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Post by ux4484 on May 17, 2006 17:49:39 GMT -5
...(I got it via a trade at GC with a stripped Gibson melodymaker body I found at a garage sale)... just when i was beginning to think you were a nice guy, i find out you broke a cardinal rule: unk gets first dibs on Melody Makers!Well, certainly my timing was off to offer it to anyone here . I went to the regular guitar nuts site in a search for hum & strats last summer & only started pa-rousing here a couple weeks ago. It was no beauty...Neck joint was split and the frets were completely flat. Bad strip job it was three different colors and the head had been grease stained.
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Post by UnklMickey on May 17, 2006 17:59:41 GMT -5
well, that makes me feel a little less disappointed.
and now that you know "the rule", make sure it doesn't happen again.
just out of curiousity, what does a troubled rat Melody Maker get you for trade-in value?
unk
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Post by ux4484 on May 17, 2006 18:40:06 GMT -5
just out of curiousity, what does a troubled rat Melody Maker get you for trade-in value? unk It gets you one of these
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Post by sumgai on May 17, 2006 19:44:43 GMT -5
ux, Thanks for the warning about that bridge plate. I'll look at Southeast in a moment or two, but first.....
+1 to ux for bearding the God in his own den!
sumgai
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Post by ux4484 on May 18, 2006 9:40:25 GMT -5
+1 to ux for bearding the God in his own den! heh.... Thanks(?)
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Post by sumgai on May 19, 2006 2:17:25 GMT -5
ux, It's a play on words..... normally you'd "beard the lion in his den", but this time, you stirred unklmickey, the Uber-God of these forums. Sorta like a lion his jungle domain - he's the king, or effectively, the local God. Hence, you stirred his beans by not offering your SG to him, yet you lived to tell about it!
Worth the price of admission right there! ;D
sumgai
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Post by ux4484 on May 19, 2006 15:37:04 GMT -5
oh...I understood the term.... ...I just didn't think it garnered any Karma maybe unklm should have a sticky post in the Hock Shop on his MM calling rights so all the newbs will be forwarned .
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Post by sumgai on May 20, 2006 16:00:56 GMT -5
ux, Good plan, let's see if he takes your advice. ;D Karma doesn't have to be related directly to the forums, or to guitars/music in general, it can be granted for whatever makes the grantor feel good. Humor definitely fits the bill on that one. sumgai
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Post by ux4484 on May 25, 2006 9:14:28 GMT -5
I was at Borders yesterday (with 10% and 25% off coupons). Their computer said they had one, but it was nowhere to be found. I ordered it *sigh*. Hopefully I'll get a few more coupons and some Borders rewards before it comes in. I did use the coupons....on comics .
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vjmodman
Rookie Solder Flinger
Posts: 11
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Post by vjmodman on May 25, 2006 21:14:14 GMT -5
Okay I'm coming in -way- late on this one ;D But I recomend one of these devices, www.tremol-no.com/
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Post by bam on May 27, 2006 10:10:34 GMT -5
oops. already posted by someone else in the near end of page 3 of this thread. sorry ..
And I still recommend wooden block. A lot cheaper, and much easier to switch between tremolo "on" and "off" (just detach it).
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 1, 2006 18:28:09 GMT -5
Well, the chrome drop top is in stock, and according to my MF "account view" is on it's way. BTW sumgai, they have additional chrome's in stock as well. Since I'm going to do surgery, I may as well pop off the pickgard and star ground and shield it as well. The neck pup is pretty quiet, the bridge is silent, but the middle pup is more than a little annoyingly hummy. I found out today, I have a local supplier for copper sheets, so I may as well do the whole job. I'm happy with the standard switching...but I do have a (20+ yr old) DiMarzio Dual Sound (only slightly used ) I was thinking of putting in the bridge position so I could go single coil there on occasion. I'm thinking of putting the switch above the standard switch centered between the volume and 1st tone control.
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 6, 2006 13:45:10 GMT -5
I got the bridge today. I noticed a big change in description on the Custom shop website since two months ago when I ordered it. It now says it's a drop in for a 6 screw trem, it used to say it was for 'Any Strat type trem'. No mind....I installed a couple of threaded inserts in the knife screw brass insert plugs. Then a small amount of work with a jewlers file on the front holes on the bridge allowed it to line up quite nicely. I have temp screws in front until I can get some nice 6-32 chromed flat heads. One of the brass knife inserts was exposed in the trem cavity, so I used that as the replacement ground lug for the bridge. I'll be stringing it up shortly to do the setup. I've got my fingers crossed.
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 16, 2006 11:49:34 GMT -5
".... but the G string is now a bear to keep in tune (like a 3 saddle tele)....." "Keep in tune" meaning you get it in tune and it go sharp or flat when playing? Flat means slipping Tuning key, if the bridge is indeed locked in. "Keep in tune" meaning you tune the G relative to the other strings, or in a tuner, and it sounds "bad" in chords with the other strings .... means intonation needs setting. Did you reset the intonation after locking in the bridge? Sorry if you have already explained you did, I read through this rapidly and may have missed it. A little program called G-tune is a very nice computer strobe tuner you can try for free (time limited on its run).
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 16, 2006 12:59:32 GMT -5
there are a few possibilities for your problems.
you might be well off to get a chromatic tuner, and find out how just how good your nut/freboard/bridge/setup is.
also, if you aren't using a trem, a roller nut is over-kill.
if you have a hard time getting in tune, or if any strings go suddenly sharp after tuning, you may need a lubricant at the nut or bridge.
i'm sure you already know this, but you should always tune UP, never tune down.
if you are sharp, tune the string flat, then slowly increase the tension until you just reach the exact pitch.
unk
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 16, 2006 14:21:26 GMT -5
Thanks unk, The G is always going just slightly flat. My main tuner is one of these. In addition, there's a chromatic in my Digitech. Normally I can get most guitars I run across set up (heck, If I can get my brothers old Hondo II LP copy intonated, I figured I could do anything!) I did lube the nut and bridge, but it just occurred to me that I don't think I lubed the string retainers(!)....DUH! In addition, I noticed after (once again) looking at the bridge , that one of the G string saddle screws has worked it's way loose. I may have to put a little vacuum grease on the saddle set screws to keep them from vibrating loose. on tuning up....things I learned (the hard way) as a teenager: righty-tighty lefty-loosey Logic does not apply to the teenage female mind Always tune up!
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 16, 2006 14:43:26 GMT -5
i much prefer those chromatic tuners over a EADGE guitar tuner. especially when doing a setup. you can check your intonation over the entire range of the fretboard. if you have some non-linearity, you can sometimes compromise a bit so that in some places you are slightly flat, others slightly sharp. if a string consistently goes flat, and you always tune up, that suggests: A -- the string is getting hung-up at the bridge or tailstop. B -- the tuning machine is slipping. C -- the string is slipping on the tuning machine D -- the string is defective (and will probably break soon) E -- the string is brand new (this problem is very easy to fix!) ... I may have to put a little vacuum grease on the saddle set screws to keep them from vibrating loose.... vacuum grease? what line of work are you in? unk
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 16, 2006 14:59:52 GMT -5
vacuum grease? what line of work are you in? unk I'm a tech, I've worked on everything from capacitor winding machines to surgical sterilizers to radio equipment over the last 2.5 decades. My stint on sterilizers introduced me to Dow-Corning vacuum grease, which has over the years been a God-send. It sticks to anything, keeps dirt, other oils, and water out. and never bleeds/leaks with heat or pressure (or a vacuum ). It's perfect for keeping small screws/parts from vibrating loose.
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Post by Runewalker on Jun 17, 2006 19:03:39 GMT -5
Thanks unk, The G is always going just slightly flat. My main tuner is one of these. In addition, there's a chromatic in my Digitech. Normally I can get most guitars I run across set up (heck, If I can get my brothers old Hondo II LP copy intonated, I figured I could do anything!) I suggest googling for G-tune on the net and downloading a trial. Have not tried any new versions but the older version I have allows you to get readings for 10 minutes, then you have to restart the program. When I am especially lucky I have flash intonated in 8 mins. Those little lights on the tuners or the Digitech are inaedequate for intonating. That assumes your issue with intonating the G is the dialing in of string length opposed to a slipping tuning key. Here is a pix of a TremFreezer rough prototype I built out of standard hardware and a hand machined (thust the 'rough' term) aluminum plywood edging cap. It is reversable and firmly secures the bridge via the ineritia block. The oval holes are for changing strings without removing the device. The single spring is only to re-establish grounding continuity and may be dispensed with by grounding the device. This is installed in a cheap little Turser I had lying around, so the inertia block is of the insubstantial type. Larger blocks, either in height or width may not work with the device. A toss away JH ran accross has a massive I-block, that is on 4mm from the backplate, and that one would not have enough room to fit this device and the backplate. But hey, Jimi and SRV had no stinken' backplates. In addition to improving the coupling to the body of the bridge structure, it also adds mass to the bridge, which in all the ones I have installed it in, improves the sustain of those airy Strats. Tuning and intonation become rock solid with this device, and it requires no violation of the top of the guitar. However, it does eliminate the Whammy option, at least on the guitar it is installed in. Another reason for multiple guitars. RW
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Post by ux4484 on Jun 26, 2006 11:31:29 GMT -5
Well, it's too late for a trem locking device for me, as the conversion bridge is already on. I did download G-Tune (I found when saving it, I already two years back downloaded a previous version but never installed it). I had shied away from computer based tuners as on my Pocket PC, I had tried Phon Tuner and found it just a tad unstable with my Dell Axim's built-in Mic. I loaded G-tune on the Mrs. laptop and adapted a 1/4 jack to the mini plug mic input. It worked pretty well once I checked "fix DC offset" box on the input pop-up. I compared it to my DigiTech RPx400, as the digi's built-in is much better than the Sabine for setting intonation. Here's what I found on the Strat: I was pretty much dead on for every string besides the G string. The readings were so fluctuating that I replaced the G string (even though I had replaced the strings a second time after installing the bridge) again. I think all the playing around with the settings tanked the string. As I said to unk, the string hold downs were not lubed, which may have contributed. Once I set the G for proper intonation, it still had a hollow sound. Though it had no buzzing on the neck, I set the saddle a bit higher. Even though there was tension on the saddle previously, this improved the sound of the string greatly (and did not change intonation at all). I'm all good now, and no longer regret changing the bridge. I checked my other guitars with G-tune, and here's what i found: Corez Tele copy: Almost right on the money; A and D were just a tad flat at the 12th. Fender JP-90 Bass (biggest shock of all): E-string was massively off (sharp at the 12 fret). I can only assume my ears are going, or the Digitech really IS only meant for guitar frequencies (though I use it for both). Yamaha Acoustic: A tad sharp on the 12th for all the strings, but evenly so. Maderia (Guild) Acoustic: almost right on the money Again, even when you think you know how to do something, maybe you don't. Thanks guys!
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jul 12, 2006 23:00:37 GMT -5
I read three different Ideas on blocking a tremolo or would just putting in all the springs be enough Sorry that its a little late but I saw this and must respond. Stevie Ray Vaughan had 5 springs in his Strat and he was still tuggin on it. See Heres a close up Having 5 springs just add's resistence. It also increases the life of each individual spring. They still wont last forever. But they will last a good amount of time longer.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Jul 13, 2006 0:32:32 GMT -5
he used very heavy strings so he needed it. i have a rockinger blackbox in my guitar, it works very well.
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Post by bam on Jul 13, 2006 11:24:48 GMT -5
I still insist that a wooden block is much better bang for the buck. way better than anything
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Post by ux4484 on Jul 13, 2006 11:29:10 GMT -5
Well, I'm pretty happy with the hardtail conversion now. I just should have picked a hardtail to start with.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Jul 14, 2006 0:17:23 GMT -5
I still insist that a wooden block is much better bang for the buck. way better than anything not really. while it is the cheapest possibility you can't use the vibrato anymore. with a blackbox you can still use vibrato both ways when it is a floating one (although you'll need much more force for upbending) and still get practically all the advantages of a fixed bridge. and 12 euros aren't much money ;D
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