Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Congress BW-4151CB Acoustic | Part 6

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Part 6 | 7 | 8

August 30 Update


Once the bridge pin hole plugs had been sanded flush, the new bridge was glued on and clamped in place. This was on August 23. It's been a week now, and the Titebond Original Wood Glue has had sufficient time to cure. I've just taken off the clamps and the new bridge is sitting nice and flat. Do stay tuned for more updates.



August 23, 2023

Titebond Original Wood Glue


August 30, 2023. Clamps are off.


Sunday, August 20, 2023

Congress BW-4151CB Acoustic | Part 5

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Part 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

August 20 Update

After three weeks of belly reduction treatment, the clamps finally came off. The next step was to determine the exact location for the new bridge and outline it with masking tape. Having done that, it was time to scrape, sand and level the area underneath the bridge. A test fitting followed, and to my dismay, the bridge pin holes of the new bridge were out of line with the existing bridge pin holes in the top. This meant that I would have to plug the holes in the top and drill new ones later. Stay tuned for more updates.


Scraping, leveling and sanding in progress

Test fitting the new bridge

Bridge pin hole mismatch

Plugging the existing holes


 

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Wax Potting Pickups | Super 70 Humbuckers


Wax Potting a pair of Super 70 humbuckers from a 1978 Ibanez 2350 using a slow cooker, paraffin wax and glass marbles.

Mama's Secret | Cleaning Strings with Singer Machine Oil


I make it a point to wipe down my electric, acoustic or bass guitar strings after playing. For electrics particularly, I also wipe down the bridge and related metallic parts. Mama taught me this method more than 40 years ago [thanks, Mama]. All you need is a bottle of Singer Machine Oil, aka All-Purpose Oil and a clean handkerchief. This video is courtesy of Norisah Siran.

How to Bend Pre-Cut Fretwire by Hand


Here is how I normally bend pre-cut fretwire, such as Dunlop Accu-Fret® Fretwire; by hand. All you need is flush-ground nippers and lots of patience. This video is courtesy of Norisah Siran.

Aduka Sariat | Yamaha-OLP Hybrid Build Demo


In this video, Aduka Sariat demoes his one-of-a-kind Yamaha EG112C - OLP MM1 Hybrid Build. The neck is from his late Dad's Yamaha EG112C, while the body is from an OLP MM1. This Yamaha EG112C - OLP MM1 Hybrid Build represents yet another labor of love by CA Guitar Repair Kuantan.

Aduka Sariat | 2002 Fender Stratocaster® Demo


Aduka Sariat has finally gotten his 2002 MIM Fender Stratocaster back from CA Guitar Repair Kuantan, and is giving it a good workout. Upgrades to this Strat include a full refret, CTS 250K pots, an Oak Grigsby switch, Gavitt cloth-covered wire, aged pickup covers and control knobs; and a set of Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s Stratocaster® Pickups.

Uncontrolled Feedback


A short video sent in by one of my subscribers which, in my humble opinion; aptly demonstrates uncontrolled feedback. Note that the audio in this video has been normalized to EBU R128 standards.

Rust Removal via Electrolysis | Ibanez RG350EXZ


Cleaning a grimy and corroded Edge Zero II trem from an Ibanez RG350EXZ using electrolysis in a sodium bicarbonate bath. Anode is a large iron nail. Cathode is a length of bare wire wrapped around the trem. Power supply is a 24V/1.2A AC to DC adapter.

Che'gu Awal | Fender ST54 Demo


Date: October 13, 2019 Venue: RF MusicWorks, Kuantan Guitar: Che'gu Awal Bass: Rizal Efendi Drums: Wan Asma The Fender Japan ST54 Stratocaster® featured in this presentation was serviced/restored/repaired/modified/upgraded by CA Guitar Repair Kuantan.

Che'gu Awal | RC Stromm after Neck Repair


Che'gu Awal of RF MusicWorks trying out his RC Stromm acoustic after a major neck repair.

Rust Removal via Electrolysis | Greco EG550B


Cleaning a rusty Greco EG550B TOM-style bridge using electrolysis in a saltwater bath. Anode is a large iron nail. Cathode is a length of bare wire wrapped around the bridge. Power supply is a 24V/1.2A AC to DC adapter.

Poor Man's Fret Press


This video is courtesy of Norisah Siran

Ibanez GIO Fret Removal

Here is how I normally remove frets using modified end nippers and a soldering iron. This video is courtesy of Norisah Siran.

Fretboard Prep with a Radius Sanding Block

This bass is in the shop for a full refret. All the old frets have been carefully removed from the rosewood fretboard. In this short clip, I am using a Radius Sanding Block [9.5"] and sandpaper to ensure that before installing new frets:

  • The fretboard is level throughout its length 
  • Any dings or low spots have been eliminated 
  • The fretboard has a consistent radius of 9.5"
This procedure is known as "prepping" the fretboard, and is a critical initial step towards achieving a fret job your customers will love. Video Credit: Norisah Siran.


Testing an Amtech Sustainer Pickup

Testing an Indonesian-made Amtech Sustainer pickup after major rewiring. Sent to me after a botched installation job. Got the pickup to work, but no luck switching between Natural and Harmonic modes.

Plastic vs Bone Drop Test

Dropping plastic and bone acoustic guitar saddles, nuts and bridge pins onto a wooden chopping board and listening carefully. Is there any difference?

Tuesday, August 08, 2023

Suzuki SST-1 S-Style Solidbody | Part 2

◀ Part 1

Work Done

There was some work to be done on this Suzuki SST-1 S-Style Solidbody before it could be declared gig-worthy. We started off with a full fret dressing as quite a number of frets needed attention. The next task concerned electronics. Firstly, as the SST-1 was barely shielded, we decided to shield the pickup and control cavities with conductive paint; and the back of the pickguard with copper foil.

On to the electronic components, then. Here, the notorious East Coast salt air had certainly made its presence felt. As discoloration and corrosion was everywhere, we replaced everything but the pickups and output jack plate. In any case, the owner wasn't a fan of the dime-sized pots or generic flimsy output jack; no love lost here. New components included full-sized Alpha A250K pots, a five-way switch and Switchcraft output jack. Finally, this Suzuki SST-1 S-Style Solidbody was given a good clean and polish and set up with D'Addario EXL110s [10-46]. It's now in its gig bag, eagerly awaiting Daddy's arrival. 


Worn Frets


Fretwork in Progress

Stock Electronics

Ceramic Single Coils

Pots and Five-Way Switch

Output Jack

Tremolo Cavity

Unshielded Body Cavities

Body Cavity Shielding

Pickguard Shielding

Alpha A250K Pots, Switch and Switchcraft Jack

Rewiring Partially Completed

Switchcraft Jack Wired In

Rewiring is Done

Finally Gig-Worthy