1989 Fender Strat Plus Refret

It's back!  The Strat that I did some minor work to in Sept 2010 (see blog) is in for some new frets.  This will be a bit of a challenge, as Fender used remarkably thin strips of Rosewood on their fretboards during those years.  Rosewood is particularly brittle, and when left untreated and played a lot it results in a lot of small chunks being lifted away when removing the old frets.

Prior to removal, the fretboard was thoroughly cleaned and treated with a generous dose of lemon oil and I even increased the humidity in the shop for a few days.  After romoval of the original frets, however, there was still some patchwork needed even after levelling and dressing the board. The first half of the new frets went in quite well, but once I hit the "busier" part of the board I started to have some problems.

Enough material chipped away as the old frets were removed that the fret slot became too wide in some areas to receive the new frets.  Several things can be done in this case.  The tang of some frets were crimped to allow a wider bite, and the wood dust saved from dressing the board was used to build-up the chipped areas after mixing it with crazy glue.  Regardless, the ends of some frets were still floating and would have to be glued-in individually after install.

Using several solid maple cauls to apply pressure specifically to the fret ends, the opening was filled with water-thin crazy glue then the floating fret end was pressed in to place and secured with a clamp.

A piece of veneer was used to prevent any possible indent in the fretboard made by the caul.

This process was required for several frets and on both sides of the board.  Once securely in place, the refret routine could continue as normal.

Godin 5th Avenue Archtop pickup install ~ UPDATED!

The folks at Godin have done an excellent job re-creating a classic acoustic archtop design.  These Canadian made guitars are very well crafted and in many ways better than the various manufacturers that mass produced these types of guitars in the 30's-60's.  With the solid top, they are sure to age well and sound better and better as they are played.

Although they come with optional soapbar style pickups installed, the owner of this one wanted something a little different.  He dropped this off with most of the components required for a pickguard mounted humbucker and thumbwheel volume & tone controls.

The pickguard will be a bit of a challenge, as it has become warped over time as the owner likes to rest his fingers on it while playing.  This was bound to happen with the usual two anchor points not providing support where he needed it.

The first order of business is to protect the pickguard and lay out the components to see how they'll line up.  This pickup will be mounted in the neck position up against the end of the fretboard.  As you can see, the pickup housing will encroach into the pickguard 7/32" for proper string alignment.

After a visit to Dad's old scroll saw and some minor hand filing, the pickup mounting tab slid nicely in place under the pickguard.  Now for some creative fabrication...

The height of the pickguard causes the pickup to be pressed against the strings if the mounting tab was flush against the underside of the pickguard.  I need a way to add height adjustment screws without sacrificing stability of the pickup mount, considering it's only anchored on one side...

After selecting some similarly coloured hardwood, I made an "elevator channel" with a cork bottom that will protect the soundboard of the guitar.  It's the same height as the spacer that mounts the pickguard to the body just below the fretboard, and allows about 1/2" of travel up and down for the pickup.

Mounted to the underside of the pickguard with countersunk screws, it will provide lateral stability for when the spring loaded pickup mounting screws are installed.

Holes drilled and machine screws inserted ~ now I need a way to stop the nuts from spinning independently when adjusting the height of the pickup...

















That should do the trick ~ after carefully measuring the distance between the edges of the nuts when mounted then adding 1/8", a small hole was drilled in the side of the nuts and a piece of lockwire was soldered in.

The full assembly.  From the bottom:  The cork layer that will sit flush against the body, the adjusting nut, the pickup mounting tab, the adjustment spring and the pickguard.  Now to wire it all together...

Removing the tailpiece revealed a hole already drilled (top).  I imagine this was done at the factory, as some of these guitars come equipped with soapbar pickups that would require a grounding wire to the tailpiece.  Saves me some work!  The bottom hole I drilled after removing the strap pin that had a stripped screw that required a little extra drilling and extraction.

The jack will also serve as the strap pin once installed in the bottom hole.

After sanding off the plating from the underside of the tailpiece, a grounding wire was soldered on which will be fed through the top hole.

Piecing it all together ~ this being a jazz neck pickup, I selected a .15uf capacitor to retain some high end and leave it with some bite at higher volumes.  The controls were adhered with industrial double-sided tape that is strong enough to stand the test of time but can also be removed for adjustment if needed.

Prior to assembly, I gently flattened the pickguard from it's warped state by using an iron at it's lowest setting and a damp cloth while applying lots of pressure.




The final result ~ a great sounding, height adjustable, pickguard mounted pickup with no additional holes drilled in the body of the guitar.

1990 Hamer Centaura ~ UPDATE!

With the owner of this project due to arrive back home in a few weeks, I thought I'd post some more pics just to keep him excited!

In the previous post I pointed out where the body cavity near the switch was sanded dangerously thin.  While I won't divulge how the hole was patched (it's a surprise), I will show how it has been reinforced.

Inside the body cavity was a recess machined further into the surface to accommodate the 5-way switch.  With the body sanded thinner, the recess is no longer required and the remaining surface is only about 1mm thick.  The recess is deep enough to fit two layers of mahogany veneer, so I'll cut them to shape with the grain alternating direction for added strength.

A straightforward technique that I remember from elementary school art class!  Capturing the outline of the recess on some tape, then transferring it on to the piece of veneer, with some careful cutting and sanding will achieve a form-fitting piece.

Under the tape is the veneer.  The main concern now is to ensure adhesion in the edges but avoiding direct pressure near the weakened slot that houses the sliding switch.

A pair of used frets taped to a small sanding block will do the trick! Two layers were fitted this way and a final third layer will be added (after sanding off the remaining old finish) to cover the entire switch area, making the area much stronger and able to withstand regular use.

A new control cover was also required.  Sanding off the original finish left the cavity too shallow to accommodate a new plastic control plate, so the area will have to be milled down.  A Dremel with cutting wheel and an improvised jig will get it started.

Set to the appropriate depth, a groove was cut around the edge below the surface. A good sharp chisel and some delicate elbow grease will do the rest!

Now to make the control plate.  A much cheaper option than ordering a pre-feb one for this discontinued model.

Once again transferring the traced outline, this time on to a sheet of black pickguard plastic.  After a trip to the bandsaw and belt sander and some tweaking with a sanding block, this dropped right in to place.

Now to align the holes.  Many people would simply drill new ones and fill the old ones, but the time it takes to transpose the location of the original holes is about the same.

Painter's tape has been my best friend on this project!

Aligning the pencil marks with the corresponding corner allowed pinpoint accuracy for the screw holes.

Countersunk and ready for the finishing touches!  More updates on this project to come!