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Output Jack
I've just unscrewed the the output jack plate and flipped it over. As far as the output jack is concerned, exposed and tarnished wiring, cold solder joints, and burnt insulation seem to be the order of the day. This jack can probably be reused after servicing, but rewiring is definitely on the cards.
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| Gnarly Output Jack Wiring |
Pickup and Control Cavities
The R-8 pickguard has just been separated from the body, and we have a clear view of the pickup and control cavities. The body has been routed for three single-coils, and there's even a '50s-spec "worm route" in the bridge pickup cavity to accommodate the pickup leads. The control cavity, meanwhile, has been routed neatly, leaving a "shoulder" on the left of the pickup selector switch. There are also clumps of greyish-white residue in this cavity below the second tone pot, indicating component disintegration. Both the pickup and control cavities are coated in the same metallic red finish as the body, and do not appear to be shielded.
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| R-8 Pickup Cavities |
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| R-8 Control Cavity |
Ceramic Pickups
We're now viewing the underside of the R-8 pickguard, and it's evident that only the area around the pots and selector switch is shielded with aluminum foil. Zooming in closer, I'm really disappointed to see ceramic bar magnets on the underside of the single-coils. In any case, I've gone ahead and measured pickup DCR, with the following results: Neck and Middle - 4.93K, Bridge - 4.98K.
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| Underside of R-8 Pickguard |
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| Ceramic Bar Magnets |
Pots and Selector Switch
Further down, we see three mini-pots in disarray, disconnected wiring, and widespread corrosion. Now we know why this guitar produces no sound when plugged into an amplifier. Time for another zoom-in, then. We'll begin with the salt-encrusted 250K volume pot. The shaft has broken off completely, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. This alone has rendered the pot unusable.
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| Pots and Selector Switch |
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| Close-Up of Volume Pot |
The two 250K tone pots are in no better shape, and will also need to be replaced. Take a look at the second tone pot. Much like its volume counterpart, it has a broken-off shaft; and is simply "floating" in mid air. It's only being kept in place by one leg of the 0.047uF tone capacitor and a ground wire. Finally, we have a plastic-bodied Ibanez/Gotoh VLX53 five-way pickup selector switch. It's a high quality component, no doubt; but still suffers from intermittent contact after servicing. Sadly, this is another component that cannot be reused.
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| Tone Pots and Tone Cap |
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| Ibanez/Gotoh VLX53 Selector Switch |
Setting Things Right
After consulting with the owner, the plan of action is to degrime, derust, clean, polish, and reuse as many of the original components as possible. Naturally, he wants costs kept to the minimum; so only the pots, selector switch, tone cap, and wiring have been replaced. Seen below are the new control cavity components and wiring. I've retained the white and black wiring scheme to preserve originality. The body, neck and fretboard have also been cleaned and polished to the best of my ability. Well, folks, that about wraps it up for this Fernandes The Revival R-8; and thanks for dropping by.
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| New Electronics and Wiring |
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| Pickguard and Hardware Reinstalled |
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Neck and Fretboard After Servicing
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| Headstock After Servicing |
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