Glad to report that the belly bulge has finally flattened out, and we've been able to pry the bridge off the top. What's to come will be the usual scraping, leveling, roughening, regluing and clamping, plus some touch-ups where the original lacquer has peeled off. As for the GE-5T onboard preamp, it's been safely disassembled for evaluation, save for the endpin jack assembly. For some reason, even after removing the three external mounting screws, it won't budge an inch. Peering inside the body reveals what could be a nut securing the jack in place. Or it could just be these old eyes seeing something which isn't there. Recorded at 16:11 on October 23, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Yamaha ERB070 Bass - First Look
This gloss black four-string bass came in as nekkid as the day it was born, with not so much as a flimsy gig bag to shield it from the elements. Yes, I have asked the owner to get one pronto, and even told him where to buy one on the cheap. Now, I won't rehash the obvious, as you can clearly see the corrosion and grime encrusting this once fine instrument. Just watch the video till the end, and you'll understand what needs to be done. One thing we'd like to talk about is the issue of inexpensive string brands, most notably "Alice." Fresh out of the package, "Alice" sounds fine to these ears. Admittedly, these strings lose their tone and go "dead" much faster than the more prestigious brands. You get what you pay for, right? So, just change them regularly, and you'll have no problems. Recorded at 19:04 on October 20, 2026. CA Guitar Repair. Taman Impian Ku, 25200 Kuantan.
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.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Ibanez GSR200 - October 20, 2026 Update
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.
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| Replacement Electronics |
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| Barrel Jack Wired Up |
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| Pot to Pot Ground (White) & Tone Cap Wired In |
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| Hot Lead (Red) Wired In |
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| Soldering On the Pickup Leads |
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| Rewiring Completed |
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| New Bridge Ground |
Sunday, October 18, 2026
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.
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