Lunch Report For Tuesday, October 4, 2011

[Boogie Bill]

Lunch? Who has time for lunch? I have new guitars!!! Time to get to work!!

Well okay, I’ve actually done the work. See, I bought two new guitars last month from board member Dwasifar—a beautiful Blue Flake Legacy Special and a badass black Legacy—my first black electric guitar in over 45 years of guitaring! I could have gigged either of them the day they arrived—that’s how good they were, and they even came with new strings. I love both of them, but I still realized it takes a bit of work to make a guitar “mine”. So I got to thinking I should share my process. Here are some of the things I do when I get a new guitar.

It’s a good thing to let the guitar sit for a bit once it comes into the house to let the temperature equalize. No point in rushing, only to see the finish crack and check—better safe than sorry. When I get the package open, I inspect the guitar for any superficial or unexpected damage.

Most of my G&Ls I’ve bought were used guitars. Some came to me in beautiful shape, like Dwasifar’s, while others were chock full of dirt, grime and DNA. So usually the first thing that happens is a bath and a polish. The strings come off, and I use a couple of ice cream bar sticks under the DF Vibrato’s bridge plate to keep it from damaging the finish. (NOTE: the Haagen-Dazs chocolate and almond bar sticks seem to work best!!! Yum!) One guitar I bought years ago was so nasty, I actually had to remove the pickguard to get at all the grime. I generally just use a damp, soft rag to wipe the guitar down, and then I wipe it dry. And now’s a good time to vacuum out the guitar case. Good thing to do—it can collect grit that can damage the finish.

That one guitar that was so grimy must have seen a lot of usage in smoke-filled bars—it just reeked of stale tobacco smoke. I’ve tried a lot of things to clean out the smell—I tried wiping it with a baking soda solution. I used a carpet shampoo/spot remover. I left it out in the sun for a few days. I used Febreeze. It still reeks, but not as bad. If you have a luggage retailer in your area, you might have some luck with them if you need case repairs—like a broken hinge, clasp or lock. The repair shop for Portland Luggage has worked some miracles for me—even with the plastic SKB cases. Tears in Tolex can be tacked down with Super Glue. If you have chunks missing, you might be able to cut a piece from a speaker cabinet back, or an amp to glue in. Or a tiny dab of black silicone sealant can be used. Do it carefully, and the repairs can be nearly invisible. Use some shoe polish, like Meltonian cream, on the leather ends of a Tolex case.

I have several kinds of polish that I like. Virtuoso Cleaner is good for removing most fine scratches. A couple of coats will usually make the finish like new. I will usually follow it with the Virtuoso Polish. I might use some Carnauba wax like the Dunlop 65 or Gerlitz for a protective coat.

If the fingerboard is really gunky, the damp rag will take most of it off. I might need to polish the frets, so I will use the Fret Polishing Cloth that came in the Dunlop 65 Guitar Maintenance Kit, or use the ones I have from Planet Waves. Both will get those corroded frets shiny again. I might use some of the Dunlop 65 Fretboard Cleaner, and follow it with the Fretboard Conditioner to give it an oil treatment. Gerlitz Guitar Honey is also excellent to restore a dry fingerboard.

Finally, I’ll get out my screwdriver set, and start in on the pickguard screws, switches and pots to remove any of the bits of protective plastic remaining around those holes.

With the guitar clean, it’s time to do some set-up work. I check the tightness of the tuner mounting nuts—they can work loose and cause an odd buzz. I restring the guitar, using my preferred Fender Super Bullet 9-42 gauge strings, and check the tuner button tension. Next step, I check the neck relief. I like a little more relief, as I hit hard with a heavy pick; so .015 is good. Each guitar is different though, and each one seems to have a “sweet spot”. I make sure the bridge plate is level by adjusting the spring claw tension, and I often use a quick shot of Tri-Flow on the springs—just a small amount of lube to keep them from binding. Best to spray it on a rag and wipe it on, to keep it off the finish.

I’ll check the action. I’ve found that the radius of the saddles makes a big difference on how it plays. I bought a set of radius gauges from Stewart-MacDonald and my guitars are playing better than ever. With the saddles properly set, the final height adjustment is made to the bridge plate—and now I can adjust the pickup heights for the balance I like.

Often I find the nut action on my guitars is too high, causing the low E-string to give me a sharp G at the third fret. Time to schedule an appointment with my luthier, as I do not do any nut filing. If it is okay, I’ll use some Big Bend’s Nut Sauce in the grooves. If it is not right and binding, I’ll WAIT until I get the guitar back from the tech before using the Nut Sauce. And yes, I apply it even on a properly cut and functioning nut—the lube minimizes wear. I want to keep my nuts working smoothly for as long as I can! (Pun intended!) I might even use a bit on the bridge saddles, especially if they show any signs of wear. And the string trees!

It’s time to set the intonation with my Peterson Strobo-Stomp tuner; this is the only tuner I have that is accurate enough for intonation work. It’s a tinky, slow process, but it has to be done.

The strap buttons on a G&L are the best, so I rarely ever change them. In this case the new black Legacy had the Schaller Strap Lock buttons I like, but Dwasifar didn’t have the parts that fit on the strap, so I had to make a trip to the store for some new Schaller Strap Locks, in black of course. And I’m making the rounds of the various guitar shops, looking for the perfect strap. For me, I like a leather strap, and it has to be the “perfect” strap for that guitar. I had a chocolate brown Franklin leather strap that looked perfect with the black Legacy’s rosewood fingerboard and tortoise guard. I was using that strap with the Martin HD-28V acoustic I bought last year, so I made the swap. The Martin got a brand new dark brown leather strap from Levy’s Leathers that is designed for acoustic guitars. For the blue flake Legacy Special, I wanted a black strap to go with the ebony fingerboard and black Gotoh Blades pickups. I discovered that the 4” wide Moody strap I had on another guitar looks awesome with the blue flake. Moody’s are really expensive, but are made of a very luxurious leather. I bought this one used off E-bay about four years ago, and it has been living in the case of a guitar I don’t play very often. The blue stars inlayed in this black strap with the blue stitching fit perfectly with the color of the flake finish. Winner! So for now, the extra strap I had lying around goes to the other guitar that isn’t used much—and it actually looks pretty good. Perfect!

Miss Leslie, who is my accountant, confidante, roadie and paramour, will keep track of the receipts and purchase data. It’s time to think up a name for the guitar. With so many guitars, and so many being duplicates, I need a short code word for the guitar. It helps Leslie perform her Roadie duties. After a little debate, it looks like it will be named “Midnight”. And she instantly named the blue flake “Stardust”; and since I’ve not been able to come up with anything better—“Stardust” it is. And now you know who rules the roost! LOL!

Now it is time to upgrade my equipment list. I keep a list of all my gear, and it is currently four pages long. Before each gig, the Roadie and I talk about what gear to take, and I’ll just highlight the stuff I want for her to load into the car. This has worked very well and we rarely have gone to a gig and forgotten something at home.

I’ll be getting out my digital camera soon and take some pictures of the new toys. This is fun to have for posting on the forums, but pictures are a good thing to have in case of a loss or theft; especially when dealing with the police and an insurance claim.

So that covers my G&Ls. There are a few things I do differently when I get an acoustic, and then there are the Gibsons. The basic routines are the same. The acoustic guitars may need some nut filing, but the big thing is taking them to a luthier and having a strap button installed on the heel. Luthier time—no point in me ruining an expensive guitar by splitting the neck! The Gibsons, first thing, get a set of Schaller Strap Locks. The Gibson strap button is HORRIBLE! I won’t even put a Les Paul on a strap without Strap Locks. Most of my Les Pauls get metal jack plates, though these won’t fit on the Historics. The plastic plates have a tendency to break at the worst possible moment. I may think about new pickups on a Les Paul, or perhaps an RS Kit, and I’ve found that I like a LW Tailpiece. It adds a bit of air and resonance that I like. I use the inexpensive LW Gotoh tailpieces from the Stew-Mac catalog. And the luthier gets to do some saddle filing on the Tune-O-Matic style bridge to get the radius EXACTLY right. This is really a big key in getting any guitar to “play like buttah.” I’ve NEVER seen a Tune-O-Matic filed right from the factory.

So that’s what I do when I get a new guitar. There’s a lot of work, but it’s all part of the fun when I get a new toy.

What do you do when you get a new guitar? So lots of topics here, feel free to comment on any of them.

Have a good day!

Bill

[Dave_P]

What do I do with a new guitar?: ....play it

Of the two guitars I've bought in recent history, the first looked like it was new and was set up for the string size I played at the time so I didn't change anything. The second was much older and was in need of some cleaning and a string change. But I really have no experience doing a set up, I've since changed string gauges and both guitars could use a good set up and a polish wouldn't hurt either. It's on the list of things to do, maybe I'll add radius gauges to the ol' Christmas list.
Thanks for all the great info Bill!

-Dave

[willross]

Hey what a coincidence, I just bought a black electric and haven't owned one for about 25 years too(1987)! My first electric was a black Hondo Fame. A decade later, I decided to strip it and re-paint in hunter green; it worked out.

Mods/cleaning/personalizing: Mostly hardware upgrades and a polish. BTW, a distributor told me yesterday that G&L ran out of locking tuners! Craig, is this true?


Cheers,

Will

[sickbutnottired]

I always enjoy your reports, Bill.

Meeting my wife for Chili at the Parrot Confectionery downtown, it's one of her favorites and it's her birthday.

New guitars? Well, I haven't had 50 guitars in my life, let alone all at once, so I can't contain myself and have to plug it in to a couple of amps right away!

I radius saddles by trial and error and it is a fairly frustrating process. Plus, if I can measure something, it's easier for me to put out of my mind--so I may look into the gauges as well.

I almost always do a clean, string change, and fix neck relief right away. Then time to take stock and see where we are at! jg

[jonc]

great LR. you made me tired just reading the steps you take. LOL. although i agree 100% with your take on things. the only additional part i like to do is get the date stamps from the pockets (where applicable) and measure the pick-up's so i have a base line to work from if anything goes awry or i want to experiment. which btw is one of the reasons i like bathtub routs. regarding black guitars... years ago i answered an ad in the Village Voice and showed up for the audition along with 20 other guys. i kid you not, each and every one of us had brought a black Strat with maple neck. still love black on maple none the less.

[Philby]

Top post again Bill. Very informative.

With new instruments I try to get most of the stuff you mentioned fixed before I take the instrument home. But 2nd hand guitars have been a REAL education for me. I bought the blue S-500 in my avatar used off EBay and almost everything was wrong with it. Thankfully the finish was in really good condition for its 16 years of obvious playing. But the tremolo was incorrectly set up, the saddles were worn and binding, saddle heights were wrong, nut slots were worn (too low), there was too little truss rod relief and she hummed like a Bhuddist prayer meeting. I've been gradually teaching myself how to rectify each issue and was particularly pleased when shielding and star grounding put a stop to the hum.

The biggest improvement came from ordering some fret levelling and crowning tools from StewMac and attacking the fret board (ever so carefully mind you). Restoring the proper fret shape and height has made an immense improvement and polishing the frets up to a mirror finish with 0000 steel wool was hugely satisfying. Now they look and play as new. I gave the rosewood board a polish with the steel wool as well to remove 16 years of oil and grime. No wonder the lemon oil I applied wouldn't penetrate - the board was sealed with a layer of dull, oily crap. Now it's a proper rich rosewood colour again.

Back when my friends and I were first buying guitars they all bought black ones. One friend even bought a black Ovation acoustic. I resisted peer group pressure at the time and still don't have a black guitar. I fall into the Darwin camp of you can't have enough red. I'd really like a vintage white one someday though. Or a black with tortoiseshell guard. Or a sonic blue. So many options, so little time......

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

...Miss Leslie, who is my accountant, confidante, roadie and paramour, will keep track of the receipts and purchase data. It’s time to think up a name for the guitar. With so many guitars, and so many being duplicates, I need a short code word for the guitar. It helps Leslie perform her Roadie duties. After a little debate, it looks like it will be named “Midnight”. And she instantly named the blue flake “Stardust”; and since I’ve not been able to come up with anything better—“Stardust” it is. And now you know who rules the roost! LOL!....

I just about bailed when I got to this part then I learned that naming a guitar is not so creepy when it is done by your accountant.

"DNA" made me think about a making of documentary from the most recent Genesis tour DVD that included prominent shots of bassist Mike Rutherford picking his nose during rehearsals.

"Got to remove the DNA" might be a good name for a song.

Did you get the ASAT with chrome or gold hardware?

If I did not have a black Legacy I would have grabbed one of those instantly.

[blargfromouterspace]

I had my eye on the black ASAT Special dwasifar was selling, the one with the gold hardware. I wish I'd bought it, that thing was stunning. It would have just about scratched my itch for a Les Paul Black Beauty.

I agree with the saddles making a big difference. Once they're set up right you're well on the way to a very nicely playing guitar.

[Jaystrings]

Always enjoy your LR's BB.

I usually let one sit for hours before opening. Then that's the only guitar I play for a few days... just to get familiar, ya know. My latest was an Ibanez Pat Matheny 100 model from Buffalo Brothers. Schweeeeeeet. It was ready to go out of the box. Now I'm trying different amps with it.

I like to save wooden chopsticks when I eat Chinese food. They make the very best guitar detailers & can be sharpened to a fine thickness or point to really get 'er done.

Keep 'em coming.

Jay

[Boogie Bill]

Dave P and Sick: Yes, you really should learn to do some basic adjustments to your guitar. Learning to do setups and intonation can save you a lot of money over the years. A great place to start is Dan Erlewine’s book, “How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great”. And, it comes with some very hand plastic radius gauges! Some basic measuring tools and you’ll be all set. Get a copy of the Stew-Mac catalog, if you don’t have it already.


JonC: Yeah the black guitar is certainly new for me. I kind of eased into the Legacy, after getting an all-black Takamine EF381SC 12-string here a few years ago. That guitar is a fingerprint magnet!!! OMG! I swear it’s making it’s own fingerprints while it lays in the case!!!

And I almost NEVER take a neck off. I really don’t care about dates. If it’s good, then I don’t mess with it!!!


Philby: I’ve never done any fretwork, other than polishing. I’d love to get my luthier to teach me, but then he wouldn’t make any money off me anymore. I’d love to learn to cut and file a nut, too.


Michael and Jamie: Dwasifar had some REALLY nice ASATs. The black and gold one is like one they had in the catalog a couple of years back. That Belair Green ASAT classic was pretty cool, too. But, I don’t really do ASATs—I’m a Legacy-body man. The black Legacy I got from him is gorgeous; I’ll try to post a pic soon.


Jay: Nice to see you on the board! Good tip about the chopsticks, I’ll give that a try!

Bill