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I am sure there are neck resetting experts. I just finished watching the Erlewine's neck resetting video. One thing I do not understand. If you remove wood from the down portion of the heel, the nut is going down, but now the fingerboard is no longer straight from nut to last fret. There should be a slope starting from the neck-body juntion. Is it normal? Am I getting it right? Or there is something I am missing?

A thin tapered shim under the fingerboard when it glues to the top is used when it's necessary to prevent a 14th (or 12th) fret hump. Done right it's pretty much invisible.

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Given a guitar is constructed so the board is straight it's full lenght, and gradually over time the box distorts to require a neck reset, there most likely will be a bit of a ski slope from the 14th to the end of the board. Upon reset would the board not straighten. Not a repair person here but just putting that out there for discussion.
Tom

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In the video Dan does use a tapered wedge under the fingerboard but practically omits any reference to this and how to make the wedge...Mike

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You are right. I was more thinking to the second and third part of the video, when Galloup shows neck reset on a more traditional steel string guitar.

If it's really bad a shim could be used but that would make things look uneven. For a routine reset just press the fingerboard extension down, and you must then refret and level the fingerboard to remove the hump. When doing a reset job you must also include a refret as well. It's logical because if a guitar is old enough to require a reset then chances are it also requires a refret as well. If a customer brings in a guitar for a refret let him know if a reset is necessary... it would suck for a customer if the frets has to be replaced again just because the previous luthier didn't tell him that the guitar needs a neck reset.

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I think that the term "hump" is often a mis-characterization of what is happening. It is desirable for the fingerboard to fall-away in the upper registers. What is often perceived as a hump (with a fret rocker) can actually be the initiation of the fall-away. Fall-away is doing the same thing as neck relief is between the body and the nut, and a small amount of which is necessary just the same. It's better to have the fingerboard fall away than it is to have to level it into the frets.

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David Radlin
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over time as the box get distorted it may be needed to shim the extension . If you don't there will be a fall off them the neck juncture to the sound hole. It is the way it is ,.. when you reset the neck you may get the neck geometry right again but that will not change the body geometry that changes the actual body shape over time

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John Hall
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