mention a neck reset.

It’s time for a detailed in hand evalutation that’s what I would do.

Not saying a neck reset is never ever done, but this is like doing ankle reconstruction on a sprained ankle.
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Marshall
First if you fix the neck like you are talking about 50% of the value of the guitar goes "poof" gone.
B- there are numerous other ways to affect the spacing you want/need without doing much of anything. By all means get it to a luthier that understands and appreciates vintage- not just a guitar repair guy. What generally happens on these is the coil is too low and folks want to raise it- which is frequently done with pop-sickle sticks under the PU. You didn't mention disassembling the PU- have you checked that? There are likely some clever ways to lower the PU without removing, breaking, or otherwise adjusting the wood.
You really don't want to do that- this is a nice looking piece.
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
First, could you give us a general reading of the guitar?

1. Condition of frets/are they the original size/ what is the height?
2. Is there a hump around the neck body joint?
3. What is the current relief measurement?
4. What is the action at nut/12/17/and 22nd fret?

There is much to evaluate before prescribing a neck reset.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to have a great luthier who can do neck resets give you his honest judgment since he will be able to answer all the questions above and beyond.

If those any of those four parameters are seriously out of whack then even starting at the pickup end would be essentially chasing one’s tail, not to mention a neck reset.

It’s time for a detailed in hand evalutation that’s what I would do.

Not saying a neck reset is never ever done, but this is like doing ankle reconstruction on a sprained ankle.

The guitar has been professionally re-fretted and PLEK'd with .100" X .045" fret wire by Phil Jacoby. A new bone nut was installed at this time.

The neck is perfectly straight. No humps.

The neck relief is nearly straight, maybe .003" of relief at the 7th fret.

The action at the 12th fret is 3/64 (1st string), and 4/64" (6th string).

The guitar is set up with ,009 to .042 gauge strings.

Greg Platzer, owner BCR Music & Sound LLC, has recommended doing a small route to the pickup cavity in order to set the whole pickup into the body just enough to give adequate string clearance with the P-90. I may choose to go this route instead of a neck reset. Less invasive in the long run. Thanks.
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
Marshall
First if you fix the neck like you are talking about 50% of the value of the guitar goes "poof" gone.
B- there are numerous other ways to affect the spacing you want/need without doing much of anything. By all means get it to a luthier that understands and appreciates vintage- not just a guitar repair guy. What generally happens on these is the coil is too low and folks want to raise it- which is frequently done with pop-sickle sticks under the PU. You didn't mention disassembling the PU- have you checked that? There are likely some clever ways to lower the PU without removing, breaking, or otherwise adjusting the wood.
You really don't want to do that- this is a nice looking piece.

Jason Lollar made me a full wind, custom P-90 dog ear pickup that omits the metal baseplate and is about 3/4 the height of a standard P-90. It required no modification to the guitar whatsoever. I have it installed presently and it provides ample string clearance. But it's not the original P-90. This is the dilemma I face if I choose to sell the guitar.
 

guitplayer

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
2,114
Interesting....if you can get the pole pieces(pickup)
closer to the height of the P-90 cover(flush).

Only if the cover is at the right height.
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
I would not even consider a neck set , lets not over think this with all dimensions you have not made any claim this guitar does play well . IMO lower the pickup a few simple dimensions off the pickup cavity floor + bottom of pickup base plate to mounting tabs of base plate should give you a idea how low you can go .My 55 suffered the same fate I sold the guitar I really would not want to own a vintage Les Paul with a neck set . One other point with the same cast of characters as other threads the guitar is not a violin .
 

P.Walker

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
941
The guitar has been professionally re-fretted and PLEK'd with .100" X .045" fret wire by Phil Jacoby. A new bone nut was installed at this time.

The neck is perfectly straight. No humps.

The neck relief is nearly straight, maybe .003" of relief at the 7th fret.

The action at the 12th fret is 3/64 (1st string), and 4/64" (6th string).

The guitar is set up with ,009 to .042 gauge strings.

Greg Platzer, owner BCR Music & Sound LLC, has recommended doing a small route to the pickup cavity in order to set the whole pickup into the body just enough to give adequate string clearance with the P-90. I may choose to go this route instead of a neck reset. Less invasive in the long run. Thanks.

that's about perfect.

If Phil Jacoby was working on yours and thought it really needed a neck reset- you would be the first to know.

Wood work is the very last step- when something is totally out of the ordinary.

I could just about take aftermarket pickups, but perhaps a new cover that is "thinner" could pass, so that you can still use the original pickups.

If it were mine, I'd go up a gauge or two and raise the action slightly keeping relief constant, but if I had to make do, then the cover is where I would start.

Always start small.
 

Joewildbonsai

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Messages
160
Does it work?? PLAY THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!:##:##:##:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:

I have a very nice 1958 Les Paul Jr. single-cut that has a very shallow neck set angle, so shallow that the strings nearly touch the pole pieces of the dog ear P-90 when the action is set properly. Although the guitar is playable, the sound is very harsh and strident because the strings are too close to the P-90.

To correct this problem, I have thought about having the neck reset in order to provide more space between the strings and P-90. Can anyone recommend a good guitar tech who has plenty of experience working on the necks of 1950's Les Paul Juniors and/or Specials?

Thanks.

 

guitplayer

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
2,114
I have one too that is barely playable. I have the poles all
the way down.
 

riscado

Active member
Joined
Jul 6, 2006
Messages
1,460
I've got a 58 (with 59 serial) just like that for sale. However mine doesn't really need a neck reset. Great guitars.
 
Top