Quick Links: Part One | Part Two | Part Three
In Part One of this series, we examined the external features of this fine instrument. Rust, corrosion, crud and grime was everywhere. Now, in this exciting (hopefully) episode, we'll open this Greco EG550B up and find out what ails her.
To begin with, I'd been warned that the guitar produced no sound when plugged into an amp. After unscrewing the output jack plate, the reason became apparent: the tip spring (hot contact) of the rusty output jack had somehow snapped off. Additionally, the plastic jack plate was severely cracked in a few places and would eventually fall apart. These two would definitely be replaced.
Moving on to the control cavity, everything seemed stock, and intact as well. 500K full-sized volume and tone pots, shielded cable; plus 0.022uF tone caps. Too bad the electronics weren't functioning as they should, even after servicing. As for the three-way box toggle switch, it was encrusted in salt and fared no better than the pots. They'd all be replaced, for sure.
Meanwhile, the frets, though still in good enough shape for many more bluesy bends; were badly tarnished and in need of a thorough clean and polish. The rosewood fretboard was in slightly better shape, but still grimy enough to warrant reconditioning.
The pickups? They were both functioning, thank goodness. Flipping them over revealed that both once had covers, but someone had desoldered them. All screws and springs were pickled through, new ones were definitely needed. The neck pickup ring was broken in two spots, and I knew I'd have to source a replacement. By the way, removing the neck pickup allowed me a clear view of the two hidden bolts securing the "bolt-on tenon joint" and the neat pickup cavity routing. You've got to hand it to the Japanese when it comes to precision work.
The gold hardware was in terrible shape on the whole, which was even more apparent after disassembly. I tried cleaning the bridge and stop tailpiece using electrolysis (VIDEO), but all that succeeded in doing was further disintegrating the already fragile "gold" coating; exposing even more underlying rust and corrosion.
Talking about the bridge, the tune-o-matic style bridge was not only missing its retaining clip; but had also collapsed in the middle. This meant that the middle strings (B, G, D and A) would be much lower than they should be; and it would be impossible to match string height to the 12" fretboard radius. To gauge just how bad the sag was, I used a 6" steel rule as a straight edge and compared this bridge to one taken from a 2014 Gibson LPJ. Gosh ... the difference was as obvious as night and day!
The most practical solution would be to simply replace the bridge; and most probably the tailpiece too. For anyone who's interested, do check out this excellent article by Haze Guitars entitled "Gibson Bridge Collapse." Well, folks, we've reached the end of this post. I hope you've enjoyed reading my humble offering, and do take a peek at the pics below. Thanks for dropping by, and hope to see you again real soon :)
To begin with, I'd been warned that the guitar produced no sound when plugged into an amp. After unscrewing the output jack plate, the reason became apparent: the tip spring (hot contact) of the rusty output jack had somehow snapped off. Additionally, the plastic jack plate was severely cracked in a few places and would eventually fall apart. These two would definitely be replaced.
Moving on to the control cavity, everything seemed stock, and intact as well. 500K full-sized volume and tone pots, shielded cable; plus 0.022uF tone caps. Too bad the electronics weren't functioning as they should, even after servicing. As for the three-way box toggle switch, it was encrusted in salt and fared no better than the pots. They'd all be replaced, for sure.
Meanwhile, the frets, though still in good enough shape for many more bluesy bends; were badly tarnished and in need of a thorough clean and polish. The rosewood fretboard was in slightly better shape, but still grimy enough to warrant reconditioning.
The pickups? They were both functioning, thank goodness. Flipping them over revealed that both once had covers, but someone had desoldered them. All screws and springs were pickled through, new ones were definitely needed. The neck pickup ring was broken in two spots, and I knew I'd have to source a replacement. By the way, removing the neck pickup allowed me a clear view of the two hidden bolts securing the "bolt-on tenon joint" and the neat pickup cavity routing. You've got to hand it to the Japanese when it comes to precision work.
The gold hardware was in terrible shape on the whole, which was even more apparent after disassembly. I tried cleaning the bridge and stop tailpiece using electrolysis (VIDEO), but all that succeeded in doing was further disintegrating the already fragile "gold" coating; exposing even more underlying rust and corrosion.
Talking about the bridge, the tune-o-matic style bridge was not only missing its retaining clip; but had also collapsed in the middle. This meant that the middle strings (B, G, D and A) would be much lower than they should be; and it would be impossible to match string height to the 12" fretboard radius. To gauge just how bad the sag was, I used a 6" steel rule as a straight edge and compared this bridge to one taken from a 2014 Gibson LPJ. Gosh ... the difference was as obvious as night and day!
The most practical solution would be to simply replace the bridge; and most probably the tailpiece too. For anyone who's interested, do check out this excellent article by Haze Guitars entitled "Gibson Bridge Collapse." Well, folks, we've reached the end of this post. I hope you've enjoyed reading my humble offering, and do take a peek at the pics below. Thanks for dropping by, and hope to see you again real soon :)
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