Orville

This was a fun partial restoration project completed today. It's an Orville (Japan) Les Paul that weighs a tonne. It had been through a few owners & surprisingly in a good condition (lightly used). 

 

This is pretty much the reason why this guitar is so heavy; there's a sumptuous amount of maple on top of the main mahogany body.

Why did I remove the pickup mounting rings? This is the reason. Folks, for vintage specs instruments, especially the Les Paul variety, the correct mounting ring length is less than 9cm. Guitars with modern, wide necks (eg. Jackson), it's a little longer (9.1cm). Apparently, the incorrect version was installed in this guitar causing material compression as seen above. 

This is how it looks like after the correct mounting ring was purchased & installed. Folks, respect your instruments. It shouldn't be equipped with ill-fitting accessories. In a buy-sell situation, it becomes a reason for others to mitigate prices. It also reflects on you as the owner; why pay more to individuals who don't give a hoot about their belongings especially when there are crucial follow-ups to be done  post-purchase. Anyway, the bridge mounting ring was retained as it was of the correct measurement. My take on the matter - someone over-tightened the neck mounting ring & it cracked. That person bought the incorrect replacement part & couldn't get an exchange for the correct piece. 

Also folks, it is my habit to reinforce the pickup coil tape with a new layer for older pickups. During installation / removal from the guitar, the sides might rub against the mounting ring repeatedly causing some wires to be exposed. In terms of looks, it is more presentable should you decide to sell the pickup away. The Seymour Duncan pickups in this guitar: JB (b) / Jazz (n).

Finally, a fresh set of Darco (10s) strings. Summary of other maintenance procedures not visually documented:

• Replaced tune-o-matic / hard tail bridge. New set of GOTOH parts.
• Replaced tuners / machine heads. Also a new set of GOTOH units. Three out of the six were wobbly & could not hold tuning well. 
• Replaced all rusty & rounded pickup mounting screws.
• Fret polish.
• Cleaned & re-moisturized fretboard. The amount of gunk removed... OMG.
• Thorough wipe down & polish of body, neck & headstock.

The Studio

It's been Gibson for the last few days or so. When I bought this LP Studio about 5 years ago, everyone in the store was talking about its looks. Granted it sports one of the more captivating flame top in its range, but I bought it for its weight.

That's right, the weight of this guitar is in the hefty range so it's gonna take a toll on your back if it's played strapped on. The thing about heavy LPs is that it brings out the strength of what this guitar was supposed to excel in traditionally- tone. The lighter & chambered LPs of today (regardless of the model) has something missing in this department & we can attribute that to more air in the body as opposed to more wood. However, the Gibson chaps did manage to strike a balance between structural considerations & ear candy somewhat because the LPs of today don't muck up at higher volume/ gain settings. As much as it is about the pickups manifesting clarity, it's also about the right mass manifesting the desired resonance for some magic to happen. 

I re-strung this guitar & gave it a good wipe down. The rosewood fretboard benefitted from some light re-conditioning. 

Ibanez: RG3XXV (Part 3)

After playing the RG3XXV for some days now, I realized that the instrument is rather heavy. This prompted me to revisit my RG560 & discovered both instruments to be of about the same weight. I have no idea if this was deliberate on the part of the manufacturer- to re-create the instrument to specs- it's definitely a positive consideration. Due to how heavy it is (not excessive, of course) there's a stronger bass response & more sustain to be heard. This complements the D Activator bridge pickup for its prickly midrange.

New pickup- Ibanez SA1260

So this is the latest pickup trio in my Ibanez SA1260:

• Neck: DiMarzio True Velvet
• Middle: DiMarzio Area 67
• Bridge: D'Activator X

Initially, the neck Area 67 stayed put but after some time, I feel I can do better with a more twangy pickup in the neck, especially with lots of distortion so the 67 migrated to the middle position. I have a non-stacked unit in the neck, the True Velvet, which is the best for this guitar. It's frustrating hunting for the right preferred DiMarzio for the SA1260 due to its heaviness. Also, I'm not a DiMarzio fan, the selections I made are less fruitful, I'm more familiar with the Duncan selections but I would want to keep the pickups here an all DiMarzio affair.