The season of celebration = the season of guitar repair ?

Hi folks!

So i believe you've seen the neck refinish of the Yamaha superstrat but i believe i've not mention about some special pickup wiring to be done!

Basically, this is much like a typical wiring but with a twist.
The 1st knob is master volume, which also allows split coils for both the neck and middle pickup.
The 2nd knob is master tone, which also allows split coils for the bridge pickup.
This set up allows a total of 12 possible setting!

Next up, Ben from En-X is definitely 1 strange person! You should see his guitar collection and you'll understand what i mean.
So here we have one of his purple strat and it's here for some unique make over.

From what i know, Ben loves to fish.
Now i know, Ben loves the swimming pool too!
A full swimming pool route! Sorry, the routing is not complete in this photo. There are supposed to be 2 more deeper channel by the side for humbucker mounting. Forgive me, I was too busy with this guitar that i forgot about taking photo!

So why the swimming pool? Yes you've got it right! He got some wacky idea set for this purple monster! I'll leave that for later :)


Oh yes, the BFG Orville!
Nah! It's that black Orville that's now undergoing some serious make over.
Look at those grains! I really wonder what causes them to decide painting this anything but BLACK! If you're to ask me, that's some very sexy grain pattern! The new red wine will definitely bring this Orville back to it's glory!

I've not really handled much of EMG, especially the 7 strings. I'm not much a heavy metal person and i guess people around me are not too. Anyway Cedric of Meza Virs decides that i's time for some nasty 7 string acts but the EMG is just not fitting into his guitar. I'll post more of the completed installation which will require me to route and fix up the pickup.

Mama Mia! Look at this beauty!
I love the looks of Telecaster, especially when they are blonde or golden like this one.
This baby was here for a setup, it's playing really sweet now!

Thanks for reading and hopefully i'll update soon!

Best Regards,
Vincent

Photo Intensive Update!

Hi Folks,

I'm sorry for not updating my blog site for such a long time. I was busying with my rock school exam :) Don't worry, I'm back! But while i was away, magical constantly happens in my small little workroom.

Remember the broken Gibson SG? Here's a picture that will put a smile to some of you :)

Although it's not completed, i thought it'll be a good idea to tell you guys she is now in 1 piece and ready to rock in no time! I can't wait to complete and start playing it!

I'm also in the midst of doing some frankentele.. Well at least i've...
Sliced a tele bridge into 2..
...and made some funky and funny decal to match it! The result?
I'll keep it a secret for the moment :)

Speaking of decal.. Recently Benjamin of En-X contacted me to do him a customized decal for his new tele. I'm happy to have worked with him on this. The ideas are from him and i did the illustration and production of the decal.



A classic Yamaha also came into my bay~
What can you do when you've sanded your guitar neck and it ends up looking like this?


Easy! Send to me of course :D
As of this stage, it's almost complete. I'll need to do a little polishing.

Another classic, the Orville Les Paul! This is a pretty beat up old Orville. So the owner decides to repaint it into red wine color. Let's see if i can get it nailed ;)

Sugizo's material finish eclipse?

I hope i can make myself work harder and update this site at a much more constant rate! Your encouragement definitely helps!

Best Regards,
Vincent

Finally an update

Firstly, i apologies for not updating this blog for such a long time. I've been busying with teaching guitar and most job that came in are small fix like pickup installation etc. Thus the lack of update.

Anyway recently something worth posting came along.

Now if you think Gr3y is addicted to some sort of drugs, you are wrong! Haha! The syringe is for injecting glue during the following repair. I thought it looks cool to post here :D

I'm sorry that I've forgotten to photo the crack. Anyway it's a broken Gibson Les Paul. It's so common for Gibson to break off at that exact area with the same wound! However, this is slightly different. The crack is not big enough for any tools to apply the glue properly and I'm not ready to make the matter worse. I've handled a fair bit of various Gibson repair and as well as neck break cases, it's never wise to expand a crack just so that you can apply the glue.
Let's take a look at the final result.

***Images removed due to owner's request***

Like i told my customer, if there is no logo at that area, i would most probably do a paintjob touch up and it'll be as good as new. The crack line would be invisible just like how the black shecter guitar was done. Also, i noticed there are quite a fair bit of color change at the neck area due to extensive playing. It's pretty impossible to match the color back. A crack line in this case would be better than anything else.

FAQ
1) Will the neck break again after being repaired?
Ans: Technically speaking, a neck with such repair would actually be stronger than the original. However, extensively heavy gauge strings or any other big impact may cause it to break.

2)Is there any warranty if i get you to fix my broken guitar neck?
Ans: I would give you 7day grace to monitor, bring back to me if anything happens. Note, guitar with gauge heavier than 0.11 or suffered from any big impact after collection will not be covered for the 7day grace.

3)How long does it takes to fix?
Ans: Usually 5-7 working days.

4)How much does it cost?
Ans: Depends on case to case basis. Usually from as low as $100 to not more than $200.

Schecter Neck Broke

My next impossible task is on this beautiful schecter C1-Elite.
Say OUCH!
When Shaun first showed me his images of the broken headstock, i told him it should be a
simple fix and he is lucky. But at that point of time, the headstock was not detached like
what you are looking at now. The first impact create only a big crack at the rear. Oh did i
just said first impact?

Yes! During our meet up, i was helping Shaun to carry his guitar. Naturally i took the sling
and sling it up on my shoulder. Guess what, the plastic that holds the strap in place broke
and causing the whole guitar falling onto the floor for a second impact. I was pretty sure
that Shaun was really terrified at the moment.

"No worries, it's in my hands now", i said.

So the guitar went through some clamping and gluing. At that point of time, i know the steps but i'm wondering to what extend could i perfect the repair to.

Here we have the front and rear shot of what's left after removing the clamp and sanding away the excess glue. Pretty neat huh? The reddish brown is actually the mahogany.


So next time is pretty much repainting the damaged area and polishing it to shine. I guess there is a reason why many people prefers to repair a black guitar. It's the easiest to match color after all.


I always thought that neck with such reinforcement area on the rear of the headstock and neck joint are much stronger. Seems like it's pretty much the same as a normal design. I guess the best design that prevents headstock breaking could most probably be the fender style.

Anyway, the Schecter is now good as new! Well i mean at one glance, you'll probably not know what it had gone through! I hope Shaun is feeling way better now :D

Sick of standard pickup position?

Remember her?
Yes she is back to visit again :) I still remember the first time i saw her, she was opting for a Bigsby bridge installation. Later on she got herself stars tattoo on her neck, followed by a esquire style single ply white pickguard. Now she is back for more!

I start by covering her in some old school woolen blanket to make her feeling cosy.

If my friend(a particular luthier) saw this, he would go.. "that's what happens when your edges are blunt!"

I took some foundation and did some touch up.

Yes, some very unusual position! When we were discussing on paper, it's all a mystery. I'm totally new to see such a pickup installation.

Position 1: Dimarzio Fast Track (Neck)
Position 2: Dimarzio Fast Track (Neck) + Stock Tele Bridge Single Coil
Position 3: Stock Tele Bridge Single Coil


My conclusion is that, this guitar is now something very versatile! The fast track actually sounds good at that position and retains the esquirish look! I do hope to be able to get her owner to do some sound sample of this experimental installation. I say it's Les Paul in the making(the owner not me, i'm just his worker for this project).

Tutorial ( String Changing for Archtop Bridge )

Many people often miss this part when restringing an Archtop guitar. Since an Archtop's bridge is not screwed onto the body or held in place by any support, it is common that people cannot find the intonated perfect position for the bridge after restringing. This problem can be easily solved! Works well for violin or other string instrument of same nature!


1st
Tear a low tack masking tape into 3 pieces. I'm using the 3M blue colored low tack tapes. It should look like the following illustration.

2nd
Make sure you are using the original edge of the tape and then tape it as close to the edge of the bridge as possible. Look at the following picture.

3rd
You'll no longer worry when your bridge came loose after you've loosen your string! Perfectly marked in place. Also do note that i keep the end of the masking tape up. This helps to reduce the chance of creating a ding with your nails or scratching the finish when you are removing the tapes.


Anyway this belongs to my client's beautiful Epiphone Joe Pass model which is currently going through re-inlaying process. He has cleverly opted for the real deal, high grade mother of pearl :D

Tutorial (Decal Application)

In this post, i'll try my best to show you how to apply a decal to your headstock. Do not skip any of the steps while going though this tutorial. If you have any question, you can simply post in the comment box and i'll get back asap.


1st
Cut the decals to size, keeping a small gap away from the printed area. Check if it fits nicely on the headstock or in your case the desired position.


2nd
Soak them into warm water. Cold or room temperature water will work as well but warm water allows the decal backing to be separated from the decal faster. This allows the glue of the decal to remain. Cold or room temperature water will take longer to allow the decal and backing to separate, also causing the glue of the decal to be less effective. It should take not more than 2mins for warm water.

3rd
Look carefully in this picture, the decal and the backing are now able to slide away from each other. Always slide and not peel like you would on sticker. It should be a very easy and gentle process, soak more if you need to apply pressure to slide it out.


4th
Slide the decal onto the desired location, adjust while the decal while it is still wet. You may use your finger but not any sharp object. The decal is very fragile at this stage.


5th
Use your finger to slide out excess water underneath the decal. Be gentle as the decal tends to tear at this stage. After that, use a lint free cloth or anything mild to wipe out the excess water.

6th
If you have been following so far and not skipping the steps, good. The next info is the most crucial part! The above 5 pictures have a big problem. To apply a decal, always make sure your wood is already sealed with a layer paint or sealer. If you do not do so, the clearcoat will cause a color difference. So basically, the first step is to prepare your desired area with a nice coat of finish. After that, do step 1-5. Step 6 is clearcoating the area. If you choose not to clearcoat it, you'll face decal tearing problem. Decal itself is actually very fragile but decal covered with clearcoat will be very strong.

Good Luck!

Neck Reinforcements Have Arrived.

Alright.. so the neck is now glued back with the headstock.. But is that safe? Considering the tension of strings are pretty powerful. Personally, i'm not that much of a scientist so i'll prefer to play safe. I found some Nato wood lying around and decides to put them into action. For those who don't know, nato are the "asian" mahogany and have pretty much the same characteristic and are often used in guitar neck building.

Sawing these nato into shape is quite ridiculously tough. They are indeed the choice of wood for neck building.

So i carefully mark out where i plan to inlay some reinforcements.

Test fittings are as important as you trying out your jeans before buying. These sits about 3-4mm deep, depending which side you are on.


Finally. Now i have a safer feel when i'm going to string up this Gibby. Don't worry, since i'm going to coat it with white paint, it won't be visible. Anyway, it still looks ok :D

Saving Gibson Sg

So recently i acquired a Gibson SG from my friend.

Friend: Hey vincent, you want a free guitar?
Me: Oh why not? What is it?
Friend: It's a Gibson SG
Me: WHAT?! YOU KIDDING ME? FREE?
Friend: Yeah! BUT! It's broken
Me: In 2 parts? Should be easy to fix..
Friend: No.. in 3!

So here's Saving Gibson SG! Let's take a look at what i received, not for the faint of heart!

We could see here how the "neck thru" is actually done. So yeah, i prefer bolt on joints way better :D

Very nasty break at the headstock -> neck portion

So i start with the headstock to neck portion first. I used paint stripper to remove the paint on the back of the headstock so as not to damage the Gibson signature series number and "made in usa" stamp marks. However! A careless mistake caused the front logo to be left with "son"! Don't worry, that can be fix easily ;)

This is actually known as the Gibson SG-X. Made in the late 80s and early 90s for a very short period. Many people (includes professional luthiers) have never seen this model. It's considered rare for Singapore. It has 24frets instead of the usual 22 and have very different pot positions.

However, i'm not interested in the original SG-X look but rather the 60s SG Jr!

courtesy to www.rocknrollvintage.com

I'll be posting more on the progress of how i will attempt to save this SG and give it a new life! Or you can say how i turn a real Gibson to a "fake" Gibson!
Bookmark my page up or simply add as a follower to receive the latest post the minute i post it up :)