RC Stromm Acoustic Guitar Headstock Repair

This acoustic guitar came in a few years ago for a headstock repair. I used a nyatoh backstrap overlay to repair the damage, and it has held up admirably all this while. That was until one of Che'gu Awal's guitar students carelessly dropped it after a private practice session. This time the crack was in a different location and even more severe, which led me to suspect that there was a problem with the wood of the neck itself.

After the back of the headstock and neck was shaved down, I decided to remove wood from both sides of the crack; and glue in rectangular blocks of wood for reinforcement. Upon chiseling out wood to form channels for the wood blocks, my earlier suspicions were confirmed. Wood on either side of the truss rod, especially in the truss rod area; was rotten. So rotten, in fact; that some sections looked as if they'd been eaten by termites.

Once the wood blocks had been glued in, the back of the neck was shaved to accept a backstrap overlay. This time, the backstrap overlay consisted of a "sandwich" of pine and chengal. And instead of bending the overlay, an extra-thick slab of pine was carefully shaped to conform to the profile of the shaved headstock/neck area.

The backstrap overlay was glued in with Titebond III, clamped; and set aside for a week. Once the clamps were off, it was time to trim the overlay to size and reshape it as necessary. As it turned out, most of the chengal ended up being sanded off completely; leaving just two small areas near the end of the headstock and volute. Yes, I added a volute because I believe it adds strength to the weakest areas of the headstock/neck joint.

Following this, the entire back of the neck was sanded down, and refinished in Tru-Oil. About 10-15 coats were put down, with some steel-wooling action going down every three coats or so. The final coat was considerably thinned down with naphtha; and left to cure for about a week. As a finishing touch, Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Wax was applied to the entire back of the neck and headstock; and the area buffed by hand.

This RC Stromm Acoustic Guitar came in at the end of July, and the job was only completed yesterday. This means that it took about five months for this repair, imagine that! I sent the guitar to Che'gu Awal earlier tonight at RF MusicWorks. While he was trying out the guitar, I recorded a short video (with his permission, of course). I've also put together another video that summarizes how this repair was carried out. Here are the videos, then. Do check them out:

RC Stromm Headstock Repair

RC Stromm Acoustic after Neck Repair

With that, I humbly take my leave. Thanks for dropping by. Stay home, stay safe, and God bless :)

 

New Year's Eve 2019 at the Malibu Fun Pub

I have fond memories of playing the Malibu Fun Pub at the Swiss-Garden Resort Kuantan. When the Symphony Master Band was playing weekends there; that is. Comprising Che'gu Awal on keyboards, sequencer and guitar; and vocalists Arianda Leo, Soul Bahri and Fiza, patrons were in for an enjoyable night of anything from the blues to Bollywood. I used to be called in to sub for Soul whenever he was engaged elsewhere; or sometimes just when the management wanted to liven things up for certain occasions. Symphony Master is no longer performing at the Malibu Fun Pub, but the memories remain. These pics are from 31st December 2018 and January 1st 2019.

Fender Japan ST54 Stratocaster Restoration

This appears to be an MIJ ST54 Strat. The body is from an "ST54-128" while the neck is from an "ST54-117." Among its most prominent features are (i) a nitro-finished sunburst ash body, (ii) one-piece 7.25" radius maple neck with skunk stripe and neck heel truss rod adjustment, (iii) 21 narrow vintage frets, (iv) vintage-style tuners, (v) black dot fretboard inlays, (vi) six-screw vintage-style tremolo bridge with Fender-stamped bent steel saddles, (vii) single round vintage-style string tree; and (viii) single-ply white pickguard.

The neck and middle pickups appear to be stock Fender Alnicos, complete with Gavitt-style leads; while the bridge is a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. The wiring's a barely-functioning mess, and someone's definitely been in here with a soldering iron; most probably while replacing the stock bridge pickup with the JB Jr. Electronics-wise, all components (except the pickups) will be upgraded. This upgrade would include full shielding, Gavitt wiring, CTS pots, CRL 5-way switch, Sprague "Orange Drop" tone cap, and Switchcraft #11 output jack.

As for the body, it's been thoroughly abused; courtesy of an ill-executed "relic" job. Chisel marks can be clearly seen and lots of gnarly raw wood's been exposed. Decay and mould have already started to set in, so I'll be cleaning, sanding, staining and sealing the affected sections of the body.

On to the hardware, then. Rust, tarnish and corrosion are the order of the day here; so I'll be restoring what I can, and replacing what can't be saved. The owner isn't happy with the vintage frets, and would like the neck refretted with jumbos. Now, as the ultra-thin fretboard lacquer is already badly cracked and chipped, I'll be sanding it all off and restaining/refinishing the entire fretboard.

YouTube Videos: Che'gu Awal | Armz-3D

March 14, 2015 - Che'gu Awal and Friends at Telok Chempedak

Organized by JPN Pahang, "Pertandingan Juara Remaja Sekolah-Sekolah Peringkat Negeri Pahang 2015" was held on March 14, 2015 at Telok Chempedak, Kuantan; from 3p.m. to 10.30p.m. This competition brought together primary and secondary school bands from the whole of Pahang. One band even made it all the way down from Cameron Highlands. On hand to entertain the crowd during breaks was Che'gu Awal and Friends, featuring Che'gu Awal (keyboards), Frankie Kreshnawan (drums), Rizal (bass), Wan Kamarul (sax), Ezreen (vocals), AA (guitar/vocals); and Azhar (percussion).

Photo Credits: Pif Viva and Dyda Jameela.