Greco EG550B Restoration: Part Three

Quick Links: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This is the third and final instalment concerning a restoration job carried out on a lovely Greco EG550B. I'm thankful to report that this guitar now plays and sounds as good as it should. Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

I'll start with the electronics, then. Everything was replaced, period. Among the upgrades were Alpha A500K Long Shaft pots, K40Y-9 0.015uf and K73-16 0.022uf tone pots; plus a Neutrik/Rean NYS229 jack socket. Wiring-wise, the original pickup leads were retained, while the rest was replaced with Gavitt Vintage Stranded Core Push-back Wire and Alpha RG174 Coaxial Cable (longer runs).

Next, hardware. Let's see now. The bridge and tailpiece were replaced, as were all pickup screws and springs. I managed to find a suitable replacement neck pickup ring, and added a new Gibson PRPG-020 Les Paul Custom Pickguard. Making the Gibson pickguard fit properly was a real challenge; as there was a lot of filing and sanding involved. Last but not least, the cracked output jack plate was replaced with a shiny new StewMac Plastic Jack Plate for Gibson® Les Paul® (the real deal, folks).

After the fretboard and frets were reconditioned, this Greco EG550B was strung with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys (10-46), tuned, set up; and put through its paces. I first tried it unplugged, and was surprised by the lively acoustic tone. I'd observed similar tones playing Strats unplugged, but this was the first time I'd ever heard a solidbody LP-style sing like this. Anyway, here are three YouTube videos I uploaded in honor of this guitar:

Greco EG550B demo - Unplugged

Greco EG550B Demo - Clean

Greco EG550B demo - Overdrive

Hope you enjoy the videos, as well as the pics I've posted below. Working on this Greco EG550B has been an unforgettable experience, I tell you. There's just this unmistakable build quality you sense with vintage Japanese instruments that's missing from their modern-day counterparts. They sure don't build 'em like they used to! Take care, and do drop by again soon :)

1983 Ibanez AR30 Restoration | Part Three

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

In Part One of this series, we took a look at the early stages of restoration work done on this 1983 Ibanez AR30. Then, in Part Two, the refinishing process was completed; and the AR30 left aside for a month. We are now at the electronics stage of the restoration process.

I've been provided with a pair of used PRS Dragon I humbuckers and a pair of mounting rings. The "Dragon Bass" is the neck humbucker, and the "Dragon Treble," the bridge. Unfortunately, neither of the seller's rings seem to fit the profile of the top correctly. In fact, the bottom of the neck mounting ring is completely flat. But I do have on hand a pair of Gibson pickup mounting rings: PRPR-015 (neck) and PRPR-025 (bridge). Yes, they seem to fit better than the ones supplied by the seller; so they'll be the ones I'll use.

Other than that, I've shielded the pickup and control cavities with conductive paint, and screwed in grounding tabs/wires where needed. I've also wired up a harness consisting of three Alpha A500K pots, 3-way toggle switch, K40Y-9 0.033uf tone cap; and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. Note that genuine Gavitt cloth push-back wire was used throughout. The original output jack plate also needed to be replaced as it was beyond saving; even after a thorough de-rusting.

The AR30 has been strung with Elixir Nanoweb 10s, set up, tuned; and put through its paces with the help of my trusty Fender Champion 40. By the way, here are two YouTube videos of yours truly doing exactly that: Video 1 | Video 2

1991 Ibanez JEM77 BFP

This is a genuine 1991 MIJ Ibanez JEM77 BFP (Blue Floral Pattern). I'm certain it's a 1991 based on the six-digit serial number engraved into the neck plate. It still has the original blue pickups, namely a trio of DiMarzios in a HSH configuration. Unfortunately, one of the bridge humbucker's coils has shorted out internally; effectively cutting its output by half. As such, the neck humbucker is way more powerful. Now, the owner wants these pickups retained, and so I'll be isolating the broken coil from the circuit; and swapping the neck and bridge humbuckers.

The electronics are totally shot, save for the barrel output jack; which appears to be brand new. I'll be putting in Alpha 500K pots, a CRL 5-way switch, K40Y-9 tone cap; and Gavitt wire. The over-sized black machine screws someone had used to secure the pickguard and cavity covers will be replaced with ones of a more suitable size. This means that I'll have to plug the old screw holes and drill new ones, but it's all part of the job. The original blue volume and tone knobs do not fit the Alpha pots, so I'll be putting on a pair of  black metric Strat-style ones; which should match the black CRL switch tip nicely.

All hardware, including the Lo-Pro Edge tremolo and locking nut; will be cleaned and lubed for optimum operation. Finally, this guitar will be set up with a set of 10s. You might have noticed that I have not included detailed specs concerning the JEM77 BFP in this post. For more information concerning this fine instrument, do check out the Guitar Chimp and Ibanez Wiki websites.

YouTube Videos: Demo One (Armz-3D) | Demo Two (Armz-3D) | Demo Three (Armz-3D)

Sunburst Precision Bass Copy LH

This instrument was a no-name left-handed sunburst Precision Bass copy that looked, felt and played like something much more expensive; I kid you not. However, as is to be expected from a Far East copy instrument, there was barely any shielding, and the electronics were of the el cheapo variety. The saddles were beginning to seize due to crud and rust, and the pickups could not be raised. As it turned out, the pickup height adjustment mechanism was two pieces of high-density foam that had lost their springiness over time. I knew I'd have to remedy that problem later.

Anyhow, it was time to get down and dirty. Once the stock electronics were desoldered, I shielded the underside of the pickguard with aluminium foil, and the pickup/control cavities with carbon paint. Following this, I wired in Alpha A250K pots, a Russian K40Y-9 PIO cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. Meanwhile, the fretboard, which was gnarly and cruddy, had to be reconditioned; and the frets polished. As for the saddles, two of the height-adjusting hex screws were goners and had to be replaced.The neck angle was a little off too, but a teakwood veneer neck pocket shim managed to do the trick. Remember the pickups? Well, I removed the foam and installed four springs, one for each height-adjustment screw. Thankfully, I could now raise and lower the pickups with ease. Strung up with a fresh set of D'Addarios, set up carefully, and after a lot of spit and polish; this baby was eventually playing as well as it ever could.

Sunburst Telecaster Copy Upgrade

Besides rewiring, this upgrade included replacing the stock electronics with an Oak Grigsby 3-way switch, Alpha A250K full-sized pots, a Russian K40Y-9 PIO cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack.

Fretless PJ Bass Project

Another first for me, this be. It all started when a young bass player named Fikri approached me with the idea of building a fretless PJ bass from kit parts. He'd already ordered a fretted Jazz Bass kit from Pit Bull Guitars (Australia): unfinished ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, white pickguard, electronics, chrome hardware.

As it turned out, all he intended to use were the body and neck. He specified a thin semi-transparent matt black finish that would allow him to "see and feel the wood grain," black hardware, PJ pickups, reliable electronics, and a minimal pickguard that "would not hide the wood grain." I eventually understood where he was coming from, and we got down to work. I'll outline what was done in the paragraphs that follow.

Body
The neck pickup rout was enlarged to fit a P Bass pickup. The required holes were drilled for the bridge, strap buttons, pickguard and control plate. The prepped body was then stained with indian ink diluted with ethanol. I could have used water as a solvent, but it would have raised the grain after every application. The final finish coats were clear matte, as that was what Fikri had specified.

Headstock/Neck
The paddle-shaped headstock was reshaped into a Fender 75-style with the help of a downloaded template, coping saw, files, rasps, and lots of wet/dry sandpaper. Holes for the neck screws were drilled into the neck heel using a drill press.

The nut and frets were removed carefully, and the fret slots filled with teak veneer strips.  Fretboard dots were removed and the holes filled with a rosewood dust-superglue mixture. Side dot markers were left alone. After the veneer strips were carefully pared down, the entire fretboard was leveled using a radius block and sealed with about 20 coats of superglue. After every 5 coats, the fretboard was wet-sanded. The final coat was wet-sanded up to 2K, and then polished to semi-gloss (as per Fikri's instructions).

The headstock face and back of the neck were finished in Tru-Oil.

Hardware
Hipshot A Style Fender® Mount Bridge
Hipshot HB6 - 1/2" Ultralite® Bass Tuning Machines
Hipshot O Ring Knobs
Hipshot Bass String Retainer
Hipshot Solid Brass Bass Thumb Rest
Allparts AP-0640-003 Black Control Plate for Jazz Bass®
Allparts AP-0670-003 Black Strap Buttons
Custom black plastic pickguard
Black neck plate and screws
Flatwound strings

Electronics
DiMarzio DP126 BK PJ Pickups
Alpha A250K volume and tone pots
K40Y-9 PIO 0.033uF tone cap
Switchcraft #4652 mono output jack
22AWG silicone-jacket hookup wire
Back of pickguard shielded with aluminium foil
Pickup and control cavities shielded with carbon paint