Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Kiichi on June 23, 2011, 01:41:39 PM
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Hey,
so I just got this axe for 60 Euro (53 Pounds) on ebay and it arrived. I am actually suprised at the wood quality, the guitar has a nice ring to it...the hardware and all sucks quite a bit, neck pu is like a sessaw,....plus it needs a good cleaning. But I actually see potential in this guitar, although it needs some work.
Most suprising, though hairy in the mids, I like the stock sound better than the one of my Ibanez S Series xD
So my project is saving this thing and if possible make it my "In Flames" axe (drop A-sharp, with Aftermaths perhaps).
Thing is the intonation on the highest three strings is off like 20 cents, while the tuneomatic is at its limit. Right now that is my main concern.
Now, you think is this fixable? New bridge can perhaps do a bit, when I get one with more range, right now I have 9mm.
Is there anything else I can do, or can I even get a bridge with considerably more range than 9mm?
Well, tell me what you think.
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Intonation problems apart, I think your new guitar looks great! :D
For replacement bridges, somebody posted about these a while ago, but it would probably cost more than twice what the guitar cost you! Serious piece of hardware, but I reckon it's using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut:
http://www.fullcontacthardware.com/tom.htm (http://www.fullcontacthardware.com/tom.htm)
The intonation is potentially going to be even more of a problem if you go for heavier strings and drop tunings.
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Philly beat me to it.
Have you got your normal guage strings on there?
Looks great..... although you may have to reset the bridge :lol:
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It still has the worn of strings on it that it came with (I think 10s), did not come around to changing them yet, that would involve cleaning and oiling the fretboard, polishing the frets, etc. anyways, so I can do that on the weekend earliest.
That bridge you posted looks pretty darn good....and more expensive than most of my axes....and pedals.
I think I´ll have to look at a slightly cheaper one....in the range of 50bucks or so I guess, anything else would be going overboard I think. Even that could be concidered insane. Plus I may need a new nut (this one is metal....never had that) and pots,...
So anything I can do sides a new bridge? Cause I don´t know if I can find one that can correct 20cents...
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I'd change the strings before setting the intonation, Old plain strings will be harder to intonate and I've had the plains go way flat at the 12 fret, and I've heard metal (particularly brass) nuts were popular in the late 70's because they were supposed to give better sustain, not that I was even born then so I'll leave it up to the older members to say whether it worked or not.
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I'd change the strings before setting the intonation, Old plain strings will be harder to intonate and I've had the plains go way flat at the 12 fret, and I've heard metal (particularly brass) nuts were popular in the late 70's because they were supposed to give better sustain, not that I was even born then so I'll leave it up to the older members to say whether it worked or not.
I might bust out the strings that came with my bkps on the weekend then.
The nut is not brass though, looks like steel or aluminium.
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how about a Schaller Roller Bridge? - they look to offer a wider adjustment range than a standard TOM...
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar,_Tune-o-matic_bridges/Schaller_Roller_Bridge.html
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how about a Schaller Roller Bridge? - they look to offer a wider adjustment range than a standard TOM...
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar,_Tune-o-matic_bridges/Schaller_Roller_Bridge.html
Yeah, it's a good bridge, and I think it is a bit wider than a Nashville T-O-M. I don't know if it actually gives much more range though, because the saddles themselves are a little bigger to support the rollers.
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these seem to offer a good amount of adjustment
http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/bridges-parts-tailpieces/bridges/guitar-bridges/tunematics/tunematic-bridge-sg-style-2-p-4279.html
but you really want to try it with a set-up you like and new strings first
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these seem to offer a good amount of adjustment
http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/bridges-parts-tailpieces/bridges/guitar-bridges/tunematics/tunematic-bridge-sg-style-2-p-4279.html
That would do the trick, but you'd need to replace the existing mounting studs, I'm sure (or get someone like Wez to do it properly! :D )
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You didn't say which way it's out. It just might it's adjusted the wrong way. I've often confused myself adjusting intonation. Extraordinary looking guitar for the money by the way.
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Would a nearvana nut help? I think I may be barking up the wrong tree here..... :?
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in theory, depending which way its out. a compensated nut does slightly reduce the amount of bridge compensation you need...which may help if it was all the way back and slightly out
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If it is a good guitar as you say, I think improvements can be great! My point of view is that is better buy a good cheap guitar and put more £ than it worth to get even better, than buy the first Gibson (££££) you see on store, turn to be a dog and you spend more money on it...
And I'm thinking if I like it:
Les Paul: Check!
Spalted Maple: Check!
So, I don't like it, I love it! :D
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If it is a good guitar as you say, I think improvements can be great! My point of view is that is better buy a good cheap guitar and put more £ than it worth to get even better, than buy the first Gibson (££££) you see on store, turn to be a dog and you spend more money on it...
And I'm thinking if I like it:
Les Paul: Check!
Spalted Maple: Check!
So, I don't like it, I love it! :D
Yeah, kinda my thinking too, though it was so cheap, I did not expect anything much at all, wasn´t sure if it was upgradeble at all.
But the first impression is nice. We´ll see after the cleaning and restringin, which I´ll do tomorrow I think. After I can tell even more, but I am confident that if I can fix the intonation this can be pretty nice.
Right now the lower E string rings out as long as on my other axes, which is a good sign concerning the wood.
Interresting options for the bridge btw, keep em coming, its much appreciated.
Right now the bridge is turned the right way, far as I know (the bevel is facing the tailpiece).
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So I just finished the cleaning and restringing....wow I never wiped that much dirt of a fretboard, it was sickening to be honoust. But now it´s clean and....tada, the intonation is right!
Thanks a lot doomcaster for pointing the string thing out, it changed like 20-40 cents on the plain strings....just insane.
I still need to replace the bridge though, as the current one feels horrible when palm muting.
Also the nut has to go, I had to put a piece of plastic under the bass side so that it does not snarl.
I really see a lot of potential in this thing, but now it is first of all time to give it a good trial, but I think ultimatly I can make it into something you would think costs like 400bucks or more (BKPs not included).
Still, most stunning is that the stock sound is better than my stock Ibanez S Series and Dean Vendetta was, at least to me (I have strange taste). As said, it is (a bit) fizzy, thin and hairy, but does not muddy up (the axe seems even brighter than my ibanez S series) or so and just sounds rather good for a stock, which is really suprising to me.
If you got recommendations what I should do first besides the nut and bridge, go ahead! I´ll go on playing and planning in the meanwhile.
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Hey, as I am moving along with the thoughts, I had to wonder what I would do about the Nut and how many problems fatter strings will carrie with them.
Now I want to put this guitar down to Drop A-sharp. With that in mind, do you have recomendations on:
1. Which strength of strings should I choose in order to get the feel of 10 set on normal tuning? (I will go for DR DDTs I think).
2. How much will this affect the intonation?
3. Which nut should I choose? (in general and with the thick strings in mind) I think graphtech nuts will do the trick at an acceptable priceleve, but what else is possible?
Cheers!
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tuning that low will require at least 12-13s and maybe even baritone sets, I use 13s with a standard cheapo nut so it should be fine, most types of nut can be tweaked by a good shop, as long as you have the nut properly cut and lubed the material shouldn't make much difference.
The thick low e strings may not go through the tuners so this may need attention.
Thicker string sets will intonate in a more straight across pattern (particularly with a wound G), so as long as the bridge is located correctly it should be easy enough to intonate.
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tuning that low will require at least 12-13s and maybe even baritone sets, I use 13s with a standard cheapo nut so it should be fine, most types of nut can be tweaked by a good shop, as long as you have the nut properly cut and lubed the material shouldn't make much difference.
The thick low e strings may not go through the tuners so this may need attention.
Thicker string sets will intonate in a more straight across pattern (particularly with a wound G), so as long as the bridge is located correctly it should be easy enough to intonate.
Thanks for the info!
Then I should be gettin a 12s or 13s DR DDT set as these strings are specifically for drop tunings. Probably no need for baritone.
Which to try first will be interresting though. On my accoustic I felt like 1 whole tone down brought 12s down to the feel of 11s. By that logic I should probably opt for the 13s.
Then again, will that still apply when all my other axes are fender scale or will 12s be better with a gibson scale then? I am confused....
The thing with the tuners may be a problem....I totally forgot about that. Was a pain putting in a low B on my seven string when I was using...was it a 62 or 64? Well it worked and the max DDT I can get is 60, so hopefully it will work.
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Generally a Gibson scale will need bumping up a gauge to be similar to a Fender scale in feel for a given tuning, You can always enlarge tuner holes slightly with a small file or careful drilling