Abang Khalid - Some Troubling News

This post is courtesy of Mr Vimal Balan. On January 30, Mr Vimal, the members of Bluez Bugs, and other KL-based musicians visited Abang Khalid at his home in Kajang. Abang Khalid is a respected and much-loved drummer, formerly of '80s band "The Visitors" and more recently; "Broken Pieces." Abang Khalid has been diagnosed with colon cancer. Let us ready ourselves to support him in whatever way we can, and keep him in our thoughts and prayers.

At Abang Khalid's Home | Jan 30, 2024

Broken Pieces | Where Else Sunway, 2018

2010 Ibanez GRX70DX | Part 4

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Work is Done

The weather has been really unpredictable since I last posted on this 2010 Ibanez GRX70DX. The neck ended up hanging for a few days indoors, and perhaps that was for the best. Took it off the hook when we had a few hours of strong sunlight one day, and proceeded with steel-wooling, waxing and polishing. The back of the neck is not as sleek as I would have liked it to be, but at least it's now protected from the elements by clear coats and beeswax.

Waxing in Progress

With the back of the neck taken care of, I was able to condition the rosewood fretboard with lemon oil and polish the frets. I also checked the fretboard radius, which turned out to be 16 inches. The new nut had yet to be installed at this stage, as the neck had to be set up properly first. 

Fretboard Radius is 16"

And so, after the new Korean #0986 and "butterfly" string trees were installed, it was time to reattach the neck. The neck pitch anomaly detected earlier was corrected with a neck pocket shim, and the guitar strung with PRS Classic 9-42s. The new nut was installed after this, and the slots deepened a wee bit to get the action just right. With the strings tuned to pitch, there was some upper fret buzz, so the truss rod needed to be loosened a tad. The images you see below were taken right after final action and intonation adjustments, and a playing test.

This GRX70DX is Finally Ready

FAT-6 Bridge All Nice and Shiny

Fretboard, Frets and New Strings

New Nut, String Trees and Tuners

Gotoh GE1996T Tremolo Unit | Part 4

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GE1996T Stud Lock System

The components of this system are the GE1996T Stud, Anchor and Stud-Lock Screw. According to the Gotoh GE1996T Operation Manual, the Stud Lock System increases "the solidity of the anchor and stud combination." This, in turn, will enhance "the vibrational tone transfer from the strings to the guitar body." Now, since the actual mechanics of this system will be detailed later, I thought it best to begin this post by examining a GE1996T Stud and Anchor.

GE1996T Stud and Anchor - Overview

The first image below is a diagram of the GE1996T Stud and Anchor as shown in the manual, with dimensions in millimetres. But what about the "M8" label below the GE1996T Stud? I was wondering about that, and decided to do some research. As it turns out, the letter 'M' indicates that the stud uses a metric thread, while the number '8' refers to the "nominal diameter" of the stud shaft in millimeters. In plain English, this means that the outer diameter of the GE1996T Stud is 8mm.

GE1996T Stud/Anchor - Dimensions

GE1996T Stud/Anchor - Side View

GE1996T Stud/Anchor - Rear View

GE1996T Stud and Anchor - Basic Operation

In the simplest of terms, the anchors are embedded in the body of the guitar, and provide a secure location for the studs to be screwed into. The studs, meanwhile, act as height-adjustable pivot points for the two knife edges of the Tremolo Base Plate. The height of a stud may be adjusted using the supplied 3.2mm hex wrench. Clockwise screws the stud in, reducing its height; while anti-clockwise does the exact opposite. In the images below, you can see how a GE1996T Stud may be unscrewed completely using the 3.2mm hex wrench.

Unscrewing the GE1996T Stud

GE1996T Stud Halfway Unscrewed

GE1996T Stud on Its Own

GE1996T Anchor on Its Own

GE1996T Anchor - Internal Threads

GE1996T Stud-Lock Screw

The Stud-Lock Screw is housed at the base of the GE1996T Stud, and features an anodized black finish. It may be set flush with the base, or extended by a certain amount. This adjustment is effected using the supplied 1.5mm hex wrench. Clockwise screws it out of the base, and anti-clockwise pulls it back in. The main function of this screw is "to press against the anchor bottom, tightening the contact between stud and anchor threads." Gotoh asserts that the Stud-Lock Screw will prevent the GE1996T Stud from shifting while in use. Now, let's look at this "special" screw.

GE1996T Stud-Lock Screw

Insert 1.5mm Hex Wrench Here

Hex Wrench Turned Clockwise

Stud-Lock Screw Fully Extended

Locking the GE1996T Stud in Place

In this final section, we walk through the steps taken to lock the GE1996T Stud in place inside the GE1996T Anchor; as described in the manual. 

First, insert the 1.5mm hex key (4) into the center of the stud (1) and twist clockwise slightly to make sure the Stud-Lock Screw (2) is loose enough to turn easily. 

Then, insert the stud (1) into the anchor (3) and then use the 3.2mm hex key (not shown) in the head of the stud to adjust it to the desired height. 

Following this, once again insert the 1.5mm hex key (4) into the center of the stud (1) and tighten until the Stud-Lock Screw (2) touches the bottom of the anchor (3). 

Finally, tighten the Stud-Lock Screw more firmly to make sure that the stud doesn't move.

Locking Procedure

Tightening the Stud-Lock Screw

Fendi Cakrawala - January 26 Update

River Blues founding member/drummer Fendi had a pleasant surprise today. Karyawan President Dato’ Freddie Fernandez and General Manager Enche Ahmad Abdullah dropped by for a visit. Fendi is currently wheelchair-bound due to prostate problems and diabetes. Many thanks to NTV9 reporters for covering this visit.

L-R: Enche Ahmad, Fendi, Dato' Freddie

2003 Epiphone Les Paul Custom | Part 5

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Owner's Demo

Gotoh GE1996T Tremolo Unit | Part 3

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GE1996T Arm Lock System

We begin this discussion with an overview of the components and tools directly related to the Arm Lock System. These include the supplied 1.5mm and 2.6mm hex wrenches, Tremolo Arm, Tremolo Arm Socket, Torque-Adjusting Screw, and Center-Guide Screw. The Arm Lock System is engaged during two procedures, namely, attaching and setting the Tremolo Arm; and removing the Tremolo Arm. Do take note that most of the information presented in this post has been sourced from the Gotoh GE1996T Operation Manual.

Tremolo Arm

The Tremolo Arm has an external diameter of 5.5mm. Seen below is the end of the arm that is inserted into the Tremolo Arm Socket. This end of the Tremolo Arm has a threaded hollow center with an internal diameter of 3.8mm. The diameter and threads match that of the Center-Guide Screw perfectly, allowing the Tremolo Arm to be screwed securely onto the Center-Guide Screw. 

Tremolo Arm Internal Threads

Tremolo Arm Socket and Torque-Adjusting Screw

The Tremolo Arm Socket is the component of the Tremolo Base Plate where the Tremolo Arm is inserted. This socket is secured to the base plate by means of a brass hex nut. The Torque-Adjusting Screw, meanwhile, serves two purposes. One, to keep the Tremolo Arm from swinging around, and two; "to set the amount of arm torque." The Torque-Adjusting Screw may be tightened or loosened with the supplied 1.5mm hex wrench.

Tremolo Arm Socket/Brass Hex Nut

Torque-Adjusting Screw

Center-Guide Screw

The Center-Guide Screw features an anodized black finish and is located at the exposed end of the Tremolo Arm Socket. Its threaded portion has a diameter of 3.8mm, allowing the Tremolo Arm to be screwed onto it for a secure fit. Using the supplied 2.6mm hex wrench, the Center-Guide Screw may be tightened, loosened, or even unscrewed completely from the Tremolo Arm Socket. For the benefit of readers, I've gone ahead and unscrewed the Center-Guide Screw. Now you can not only see the whole screw, but also look right through the Tremolo Arm Socket.  

Center-Guide Screw in Place

Unscrewing the Center-Guide Screw

This is the Center-Guide Screw

Tremolo Arm Socket Internal Threads

Looking Through the Tremolo Arm Socket

Attaching and Setting the Tremolo Arm

The first step is to insert the 1.5mm hex wrench (C) into the Torque-Adjusting Screw (A) and turn it slightly anti-clockwise; thereby loosening it. Following this, insert the Tremolo Arm into the Tremolo Arm Socket until it presses against the Center-Guide Screw (B). Then, turn the Tremolo Arm clockwise until it is at the desired height. Finally, carefully retighten the Torque-Adjusting Screw (A) with the 1.5mm hex wrench (C) to set the desired amount of arm torque.

Attaching and Setting the Tremolo Arm

Tightening the Torque-Adjusting Screw

Removing the Tremolo Arm

To remove the Tremolo Arm after use, turn the arm anti-clockwise until it detaches from the Center-Guide Screw (B). Then, gently pull the Tremolo Arm out of the Tremolo Arm Socket. Here, you may find that the arm is "stuck" in the socket and cannot be pulled out easily. This happens when the Torque-Adjusting Screw has been screwed in too tightly. If you are faced with such a situation, the only solution is to loosen the Torque-Adjusting Screw by turning it anti-clockwise with the 1.5mm hex wrench. However, doing this too often will eventually wear out or damage the threads of the Torque-Adjusting Screw, rendering it unusable. This is why Gotoh cautions users against loosening or tightening the Torque-Adjusting Screw "unnecessarily or frequently."

Removing the Tremolo Arm

Gotoh GE1996T Tremolo Unit | Part 2

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Gotoh GE1996T - Detailed Images

GE1996T Diagram

Let us begin by examining a diagram of the Gotoh GE1996T Tremolo Unit incorporating top, front and right side views. Dimensions in millimetres [accurate to one decimal place] are provided for length, width/diameter, height, and center points of the unit as well as individual components. Following this diagram are images of the GE1996T taken from a number of angles.  

GE1996T Diagram

GE1996T - Top View A

GE1996T - Top View B

GE1996T - Top View C

GE1996T - Left Side

GE1996T - Right Side

GE1996T - Rear View A

GE1996T - Rear View B

  

Components - Front and Top

This subsection focuses on components located on the front and top of the GE1996T. These components include the Tremolo Arm Socket, left and right Knife Edges, Saddle Assembly, Saddle Mounting Screws, String Lock Insert Blocks, String Lock Screws, and Fine Tuning Screws. Regarding the various screws, only two require a hex wrench for adjustment - the Saddle Mounting Screws [2.6mm] and String Lock Screws [3.2mm].

Tremolo Arm Socket

Knife Edges

Saddle Assembly

Saddle Mounting Screws

String Lock Insert Blocks

String Lock/Fine Tuning Screws

Components - Back and Underside

From the front and top, we now move to components located on the back and underside of the GE1996T. These components include the Tremolo Base Plate, Tremolo Block, Tremolo Block Shim, and Fine Tuner Tension Plate. The Tremolo Base Plate features a chrome finish and is etched with the Gotoh logo and "Gotoh Japan." Similarly, the solid brass Tremolo Block features an engraved Gotoh logo, as well as "Gotoh" and "Made in Japan" on its front face. 

Solid Brass Tremolo Block

Fine Tuner Tension Plate

Tremolo Block Shim

Tremolo Base Plate

  

The exposed end of the Brass Tremolo Block features five channels and small unthreaded holes, as well as three larger threaded screw holes. The outermost and center unthreaded holes are where the L-shaped ends of three Tremolo Springs are inserted. Following this, the three Spring Lock Screws are screwed into the threaded holes, thereby securing the L-shaped ends of the springs to the Tremolo Block.

Springs Inserted Here

Spring Lock Screw Hole

Tremolo Springs in Place

Spring Lock Screws