A great F100 find from Denmark - a little help

[Rasser]

Hi guys

This is my first post on the forum and motivated by the fact that I have bought my first G&L recently. I have bought a ´81 F100 because I am fascinated by the history and heritage of G&L and Fender. So the F100 have joined my American Standard Strat on the wall.

The guitar is a one owner, sold to the brother of the seller in my home country of Denmark. I have checked neck, neck pocket and bridge serial number, and its all original. It even came with the original case with brown(!!!) lining.
I have a couple of questions and hope for a little help and knowledge.

1. How would you best clean rusty pickups on the F100? The poles and the seatings for poles are rusty. I know it might not make a difference to sound but I think it does to aesthetics.
2. Any suggestions on replacement knobs?
3. The biggest issue is a skewed neck ☹ It bends right a little. The guitar I certainly playable, but it’s an issue with the high E in 5 – 8 fret. Is it worth trying to get a tech to fix it? The frets needs replacement at some point due to wear, so perhaps in that process?

Appreciate any feedback

Rasmus

[Danley]

Congrats - You might be able to use some light grease to condition the pole pieces and clean off/prevent further rust; I’d make sure to use a plastic-safe grease.

G&L makes replacement metal knobs in the original style - I think earlier F100s used a knob that looked more like a knurled Telecaster - but is this what you want? Not sure if they would ship to Denmark, or if you’d need to go through a dealer.

https://g-l-online-store.myshopify.com/ ... rch-guitar

Do you mean the neck is twisted, or that it’s mis-aligned? It’s absolutely worth getting looked at either way. A twist might often be clamped/heated out, and the luthier can ensure the neck is seated correct in the pocket if there’s an issue with alignment. Good luck

[Elwood]

1. How would you best clean rusty pickups on the F100? The poles and the seatings for poles are rusty. I know it might not make a difference to sound but I think it does to aesthetics.

If you can find one of these fiber tipped detail brushes...






(borrowed from this bassesbyleo post)
https://www.bassesbyleo.com/forum/viewt ... e739#p2062

[Rasser]

Congrats - You might be able to use some light grease to condition the pole pieces and clean off/prevent further rust; I’d make sure to use a plastic-safe grease.

G&L makes replacement metal knobs in the original style - I think earlier F100s used a knob that looked more like a knurled Telecaster - but is this what you want? Not sure if they would ship to Denmark, or if you’d need to go through a dealer.

https://g-l-online-store.myshopify.com/ ... rch-guitar

Do you mean the neck is twisted, or that it’s mis-aligned? It’s absolutely worth getting looked at either way. A twist might often be clamped/heated out, and the luthier can ensure the neck is seated correct in the pocket if there’s an issue with alignment. Good luck

Thank you

Those knobs look just right. I will contact G&L. The crome has come of and are crumbling on the the current ones. Think this could make a nice upgrade.

I´ll try the grease. Took the pieces out and tried with naphta. Didn´t do the trick.

The neck is not mis-aligned in the pocket. When you look at it down the lenght along the frets you see a slight bend to the right (not neckbow). The odd thing is I dont see any cracks or marks in the finish to indicate an accident. Newer seen it before on a guitar and its hard to find information online. Most posts are abought mis-alignment or neck bow.

[Rasser]

1. How would you best clean rusty pickups on the F100? The poles and the seatings for poles are rusty. I know it might not make a difference to sound but I think it does to aesthetics.

If you can find one of these fiber tipped detail brushes...






(borrowed from this bassesbyleo post)
https://www.bassesbyleo.com/forum/viewt ... e739#p2062

Thanks Elwood

Any idea where to buy it? Or the brand?

Rasmus

[Elwood]

Thanks Elwood

Any idea where to buy it? Or the brand?

Rasmus

I found these on Amazon, (I just ordered one for myself, I have a few old F-100's
that could look shinier )


K-tool on Amazon

Fiberglass Scratch pen

[tomanche]

1. How would you best clean rusty pickups on the F100? The poles and the seatings for poles are rusty. I know it might not make a difference to sound but I think it does to aesthetics.
Rasmus

I had good results cleaning rusty pole pieces in a pair of slanted MFD humbuckers (in a 1984 Cavalier) by removing the adjustable pieces, soaking them in WD-40 cleaner/lubricant overnight, then wiping the rust with a dry cloth. It's good to leave a little WD-40 on the cleaned pieces, because it inhibits future rusting. (The same method worked for rusty bridge saddles and springs.)

For the pickup cylinders that the pole pieces screw into, I wiped them with a cotton swab, lightly dipped in WD-40. It might not remove all the rust, but the improvement is there.

[Danley]

I hesitated to mention it by name because I’m not sure how it reacts to plastic - but white lithium grease sticks to metal better than WD40 . I use it to condition rusty bridge saddles etc. (it’s also good for trem pivots.) I would be VERY careful to check that whatever you use doesn’t get on the finish, or react with plastic.

[Tooslowhand]

I use a Miracle All Purpose Polishing Cloth to clean tarnish off my gold and chrome plated pickup covers. Should be helpful for your rusty pole pieces.