Tuesday, June 30, 2020

StewMac Delivers Yet Again

For the last couple of years, StewMac has been numero uno in my book whenever it comes to luthier tools and supplies. My latest order took less than a month to arrive via USPS First Class International Parcel. Thank you, StewMac :)


Squier Vintage Modified '77 Jazz Bass

This black beauty belongs to Juan of Kuantan-based indie band Whizzer. He wanted it derusted, cleaned, polished; and restrung with La Bella 760FS Deep Talkin' Bass flatwound strings. Of course, I was only too happy to oblige. I'll let the pics tell the story of what went down. Meanwhile, a little research at the websites of Swee Lee and Music Bliss have unearthed quite a bit of information concerning this instrument. Most of the features would be quite obvious even to the non-musician; but I'm listing them here for the sake of future reference.

Body Material: Agathis
Body Finish: Gloss Polyester Black
Neck: Maple/bolt-on/"C"-shaped profile/vintage-tint gloss finish
Fretboard: Maple/34" scale/9.5" radius/pearloid block inlays/white binding
Frets: 20 medium jumbo
Bridge: 4-saddle standard bridge
Pickups: Two Fender-designed single-coil Jazz Bass
Tuners: Standard Open-Gear
Controls: Neck pickup volume/bridge pickup volume/master tone
Knobs: Black Strat-style
Pickguard: Three-ply black/white/black
Hardware Finish: Chrome














Monday, June 29, 2020

Flood Victim #4 - SX Vintage Series Jazz Bass Copy

This happened to be the fourth victim of the great flood of December 2013 that had come my way to date. The earlier three were a Washburn XB125, Yamaha RBX775 FSL and '70s Fender Jazz Bass. This particular SX Vintage Series Jazz Bass Copy was well built and oozed a '70s vibe: 3-bolt neck plate, maple neck/fretboard with block inlays, solid wood body finished natural, chunky open-gear tuners; and a Fender-ish headstock profile.

The owner confided in me that after salvaging the bass from flood waters, he'd cleaned and dried it the best he could. However, of late, it had become increasingly difficult to play due to high action and malfunctioning electronics.

After closely examining the bass and trying it out for a couple days, I identified these main issues:
(i) excessively high action at the bridge even with the saddles at their lowest,
(ii) totally corroded metal components,
(iii) frozen saddle height adjustment screws,
(iv) excessive neck relief,
(v) incorrect neck/body angle -- the neck was tilting upwards,
(vi) grimy, cruddy, rusty and tarnished hardware and plastic components; and
(vii) barely functioning pots and output jack, even after servicing.

To address these issues, the bass was first disassembled down to the"nuts and bolts," so to speak. Following this, hardware and plastic components were cleaned of crud, grime and rust as thoroughly as possible. The pickguard, control plate, and saddle height adjustment screws were replaced as they were beyond saving. The bridge was lubed thoroughly so that it would be functional once more.

The truss rod was still working, thank goodness. I was able to tighten it to where the neck was straight without any strings on. To correct the neck/body angle, I inserted a shim of appropriate thickness; and the neck now tilted downwards slightly.

As the electronics were shot, I rewired the bass with new Alpha A250K pots, a 0.033uF tone cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. After putting the bass back together, I was able to set it up with the lowest possible action sans buzz. Plugging this SX Vintage Series Jazz Bass Copy into a bass amp produced growly, midrangey tones that evoked memories of other '70s Jazz Basses I'd had the pleasure of working on. They sure don't build 'em like they used to!










Takamine D Series ED2NC Acoustic-Electric Guitar

Preamble
Work done on this Indonesian Takamine ED2NC acoustic-electric beauty included fretboard reconditioning, restring/tune; and setup. The owner also needed a fix for the D, A and low E machine heads (tuners) as they were somehow missing their nylon washers. Turns out he bought it (used) that way. Shame on the seller for taking advantage of an inexperienced player!

Fixed the tuner problem somewhat by substituting Vape machine OCC (Organic Cotton Coil) silicone ring washers for their missing nylon counterparts (I've also used this solution while restoring an SX Standard Series Strat-Style guitar). Gave him a packet of spares just in case, and treated him to one of my three-minute sermons. I don't think he'll be buying his next used guitar without checking the condition of the tuners first.

To be fair, other than the tuner issue; this baby was in good condition, the electronics worked; and it sounded great either amplified or on its own. Click HERE to watch a YouTube review of the Takamine ED2NC by Melodramatic Music Store.

Last but not least, let's take a look at some specs; courtesy of Rockshop New Zealand. Sad to say, there isn't any information on the ED2NC or D Series at the official Takamine website. I guess they're not manufacturing them any more.

Specifications
Body Shape: NEX Cutaway
Top/Back/Sides: Spruce/Mahogany/Mahogany
Binding: Black
Rosette: Concentric Rings
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood/dot inlays/20 frets/25.5" scale
Nut/Saddle: PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide)
Truss Rod: Two-way Adjustable
Bridge: Rosewood pin-bridge
Color: Natural (NAT)
Finish: Gloss
Electronics: TP-4T 3-band preamp/end pin jack socket














Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster - Part Two


Partial Refret

As promised in Part One, here's why and how I carried out a partial refret on Fizan's Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster. You see, Fizan was having a hard time with his high E string. On certain songs, it would get trapped under the fret ends of the last two frets; forcing him to stop playing immediately. 

After looking closely, I realized that the high E fret ends of both the 21st and 22nd frets had become unseated from the fret edge, creating a string-trapping gap. Compounding the issue were 45 degree fret end bevels, making it very easy for the high E string to "slide off" the frets.

Now, I do appreciate the advantages of undercutting fret tangs and sealing off the ends with filler: neater appearance, smoother feel; and less work (no need to file the fret tangs flush with the fretboard edge). I mean, I have used this technique myself on numerous refret jobs. However, if not done with the utmost care, the lack of a fret tang gripping the fingerboard edge tight may very well cause it to lift.

I first tried hammering the fret ends back in, but to no avail. As such, the only option left was to pull those two frets and install new ones; ie a partial refret. I did not have any of Fender's "narrow-tall" fretwire on hand, so I used the smallest size I had; namely StewMac #149.

No, I did not employ the undercut fret tang/filler method on this partial refret. I did not want to see history repeat itself. It was safer to use the tried-and-true approach of filing the fret tangs flush with the fretboard edge. Yes, there would be minor finish chipping which would need to be touched up, and the fret ends would not match the others; they'd stand out like a sore thumb upon closer inspection. 

I would also bevel the fret ends at around 10 degrees only, creating a wider playing surface and minimizing the risk of the high E string sliding off the frets. I discussed my game plan with Fizan, and thankfully, he was okay with it; as long as the problem was solved.

And so I proceeded with the partial refret, as shown in the pictures below. The hardest part was leveling, radiusing, and creating "fall-away" on just those two fret tops without scratching their neighbors. I basically employed various thicknesses of tape, a 9.5" radius block, and fret rocker for the task. Guess what? I still ended up lightly scuffing the top of the 20th fret. No worries, I was able to polish out those pesky scuff marks. Whew, what a relief!

Once the partial refret was complete, the Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster was set up with D'Addario 9-42s; as per Fizan's instructions. He came to pick it up in the afternoon, tried it out for awhile; and gave me the thumbs-up. That night, I happened to be at HM Studio; and passed by the rehearsal room where Whizzer was practising. Through the glass door, I caught a brief glimpse of Fizan. He was wearing a face mask; but I could detect a twinkle in his eyes :)












Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster - Part One


Overview

Here's a really fine dual humbucker semi-acoustic guitar. It belongs to Fizan of local indie band Whizzer. This Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster came in for a partial refret and setup; which will be covered in Part Two. And so, in this post, we'll first take a look at some interesting features and details regarding this guitar; based on information from Guitar World and my own observations.

Country of Origin: Indonesia
Body/Neck Finish: Walnut/Vintage-tint gloss urethane
Body: Laminated Maple/Arched semi-hollow with center block
Binding: Cream three-ply (body)/Cream single-ply (F-holes)
Hardware: Nickel-plated
Pickups: Fender-Designed "Wide Range" humbuckers
Controls: 2 Volume/2 Tone/Three-way toggle switch
Neck: Bolt-on/Maple/"C"-shaped profile
Fretboard: Maple/9.5" radius/22 "narrow-tall" frets/25.5" scale/black dot inlays
Bridge: Adjustable ("tune-o-matic" style)/Stop-bar tailpiece
Noteworthy Features: Bone nut/Skirted amp knobs/Vintage-style tuners/Painted headstock contour

Now, what does the Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster sound like? To answer this question, click HERE to watch a YouTube video by Empire Music.