1997 Gibson Les Paul Custom

When this guitar arrived at my doorstep, I was thrilled beyond words. I mean, this was the very first Les Paul Custom I'd ever worked on. Out of curiosity, I took a few pics and emailed them to Gibson Customer Service. Within 24 hours (bravo GCS), they replied that the "pictures and serial number" were "consistent with a Les Paul Custom model in Ebony finish, made on the 202nd day of 1997 in Nashville, TN." So, what I had in my hands was the real deal, and not a well-made knockoff. Besides the obvious, I've managed to ascertain a number of specs, thanks to the Gibson Guitar Board.

Finish:        Ebony
Body:        Mahogany/carved maple top
Neck:        One-piece mahogany/1959 rounded LP shape
Fingerboard:    Ebony/22 frets/24.75" scale/mother-of-pearl block inlays
Nut Width:    1.6875"
Pickups:    Alnico Humbuckers: Neck - 490R/Bridge - 498T
Controls:    2 volumes/2 tones/3-way switch
Hardware:    Gold
Bridge:        Tune-o-matic/stop bar tailpiece
Binding:    "Sumptuous multiple binding" on body/neck/headstock

Work Done
Fret dressing
Hardware cleanup/polish
Electronics cleanup
Rewiring
New tone caps: Sprague "orange drop" 0.022uF
    

2015 Squier Vintage Modified Bass VI

Preamble
Once upon a time, good ole' Kombatt decided to expand his repertoire to include electric bass. Trouble was, he wasn't really comfortable playing standard basses with their long scales and way huge strings. Then, one day at Bentley Music, he spotted an olympic white Squier Vintage Modified Bass VI. Sporting a 30" scale, way skinnier .025 - .084 strings, and tuned an octave below a standard 6 string guitar; this was the answer to his prayers. Needless to say, he bought it on the spot. But being Kombatt, he needed it set up for DGCFAD tuning. That's when I came into the picture, happily accepting the task. After all, it was the first time I'd ever laid eyes or hands upon such a unique instrument. This was going to be a really rewarding experience for yours truly.

Features
Crafted in Indonesia
Olympic White finish
Basswood body
Faux tortoiseshell pickguard
Maple neck, "modern C" profile
Synthetic bone nut
Bound rosewood fingerboard, 9.5" radius
30" scale length
21 medium-jumbo frets
White pearloid block inlays, black dot side markers
3 custom Jaguar single-coil pickups with notched "claw" shielding rings (middle pickup reverse-wound/reverse-polarity)
3 on/off slide switches (one for each pickup)
Bass-cut "Strangle" circuit
Master volume and tone controls
Fender Standard Jaguar control plate
6-saddle vintage-style bridge with non-locking floating vibrato
6 vintage-style tuning machines

YouTube Videos
Guitar Center
Fender
Dawsons Music

References
Fender
Andertons Music
Sweetwater
Music Radar
Musician's Friend

Pics Section

2010 PRS 25th Anniversary Santana Electric Guitar

Intro
This gorgeous fire red burst PRS belongs to bro Shafie of Kuantan's River Blues Band. He sent it to me for a string change, setup, de-gunking and polishing. Seems that nickel plating does not hold up against the salty sea air as well as chrome. In any case, since it was already in my hands, I decided to open her up and take some pics. But first, a few specs for your perusal.

Specifications
Finish: Fire Red Burst
Construction: Set-neck, double cutaway body
Back Wood: Mahogany
Top Wood: Carved figured maple with purfling
Headstock: mahogany overlay, eagle logo
Neck: Mahogany, Santana "wide fat" profile
Fretboard: bound rosewood, 24.5" scale, 10" radius, 24 frets, 25th Anniversary "shadow birds" inlays
Tuners: Three-per-side PRS 14:1 Phase II locking tuners
Bridge Pickup: Covered Santana 25th Anniversary Treble humbucker
Neck Pickup: Covered Santana 25th Anniversary Bass humbucker
Bridge: PRS-designed floating tremolo
Controls: 3-Way toggle pickup selector, master volume, master tone
Tone Cap: 0.033uF Mallory 150 Series
Hardware: Nickel

References
Ultimate Santana
Musician's Friend
DeadEye Guitars
Posh Guitars
Guitar Guitar Ltd

Pics Section