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Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

double neck guitar

I have some one with a double neck 6 sting/ bass who wants to wire a stereo jack to split the guitar to one amp and the bass to another amp. Before I give up does anyone have knowledge of how to do this? My skill set for electric guitars is- I can solder and follow a wiring diagram, and that's it.

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Private member
I'm with James on this. Sounds like you need to move backwards from the jack, isolating the outputs of both circuits to make sure each works on its own first. Unsolder the hots from the jack and try e…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

When do you guys suggest a bridge re-glue?

At what point do you tell a customer that their acoustic instrument needs a bridge reglue? Do you do it when the corners are just barely starting to lift? Once it has begun to affect playability/tuning stability? Do you offer half-measures to save them money when the damage is not too bad (dripping in some thinned tite bond instead of removing the bridge entirely for example)? I ask this because a Godin acoustic bass just came across my…

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Ian Davlin
You've had better luck than me with half measures. I'm not sure why you're diluted Titebond worked, but the one of the unfortunate things about Titebond, is that you cant glue TB to TB. It could be th…
Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

PBass has been stripped of it finish… looking for expertise, friends!

Hi friends, I just stumbled upon a 1966 P-Bass, nearly completely original. The owner bought it in 1971 and it had already been stripped of its original finish. That was a thing back then. You can guess that 55 years of gigging had the wood absorb much of the owner’s DNA and sweat. Maybe a few beers as well. Surface was quite tacky as you can expect. I cleaned it with naphta and StewMac’c brand-new cleaner (quite a great product I'd say…

4 replies
4 replies
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Ian Davlin
Ill chime in. Go with shellac first. It may be all you need and if you decide to go with something else, youve already applied the universal seal coat. Also, it has the best chance of sticking to any…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Bass Neck Stiffness, Can't Get Enough Relief

Hello, I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July weekend so far. I was recently asked by a friend to work on a cheap S101 bass someone had given to him. It had no electronics and it was severally back bowed. After finishing up the electronics, I did the set up. He wanted the guitar tuned low, to Drop C. So, I went out and bought some Ernie Ball Power Slinkies 55-110. Once I got to the nut depth check, it was clear there were large, g…

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Private member
9m✎🗑 A standard heat treatment, with the neck clamped in an upbow, should help. I have been using an Aria neck heat bar for 50 years with more successes than failures. You can find the Aria on eBay for…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Sadowsky bass help needed please 🙏

Sadowsky use unique control plate screws which are much smaller than common plate screws. I believe the ones they use are: #3 × 3/8" Phillips Pan(domed) Head Black Oxide csk self tapping Sheet Metal Screw Type AB thread. Being in the UK, these are really hard to find, pretty much don’t exist here, so can anyone please help me or point me in the direction of a supplier? I’ve contacted Sadowsky direct with no response and also many of my main…

3 replies
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Hi Nigel. #3's are impossible to find. Can you step up to a #4 like these? There slightly larger. https://accu-components.com/us/shop/precision-components/drilling-tapping/self-tapping-screws/counters…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Help needed to pinpoint my mistakes please!

Hi all, I am a newer guitar tech and after dozens of repairs this particular Simon & Patrick Luthier Cedar top SP6 acoustic dreadnought from the 90-ies with a bolt-on maple neck has been an incredible challenge. It came with a maxed out and stuck truss rod with a considerable up bow in the neck, extremely low saddle with barely any string break angle, so it needed a neck reset. Later on I figured out that it also has a pretty dras…

21 replies
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Ian Davlin
I never got the video.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Yamaha System 19 pre-amp in an LD-10E guitar

Hi Folks Newbie here so please bear with me. I have a lovely early 90's Yamaha LD-10E acoustic in for repair, I think all solid wood? made in Indonesia and a lovely sounding instrument, however the electrics are letting it down. The pre-amp has a PCB populated with SMD electrolytic caps. Many of these have leaked and destroyed the PCB pads underneath. Repairing the traces is nigh on impossible so it looks like I'll have to replace t…

6 replies
6 replies
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Private member
Can you put up some pics?
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Tips for weekly maintenance on acoustics/electrics/basses?

Hey everyone, I'm a technician at a music production school in London. As the most 'guitariest' technician on staff, I've become the de facto guitar maintenance person. A big part of my work is taking a look at each guitar once a week. Usually my "routine" is to check action and intonation, making adjustments if needed, then cleaning/polishing. The thing I struggle with the most is getting strings feeling good. We use D'Addario…

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5 replies
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Private member
Your wife makes a good point. They are signed out, so it would be possible to keep track of who last had it. In theory, the technicians are supposed to check them when they're returned, but I think I'…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

The Neverending Fret Buzz

Hi everyone, Every once in a while, I come across a bass that simply refuses to stop buzzing. Right now, I’m working on a bass (I won't name the brand, but it’s in the €2,500 range) that has a slight fretboard hump near the neck pocket. I figured that was the culprit, so I performed a fret level under string tension. The frets are now perfectly level... yet, it continues to buzz across the entire fretboard, even with fairly high a…

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After further testing on a bass with the same issue, I discovered that in some basses, the neck has a specific resonant frequency. This causes the neck to vibrate, making the string move erratically.…
Private member DiscussionShare Your Repair Content

Rebuilding a 1979 Engelhardt C1 Double Bass

I found a cheap double bass in pieces on Facebook Marketbook, so why not try to bring it back to life? Note, I can't play, so look over the awful hacking during the sound clip 🤣

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Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

93 Charvel Surfcaster Rolling Nut

Seeking referrals for a machinist or fabricator to replace the bass side of the rolling nut on a 93 Charvel Surfcaster. The original had been lost and replaced with something similar but not the correct dimensions and taper. Thank you, Mark Images

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Private member DiscussionRepair and Restoration

Pedulla Bass Truss Rod

Hello, Looking for any suggestions for replacing the missing hex nut on a Pedulla Bass. This is not a standard size and from limited past experience this is fixed to the end. A flat 5-6 mm nut seems to fit but not securely without removing material under the nut shelf. Thank you, Mark Images

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Ian Davlin
Private member DiscussionGeneral

1964 jazz bass calamity

Any suggestions if this can be saved? It is a neck I received for free upon replacing it for a customer. The wood was missing and the rod is missing the adjusting nut. The truss rod had pushed the inlay out as well as the wood damage . I wasn't sure if it could be a structurally sound repair. I have no idea of the neck rigidity or action with strings. I wont be online because of a previous dr. appointment but I figured it would be a go…

2 replies
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The Elders are correct .It is a 1976 neck. I was presently working on a different neck , a 1965, so it was on my mind. Thanks to all for the suggestions. My initial instincts were what Doug had reco…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

ES-125 concaved top and loose back + braces

Hello, I have on my bench and es-125 with a concaved belly in the top where the bridge sits, I was able to fit a feeler gauge under one of the braces in the area, the brace above the bass side. The back of the guitar is loose for a stretch of roughly 5 inches. My thought was to take off the back and address the braces and somehow address the warp in the top. Any thoughts on how to unwarp it or better approaches to the whole job?…

3 replies
3 replies
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Ian Davlin
Some times the plates come off of those old gibsons really nicely. Is there any evidence of someone trying to glue anything back together previously ?
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Early 80’s Jazz Bass Fingerboard Separation— Bi-Flex? Washer issue?

This jazz bass has come in with a cracked and separated fingerboard near the nut. I believe this is an early Bi-Flex but am not entirely sure or familiar with them. The truss rod is functional and tightens up when turned. Top of the walnut plug is missing and the washer appears to be crooked or dislodged. Not sure what purpose that washer serves. This is probably the thinnest bass neck I’ve ever seen and it’s no wonder that this fingerb…

5 replies
5 replies
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Good call Ian, I can definitely get strings on there. I suspect it won’t do well under tension. It’s incredibly thin, neck has pretty much a shallow v profile. Hardly any fingerboard too. Might need a…