Damir Idris Live at Kuantan City Garden

Date: June 28, 2024

Location: Kuantan City Garden

Multimedia Credit: Sheikh Khalid MBK

Damir Idris

Damir Idris

Techno NY40CM Acoustic | Part 3

Related Posts

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

It's been 48 hours since the loose brace was reglued, and the clamps have been removed. As there's no more creaking, we'll call this job done. And if it ever happens again, touch wood; we'll know what to do. With the brace repair out of the way, let's shift our focus to the fretboard.

The fretboard needs to be thoroughly cleaned and prepped for refinishing. After loosening the truss rod completely, we've started off with an 80 grit sanding beam to level the fretboard. Further cleaning will be carried out with finer grits of diamond sharpening stones and abrasive paper. I've taken extra care in removing as much of the grime, discoloration and decaying wood as possible, while maintaining the original fretboard radius of 16 inches.

Fretboard Prep Commences

After a Couple Passes of the Sanding Beam

Fretboard Prep Completed

With the fretboard sufficiently prepped, it's time to apply a couple coats of Otter Sanding Sealer. This product is water based and dries in a jiffy, making quick work of application, sanding; and further application. On the flip side, cleaning out the fret slots after the sealer has cured is a really arduous task. However, this has to be done. We can't have any gunk filling up those slots now, can we?

Applying Otter Sanding Sealer

We're now at the final stage of refinishing, which is the application of the top coat. As I write, the sixth coat of Minwax Antique Oil Finish has been laid down, and the fretboard is starting to look nice and slick. After this coat has cured, I'll smooth things out with 0000 steel wool, blow off any residue; and apply the final coats.

Applying Minwax Antique Oil Finish

Catch The Strollers at Rockafellers Penang

 

June 22, 2024

Techno NY40CM Acoustic | Part 2

Related Posts

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

After some serious discussion, Alex and I have decided on the next course of action regarding his Techno NY40CM. We'll begin with the maple fretboard, then. At a glance, anyone can tell that it's grimy, worn, and showing signs of decay. As for the frets, well, they're either riddled with divots or worn flat all along the length of the fretboard. To make matters worse, quite a few have started to lift, most probably due to decaying fret slots.

First Fret

Second Fret

Third Fret

Fourth and Fifth Frets

 

Faced with such issues, the path ahead is clear. I'll have to pull all the frets, which will allow me to work on the fretboard and get it back in shape. And, since the existing frets will be pulled, a full refret is definitely on the cards.

Fretboard Sans Frets

Hardware and Electronics Disassembled

Remember the creaky top? Well, with the preamp module removed, we've been able to identify the culprit; a loose top brace. It's exactly as Alex has suspected all this while. We'll be regluing the brace to the top with Titebond, and clamping it for at least 24 hours. I've fashioned a custom wooden caul for this very purpose.

Here's the Loose Top Brace

Wooden Clamping Caul

Brace Reglued and Clamped

Techno NY40CM Acoustic | Part 1

Related Posts

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Alex is a solo performer whose main squeeze is a Techno NY40CM acoustic guitar. It's the guitar he learned on, and holds a special place in his heart. In the video below, Alex talks about a number of issues he's facing with his NY40CM. As the video is in Bahasa Melayu, I've provided English captions for your convenience.

Yamaha MIJ FG-401B Dreadnought

Serial Number: 00423

Origin: Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd., Hamamatsu, Japan

Top: Japanese Ezomatsu Spruce

Back: Three-Piece Indian Rosewood

Sides: Indian Rosewood

Bridge: Indian Rosewood

Neck: Nato

Fretboard: Indian Rosewood

Yamaha FG-401B | Front View

Front of Headstock

Faux Rosewood Truss Rod Cover

Truss Rod Adjustment Socket

3/16" Truss Rod Wrench

Bound Indian Rosewood Fretboard

Fretboard Inlays

Black Side Dots

Japanese Ezomatsu Spruce Top

Close-Up of Ezomatsu Spruce Top

Creme/Black/Creme Top Binding

Soundhole and Single-Ply Black Pickguard

Creme/Black/Creme Soundhole Rosette

Serial Number

Soundhole Label

Indian Rosewood Bridge

Yamaha FG-401B | Rear View

Back of Headstock

Yamaha Japan Tuners

Nato Neck

Creme Heel Cap

Three-Piece Indian Rosewood Back

Close-Up of Indian Rosewood Back

Two Decorative Back Strips

Creme/Black/Creme Back Binding

Indian Rosewood Sides

End Graft and Strap Button

Epiphone DR-100 Lefty Conversion

Preamble

The subject of this post is a nice little Epiphone DR-100 acoustic from Jengka. It's a right handed model, but the owner cannot play it as he's left handed. Understandably, he's requested a right handed to left handed conversion. For starters, he's already removed the pickguard and installed a left handed version on the opposite side of the soundhole, kudos to him. Of course, there's lots more to be done before this conversion is complete. And now, without further ado, let's dive right in.

Fretwork

The frets on this DR-100 are worn and pitted in lots of places, making a fret level and crown totally necessary. The 13th fret is also bent out of alignment at the low E end. I'll be replacing this fret before doing anything else.

High frets identified and marked

Here's the 13th fret

Fret leveling in progress

Frets are level

Recrowning the frets

Abrading the frets

Upgrading the Tuners

The existing trapezoid tuners are wonky and won't stay in tune, so they'll need to be replaced. The replacements are a set of Alice Al-016Ps which are totally enclosed, sturdy, and have a much higher gear ratio than the trapezoids.  

Headstock minus tuners

Stock trapezoid tuners

Alice Al-016P machine heads

The Al-016Ps don't fit

Reaming the tuner holes

Good fit achieved

Old tuner screw holes plugged

Al-016Ps installed

Left Handed Bone Nut

A left handed nut has been fashioned from a water buffalo bone blank. Honestly, crafting a custom bone nut such as this is no easy task, and the first one ended up being way too low to be used. I had much better luck on the second attempt, and that's the nut you see below.

Water buffalo bone nut blank

Starter slots marked and cut

Left handed bone nut after final setup

Relocating the Saddle Slot

As one might expect, converting a right handed acoustic to a lefty involves quite a lot of effort. Simply flipping the existing saddle is not going to work. This is because not only are the positions of the low and high E strings reversed, but also the orientation of the saddle. In a nutshell, one needs to fill the existing saddle slot, and then cut a new slot that is a mirror image of the old one.

Existing slot filled with a strip of ebony

Filler strip was cut from this block of ebony

Filler strip sanded flush with the bridge

Here's the new saddle slot

Left Handed Bone Saddle

As it was for the nut, a left handed saddle has been also been fashioned from a water buffalo bone blank. Although the process of crafting a custom bone saddle is a little less complicated than that for a nut, success or failure hinges on several factors. These include a snug fit in the slot, a saddle top radius that matches that of the fretboard, optimal saddle height for low action without buzzing, and adequate compensation for accurate intonation.

Water buffalo bone saddle blank

Test fitting the bone saddle

Left handed bone saddle after final setup