Squier California Series Strat Upgrade | Part 9

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Custom Aluminum Nut

Hi there folks! It's been quite awhile since ole' Blackie's been up to anything, besides switching from 11s to 12s (and liking it). Anyhow, I'd always wanted to replace his stock plastic nut, and so began a series of experiments with various pre-slotted plastic and cow bone nut blanks in late February. 

But nope, it just was not happening. Then, after ruining my hacksaw blade on brass, I decided to try aluminum instead. Sorry, you won't find any aluminum nuts at Woh Fatt. Got to make them yourself. Took me about a week of sawing, filing, shaping, slotting, fitting, polishing and testing a couple of prototypes, before finally choosing the winning candidate. 

Good buddy Izzat Jalil was the first to field test the new nut out on a gig at the Zenith Hotel in March, and reported that it was "sweet." Having tried it out at RF MusicWorks and during rehearsals for the MSSM opening ceremony in May, I quite agree with Izzat. It's much smoother than the old nut, with more midrange and twang. Guess I'll be sticking with this one.

Photo Credits
Izzat Jalil at the Zenith - Don Quek.
Raptai Penuh Perasmian Pembukaan MSSM - Tengku Hisamuddin Tengku Mohamed.

 

Stock white plastic nut

Stock nut after removal

Assortment of pre-slotted Strat nuts

A bone nut blank. This one broke in two.

Blackie's new aluminum nut.

Yes, there is a slight gap. I can live with that.

Izzat field testing the new aluminum nut

Stadium Darul Makmur, May 2013

Blackie/Korg AX3000G

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Part 9

Korg AX3000G Modeling Signal Processor

Howdy folks! In today's post, we'll get up close and personal with my trusty Korg AX3000G Modeling Signal Processor. For more details on this unit, do download the Owner's Manual.

Regent Semi Acoustic | Part Two

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

There was more work to be done on this Regent Semi Acoustic than I had originally expected, and I ended up taking it apart completely. The headstock was in particularly bad shape, having been mutilated numerous times over the years. There were numerous unfilled screw holes and even chunks of wood missing, gouged out by some individual in the past. As Tojeng wanted a new set of tuners put on, some remedial work was needed. I filled up all the screw holes and cavities with epoxy, sanded it relatively flat, and finished off with sanding sealer, gloss black, clear lacquer, rubbing compound, auto polish (silicone free); plus loads of elbow grease.

All the hardware (including the Bigsby-style vibrato tailpiece) was grimy, tarnished and rusty, so out came the sandpaper, steel wool, files, and good old Autosol. Sad to say, after sweating it out for days, it was not possible to remove all the rust. However, I did have better luck with the many rusty screws on the guitar, having sourced suitable replacements from various hardware stores and car/motorcycle workshops in Kuantan. One kind motorcycle workshop owner even gave me a few bolts for free.

As for the four-ply body, a previous Gotoh bridge humbucker transplant had left its mark in the form of numerous deep splits and cracks. These were duly repaired with a mixture of wood filings and super glue. As a refinish was not on the cards, the affected areas were only sanded and polished; leaving the repair job highly visible.

On to the guts, then. You might have noticed that the pots are all 250K, and the caps 0.047mfd. Rather unconventional, but Tojeng loves the tone, and so these values were maintained. There were a number of suspect solder joints, so I decided to rewire the whole thing. This job included putting in new caps, running a ground wire from the switch body to the bridge, and replacing the worn out stereo jack with a generic mono one (sorry, no Switchcraft). I'm pleased to report that the Regent has been restrung with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys and is now ready for some serious action onstage in the hands of its proud owner, Tojeng. Here are some pics for you.

250K pots, 0.047uF caps and stereo output jack.

After rewiring.

Time to put everything back together.

The result of loads of sweat and elbow grease.

New set of tuning machines.

New screws and cleaner hardware.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Regent Semi Acoustic | Part One

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Here is a vintage sunburst Regent semi acoustic that came in earlier tonight, courtesy of my pal Izzat and his buddy Tojeng (the owner). Based on my research, I am of the opinion that this guitar was manufactured by Guyatone in Japan in the late '50s to early '60s, and then exported to Canada under the "Regent" label. Now, although the guitar looks pretty beat-up, the intonation is almost spot-on and it plays like a dream; testimony to the quality of Japanese craftsmanship in those days. The Bigsby-style vibrato tailpiece is smooth and stays in tune. The volume and tone pots are all functioning as they should except for intermittent contact and some scratchiness every now and then, so they'll have to be serviced. Tojeng wants the tuners changed, the wood and hardware cleaned and polished, and a fresh set of 10s put on. Next, in Part Two, we'll look at what was done to get this guitar back in shape.

References
1960’s Vintage Guitars
Hoshino Gakki Ten: IBANEZ and related brands
 

Note zero fret

Note non-original bridge pickup

Neck plate with six bolts

 

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Ibanez York 628/12 Restoration | Part Two

Part One  | Part Two |  Part Three

Oh, happy day! The good news is that I've finished clear sanding the topcoat and am starting the polishing process. The bad news is that folds of my sarong have left creases in the finish. This is a clear sign that the lacquer has not hardened completely. So I'm hanging this baby for a few more weeks before going any further. By the way, a new nut has been installed and the two loose inlays (1st and 3rd frets) have been reglued. Here are some pics.

See Also: Part One | Part Three

New nut

Part One  | Part Two |  Part Three