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I came across this kit at what appeared to be a decent discount, so sucker that I am for a sale, this kit was dropped off today. Attached File I am considering minwax onyx stain, but just ordered 5pk of aniline dye. So may go for a burst of some sort. Ordered locking Grover 406C and a TUSQ XL nut for kit upgrades. I have some Seymour Duncan HB's from the 90's in a guitar that rarely gets used for other reasons, so may pull them and use them in place of the kit pickups. |
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Installed the Butchie Bar ($40) on my Bigsby today. If you order one of these, read carefully: Outer pin measurement of 47mm takes the "all US Bigsby Models" and 50mm spacing takes "all Licensed Bigsby models.". Mine is a licensed Bigsby which means imported and it fit the one for US Bigsby models. The owner was nice enough to send me the 2nd one to try when 1st one didn't fit. This is a really well finished and designed device, with great chrome work. Probably not as quick for string changes as the Vibramate String Spoiler UNLESS you are changing a complete set as you can string up the Butchie Bar before placing it on the main bar of the Bigsby and pull all the strings around the tension bar at once. It is much easier to restring than a stock Bigsby. It's barely noticeable once installed. US product manufactured in NJ. I highly recommend this if you want to make string changes easier. If you like the stock setup, the StringRay($10?) is pretty handy and cheap to help keep the ball ends seated. Only issue I had was that a couple ball ends didn't want to seat when string was tightened but a little nudging with the end of a plastic pen (to prevent marring the paint) popped them into the countersink easily. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Also put some foam cut in a wedge under my pickups since the neck angle puts the pickups at an odd angle with the strings, making one coil slightly farther from the strings. I'll have to redo the one for the neck pickup later as it didn't cant the pickup enough. |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
Here I go again  . I just purchased full size plans for a Lloyd Loar F5 mandolin. This one is going to be a real challenge. I have an awesome piece of quilted mahogany that I'm planning on using for the back and sides. The top will be the standard spruce of some variety. I've still got ebony leftovers from the last guitar I built. This is what I'm aiming for Attached File I'll probably use abalone for the fret dots because I already have some and I like the look of them. I'm going to try to use my initials on the headstock like the last build but instead of block letters I'll try to use cursive script letters. This will be my first time doing binding as well. Once I get going on it I'll start a thread showing my progress. The best part no electronics to deal with  |
Nothing cool ever happens to me
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Originally Posted By 19suburban96: Here I go again . I just purchased full size plans for a Lloyd Loar F5 mandolin. This one is going to be a real challenge. I have an awesome piece of quilted mahogany that I'm planning on using for the back and sides. The top will be the standard spruce of some variety. I've still got ebony leftovers from the last guitar I built. This is what I'm aiming for https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/41835/9BD50033-20AA-42A7-A910-2AD327BD2B8E_jpe-2318200.JPG I'll probably use abalone for the fret dots because I already have some and I like the look of them. I'm going to try to use my initials on the headstock like the last build but instead of block letters I'll try to use cursive script letters. This will be my first time doing binding as well. Once I get going on it I'll start a thread showing my progress. The best part no electronics to deal with F style? Go big or go home? I'm impressed. Setting up my Mando about drove me nuts. So much tension...so many things to adjust. |
Happiness=UPS+ORMD
See my youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvx8dT3bnLFUvuEQ-N3Z6rg
See my youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvx8dT3bnLFUvuEQ-N3Z6rg
Relevant to this thread...modded cheap Hohner used as main gigging guitar (never heard of the band).. Allen Epley's $90 Hohner Tele | Shiner Rig Rundown Trailer |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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A couple of my partscaster builds. Attached File Attached File And my amp build. It’s a Mojo JTM45 clone in a custom Sourmash cabinet. The speaker cabinet is a 2x12 Marshall with 2 12” Celestians. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By fixin2: A couple of my partscaster builds. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188676/E5E71EE8-4FCF-4BFD-95F8-E60E62025941_jpe-2386591.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188676/BD4A9F74-9BDE-4E1C-BC92-29D014704CDF_jpe-2386593.JPG And my amp build. It’s a Mojo JTM45 clone in a custom Sourmash cabinet. The speaker cabinet is a 2x12 Marshall with 2 12” Celestians. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188676/DABC3D5C-5B69-43C0-B184-74707A505E22_jpe-2386606.JPG Love your use of pine. |
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New mod to my Schecter PT Fastback IIB... I was curious what was under the hood of fake WRHB covers. Turns out all the poles are screws and the ones hidden were screwed way in to clear the covers...which isn't a good thing. Wax potting was pretty poor which explains some of the squeal I was getting with higher gain amps. Covers were soldered on with something that my 700 degree soldering iron wouldn't even melt so ended up cutting the cover off with a Dremel disc. The covers were brass. Still working at getting some of the wax off the pickup but results as you'd expect with cover removed. More clarity, handles high gain with less mud. I was considering replacing this pickup with a Duncan Distortion but this will hold me off.  
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Recently modified one of my Tele's to just a bridge pickup, volume and tone knob only. I just found myself never using the neck pickup. The pickup is a Seymour Duncan vintage 54. Really nice sounding pickup. Very bright. Attached File |
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Finally finished up my latest build with the GFS body and pickups. Went for a Jimi Hendrix Monterey strat clone. I used GFS "Jimi" reverse stagger pickups and a pickguard with the bridge slant reversed. I like the neck ferrules, but should've ordered a 15 mm forstner bit. All I could find locally was 5/8", and it's a little too big, but it's just cosmetic   
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Originally Posted By bikerzed: Finally finished up my latest build with the GFS body and pickups. Went for a Jimi Hendrix Monterey strat clone. I used GFS "Jimi" reverse stagger pickups and a pickguard with the bridge slant reversed. I like the neck ferrules, but should've ordered a 15 mm forstner bit. All I could find locally was 5/8", and it's a little too big, but it's just cosmetic https://i.imgur.com/KSt7Kj3.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bgVs5Nc.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UlFWGU7.jpg Nice work. I really like how it turned out. |
Next up, I'm giving my Schecter a more Duesenberg look, with open pickup covers. Ordered a nickel silver ring for my bridge PU and an Artec neck humbucker size P90 (8k) that has an open cover...this look: On this guitar... From what I can tell, a P90 should do just fine with the 500k pots and .022 cap that's already in there for the stock humbucker. Always found Artec pickups to be hidden gems: 
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After the slow boat from China arrived with my Artec pickup...looks like Musiclily out of Shenzhen is now the distributor for Artec, which I don't fully comprehend since they are supposed to be a South Korean company and I thought I'd be getting SK manufactured pickups... . The mockup looks good anyway...
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Old: Attached File New: Attached File Replaced all the Cosmo black hardware with gold, put in the SD SH-4 and SH-2 pickups, brass tone block and noiseless tremolo springs. Parts: Attached File Finished guitar: Attached File |
The road to Hell is paved with presidential candidates.
Done with the pickup dress-up and swap. At least it looks good, haven't had a chance to crank an amp up and check the new pickup out yet. I was having trouble with the OEM unbranded toggle also so upgraded that to a Switchcraft while I had the soldering iron warm   Because I can't leave well enough alone... i ordered open box bridge and neck Fender Tex Mex strat pickups, black covers and some adapter rings, pots, etc. to make this and S/S configuration. I liked the TexMex pickups in a Strat I had years ago so why not? I'll keep the toggle location and just use a single tone/single volume and dummy pots like i have now for two other positions. Ordered all Fender parts just to be safe and hopefully the deluxe knobs I have will fit? |
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FYI, if any of you were planing on building a Black strat, Amazon has the Fender Classic 50s Series soft-V necks on sale for 25% off right now. ($224, regular $300) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TH94BAK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Cheapest I've seen them in nearly 4 years. |
The road to Hell is paved with presidential candidates.
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Originally Posted By Czechers: Done with the pickup dress-up and swap. At least it looks good, haven't had a chance to crank an amp up and check the new pickup out yet. I was having trouble with the OEM unbranded toggle also so upgraded that to a Switchcraft while I had the soldering iron warm https://i.postimg.cc/YCd1r3ZV/IMG-20230118-154821098-HDR.jpg For my next trick... Black Fender Tele Deluxe witch hat knobs to replace the very heavy chrome all metal OEM knobs. This guitar has always been on the heavy side so anything lighter is better. Requires adapter sleeves from Amazon. Attached File For something sort of like this... Attached File |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Shaved 3 oz off the weight of the PT and the Fender knobs really do look better. Attached File |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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I’ve been working on this lap steel build. I’ve never played one, but I got a wild hair one day to get one, then decided to just make my own. How hard can it be?Mock up |
I got an acoustic guitar donated to me that has the tuning peg snapped off. Should I replace this myself or just use a small set of vice grips to tune? |
Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
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Originally Posted By MRW: I got an acoustic guitar donated to me that has the tuning peg snapped off. Should I replace this myself or just use a small set of vice grips to tune? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/5205/busted_peg-2965005.jpg $14.22. Replace. Musiclily 3+3 Guitar Semi-closed Tuners 3R3L String Tuning Pegs Keys Machine Heads Set for Epiphone Les Paul Style Electric Guitar or Acoustic Guitar Replacement, Chrome https://a.co/d/eynLJS4 |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By KorinaBrother: Nice!! where did you get the key pan? eBay, Kluson is making them and the blank 3 on 1 tuners again. All done. |
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Originally Posted By my65pan: eBay, Kluson is making them and the blank 3 on 1 tuners again. All done. Originally Posted By my65pan: Originally Posted By KorinaBrother: Nice!! where did you get the key pan? eBay, Kluson is making them and the blank 3 on 1 tuners again. All done. I will never again recommend Kluson. The South Korean 3 on a plate reissues for my J45 were nice and tight when installed but only after a few months some had 90-180 degrees of backlash. I'm probably outside my warranty. If I go to Gotoh Klusons they won't have the proper text on the back but it's player grade and I have the originals still. Originals were soaked in naptha for a week and brake cleaner sprayed inside and everything else and still bind up from caked up grease inside. |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Has anyone here installed a Tune O Matic bridge on a Tele style guitar? Just curious if the neck needs to be tilted to accommodate the bridge/ saddle height? Edited to add: Never mind. I see the Tele with the Bigsby kit. Looks like it can be done without tilting the neck. |
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Originally Posted By Czechers: After the slow boat from China arrived with my Artec pickup...looks like Musiclily out of Shenzhen is now the distributor for Artec, which I don't fully comprehend since they are supposed to be a South Korean company and I thought I'd be getting SK manufactured pickups... . The mockup looks good anyway...https://i.postimg.cc/3Rkm7CxY/IMG-20230117-131523977-HDR.jpg I decided to go for a higher output pickup in the bridge, same Artec HXT I used in my red Ibanez ARX that appears to be a knockoff of the DiMarzio X2N. Moved the open pickup covers over to the Artec and I'm. bypassing the tone knobs while I'm under the hood. Not a great match visually with the H90 like the OEM humbucker was but I really like the bite of this ceramic pickup and we'll find out if the Chinese version of the HXT is the same as the MIK one I bought for the other guitar a couple years ago. More pics once finished.  ETA: Done. I'm banishing all the tone knobs from here. Bypassing the tone knobs made a noticeable difference for both pickups. Backing the volume knobs back on the bridge takes a little edge off and the H90 really sparkles at 10. The new pickup has exactly what I was looking for. 
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I decided to go for a higher output pickup in the bridge, same Artec HXT I used in my red Ibanez ARX that appears to be a knockoff of the DiMarzio X2N. Moved the open pickup covers over to the Artec and I'm. bypassing the tone knobs while I'm under the hood. Not a great match visually with the H90 like the OEM humbucker was but I really like the bite of this ceramic pickup and we'll find out if the Chinese version of the HXT is the same as the MIK one I bought for the other guitar a couple years ago. More pics once finished. https://i.postimg.cc/kG40y3X1/20240601-153449.jpg ETA: Done. I'm banishing all the tone knobs from here. Bypassing the tone knobs made a noticeable difference for both pickups. Backing the volume knobs back on the bridge takes a little edge off and the H90 really sparkles at 10. The new pickup has exactly what I was looking for. https://i.postimg.cc/gjgzKbFr/20240601-191346.jpg Because I can't leave well enough alone... i ordered open box bridge and neck Fender Tex Mex strat pickups, black covers and some adapter rings, pots, etc. to make this and S/S configuration. I liked the TexMex pickups in a Strat I had years ago so why not? I'll keep the toggle location and just use a single tone/single volume and dummy pots like i have now for two other positions. Ordered all Fender parts just to be safe and hopefully the deluxe knobs I have will fit? ETA: Done. Apparently sitting with no strings for a few days was enough to throw my neck relief out of whack so it's all clunky so will have a better idea of how it sounds tomorrow. Doesn't look too ugly.. 
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My go-to for years for replacing cheap tuners on budget guitars has been Wilkinson EZ-Loks but i got a set in black for my Harley Benton "Fakebyte" and they weren't the same as the chrome for some reason. Strings seemed to slip, overly tight, even when buttons are adjusted. I gave the Kaish Locking Tuners a go and very impressed for a locker in the $30 range from Amazon. I like that they are a more flat black. All my other lockers are Grover Roto Auto Locking so never had thumbwheel type before. I think they are like Floyd Rose lock nuts, where you dont have to tighten like a vise, but just enough to crimp the string. Very happy but I'll update with their longevity. I went with mini buttons, which arent in keeping with the aesthetic bc the tuner spacing was so tight. You cannot use Hipshot universal mounting plates with this guitar as their spacing is too tight. I had planned this route initially as Hipshots are one of the better deals out there. Grover lockers in black are stupidly expensive now. On a side note, the HB EX-84 "Explorer" has been really nice. You have to be okay with a fat neck or plan on shaving it. Neck hasn't needed adjustment or any other stability issues that werent fixed by the tuners. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Cool thread! On one of my Strats, the D G and B strings started buzzing when played open. I stuck a tiny piece of paper under each string at the nut and the buzzing stopped. I'm guessing the slots in the nut somehow became too deep? What is the proper fix for that? |
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Originally Posted By azjeeper: Cool thread! On one of my Strats, the D G and B strings started buzzing when played open. I stuck a tiny piece of paper under each string at the nut and the buzzing stopped. I'm guessing the slots in the nut somehow became too deep? What is the proper fix for that? @azjeeper This is the best way I've found. I would go to TEMU, Amazon, etc for nut files as StewMac and Music Nomad are fairly expensive for nut files you use rarely. I made my own nut files by taking a flat set of automotive feeler gauges and running a dremel fine cutting disc longitudinally back and forth across the the edges when the set is closed/folded. Its more coarse than a proper file but I clean that slot up with the proper nut clean up file. ETA: found these slotting files on Amazon which might be worth trying for $27. Amazon $27 Nut Slot File Set  Low Nut Slot Fill with Baking Soda + Superglue |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By Czechers: @azjeeper This is the best way I've found. I would go to TEMU, Amazon, etc for nut files as StewMac and Music Nomad are fairly expensive for nut files you use rarely. I made my own nut files by taking a flat set of automotive feeler gauges and running a dremel fine cutting disc longitudinally back and forth across the the edges when the set is closed/folded. Its more coarse than a proper file but I clean that slot up with the proper nut clean up file. ETA: found these slotting files on Amazon which might be worth trying for $27. Amazon $27 Nut Slot File Set  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4iskMo_XXYOriginally Posted By Czechers: Originally Posted By azjeeper: Cool thread! On one of my Strats, the D G and B strings started buzzing when played open. I stuck a tiny piece of paper under each string at the nut and the buzzing stopped. I'm guessing the slots in the nut somehow became too deep? What is the proper fix for that? @azjeeper This is the best way I've found. I would go to TEMU, Amazon, etc for nut files as StewMac and Music Nomad are fairly expensive for nut files you use rarely. I made my own nut files by taking a flat set of automotive feeler gauges and running a dremel fine cutting disc longitudinally back and forth across the the edges when the set is closed/folded. Its more coarse than a proper file but I clean that slot up with the proper nut clean up file. ETA: found these slotting files on Amazon which might be worth trying for $27. Amazon $27 Nut Slot File Set https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4iskMo_XXYThanks, I'll try that! |
President's 100, Distinguished Rifleman, Blues Man
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Originally Posted By azjeeper: Cool thread! On one of my Strats, the D G and B strings started buzzing when played open. I stuck a tiny piece of paper under each string at the nut and the buzzing stopped. I'm guessing the slots in the nut somehow became too deep? What is the proper fix for that? You can get a kit that has bone dust in various colors - you mix with cryo glue and put some in the low slots, then re-file. I make my own nuts from blanks, and have made a lot of them. The main thing is do is make sure to set the neck relief properly BEFORE cutting the final nut slot heights. Music City Bridge makes a good little tool for checking nut slot depth, and it's cheap. They also make a nut slot repair kit. Most setup issues I fix are because of a poorly-made or filed nut. |
You can joust at windmills with that old Fender guitar. Probably do about the same.
President's 100, Distinguished Rifleman, Blues Man
Joined:
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20522
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