Andy Eagle ( Guitar repair tech for 30 years )

BahamaDada said:
Hey Andy @Eagle

I need your POV/advice. I have a Strat I built from a kit. I bet it's a chinese thing bc... it was like 70€ a few years ago. Anyway, I like playing it and how the neck feels. Now I wanted to widen the PU cavity (bathtub) and a part of the wood where the 6 trem screws broke off. I glued it back together and fixed it with 2 component compound "stuff" (It's definetly solid). I was able to screw in all 6 screws (needed to drill 3 new holes; 3 holes are old) and block the trem (screw it down all the way + a chunk of wood in the trem cavity).

Do you think I could make it tremming (1way) or even floating again? How many screws do I actually need to make the trem work? All 6? Then I am fucked. Or would 3 "good" screw already be sufficient?
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I need a picture. 3 may be ok but it considerably increases the stress on each point. I don't see why you can't use all 6 again if the glue joint is sound.
 
Hi Andy @Eagle , question for vintage style 6 screw Stratocaster tremolo. Just got the MIM Mike McCready Strat. The trem is decked with 5 springs.

Question about how to go to slightly floating. Will I also need to slightly raise the 6 screws, or can they stay screwed in all the way?

(I know the basics of spring and string tension balance, I had plenty of floating FR and two-post trems, this is my first 6 screw trem).

Thanks!
 
The two outside screws should just be just touching the top of the plate when it is flat on the body. Then unscrew the middle four a quarter turn. Then set the spring tension to the desired position. I recommend about a tone of up pull on the g as a starting point.
See how that works.
 
@Eagle Different topic for same guitar. Another first for me, the truss rod screw is hidden at the body. Do I have to completely unscrew the neck for adjustment?

The guitar came with too much relief for me, I have been lately following the Suhr philosophy of having almost no relief. Would I eyeball with a straight edge how much I have to straighten it without the string tension? Should I make it completely straight and assume the strings under full tension would pull it back a bit so I'd end up with about 0.005 relief?

Thanks!
 
Henry said:
@Eagle Different topic for same guitar. Another first for me, the truss rod screw is hidden at the body. Do I have to completely unscrew the neck for adjustment?

The guitar came with too much relief for me, I have been lately following the Suhr philosophy of having almost no relief. Would I eyeball with a straight edge how much I have to straighten it without the string tension? Should I make it completely straight and assume the strings under full tension would pull it back a bit so I'd end up with about 0.005 relief?

Thanks!
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Yes unfortunately it needs to come off completely. Yes make it dead straight with no strings and see what happens when you string it up. There are unfortunately no definitive answers to how much it will bend or even the effect of a quarter turn.
 
There are four types of truss rod.
The first is just fixed non adjustable and has mostly disappeared but the best example is the Vigier 10 90 neck. IME it never moves at all and I have never seen a problem with a 10 90 neck in 30 years.
2. Vintage rod . One metal rod in a curved channel braced against the wood of the neck.
These sound great because they have a minimum amount of metal so no space around them. But they actively compress the neck and hold it under tension. Over time they promote the wood to bend with the grain and that may be undesirable. They also brace wood against metal so very prone to temperature and humidity changes.
3. The self contained one way . Two rods, one braces against the other regardless of the wood. Advantages are easy to fit and doesn’t require much precision. No compression in the wood lengthways and stable because metal to metal adjustment. It can work even with a gap around it and is often poorly fitted.
4. Self contained two way. Same as 3 but two way operation. These are the industry standard for budget instruments and small volume builders alike because they are the easiest to work with. I have seen Epiphone guitars with these that you could get a screwdriver next too in the rout and the rod still works.
 
Hi Andy do you know if it is possible to fit a single coil pickup in the space of a P90? Obviously a new pickguard would be required.
PXL_20230917_081358863~2.jpg
 
The idea is sound but that kit is poor. You can get quality versions of each of these parts from good hardware suppliers. You should find stainless steel bolts and threaded brass inserts. It is a job for a pro though unless you have a pillar drill and confident in what you’re doing.
 
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Eagle, I appreciate al of your super dope comments.
There’s HERDS of info in many of the comments.
Guitars are VERY unique objects to work on.
So much lies(no pun) in the way whomever is playing it, & how they strike the instrument.
I can say I’m into Clapton but strike like
Albert Collins💯
Most of the times, what players say there into, they don’t actually play the material on their guitars.

One rule of assessment with guitar players:
“Play me a Bminor”.
-and I watch, listen & vibe..
A lot.,you can tell about a man & his Bminor.
Many players slightly pull on the notes somewhere
in the chord,
-instead of feathering the precision🎯

Thx for your words🤘🏻
 
Life Eats Life said:
Eagle, I appreciate al of your super dope comments.
There’s HERDS of info in many of the comments.
Guitars are VERY unique objects to work on.
So much lies(no pun) in the way whomever is playing it, & how they strike the instrument.
I can say I’m into Clapton but strike like
Albert Collins💯
Most of the times, what players say there into, they don’t actually play the material on their guitars.

One rule of assessment with guitar players:
“Play me a Bminor”.
-and I watch, listen & vibe..
A lot.,you can tell about a man & his Bminor.
Many players slightly pull on the notes somewhere
in the chord,
-instead of feathering the precision🎯

Thx for your words🤘🏻
Click to expand...
Yes occasionally (more than if I am honest) people bring me guitars to fix and it's nothing to do with the guitar. One guy once showed me his 8K Martin and said "if I do this it sounds out of tune" my answer was "don't do that then.":LOL:
 
B-Benders and Telecasters, Andy? Any thoughts? Pros and cons for aftermarket kits
you can slap on a Telecaster?

Thanks! :beer
 
la szum said:
B-Benders and Telecasters, Andy? Any thoughts? Pros and cons for aftermarket kits
you can slap on a Telecaster?

Thanks! :beer
Click to expand...
A real full on rout half the body away original changes the tone and it may or may not be detrimental. I would suggest not doing it to anything you really like or get another body and rout that.
 
Touche' :rofl

Aren't the routed style Benders somehow activated by the strap lock?
 
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