So, the owner of this Destroyer replica managed to get hold of two used Lace Alumitone humbuckers (Chrome/Neck, Gold/Bridge) and wanted them installed. He also requested an electronics upgrade. A routine check revealed that both Alumitones were in working condition, as were the three-way toggle switch and output jack. Thus said, the only parts replaced were the stock pickups, mini pots and tone capacitor. Once all components had been wired in, a pickup tap test was carried out, and everything was found to be working as it should.
This Baby Mahogany (BT2) Layered Sapele Acoustic Guitar was sent in on June 20. Among the issues detected were a slight belly bulge, lifting bridge, and grimy fretboard. The frets, meanwhile, were in no better shape. Besides being badly tarnished, quite a number were visibly marred by divots.
Met up with my ex-SAHC schoolmate and Taman Lam Sun (Alor Setar) neighbor Ir. Harjit Singh Dhillon today (June 19, 2026). It's wonderful to still be in touch with someone you grew up with way back in the '70s.
This active Craftsman bass was sent in on May 23 with a host of issues, as seen in the video below. What worried the owner the most, though, was the malfunctioning electronics.
Existing Electronics
A closer examination of the innards revealed iffy soldering, widespread corrosion, and even spliced joints wrapped in plumber's tape. Someone had definitely tried to fix or modify the electronics, with detrimental results. The owner, understandably, did not take this news well. Long story short, he asked for the active electronics to be discarded, and passive components wired in.
Existing Electronics
Mings GE-2 Preamp
Output Jack (Retained)
Master Volume Pot
Bass Boost/Cut Pot
Pickup Blend Pot
Treble Boost/Cut Pot
Active to Passive Conversion
With the existing electronics desoldered, we were ready to wire in new components. Note that two components were retained; namely, the pickups and output jack. The new passive circuit comprised a three-way toggle switch for pickup selection (bass/both/treble), four Alpha A500K pots (2 volumes, 2 tones), and two 0.047uF tone caps.
Replacement Electronics
Passive Circuit Completed
Faulty Bridge Ground
Meanwhile, the monorail bridge was disassembled as continuity between the individual saddles and ground was spotty at best. The reason behind this was a torn and woefully narrow copper foil strip, as well as a rusty ground wire. Fixing this issue involved soldering on a new ground wire and sandwiching it between two layers of conductive copper foil.
Torn Copper Foil
New Ground Wire
Bridge Ground Fully Installed
Monorail Bridge Reinstalled
Pots and Toggle Switch
Volume and Tone Knobs Installed
Fretboard Matters
We'll start off with fretwork, then. After the neck was straightened, a total of eight high frets were detected. These frets were spot leveled, recrowned, cleaned, and polished. As for the fretboard (14" radius), it was full of gunk, crud and dried polish. Servicing involved scraping, cleanup with naphtha, and conditioning with lemon oil.
High Frets - Image 1
High Frets - Image 2
High Frets - Image 3
Spot Leveling in Progress
Abrading the Leveled/Recrowned Frets
Scraping the Fretboard
Polishing the Frets
Cleanup with Naphtha
Conditioning the Fretboard
Mini Photo Shoot
After the neck was reattached to the body, this Craftsman was set up with Olympia B45105 (45 - 105) strings. And now, before we say adieu, here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.
