MIM Strat Needs an Overhaul

Before we begin, kindly note that although the dialog in this video is in Malay, we have not included English captions as the visual content is completely self-explanatory. That being said, we're looking at a hecho en México sunburst Stratocaster that has not been played in a long time, and is currently in none too good shape. Where do we begin, then? Right, all that rust and grime. Dealing with this is going to be a rather daunting task, and it sure looks like we'll have to take everything apart and do a thorough evaluation. Long story short, hardware that can be reused after servicing will be, and that which cannot, replaced. Electronics-wise, perhaps we fare a little better. Owner says the pickups were working the last time he checked, which was two years ago. However, right now, the selector switch is stuck fast and the knobs barely rotate. Recorded at 18:55 on October 20, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan.

Ibanez GSR200 - October 20, 2026 Update

Ibanez GSR200 - October 8, 2026 Update

Ibanez GSR200 - September 24, 2026 Update

Ibanez GSR200 in Rather Poor Shape

Just finished rewiring and carrying out a pickup tap test on this bass. The tap test will be covered in a video of its own. To recap, all components except for the P and J pickups were replaced. Replacement electronics were three Alpha A500K pots, a generic barrel jack, and a poly 0.047uF tone cap.

Replacement Electronics

Barrel Jack Wired Up

Pot to Pot Ground (White) & Tone Cap Wired In

Hot Lead (Red) Wired In

Soldering On the Pickup Leads

Rewiring Completed

New Bridge Ground

2018 Custom Prazzecio PJ Bass Revisited

This bass was first put together at CA Guitar Repair in 2018 from a Pit Bull Guitars Australia Jazz Bass Kit. It features a Hipshot A Style Fender® Mount Bridge, Hipshot HB6 - 1/2" Ultralite® Bass Tuners, Hipshot O Ring Knobs, a Hipshot Bass String Retainer, an Allparts AP-0640-003 Black Control Plate for Jazz Bass, Allparts AP-0670-003 Black Strap Buttons, a custom black plastic pickguard, a black neck plate and screws, and DiMarzio DP126 BK PJ Pickups.

Well, the Prazzecio is here again, this time for a string change and setup. But that's not all. Thanks to climate change or the east coast weather, the fret ends are now poking out past the edge of the neck on both sides. We call this "fret sprout," and it's made the bass painfully unplayable. Yes, I hear my fret end dressing files calling out to me from the toolbox. 

There's also upper fret buzz, which we'll deal with separately. Last but not least is the uncomfortably rough neck. Years of outdoor gigs, hot and humid conditions, plus sweat and grime, have worn down the original finish and raised lots of wood fibres. Sanding, restaining and refinishing are definitely on the cards here. Recorded at 16:41 on October 18, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan.

Greco EB-270 Bass Needs Some Help

Strung with nylon tapewounds, this early '70s MIJ "Gneco" bass appears to be in pretty good shape for its age. There are a number of issues, though, as pointed out by the owner. The first is rather high action in the upper frets, which we've traced to incorrect neck pitch (the neck is angled upwards in relation to the body). There's also buzzing from frets 12 to 15. As neck relief checks out OK, we could be looking at uneven frets. The third issue is a loose volume pot (let's hope it's just that) and intermittent contact on the output jack. Finally, someone over-tightened the upper mute pad mounting post, and it has snapped off cleanly. Although it might be possible to weld the post back onto the base plate, the owner is worried about how that might end up looking. In short, it's just a matter of cosmetics, as he's never used the mute mechanism. We'll see how things pan out. Recorded at 14:48 on October 17, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan. 

Martin LX1 - Lifting Bridge

This Little Martin (LX1) belongs to the same guy who came in with the Big Baby Taylor. What a cute pair, eh? At a glance, you would not see anything odd about this guitar, except that it's missing strings, a saddle and bridge pins. No belly bulge or lifting bridge, apparently. Wrong! Seems that when tuned to pitch, the bridge does lift, and the gap is wide enough to accommodate an envelope. Well, then, no two ways about this. Just squirting some glue is not going to work as new glue does not adhere to old glue. We'll have to go the whole hog and detach the bridge from the top. Then scrape and sand off excess glue and any splinters from the bottom of the bridge, and make sure we have a level surface. Repeat the same procedure for the corresponding area on the top. Only then can we reglue the bridge to the top. It's going to be a lot of work, but there's no other option. Recorded at 15:52 on October 9, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan.