Help- Should I have the neck reset on a Silvertone arch top?

[Custom Deluxe]

I have the chance to pick up a set-neck Silvertone arch top acoustic guitar. It is really nice. I'm assuming it was made by Regal or Harmony. I don't have a model number at this time.

Guitar sounds great, plays OK as is, but definately has a upward tilt to the neck at the joint. Too much for just a truss rod adjustment.

Never had to do this on a guitar so I have no idea how much it would cost or is it worth it.

The guitar is $100 firm w/o a case. How much could I expect to pay to for this type of work? Other than the neck issue, the guitar is in great shape and has a booming sound.

I was hoping to eventually put a floating pick up on it and have a fairly cheap, American made jazz box.

Would you go for it or run like the wind in the other direction and find a different guitar?

Any input welcomed.

 

[SW33THAND5]

#1 ...that is too much money for what that guitar needs to fix it (IMHO) i would just pass on the guitar unless (see below)

#2 look up the serial number. i had an early 50s arch top silvertone acoustic and found out that it was actually made by gibson during this short period. it's set-up was still perfect and played like a dream. even though it looked ragged. the tone sounded great for blues. very compressed and "poppy"

#3 if its anything like my old silvertone it would be worth the reset... but you may be upside down on the value before you are through. i have seen them in the 300-400 range... but i admit that was years ago and i haven't looked lately

 

[SPROING!]

Most silvertones have a fretboard that sits too close to the top for a floating pickup. FYI.

Mine is a 47 model and I did the neck reset myself. From a financial standpoint, it probably is not worth it but if you like the guitar....

 

[Custom Deluxe]

#1 ...that is too much money for what that guitar needs to fix it (IMHO) i would just pass on the guitar unless (see below)

#2 look up the serial number. i had an early 50s arch top silvertone acoustic and found out that it was actually made by gibson during this short period. it's set-up was still perfect and played like a dream. even though it looked ragged. the tone sounded great for blues. very compressed and "poppy"

#3 if its anything like my old silvertone it would be worth the reset... but you may be upside down on the value before you are through. i have seen them in the 300-400 range... but i admit that was years ago and i haven't looked lately

Thanks. This is great info.

 

[Custom Deluxe]

Most silvertones have a fretboard that sits too close to the top for a floating pickup. FYI.

Mine is a 47 model and I did the neck reset myself. From a financial standpoint, it probably is not worth it but if you like the guitar....

Thought about that too. Thanks.

 

[Whiskeyrebel]

You could always get it and use it just for bottleneck as-is. Harmony made a lot of guitars for Sears Silvertone IIRC. I have a Harmony archtop that sounds quite good for bottleneck. I was lucky in that mine just needed a refret and a slight planing of the fingerboard, not a reset.

Was it wirth it monetarily? No, but it's a duplicate model fo my first guitar and I bought it out of nostalgia.

Incidentally, its fingerboard was too close to the top for a neck-position floating pickup.

 

[cherrick]

For a hundo?

Do it.

 

[nmiller]

All Silvertone acoustic archtops were made by either Harmony or Kay, and they were the lower-end products of those manufacturers. It's unlikely that the guitar will be worth more than the cost of a neck reset (around $300); you're better off finding one that doesn't require any repairs.