2-11-13 Lunch Report- Its Monday!

[bassman]

Lunch- I just brought a banana for lunch- I'm trying to cut back.

bassman background- My name is Bill and there were a lot of Bill's on this board at one time so I usually go by bassman. I have been posting to this board on and off since 2002. I lurked for a while and then joined in. This will be my 12th time doing the LR, I think, and I am trying to keep it interesting.
I am a bass player and I have enjoyed G&L basses since 1989 when i bought my first G&L, a used 1980
L-1000.
I am married,I have 3 kids in their late 20's now and two of them have left home and bought their own houses. My youngest is still living at home.

I play in two bands currently and I work on my own basses doing setups and repairs as needed. I really enjoy working on instruments and because of this I have bought some basket case basses just to see if I can bring them back to a useful existence.

Questions for today:

Do you work on your own bass or guitar? To what degree?

Have you ever repaired your G&L?

Have ever sent your guitar of bass back to the factory for a warranty adjustment or repair?

[Goat]

Lunch today was 'boil for 3 minutes' Mushroom Tortellini, with lashings of Olive oil and lots of grated cheese over the top.

I'm happy doing all my own (and friends) set-up work but I leave anything electrical to a friend who knows what he is doing. Major repair work I would leave to a good tech too. They have to make a living!

I've only had my G&L ASAT Deluxe for 6 weeks and it's as new, so no repairs needed, and hopefully there won't be for a long time! This guitar is going to be treated gently and played mostly at home I expect. I am looking out for another older one though....

It's a bit far from the UK to send a guitar back to the factory - I expect I would use someone I trusted here for any work that I couldn't do myself.

12 time Lunch Report veteran!

[cuzwilly]

Supermarket deli fried chicken greenbeans & mashed taders

i played bass in high school moved to guitar still play bass sometimes.
I work on all my guitars unless its major. I've done setup on my g&ls so far no major repairs have been needed. I've never sent a guitar back to factory.

[astutzmann]

salad with bacon and guacamole. Yum

I do most of the basic stuff on my guitars and the 1 bass that I have, but anything really fancy, fret levelling, full setup, change the action, etc, I leave to the pros.

I bought a brand new ASAT Special Deluxe and when it got here, it had a number of issues, the worst being that there was no room on the fretboard at the high e and the string kept slipping off.

It really was a warranty issue and I could have easily sent it back, but I wound up taking it to my luthier and he had to re-route the neck pocket and then reset the neck and do a setup. Its been perfect ever since. Haven't had to do a thing with it in the past 18 months.

So, I could have done the hassle of sending it back and waiting, but I just paid the expert to fix it.

Alf

[darwinohm]

Looking forward to the week Bill. I had a big bowl of chicken noodle soup today.

It sounds as though you are close to being an empty nester. We have for over 10 years and it is actually great.

I am a do it your self the whole way. I do all my own work and haven't needed fret work yet although I have reseated and leveled a couple that were problems, one of them a G&L. I bought it because it had a fret issue and it was an easy fix and a very nice guitar in the end. I then traded it for a fretless bass which I no longer own. Such is life I guess.

The only fix I had done recently is a broken nut on my L-2500. I removed it, glued it, and it is like new. The nut broke directly under the low B string. I have alsdo fixed a couple of truss rod nut issues but they are easy. In both cases it was a perfect solution. It is a blast to work on these things and what a good way for a retired guy to stay out of trouble.-- Darwin

[LeoFThe Champion]

Hey Bill,
I play Bass too but I am predominantly a guitar player.But you sound much more competent at repair work than me. I can change strings,that 's the important part
Regards
Anthony

[blargfromouterspace]

Hey Bill, hope you're enjoying having the house almost to yourselves

I do all my own work on my guitars, and I'm happy with how they play. The G&Ls I've bought have only required minor tweaks to get them playing how I like, more often than not its just a small adjustment to the action and then adjusting intonation. The most work I've had to do on a G&L was on the Korina Jr which came to me with action much higher than I like, and I went one gauge heavier with the strings so it required a slight tweak of the truss rod.

I recently saw an ad for one of those super expensive boutique relic strat copies - I forget the brand - in which the seller claimed to have spent $700 getting it set up by a well known tech. You'd think that it would have been set up nicely before being sold for however many thousand dollars he paid for it.

[Philby]

Hi Bill. Lunch today is pasta with shrimp and salmon in a creamy sauce. My arteries are blocking at the thought of it, but it's gonna taste great.

I do all my own set up work. I bought a fret levelling and fret dressing kit from StewMac and I can typically get results at least as good as most techs around here. Getting the fret board absolutely level before you start is the key. It's not hard, but requires patience. I wouldn't attempt a re-fret, and I've had to send a guitar in to a tech to fix a seized truss rod before. I've also been defeated by a dodgy capacitor in a tone circuit in the past, but I'll have a go at most wiring jobs. I've successfully wax potted some microphonic MFD's, but quickly decided rewinding pickups is best left for the pro's. You'll often hear me cursing in the garage while I'm working on a guitar, but generally I love doing it.

My Tribute ASAT Special had broken pots when I bought it new. The dealer couldn't fix it as they didn't have the right mini-pots, and they couldn't get any from G&L either. So I bought some on E-Bay and wired them in myself. $15 later the problem was fixed. It was worth it not to have to go back to the dealer. It pays to have DIY skills or a good luthier if you own a G&L outside of the US.

Cheers, Phil.

[y2kc]

Bill,

Our house is empty of kids at this point. My four kids are in Chicago, Atlanta, Iowa City and Edinburgh Scotland.It is nice not having them here to tell me to turn it down.

I fix some things on my guitars. If I could only play them then I would be happy. I still send guitars to a tech to do certain things. Lunch today was not interesting.

take care,

y2kc

[Sprinter 92]

Do you work on your own bass or guitar? To what degree?

I do everything but fret work and finishing.

Have you ever repaired your G&L?

Sure, I've done numerous repairs and restorations on older G&L's.

Have ever sent your guitar of bass back to the factory for a warranty adjustment or repair?

Yes, but I won't get into the details.

[louis cyfer]

i have done everything including new frets on my guitars, but i only do very minor stuff now, as i learned that a good tech is worth his weight in gold, and the setups most guitar players think as good, are far from it.

i have not sent my guitar to g&l, but drove it there for a replacement body. i didn't let them do the assembly though, i had my tech do it.

[gitman001]

Hey Bassman,

Do you work on your own bass or guitar? To what degree?

I will do some basic setup stuff - Truss rod, saddle adjustment, stuff like that. I lack the proper tools for slotting nuts but i am thinking about getting some...

Have ever sent your guitar of bass back to the factory for a warranty adjustment or repair?

I have never had to send any of the G&Ls back (knock wood). I did have to replace the neck on a godin i own, so i know that it unfortunately does happen every once in a while... I just hope it doesn't happen to me again!

Heres to a good week

Scott

[KenC]

Lunch today was frustrating. We have a new contractor running the cafeteria at work. The selection is much smaller than before. Same with the portions. The only thing that has stayed constant are the prices. I walked several blocks to the nearest sandwich shop, but since there were no seats available I had to carry my sandwich back to my desk. Oh well.

I do my own setups. The last serious work I did on a guitar was my Jazz Bass back in high school, which required several failed attempts at refinishing (spray painting), pickup and pot replacements, and eventually a partial refret. The refret was in the late 90s, and I was in too much of a rush to get it right. It plays well up to the 14th fret, and will go to a pro one day to get it right.

I have three project guitars waiting for when I have the time. The first will be a mid-90s MIM Duo Sonic, which was badly mangled by a previous owner. It will require a bit of work with a drill press to bore out and plug some free-handed screw holes, a refinish job, and rewiring onto a pickguard that fits the body. After that will be a "real" '65 Duo Sonic from a parted-out neck and body. That will require refinishing and wiring. The last project is an '82 L-1000, which will also require some drilling and plugging and a new finish. If I ever get started, these should keep me busy for a while.

No warranty work for me. I have yet to buy a brand new electric guitar or bass. The LE-2 will be my first, whenever it is ready.

Ken

[yowhatsshakin]

Bill,

Lunch was Thai Monday, as per usual. Cashew Fried Tofu without rice.

I so far have done all the work on my guitars myself. But I'm fully aware of what louis is saying ...

I've never sent back a guitar to the factory, but when 'The Wrangler' arrived damaged last year it went back to the dealer to be returned in fine condition. Also the only time in my life I've ever written a blog to journal the whole ordeal.

- Jos

[Ahryn]

Good to see you doing an LR Bill.
I picked up one of these to learn bass on




Near as I can tell it's an late 80's early 90's Fernandes P-Bass copy with an aftermarket 2Tek Bridge.
Made in Japan and with a maple body I think, I can get my hand around it and it has a nice rumble so I have been having some fun with it.
No amp yet, but I'm thinking of the Ampeg BA108.

And other than taking it in for a setup I have had nothing done to my G&L repair wise or anything

[Boogie Bill]

Trying to diet, so lunch today was a turkey sandwich on dark rye. Turkey is my new best friend along with the Kraft mayo made with olive oil.

Never had to send a guitar back to the factory. I have one Legacy that I would like to have re-necked. The neck is like it is from an altogether different planet. Probably too expensive, but I hate that neck...and love the guitar.

I do a lot of my own setups. I don't level frets, and I don't file nuts. I've swapped pickups and replaced jacks and switches, and adjusted truss rods. I'd love to learn to do nuts.

I'd really like to see G&L establish warranty service stations. Sending a guitar off by FEDEX or UPS and have it gone for six months is a waste of time and money. So unless it was something really major, the warranty is worthless to me. Too bad.

I had to learn how to do this stuff when I was out on the road performing in Podunkville. And I didn't have a lot of money to spend anyway. Thank God I tend to like unmodified guitars.

Bill

[Philby]

Trying to diet, so lunch today was a turkey sandwich on dark rye. Turkey is my new best friend along with the Kraft mayo made with olive oil.

Never had to send a guitar back to the factory. I have one Legacy that I would like to have re-necked. The neck is like it is from an altogether different planet. Probably too expensive, but I hate that neck...and love the guitar.

I do a lot of my own setups. I don't level frets, and I don't file nuts. I've swapped pickups and replaced jacks and switches, and adjusted truss rods. I'd love to learn to do nuts.

Bill

Hi Bill. Nice to see you round these parts again

[jamie d]

Do you work on your own bass or guitar? To what degree?

Setups.

Have you ever repaired your G&L?

Serviced the preamp. Replaced the "panel jack".

Have ever sent your guitar of bass back to the factory for a warranty adjustment or repair?

Sold one that had an issue on arrival. Provided shipping documentation to buyer for factory work.

jamie

[zapcosongs]

Hi Bill. Late to the party as usual of late. Sorry I missed your gig on Saturday night. Just before heading out for "date night" dinner with the wife, we realized we had rsvp'd "yes" to a neighbor's Mardi Gras party, and went there after dinner (was hoping to drop by La Mexicana, but alas....)


Do you work on your own bass or guitar? To what degree?

Nope. Not at all. I tend to give them to you! (btw, the SB-2 and early SC-2 are playing fine!).

Have you ever repaired your G&L?

No (unless replacing a switch-tip counts, lol!)

Have ever sent your guitar of bass back to the factory for a warranty adjustment or repair?

No again. Never had to. In fact, my most recent (new Legacy) acquisition came to me so perfectly adjusted, I almost cried like John Boehner on Flag Day! Nice start! - ed