Fender USA Deluxe Jazz Bass

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Aylesbury Guitar Repair

This was a lovely instrument to start the day with! She just needed a little attention to bring the action down a touch to make her easier to play.

The truss was already pretty taut, so straightening the neck further was tricky and I was naturally reluctant to push my luck!

Despite still having a some curvature (probably the right amount to be fair!) I set about lowering the bridge saddles.

Overall everything was able to come down by about a third, meaning there should be a marked difference in the feel of the bass when the player gets it back. I’m excited to see what they think!

Once the intonation was done, she got a good polishing and then back into the case to await collection. Done, done, onto the next one!

Reverse V Gauge Change, Jazz Bass and Tele Set-Ups

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Aylesbury Guitar Repair

Have you ever seen one of these before? This is a Gibson Reverse V guitar, which was released in very limited number in 2008, and the owner wanted the strings changed up from 10’s to 11’s.

It was an interesting guitar to work on, although a little unwieldy as it pivoted on the bridge end of the body. Great instrument, though!

Once that was done it was onto setting up a Fender P Bass – nice and straight forward, and cleaned up really nicely – and a Telecaster. Both of these were left-handed instruments.

The Tele ended up needing an extra bit of attention since the high E and B strings were ‘fizzing’ in the nut, but after a little attention and fettling they were good as gold again! What will come through the door next?

Replacing Reverb Tanks and Finishing the SG

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Aylesbury Guitar Repair

Today has been another interesting day in the workshop! So far I’ve replaced a couple of reverb tanks in a couple of amps, and I’ve been able to finish the SG off.

I got the replacement tanks from Hot Rox Uk, and the service was quick and efficient. They’re competitive on pricing so it was a good experience dealing with them.

The tanks are direct replacements for a Fender Blues Junior and a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special, although the later tank is made by TAD rather than Belton/Accutronics, which is the brand you’re most likely to find in many Marshall, Mesa and Fender Amps and many more besides.

There are notable differences in the construction of both tanks – the Belton appears to be more expensive to manufacture, so we’ll have to see if it translates to a better tone/experience with the customer.

The SG client opted to get a new set of Gibson Classic ’57 and Classic + ’57 pickups with shiny chrome covers. These differ only slightly from the previous pickups, but sound great now that they’re in the guitar. They sound bright to my ears, in comparison with ’57s in a Les Paul I’ve got, but still lovely and versatile and definitely better than the stock pickups these guitars come with. It’s been a real treat to work on this guitar, and I look forward to the next one!

Strat Fret Stone and Set-up

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Aylesbury Guitar Repair

Today I spent some time fret stoning and setting up a Fender USA Deluxe Strat. The fret wear was fairly consistent along the neck, although the upper frets/dusty end weren’t too worn, so needed a touch more attention to bring them into line with the rest of the neck. It was plain sailing though, and sure enough this baby is ready to sing and get going again!

: Masking the board 1

: Masking the board 2

: Masking the board 3

: Tending the nut slot depths

Player’s Tele

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Aylesbury Guitar Repair

This was a set-up that had three saddles in a vintage configuration. The action was able to come down significantly and the relief in the neck was already sufficient for a decent feel, so no need to touch the truss rod on this occasion. Getting the intonation balanced was certainly time-consuming, but the end result was lovely!