Takamine D Series ED2NC Acoustic-Electric Guitar

Preamble
Work done on this Indonesian Takamine ED2NC acoustic-electric beauty included fretboard reconditioning, restring/tune; and setup. The owner also needed a fix for the D, A and low E machine heads (tuners) as they were somehow missing their nylon washers. Turns out he bought it (used) that way. Shame on the seller for taking advantage of an inexperienced player!

Fixed the tuner problem somewhat by substituting Vape machine OCC (Organic Cotton Coil) silicone ring washers for their missing nylon counterparts (I've also used this solution while restoring an SX Standard Series Strat-Style guitar). Gave him a packet of spares just in case, and treated him to one of my three-minute sermons. I don't think he'll be buying his next used guitar without checking the condition of the tuners first.

To be fair, other than the tuner issue; this baby was in good condition, the electronics worked; and it sounded great either amplified or on its own. Click HERE to watch a YouTube review of the Takamine ED2NC by Melodramatic Music Store.

Last but not least, let's take a look at some specs; courtesy of Rockshop New Zealand. Sad to say, there isn't any information on the ED2NC or D Series at the official Takamine website. I guess they're not manufacturing them any more.

Specifications
Body Shape: NEX Cutaway
Top/Back/Sides: Spruce/Mahogany/Mahogany
Binding: Black
Rosette: Concentric Rings
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood/dot inlays/20 frets/25.5" scale
Nut/Saddle: PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide)
Truss Rod: Two-way Adjustable
Bridge: Rosewood pin-bridge
Color: Natural (NAT)
Finish: Gloss
Electronics: TP-4T 3-band preamp/end pin jack socket

Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar | Part Two

◀ Part One

Full Refret

This entry is the second of two on the Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar. To read the previous entry (Overview), please click HERE. Now, the original frets on this guitar were so worn that there wasn't enough height left for a level and dress. That being the case, I refretted the entire fretboard with StewMac #149 fretwire. The images below outline the basic steps I took in re-fretting this Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar.

Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar | Part One

Part Two ▶

Overview 

This Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar came in for a full refret. Well, it turned out to be a not quite so ordinary job, as I practically had to dismantle the whole instrument so as not to damage any of the fragile plastic parts or electronics. That being done, I was presented with the opportunity to 'peek under the hood,' so to speak. Based on my own observations as well as information from Yamaha Music London and the SLG110S Owner's Manual, I've put together a brief overview of this truly innovative and unique instrument.

Main Features
Neck: Mahogany
Body: Maple
Strings: Steel
Scale Length: 24 15/16"
Fretboard: Rosewood
No. of Frets: 22
Bridge: Rosewood
Frame Units: Maple (left frame is detachable)
Under-Saddle Sensor: LR-Baggs

Connectors
Aux In Jack
Line Out Jack
Phones Jack
DC-In Jack

Controls
Aux Vol
Volume
Bass
Treble
Effects Switch (Off/On - four selectable effects)
Phones Switch (On/Off)

SPX Digital Effects
Reverb 1/Reverb 2/Chorus/Echo

Power Supply
Standard 9V alkaline battery
AC Adaptor: PA-D012(A)/PA-130(A)/PAD09/PA-3C

Basic Operation
Right out of the supplied gig bag, you'll have to put this guitar together by reattaching the left maple frame to the main body. It's quite simple, actually. Loosen the two frame attachment screws (they double as strap buttons), insert the upper and lower frame rods into their respective brackets; and re-tighten the attachment screws.

The moment you plug a standard mono guitar cable into the Aux In jack, the Power LED should light up. That is, provided your 9V battery has enough juice left in it or you've plugged in and turned on your AC adaptor. Kindly note that Yamaha does not recommend using an AC adaptor while you have a 9V battery installed. In other words, if you want to use an adaptor, remove the battery; and vice-versa.

Plug the other end of the guitar cable into your amp, and you'll be good to go. The overall output of your guitar is controlled by the SLG110S' Volume knob. Bass and treble response can be tweaked by adjusting, you guessed it; the Bass and Treble knobs. Finally, you can run a dry signal, or add either reverb (two varieties), chorus or echo via the Effect knob.

If you'd like to jam to music from your CD/mp3 player/phone, connect a mini stereo jack from the device's headphone jack to the guitar's Aux In jack. The volume of the music from your device is controlled by the Aux Vol knob. Now, let's say you get the urge to play at 1 a.m. but don't want to disturb your roommate, family members; or neighbors. No problem. Just turn on the Phones switch and plug in a pair of stereo headphones.

That's about it for this overview. Here's a video on YouTube in which a certain Dave from Toronto closely examines the Yamaha SLG110S Silent Guitar. Do also check out Part Two, in which I outline the basic steps taken in re-fretting this guitar.

LTD FX-260SM Headstock and Neck Repair

This LTD FX-260SM came in with a cracked 5-piece Mahogany neck. The gaping crack extended all the way from the back of the neck to the headstock face. I was told was that the former owner had put it on the floor during a break from wood-shedding, and had himself stepped on the neck accidentally. Then, believing the guitar to be damaged beyond repair; he sold it to the current owner for the princely sum of 700 bucks.

The first part of this repair was cleaning the gaping "wound" of loose splinters, aligning any slivers of wood; and removing the truss rod adjustment nut. Super glue was then applied to the cracked areas, and clamps applied to hold the damaged areas in place.

The next day, the clamps were removed and wood shaved off the back of the entire headstock and neck, past the cracked area. Doing this would ensure maximum repair strength with the least wood removal. A pre-shaped Nyatoh backstrap overlay was then glued to the shaved area with Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue, clamped; and the glue allowed to dry/cure for four days.

Once the clamps had been removed, tuner holes were drilled through the overlay; and tuners test-fitted. After the tuners were removed, the edges of the overlay were trimmed to fit the outline of the headstock, shaved to the correct contours; and sanded to 220 grit.

The Nyatoh backstrap was then successively stained and sanded to the desired shade, and then grain-filled with StewMac ColorTone Clear Grain Filler. The grain-filling involved repeated application and sanding, resulting in a surface level and smooth enough for Tru-Oil application. The front of the headstock was also sealed and smoothened in a similar manner, save for the staining.

Tru-Oil was then applied in the usual manner, with light sanding after every three coats. The Tru-Oil was applied to the whole length of the back of the neck in order to adequately blend in the repaired area. Tru-Oil was also applied to the front of the headstock to seal the cracks in the pre-existing lacquer and make them less noticeable.

After the final coat of Tru-Oil, the FX-260SM was set aside for a month to allow ample time for the finish to cure. Once the finish had cured and hardened, the whole guitar was waxed and buffed by hand (as I don't own a buffing wheel). The tuners and nut were re-installed, the guitar strung, set up and tested; after which I gratefully called it a day.