Fixed the Electronics on my New Legacy

A while back I purchased my first G&L guitar, which some of you may remember from my introductory post:



It's a 1997 US Legacy, which I fell in love with the moment I saw it.

I picked it up for about $500 USD, partly because locally G&Ls don't get the respect they deserve up here in Winnipeg, partly because a previous owner had set up the neck so that the guitar was nearly unplayable (I thought I would need to get a new neck), and partly because a previous owner (perhaps the same one) installed the Seymour Duncan HotRails pickup you see in the original pic - and wired it up like a strat. In doing so something happened to the middle pickup - no matter what you did, it always sounded thin (like if you had it set too close to the strings).

Nevertheless, even in that condition, it was still too beautiful to pass up, so I picked it up, and planned to replace the Bridge pickup with something similar to the original, and see if I couldn't coax some life out of that middle pickup.

I ended up picking up a Seymour Duncan SSL-6 (an SSL-5 without the staggered magnets/poles), and an RWRP SSL-2 (again, an SSL-1 w/o the staggered poles). I couldn't get cream coloured covers, and decided if it really bugged me, I'd pick some up later. I wanted to put this together by Christmas.

Well, as it turned out, the neck wasn't as bad as it originally seemed. Someone had dropped the tremolo (saddle) flush to the body - which (because this was my first legacy) I hadn't really considered. In order to lift the action they adjusted the individual saddles as high as they'd go, and played with the neck tilt, to get it to the place where they only experienced buzz between the 10th and 16th frets.

Resetting the tremolo, and adjusting the tilt and truss rod, I was able to get rid of the buzz altogether, and put the action to where it ought to be.

But I had ordered some copper shielding from China before Christmas that hadn't come - and I waited till last week. Well, having got it, I went to work:



This is what it looked like before putting it back together. The inside was a mess - full of flux marks (from a very sloppy soldering job), and whatnot. Whoever installed the Hotrails - just put it all back together with flux all over the place. I cleaned it all up - and realized I should have taken a photo prior to that - but - I missed it, so here it looks nice and clean...er..

I put it back together, and though the white caps stick out - it still looks great. I picked up the strap on Amazon - looks better in person, and goes with the green so nice...



After setting up the pups, I played for about an hour - it just felt great, and sang so sweetly.

I may pull her open again. I wouldn't mind replacing some of that old wiring - but that's just my OCD.

Great follow up Dan, glad it came together as anticipated.

As a green guitar owner as well, I think it looks great and green guitars sound great too.

Looks like you got in shape now and that's great.

Some years ago I bought a boutique guitar used. When I got it I was initially disappointed since the setup was really messed up; the action was all screwy and the pickup heights were all wrong. After several hours readjusting the setup I finally got the guitar to the setup I wanted. When I got done and the guitar starting playing and sounding like I wanted I was relieved because I was worried that I bought a guitar that did not live up to its reputation.

Last edited by Kit on Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

sweet guitar, love the green!
just tell inquirers you always wanted a cream colored neck pup, you'll start a trend!
did u wire it back to ptb, or leave the strat circuit?

@Drjho: The fellow who sold it to me informed me that that previous owner who installed the hot rails pickup had wired it in such a way that the one tone control only affected the hot rails pick up. I concluded that he had wired it in Strat style - but when I got in there it wasn't exactly wired like a strat, he just smooshed it in in a novel, but kind of funky (not "good" funky) way - the rest of the circuit was still ptb, so all I had to do was wire the bridge pickup in where it was supposed to be, and that got it all right as rain.

Some of the insulation on the wires (as I found them) had been marred by careless soldering iron use, and had been taped over, so I plan to open it up next time I change my strings and see if I can't replace those, as well as the leads from the input jack - which are pretty thin (though probably original).

As a note to anyone who is inclined to add copper shielding - I discovered the next day that the index finger I had been using to pull the copper off the tape was riddled with little razor sharp cuts (like paper cuts). I wouldn't have noticed, except one went deep enough to open up when I had been playing for a while. Not really a big hazard, but something to consider.

@Sam: As Pink Floyd said it, "Green is the color of her kind".

@Kit: Relief is something I definitely felt.

Originally, my first concern was with the neck. Not realizing that the main problem was not the neck itself, or even the fretware (which is still an issue but nothing so pressing as it first appeared), but rather that someone in the guitar's history had set it up for a very low action, by adjusting all the wrong things. It didn't help that I failed to recognize that having the bridge flush to the body was not the "normal" setup, so it didn't factor into my early considerations. Hence my first posts were very concerned with the neck itself.

That is where this forum really shone for me. As I began to read about other people's guitars, their experiences, and gear - and saw a picture of a legacy with a tremolo lock, and realized that the problem with my neck was probably not the neck itself, but the set up.

So when I got it all set up - or at least set up to the point where I can gig it without worrying about intonation, or dead spots, I felt a huge relief, and even a debt of gratitude to these forums - which played a large role in getting that neck set up again. Suddenly my purchase went from - "well I didn't get ripped off" to "I totally walked away with a deal and a half!"

This is good news. I think you did really well with the price and the fix. Now turn that amp up and let us hear it down here!

y2kc

Great news Dan. I guess I won't need to keep an eye out for that new neck anymore.

I here this same story often. Buy a guitar from a small shop that thinks the thing is out of control and can't be fixed and then discover that a thorough setup is all it really needs. I got an S-500 once with the same problem, the DF bridge was laying on the body of the guitar. A couple hours of setup and then it played like the monster that it is.

That strap is killer! Couldn't find a better match to the guitar. Nice work.

Tom

One of my guitars is an SC-3, which I did a setup from scratch when I first got it. The picture shows it taken apart with popsicle sticks under the dual-fulcrum. This was a trick I learned from this board.

@Tom - I really appreciated the efforts to find a replacement neck. The photo really doesn't do the strap justice - the inner band is a lighter green than the outer bands, causing that Celtic design (which is the same dark green as the outer bands) to stand out. The way the darker dye runs into the lighter band, gives it a visual depth that makes the whole thing look so much cooler. My only gripe is that the leather is still stiff pretty stiff. Normally I'd soften it up with a natural oil (like coconut oil), but that can darken the color. So I may buy some leather conditioner, if I can find something that won't affect the color so much. Either that or, I'll just bear with it till it gets softer naturally.

@Kit - I couldn't reach the link - but I am behind a pretty secure walled environment here, so I'll give it a look when I'm able.

One of my guitars is an SC-3, which I did a setup from scratch when I first got it. The picture shows it taken apart with popsicle sticks under the dual-fulcrum. This was a trick I learned from this board.

Can't see the image...
Tom

Try right-clicking on the word "image" in my post and select "Open link in new tab."

I couldn't get the [image] html to work, it gives me an error message that says "Cannot determine size of image." I also tried [timage] and give it an image size and that did not work either, so I try [url] which apparently puts an "image" link in my post.

Kit

Try right-clicking on the word "image" in my post and select "Open link in new tab."

I couldn't get the [image] html to work, it gives me an error message that says "Cannot determine size of image." I also tried [timage] and give it an image size and that did not work either, so I try [url] which apparently puts an "image" link in my post.

Kit

Here you go Kit


You can still get the full res version by clicking on it. And given the wackiness of the image address, I hope it sticks around and is not just some cached version.

- Jos

it gave me a different url (lh3 instead of lh5)



I like the popsicle stick method

A while back I purchased my first G&L guitar, which some of you may remember from my introductory post:



It's a 1997 US Legacy, which I fell in love with the moment I saw it.

I picked it up for about $500 USD, partly because locally G&Ls don't get the respect they deserve up here in Winnipeg, partly because a previous owner had set up the neck so that the guitar was nearly unplayable (I thought I would need to get a new neck), and partly because a previous owner (perhaps the same one) installed the Seymour Duncan HotRails pickup you see in the original pic - and wired it up like a strat. In doing so something happened to the middle pickup - no matter what you did, it always sounded thin (like if you had it set too close to the strings).

Nevertheless, even in that condition, it was still too beautiful to pass up, so I picked it up, and planned to replace the Bridge pickup with something similar to the original, and see if I couldn't coax some life out of that middle pickup.

I ended up picking up a Seymour Duncan SSL-6 (an SSL-5 without the staggered magnets/poles), and an RWRP SSL-2 (again, an SSL-1 w/o the staggered poles). I couldn't get cream coloured covers, and decided if it really bugged me, I'd pick some up later. I wanted to put this together by Christmas.

Well, as it turned out, the neck wasn't as bad as it originally seemed. Someone had dropped the tremolo (saddle) flush to the body - which (because this was my first legacy) I hadn't really considered. In order to lift the action they adjusted the individual saddles as high as they'd go, and played with the neck tilt, to get it to the place where they only experienced buzz between the 10th and 16th frets.

Resetting the tremolo, and adjusting the tilt and truss rod, I was able to get rid of the buzz altogether, and put the action to where it ought to be.

But I had ordered some copper shielding from China before Christmas that hadn't come - and I waited till last week. Well, having got it, I went to work:



This is what it looked like before putting it back together. The inside was a mess - full of flux marks (from a very sloppy soldering job), and whatnot. Whoever installed the Hotrails - just put it all back together with flux all over the place. I cleaned it all up - and realized I should have taken a photo prior to that - but - I missed it, so here it looks nice and clean...er..

I put it back together, and though the white caps stick out - it still looks great. I picked up the strap on Amazon - looks better in person, and goes with the green so nice...



After setting up the pups, I played for about an hour - it just felt great, and sang so sweetly.

I may pull her open again. I wouldn't mind replacing some of that old wiring - but that's just my OCD.

Dan,
I'll show you something funny about straps. A while back I bought an ASAT Commemorative guitar which has all gold hardware and strings It's an amazing guitar that they only made like 250 of them. Here's a pic



It's such a beautiful guitar and quite collectible so you don't see them too often. Most are stashed away and unplayed. Mine is the one on the cover of the 1995 book by Paul Bechtold "Leo's Legend" and was once owned by Glen Yunker an old time associate of the G&L founders. So, it was a fantastic find and it is greatly cherished and well guarded. So, as kind of a joke I bought this strap so nobody would F' with me or the guitar.



Kind of a goof but makes me laugh seeing it slung over my amp.



Tom

Tom - that guitar deserves an awesome strap like that. Well done sir, well done.

I like it Dan! -- Darwin

nice job on the green Legacy, looks great!!