Tribute (Part 3)

As the LP Tribute is a used instrument, some parts require replacement due to wear & tear. The ones you see above are:

1. Volume / Tone knobs - (aka top hats/ reflectors) one was chipped, the other cracked. All four were removed.
2. 3-way selector indicator (aka poker chip) - worn out, label faded
3. Strap buttons - one was corroded
4. Volume / Tone indicators (aka thumb bleeders) - Unnecessary
5. Input jack plate - cracked at all corners
6. Truss rod cover - cracked at both ends

I prefer these 'speed' knobs, they are easier to handle & offer a sure grip. You can see the phantom indicators there which could not be cleaned away. The corrosion had left a permanent mark there, nothing harmful.

D'Addario strap buttons & the new poker chip. Those strap buttons - I happen to have spare ones lying around.

Replacement input jack plate - it's a generic replacement. My experience with the Gibson version - material is softer & more susceptible to cracking so it's not worth paying a premium for. Folks, if you tighten the screws, do it lightly for each one. Once all four are in place, tighten each one carefully, none should be over-secured. If you tighten any one corner right at the start & proceed to tighten another, the chances of cracking it is higher. Simple Scientific consideration states that one corner should not be over-pressured while another is being attended to, yes? 

Last but not least, truss rod cover. Same consideration, folks, do not over-tighten one end before attending to the other. 

To be concluded...

Related entries: Tribute (Part 1) / Tribute (Part 2)

The un-blackening (4)

The final few touches for my Ibanez S470 happened yesterday. The ZPS system was restored as depicted above. When I bought the guitar, the previous owner had one of those screws (1) missing, the surviving one was terribly corroded. The whammy bar was also stuck in the bridge shaft. I had to work the mechanism from the rear, broke some very fragile, plastic parts along the way (2) but managed to get the bar out. I placed orders at Eillek Oet & it took a while to come. The entire back plate was oxidized & threatened to decay but that was taken care of by some chrome polish which worked wonders.

Before heading over to Beez's, it was re-strung with a set of Pyramid strings (.009).

Moving over to the headstock, the entire nut locking assembly was replaced; one of the locking studs was missing, one was rusty & the final one was rounded. The chassis was removed as well, I'm very happy with the Gotoh replacement unit- fits to a tee. The string retainer bar was also replaced & I had a hard time finding a direct replacement. The ones in the shops now are conforming to Fender/ Floyd Rose measurements so they are a little narrow. The one here was another Eillek Oet order. Chrome screws- a little out of place, I know. They will be replaced in time to come.

Finally, a new set of tuners as the previous set was half-dead with corrosion threatening to take over. They were on sale at Eillek Oet anyway so it was a good catch.

Electronics makeover done by the Beez master himself. Can you see the orange cap in there?

All done.Glorious restoration, I'm terribly satisfied. Played with it till late last night while watching Batman.

Replaced, yeah!

This was avoidable; corroded hardware. The guitar above is my Ibanez S970, that decayed contraption there was its whammy arm, thumb wheel lock. I was busy wiping & glossing the body over that I 'd forgotten about that one component so it went bad...

But I acquired the replacement part & had that bad one removed; hence the shiny version you see above. You can get one too from Eillekoet. Now, where in SG is that store? Info's here: CLICK. Know what's in store by clicking the store link at the left column of this page.

Historic parts

 

Gibson's now offering historically correct replacement parts for your (Gibson) guitars. If you feel queasy  putting other replacement parts there, these would be it.

Em... if you have a Gibson copy, this is your opportunity to make it closer to the real thing, yes? It'd be a field day for those pirates out there as well, genuine replacement parts to shroud whatever imitation bits in making the instrument whole.

But really, it's frustrating looking for genuine replacement parts knowing these are the features which make your instruments work in the first place. It affects your confidence if you have something else running the show. The real apprehension would be the alteration of tone/ playability/ functionality of your instrument.

That bumblebee cap looks enticing...