Twanger's Corner.

[johnrunnacles]

Feedback on the Harmony (and the Uke)

Just to say, Brian, I have just had some most excellent feedback on a cure for the Harmony from George, who has pointed me in the direction of a device called Bridge Doctor. Thought I might share it with any other Twangers on here who may have a guitar which has "taken the hump".
Thanks again for putting us in touch, Brian, and thank you George and Jeff.
Will report back on the Bridge Doctor in due course.
Good(?) news for Punchy, too. Have managed to render the uke banjo playable with a new bridge. It just needs someone who is capable of exploiting its "potential"................

[Brian Thompson]

1960 Gibson SG Junior.

Great to hear John, and I've looked at the JLD system myself, for my old Yamaha FG 110, funnily enough. Very interesting concept. Here's a link with some excellent schematics and lots of info; http://www.jldguitar.net/warped_tops/fixtop.html I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it if you decide to pursue it...

Great to hear the banjolele is back on the road again too! I'm currently 'revitalising' my old 1960 Gibson SG Junior. It was a gift from a mate many years ago who sadly found it in a....skip..... He gave it to me with a lot of sadness, to see a lovely old Gibbo in such a sorry condition, but with the hope that 'if anyone can'...etc.

It was in real state....original Gibson 'vibrola' bridge, arm and tail piece missing, body cracked right through in line with the jack socket where someone had trodden on the jack plug while it was inserted, the body had been 'routed' out for an additional neck pick up....with what looked like a screwdriver (could have been a kitchen knife though....) and a hammer....it was 'finished' in what can only be described as red metalflake nail varnish, and as if that wasn't enough, it had a horrid white scratchplate that was also cracked through and would be better used as a frisbee....one that hopefully doesn't come back to you! The original P.90 pickup was also gone, replaced with a DiMarzio humbucker (at least it's 'period' for when I first got the guitar...) but it works surprisingly well and I've added a coil-tap switch for a bit of tonal variety, as well as a complete re-wire and new pots, including an 'anti-treble bleed' capacitor mod on the tone pot.

I spent an age on it at the time, but just got it structually sorted and properly playable (epic fret job etc....the fingerboard was also in a right mess...) working mainly with what was there and what parts I had to hand at the time, but boy oh boy, when I did some recording with it just to see what it sounded like....wow!! What a sound...with all that stunningly grained (and aged) Honduras mahogany and a really thick slab of top quality rosewood on top of the neck, it's got bags of tone!! It was a bit too delicate to use live too much, so it tended to just come out now and then, but for many years it has been niggling away at me to dig it out and do something with it to finish it off properly....so at last (30 years or so later...) I am!

Sadly, it will never be 'original' again, at least not without a huge amount of time, work and effort, so I am happy to have it as a nice 'custom' and enjoy it for what it is, a true 'relic' from my playing past. As such, I decided to go with the 'natural' mahogany and gold (instead of traditional black and that beautiful cherry red finish) to go with the pickup. The new SG 'standard' style scratchplate I'm making should bring it all together rather nicely (he say's, hopefully....) and I'm going to keep the 'custom' shape with that addition to the upper top horn as on the abomination currently fitted...besides, it's covering up a big hole underneath....that's why, sadly, I can't go with the lovely 'ying and yang' original style scratchplate as fitted to the early juniors. Anyway, I think the point with this guitar is that when you close you eyes and listen, let alone the 'feel' of the thing in your hands, it's still a vintage Gibbo SG JR! (see 'PS' below...!)

I've attached a pic (pic 1) of how it ended up when I originally rescued it and has stayed for all this time, and I'll post some more when it's had it's 'revamp' which will hopefully be sometime in the next couple of weeks, along with a rundown of what I did to it. The rest of the pics are of various varieties of standard ones to show how it would have looked originally (see pic 2), and to show that my 'mahogany vibe' isn't straying too far from 'standard'. If only I had some pics of what it looked like when I got it though.....

Until then, I'd love to see some pics of that banjolele mate......!!

Brian.

PS For the eBay lovers on here...... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-SG-...QAAOxy9eVRWfR7 .....and to think that mine stands me at about £50 all in.....and I love it just the way it is, or at least will be very soon....!!

[johnrunnacles]

Thanks for the interesting response, Brian, and for the link to the JLD Bridge System. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to go with the cheaper version, the so-called "screw mount" version because the Harmony does not have pegs in the saddle to anchor the strings (which adapt to take the bridge pin version). It has holes drilled through behind the bridge parallel with the sound board. This will mean drilling a single hole through the saddle (and on through the soundboard) to take the mod, but that'll be a small price to pay if it all works out as promised.
Uke is a real cheapie, originally purchased over 30 years ago for a 4-year-old in case he wanted to emulate his old man's virtuosity (?) on stringed instruments ........... hardly worthy of a photo, but I will try to post one if you're really that interested?
Your current project sounds fascinating .......... Looking forward now to seeing the fruits of your labours.
JR

[Brian Thompson]

It'll be no good as an anchor 'cos it'll just float.....

Glad the JLD info was of use John, and I'll post more on the old Gibbo in due course. Pleased that you found it interesting mate.

Now...about this old banjolele......! Just by way of encouragement, here's a pic of the 'plank' that we recently bought for our grandson Oliver for similar reasons! It was (gasp) five whole pounds..... I demanded a free set up and new strings at that price.... Never got 'em though.....

If nothing else it will make a good hammer for him to make things with.... He's only four....!

I've got a couple of other little projects recently completed that I ought to post for you to see, this time for my Wendy's eldest Ben's birthday treat, one acoustic and one electric.....watch this space John.

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Fender Sparrowcaster.....

Hey Colin,

You never did update us on progress with your Strat.....how's it going?

Hope you're getting on ok with it and laying down some phat riffs these days!

How about posting a pic and sharing the twangness...

Brian.

[johnrunnacles]

Thanks for more, Brian, and for your encouragement. (I wonder that the rest of the GRA membership are being so tolerant of our little divergences).
Now, if you're not really careful, I may be tempted to post copious pics of my extensive collection of stringed (and non-stringed) instruments .......... I do have a Gibson, too, you know! But then, thankfully, the only camera I possess takes pics which are too "big" for posting on here ............ although here's one nicked from the net which is very similar to my Gibson Mastertone!

[dave higgins]

Thanks for more, Brian, and for your encouragement. (I wonder that the rest of the GRA membership are being so tolerant of our little divergences).
Now, if you're not really careful, I may be tempted to post copious pics of my extensive collection of stringed (and non-stringed) instruments .......... I do have a Gibson, too, you know! But then, thankfully, the only camera I possess takes pics which are too "big" for posting on here ............ although here's one nicked from the net which is very similar to my Gibson Mastertone!

John, its a refreshing change to listen to members talking about their passion for such instruments....... very enjoyable!
Thats what the forum is for......mind you! keep it up long enough & you will start to see ebay ads for banjo`s appearing...
Banjobay....have i just given birth to a monster.......

[johnrunnacles]

The Monster lives!

Thanks, Dave, for your encouraging response, which goes a fair way to setting my mind at rest!
The Monster does already exist. It goes under the name of Banjo Hangout, and takes things a whole lot further than just classified ads for banjo-related sales. Enjoy!
JR

[Brian Thompson]

This is the 'Off Topic Chat' area.....for non-motorcycling topics, or so it says....

John, its a refreshing change to listen to members talking about their passion for such instruments....... very enjoyable!
Thats what the forum is for.....

Thanks Dave.

I really appreciate hearing that.

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Gibson Mastertone.

Thanks for more, Brian, and for your encouragement. (I wonder that the rest of the GRA membership are being so tolerant of our little divergences).
Now, if you're not really careful, I may be tempted to post copious pics of my extensive collection of stringed (and non-stringed) instruments .......... I do have a Gibson, too, you know! But then, thankfully, the only camera I possess takes pics which are too "big" for posting on here ............ although here's one nicked from the net which is very similar to my Gibson Mastertone!

Hi John,

There you go mate, Dave summed it up perfectly I reckon. There's no harm being done here in my opinion, and people can choose not to read this thread if it's something they have no interest in after all....or join in of course, the more the merrier I say.

Now that is a truly lovely thing John, magnificent. I bet it sounds fantastic too, and as the old saying goes...'Fender make guitars, Gibson make instruments'.....(can't beleive I'm saying that, as a dyed in the wool strat cat...)

Dust off the collection I say John, be great to see what else you have lurking in your toy box...yes please!

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Ben's Ibanez Acoustic - Birthday Pressie Fit and Fettle....! (Post #1 of 2.)

We got this lovely Ibanez AEG10EVS electro acoustic for our eldest Ben, and he has now had ten happy years of enjoyment with it. He loves it dearly, so this year I thought I could give it a much needed set-up and service for his birthday, along with a couple of little mods to freshen it up for him.

I recently got my hands on some new polish to try out, and I have to say I'm very pleased and impressed with the results I got on Ben's Ibanez. It's a three part 'system' comprising a 'restore/detailer' cream (gives a very fine cut) followed by a 'wax/protect' cream, then finally a 'shine/cleaner' polish (an almost watery fluid.) It's made by 'Planet Waves' (D'Addario), more details here; http://www.daddario.com/pwPolishes.Page

At around fifteen quid for the three bottles it isn't the cheapest but I would highly recommend it based on the results I got, especially for bringing an older lacquered finish back to pristine condition. Once it's been done, it should only need a very occasional going over with the 'shine' anyway, and a 'wipe it over after every playing sesh' routine should keep it looking great for a very long time. Those bottles should last me for years.

Back to Ben's Ibanez, following checking everything over and making adjustments as required (slight tweak of the truss rod was all it really needed), tightening screws etc, off with the strings and polish the frets up to a mirror finish. I also cleaned up the bridge saddle a little, but the nut was fine so no need to give any attention to the slots with my special nut files (£60-70 plus for a set of four....!!) as the string heights were spot on, giving 'just' clearance over the first fret when the strings were fretted at the second fret, just as it should be. The 'action' was already bang on at just under 3mm on the bass side and just under 2mm on the treble so no need to do anything about lowering the bridge saddle either.

Next a tip to toe polish, and as previousy mentioned that glorious vintage sunburst finish came up a treat with some real depth to it, thanks to that brilliant polishing system and a fair bit of elbow grease. It's actually quite similar to the the 3M products I used to valet the bikes with in my old job, with similarly striking results. Then a few drops of lemon oil to clean and condition the fretboard (and a dab on the bridge as well), and it was on to the mods.

Just a thought on lemon oil though...only apply it twice a year or so at most, and obviously to untreated (i.e NOT LACQURED!!) fretboards such as rosewood or unstained ebony etc. Over application can sofen the wood and you can get frets popping up and causing all sorts of problems....less is definitely more in this instance, just enough to 'wet' the fretboard then buff off (and take the dirt with it), however nice it smells and makes the wood look!! I normally get mine from the chemist from the aromatherapy oils shelf, but decided to try another 'Planet Waves' product this time; http://daddario.com/pwProductDetail....name=Lemon_Oil Again, very impressed with the results, and it works out much cheaper and better value for what you get.

I've always used D'Addario phosphor bronze strings (10-47 guage) on my acoustics and have always fitted them to Ben's for him when required, but this time I thought we'd try out their 'coated' version to see if they were worth the extra cost. They have a very fine coating (not that you can tell any difference) that stops dirt accumulating in the windings, the main culprit of lost tone and brightness, and the idea is that they should last longer as such. Time will tell, but they certainly sounded superb when they went on. Nice strings!

I managed to source a new cover plate for his pre-amp/eq panel which I also fitted. The old one had developed a couple of minor cracks and were letting the side down a bit as the guitar was now looking so lovely again! I also found some beautiful handmade ebony bridge pins inlaid with green heart abalobe shell which I had to fit for him as they go so nicely with the abalone rosette round the sound hole and are so much nicer than the black plastic ones it came with.

The finishing touch was some stunning hand made rosewood tuner buttons, to replace the chrome standard items. These have also made the guitar less 'neck heavy' and it balances much better in the playing position. Mainly though, I thought they just blended so nicely with the lovely rosewood fretboard and bridge and just brought the whole thing together really well. Having said all that, they were a complete NIGHTMARE to fit......I may post again on this one as some may find my solution interesting from a technical/metalwork angle. I scoured the net but couldn't find anything remotely like what I came up with, so maybe it's a first.....?

Anyway, that rounds off Ben's Ibanez for now. We also bought him a really nice padded gig bag to replace his old and tired one, and he was speechless when I put it in his hands..... He was in love, all over again.....a lovely moment and made all the time and effort worthwhile to share it with him.

Hope people enjoy reading this and seeing the pics. Sorry about the orientation issues....I tried everything on my system (resizing, rotating etc etc) but the forum would only upload 'em 'as is', so they'll have to do 'cos I got bored....

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Ben's Ibanez Acoustic - Birthday Pressie Fit and Fettle....! (Post #2 of 2.)

Here's the final pics of Ben's Ibanez, showing the original chrome (and weighty!) standard tuner buttons and the new (and much much prettier!) rosewood ones I managed to fit...eventually!! Worth all the time and effort though I reckon, and Ben love's 'em so that's all that matters. The last pic shows the ebony and abalone bridge pins. The photos don't really do them justice though....they look amazing when the light catches them.

I'll post some more on those pesky buttons in due course. If nothing else it should give Dr Higgo a good laugh.....

I have definitely now totally given up on the pic attachment orientation issue.....aaaarrgghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Fitting The Rosewood Tuner Buttons....(Post #1 of 4.)

.....or, Epic Bodging On The Kitchen Table!

Right.....I see these lovely tuner buttons and decide Ben just has to have them on his guitar as part of his suprise, even though they cost not far off what you'd pay for a half decent full set of machine heads. I measure up the exisiting ones and all looks good, get them ordered and receive excellent service and fast delivery from the supplier. Open the packet on arrival, very very pleased...they are stunning! Wip off a mounting screw and do a trial fit to see what they look like on the guitar.....and....they don't fit.....AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!

At this point, a quick overview of the problem.....

Tuner buttons fit onto a shaft that has two parallel flats machined into it, and are retained by a single screw that runs down the center and is threaded into the end of the shaft. The screw also provides rotational tension adjustment and the button can be tightened against a simple spring washer and plain nylon washer at the base. The button has corresponding flats cast inside the mounting bore which stop it turning on the shaft in use when tightening the strings under tension, or in the case of the rosewood buttons, hard plastic inserts which do the same job. However, these were too big and the button just rotated around the shaft. Further, the screw hole wasn't deep enough for the threads to locate in the end of the shaft, although that was easily sorted. It was what to do about the flats that had me staring into space for about a day and a half....

My first idea was to make up some tiny rectangular shims from a bit of sheet aluminium I had in my scrap box. It kinda worked at first, but when you turned the button with some string tension on it, they just rotated round the shaft into the voids on either side.....At least it led me to the idea that worked in the end, but making the aluminium inserts I eventually came up with took around three hours apeice.....I've had more fun looking up the migration patterns of Moorland Blue sheep.....

The inserts started with a length of 4mm round aluminium bar I fortunately had left over from another recent project. This was a perfect fit inside the buttons once I'd ran a drill bit down them to widen the bore slightly. I did the same at the screw mounting hole end to deepen hole until the screw mated properly with the threads in the shaft. Looking at the pics will make this all a lot clearer, I promise!

From here on I'll just caption the pics as I go.....

Pic 1. Button mounting bore sized (4mm drill bit used as a reamer.)
Pic 2. Button screw hole made deeper so the screw could reach the shaft threads.
Pic 3. Ali rod set up in vice.
Pic 4. Slot starter cut made as central as I could get it with an edged file.
Pic 5. Slot made wider with a slightly larger square edged file.

Part #2 coming right up......Wake up at the back!!! Stop laughing Higgo!!!

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Fitting The Rosewood Tuner Buttons....(Post #2 of 4.)

......Well, I've started now, so I might as well get it over and done with....

Pic 1. Cut slot to depth with dremel and cutting disc.
Pic 2. Start widening slot with file.
Pic 3. Widen slot some more.
Pic 4. Offer up slot to shaft to check fit/progress.
Pic 5. At this point, before removing any more material I found it was best to proceed to the next step of drilling the hole for the mounting screw down the center of the insert. This was because previous attempts resulted in a distorted insert in order to get a grip on the dang thing in the vice....and we don't want a distorted insert, now do we.... This meant cutting off the insert from the bar with a dremel and fine cutting disc. (see pic.)

Part #3 on the way......yippee I hear you cry (or maybe just cry...!!)

Brian.

[Brian Thompson]

Fitting The Rosewood Tuner Buttons....(Post #3 of 4.)

......Nearly there now.....just a little while longer.....!!

Pic 1. Square up the end of the bar ready for the next insert (I needed six but made up about 10 in total......well, they were 'prototypes'....) and square up the insert end and file to final overall length.
Pic 2. Center punch insert ready for drilling. On a 4mm bar I found this one of the most difficult parts of the job.....
Pic 3. Hole drilled, with a small hand drill.
Pic 4. Drill and file, for the next bit....'bit'...geddit....(sorry!)
Pic 5. I then ran my smallest rat tail file through the hole until the screw passed through freely. This allowed me to make small adjustments if my drilling wasn't concentric. Each one took about a half hour to do....I just carried on counting Moorland Blue Sheep to file away the time....

Brian.