Working on a Tokai FV | Part 1

Part 2 ▶

Preamble

As covered in a previous post, this gloss black Tokai FV was sent in to CA Guitar Repair along with an Ibanez Iceman late last year. Work on the Iceman has concluded, and it's now time to start on the Tokai. As there's quite a lot to be done, I've staggered the various tasks, fretwork being top of the list.

Fretwork and Binding Repair

The neck has been straightened, and I've just finished checking the frets with a fret rocker. Turns out that there are eight high frets, namely; frets 3 - 4, 9 - 10, and 17 - 20. I've marked these particular frets, and will be spot leveling, recrowning, and polishing them.

High Frets - Frets 3 and 4

High Frets - Frets 9 and 10

High Frets - Frets 17 to 20

Besides the frets in question, there's also quite a bit of crumbling going on with the black plastic fretboard binding, especially noticeable from frets 6 to 13. As this will only get worse with time, something needs to be done right now. I've decided to saturate the affected areas with rosewood dust and super glue, and then get to work with a razor blade and sandpaper.

Damaged Fretboard Binding

Rosewood Dust/Super Glue Filler Applied

Scraping Off Excess Filler

Binding After Repairs

With binding repair taken care of, I'm now able to concentrate on fretwork, or more accurately, spot leveling. Now, although only those eight high frets need to be leveled and recrowned, all 22 frets will be lightly abraded and polished. Following this, the fretboard will be thoroughly cleaned with naphtha, and conditioned with lemon oil.

Fretwork Completed

Fretboard After Cleaning and Conditioning

Electronics Work

Right then, the time is ripe to deal with the electronics. To that end, the pickguard has been unscrewed, revealing a rather grimy under-pickguard area, and equally cruddy body cavities. Of particular interest here is the faulty bridge ground wire, which appears to be intact but has snapped off somewhere inside. No worries, though, as I'll be able to fit a new ground wire when I replace the bridge mount bushings.

Grimy Pickup and Control Cavities

Faulty Bridge Ground Wire

The two "inspired by P90" pickups are brand new, and appear to be in good shape. DCR readings are 7.7K for the neck pickup, and 8.7K for the bridge. As received, both were already installed in the FV but not wired in. The reason being, as I have discovered, a much too short neck pickup cable. So, to connect the neck pickup to its volume pot, I'll have to splice in extra hot and ground leads.

Undersides of Neck and Bridge Pickups

Neck Pickup Cable After Lengthening

And now, let's talk pots, switches, and output jacks. As I'd half expected, the pots are indeed mini 500Ks in none too good condition. They'll not be retained, that's for sure. The selector switch, meanwhile, is your generic "boxed" three-way toggle, and seems to operate as it should. It will be reused after a spot of servicing. Which brings us to the plastic-bodied output jack socket. While the wiring is really gnarly and needs to be replaced, there's nothing amiss with the socket itself. 

Disassembled Electronics and Hardware

Close-Up of the Pots and Switch

Gnarly Output Jack Wiring

Cleaned and Rewired Output Jack

Let's see, then. As all the components are ready, the next step is to reinstall the pickups, pickguard-mounted electronics and output jack plate. Take note that the output jack on this FV isn't mounted to the pickguard, but inside a separate body cavity. Seems counter-intuitive, but it is what it is. Once I reinstall everything, solder the necessary connections, and test the circuitry; we'll call electronics work done.

Pickguard-Mounted Components Installed

All Components Wired In

Electronics Work Completed

Part 2 ▶

RC Stromm S-Style Needs Some Help

A long neglected RC Stromm S-style is at CA Guitar Repair for a comprehensive check-up. The owner would like to know exactly what needs to be done to get his RC Stromm back in shape again, as well as the estimated cost.

Unbranded 5-String Bass Rescue | Part 2

◀ Part 1

Electronics Work

All electronic components, save the pickups, will be replaced. Before the pickups are reused, though, the grimy pick covers and leads will have to be thoroughly cleaned. I've also decided to install eight new pickup mounting screws, do away with the pickup height springs; and glue on pickup height foam in their stead. Sadly, we won't be installing any shielding due to budget constraints.

Existing Electronics Desoldered

Knobs, Screws and Related Hardware

Desoldered Pickups - Underside

Desoldered Pickups - Side View

Pickups After Servicing

Pickup Height Foam Glued On

Pickups Reinstalled

Replacement Pots and Jack Wired In

Output Jack Plate Reinstalled

 

Hardware Matters and More

All metal and plastic hardware that will be retained needs to be serviced, and where necessary, polished. This includes the strap buttons, bridge plate, tuners, neck screws, and ferrules. The corroded strap button screws, in particular, will be replaced. The same goes for the ailing intonation screws, saddle height hex screws, and intonation springs. Last but not least, the tarnished frets need to be cleaned and polished, and grimy fretboard reconditioned.

Strap Buttons Reinstalled After Servicing

Bridge After Cleaning/Polishing

Replacement Screws and Springs Installed

Tuners After Servicing

Neck Screws and Ferrules After Servicing

Fretboard After Cleaning and Conditioning

Photo Shoot

This five-stringer has been fully reassembled, set up, and put through its paces with the help of a Joyo MA-10B practice amp. What does it sound like, then? Good question. Well, let's just say it's nothing to write home about. On the bright side, though, the bass is now playable and everything is working as it should. 'Nuff said, methinks. Let's look at some pics. 

Photo Shoot - Image 1

Photo Shoot - Image 2

Photo Shoot - Image 3

Photo Shoot - Image 4

Photo Shoot - Image 5

Photo Shoot - Image 6

Photo Shoot - Image 7

Photo Shoot - Image 8

◀ Part 1

Boney M. Live in Kuching | Rivers Of Babylon

Date: January 4, 2025

Event: Boney M. 50th Anniversary Tour

Venue: Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK)

Videography: Jim Rambungan

Unbranded 5-String Bass Rescue | Part 1

Part 2 ▶

Preamble

Folks, here's an unbranded 5-string bass that needs some help. The current owner has just acquired it on the cheap, but is sorely disappointed. As tested, the action is way too high, the controls are dodgy, and output is intermittent. Well then, let's take this bass apart and see what needs to be done.

Neck and Fretboard

We'll begin with the 3+2 configured headstock, which houses the truss rod adjustment socket. The truss rod is working, and I've been able to straighten the bolt-on maple neck. The grimy fretboard appears to be rosewood, and spans two octaves with a scale length of 34 inches, as measured. The frets themselves are badly tarnished, and could do with a good polish.

Two Octave Fretboard

3+2 Headstock

Truss Rod Cavity

Fretboard and Frets - Image A

Fretboard and Frets - Image B

Neck Heel Extension

Maple Neck

Back of Headstock

Close-Up of Maple Neck

Neck Heel Markings

Front and Back of Body

The first thing you notice on this side of the body is the elongated neck pocket, designed as such to accommodate the neck heel extension. Pickups are in a PJ configuration, while the bridge is your typical vintage-style with barrel saddles. On the back of the body are wells for the neck mounting screws and ferrules, as well as the control cavity. 

Front of Body

Elongated Neck Pocket

Pickups and Bridge

Back of Body

Neck Screw Wells

Electronics

The control cavity appears to be unshielded, and houses three mini pots for neck pickup volume, bridge pickup volume, and master tone. Judging by the gnarly wiring and messy soldering, it's quite obvious that quite a few well-meaning individuals have had a go at "modifying" the circuitry over the years. I'm not even going to try and sort out this mess. The existing pots, jack, and wiring will be trashed, and new components installed.

Unshielded Control Cavity

Neck Volume Pot

Bridge Volume Pot

Tone Pot and 0.047uF Cap

Output Jack Plate

Output Jack

Disassembled Hardware

We'll end this post with a look at the hardware that's been disassembled so far. The sealed tuners need to be cleaned and lubed, after which they should function adequately. Much the same goes for the neck mounting screws and ferrules. The smaller bridge components, on the other hand, are in really bad shape. While the barrel saddles themselves are reusable, the various rusty screws and springs need to be replaced.

Tuners, Bushings and Washers

Neck Screws and Ferrules

Saddles, Screws and Springs

Part 2 ▶