Andy Eagle ( Guitar repair tech for 30 years )

Henry said:
I could not get to screw in the new stainless steel screws (saddle and fine tuners) into the FR Special. I think it's just a thick layer of chrome that is applied after they cut the threads. I bought a tap and die set and recut all threads. They are M3x0.5 and M5x0.8, for reference, if anyone has to do the same thing too. I also upgraded to a push-in arm. It looks nice now. It will be a while before I put the guitar back together though, major other work going on ...

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That’s about as good as a special is ever going to be.
 
Hi Andy

I have a early '90s Gibson Les Paul Studio. It's well played but been in storage mostly for last couple years. Anyhoo, decided to do a full setup on it.

Took the strings off, cleaned fingerboard, and now I have the two pieces of the tune-o-matic bridge. They seem plain metal, though I can't tell you what type it is. What're good ways to clean the decades of grime and whatsit off? De-oxit? Soak in diluted vinegar?
 
Moe45673 said:
Hi Andy

I have a early '90s Gibson Les Paul Studio. It's well played but been in storage mostly for last couple years. Anyhoo, decided to do a full setup on it.

Took the strings off, cleaned fingerboard, and now I have the two pieces of the tune-o-matic bridge. They seem plain metal, though I can't tell you what type it is. What're good ways to clean the decades of grime and whatsit off? De-oxit? Soak in diluted vinegar?
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Not vinegar. Remove it from the guitar and then you can spray it in wd40 and leave it overnight . Polish it with an old toothbrush and you should be ready to go.
 
Update that my wife got me an HS Blackouts set, the bridge AHB-1 and the AS-1 neck. They do totally balance perfectly. I wired the jumper pins from the neck to a switch, but the difference is so subtle so as barely to matter. I thought I'd be better off with a trimpot on that switch to have two output levels, so I'm doing that. I went ahead and put a trimpot on a switch for the bridge too, and it's working great to have two presets.

The AS-1 didn't come with the unusual .47 microfarad cap, so I have a little assortment on order, but I think they're cool so far.

The terrible 2.3kHz pick attack on the bridge is masked in enough scenarios now to make this guitar sound serviceable. I'm thinking if I wanted to get closest to a Les Paul bridge tone with this guitar (Sun Valley Super Shredder Floyd Black Limba), I'd have to go for an Invader.
 
State of Epicicity said:
Update that my wife got me an HS Blackouts set, the bridge AHB-1 and the AS-1 neck. They do totally balance perfectly. I wired the jumper pins from the neck to a switch, but the difference is so subtle so as barely to matter. I thought I'd be better off with a trimpot on that switch to have two output levels, so I'm doing that. I went ahead and put a trimpot on a switch for the bridge too, and it's working great to have two presets.

The AS-1 didn't come with the unusual .47 microfarad cap, so I have a little assortment on order, but I think they're cool so far.

The terrible 2.3kHz pick attack on the bridge is masked in enough scenarios now to make this guitar sound serviceable. I'm thinking if I wanted to get closest to a Les Paul bridge tone with this guitar (Sun Valley Super Shredder Floyd Black Limba), I'd have to go for an Invader.
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Glad you are sorted. On a side note I would be surprised to get anything Les Paul like from an invader. Horrible pickup from the no amp gain era.
 
Thanks Andy. I'm chasing the type of thick bridge tone I used to get from my Washburn USA P3 and my Epiphone Les Paul. Is that even possible with a guitar with a Floyd, or am I trying to get blood from a stone?

The tone of my guitar acoustically is so incredibly thin it actually makes all pickups feel like lower output. I'm guessing there's no pickup out there that would be better for thickening a guitar than a Blackout. After you asked why my JB was so low I raised it as high as I could, and that helped, and I have the Blackouts set high also. I think my problem is in the guitar itself. It still has the Floyd 1500 that came with it. What if I set it to dive only?

Maybe the problem for me is that every guitar I've had with a Floyd or Edge has sounded thin to me, but the two guitars whose tone actually inspired me to no end were my P3 and LP.

If the only way to get that thick LP tone is with something of that ilk, can you recommend a guitar that is thick but has a tremolo and better upper fret access than a LP? I only stopped playing my LP because my fretting hand wrist felt like it was breaking because of the thick neck heel area.

Leon Todd's DGT sounds amazing, and it got me thinking that maybe playing a superstrat is my real problem in the first place.
 
One more piece of the puzzle: I compared the dry direct track that Leon sent me of his DGT to my guitar with the Blackouts raised all the way, and still his DGT sounded like it has higher output, way thicker, and just better. It has got to be the thick midrange from the construction of the instrument driving the input harder that makes the DGT sound so much more powerful than my superstrat, even with the most beefy pickup combo one could use.
 
State of Epicicity said:
One more piece of the puzzle: I compared the dry direct track that Leon sent me of his DGT to my guitar with the Blackouts raised all the way, and still his DGT sounded like it has higher output, way thicker, and just better. It has got to be the thick midrange from the construction of the instrument driving the input harder that makes the DGT sound so much more powerful than my superstrat, even with the most beefy pickup combo one could use.
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Output is not beef. Add some input gain to the model or boost the amp ,even a mid boost if that is missing when you add gain.
 
State of Epicicity said:
Thanks Andy. I'm chasing the type of thick bridge tone I used to get from my Washburn USA P3 and my Epiphone Les Paul. Is that even possible with a guitar with a Floyd, or am I trying to get blood from a stone?

The tone of my guitar acoustically is so incredibly thin it actually makes all pickups feel like lower output. I'm guessing there's no pickup out there that would be better for thickening a guitar than a Blackout. After you asked why my JB was so low I raised it as high as I could, and that helped, and I have the Blackouts set high also. I think my problem is in the guitar itself. It still has the Floyd 1500 that came with it. What if I set it to dive only?

Maybe the problem for me is that every guitar I've had with a Floyd or Edge has sounded thin to me, but the two guitars whose tone actually inspired me to no end were my P3 and LP.
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A guitar with a floating Floyd absolutely does not have to sound thin. The 1989 Ibanez RG550 I had with a toothpick for a neck sounded pretty thick (SD Parallel Axis pickups), so does my Carvin C66 (Suhr Doug Aldrich pickups).

The S. Duncan JB can be hit and miss, I have found it to sound thin in some guitars and just fine in others. The Blackouts should have plenty of beef.

I think you are approaching this from the wrong perspective. You are taking someone else's preset (and DI), that you heard them playing using their technique, pick, guitar etc. That's unlikely to work with your stuff.

I find that if I use any of my guitars, I would want to tweak at least the EQ a bit. Some of my guitars are brighter, some darker, some with more low mids or bass and so on. Embrace the differences and just dial the amp model differently.
 
MindCrime said:
@Eagle - Telecaster topic

What would you recommend for a good value Telecaster ? Doesn't matter to me where it was made....

Classic Vibe ? Performer ? Prefer rosewood FB. Not looking for custom shop pieces. I'm talking "off the rack".

Thank you
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NGD: Baby’s First Telecaster (40th Anniversary Squier)

The Telecaster bug has long nibbled at me, and I finally resigned myself to it. This is my first Telecaster in 15 years or so of playing, and it’s the only guitar I currently own that isn’t an EBMM. I was at my local Guitar Center, and I saw a few of the 40th Anniversary Squires hanging on the...
thegearforum.com thegearforum.com
 
laxu said:
A guitar with a floating Floyd absolutely does not have to sound thin. The 1989 Ibanez RG550 I had with a toothpick for a neck sounded pretty thick (SD Parallel Axis pickups), so does my Carvin C66 (Suhr Doug Aldrich pickups).

The S. Duncan JB can be hit and miss, I have found it to sound thin in some guitars and just fine in others. The Blackouts should have plenty of beef.

I think you are approaching this from the wrong perspective. You are taking someone else's preset (and DI), that you heard them playing using their technique, pick, guitar etc. That's unlikely to work with your stuff.

I find that if I use any of my guitars, I would want to tweak at least the EQ a bit. Some of my guitars are brighter, some darker, some with more low mids or bass and so on. Embrace the differences and just dial the amp model differently.
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Thanks for that. I actually read a bunch about the Parallel Axis and was really considering those, especially since they offer a noiseless Strat pickup too in that series.
 
State of Epicicity said:
Thanks for that. I actually read a bunch about the Parallel Axis and was really considering those, especially since they offer a noiseless Strat pickup too in that series.
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I think you are chasing the wrong end here if the Blackouts sound thin to you as well. I've never tried them but to me they sound pretty beefy in most demos. Look at the modeler end instead and see what you can do there to get them more to your liking.
 
State of Epicicity said:
Thanks for that. I actually read a bunch about the Parallel Axis and was really considering those, especially since they offer a noiseless Strat pickup too in that series.
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I have a few of the p axis strat versions. A nice and fat, punchy tone. They may work best in a bright guitar if you want to beef it up in the bottom end. Personally I prefer Dimarzio Cruisers, they're better balanced with a little less low end and I think the top end is more open sounding, no harshness.
 
I've been playing D'Addario XL Balanced Tension 9s, which are lower than regular 9s in tension, so tonight I'm going to try Balanced Tension 10s, which I played for a very long time. I think that might be the final piece. Thanks to all for your thoughts and perspectives
 
I personally think that as long as you play appropriately for the tension 10s don’t sound any better. I play 9s though 11s depending on the guitar. Personally I don’t mind but my left hand likes 9s and my right 10s 🤣 it’s much easier to pick every note fast with a bit more tension. Acoustically 10s are maybe slightly better but I don’t think it translates through the amp. Let us know how you get on.
 
By the way, I did some more playing tonight with the Blackouts HS set, and Man, they are awesome! I totally love them. I've never heard a Strat pickup meld with a humucker so perfectly, yet still have so much versatility. I'm still waiting on the .47 microfarad cap for that Strat pickup, but still, both pickups are wonderfully versatile. Just badass. And all this was with my 9 guage strings. For whatever reason, I definitely hear a big difference between string guages, but I'm also one of those assholes who hears a big difference between guitar cables. haha!

By the way, I did a little research into the quick connect style wires that EMG uses, and it turns out they're called Dupont wire. I ordered a pack of Dupont wire from Amazon, and I used that for parts of the wiring here, and it was awesome. I snipped the extra long wires that came with the pickups, but I actually extended the battery wire that connects to the ouput jack, allowing me to put the battery between my pickups. Man, this has been fun!

I did create two "presets" for each pickup, on top of the Les Paul style controls I already have, but I then thought they just weren't necessary. I experimented and found that a 1k trimpot was perfect for setting a second setting on a switch for a drop in output. But the thing is, I ride my volume knobs like a motherfucker anyway, so it just seemed redundant.

And finally, I found a great source for 25k dual concentric pots in the US: Thompson Guitar & Thrift. They're this husband and wife who operate out of their garage. They dropped off my pots within two hours of me placing the order, and they had by far the best price on dual concentric A25K pots I've ever seen. Awesome company. I've ordered from them before, and they've always been cool as hell.

Okay, I'm about to put a stack of business cards in to block my trem and put in the balanced tension 10s. The pickups made a huge difference, and I could leave it at that, but Man, I keep pining after the beef. I know I might sound a little silly, but I gotta follow my gut here. I'll post the progress.
 
Eagle said:
Hello everyone.
A few words of introduction;
I have been a repair tech full time for 30 years and on the side of a proper job before that. I also work with collectors, insurance and auction houses authenticating vintage and ex rock star gear.
Basically if you have an issue I have more than likely seen it before.
I firmly advocate that there is objectively good and bad in both music (not for this column) and musical instruments and it is far from just opinion. I base what I write on my experience and empirical data if available and have no affiliation with any companies as this would compromise my ability to say what I find and this is why people come to me in the first instance. I also call myself a repair tech not a luthier because I deal mostly with a diagnostic approach to solving peoples problems and not scratch building .

So as the title says;

Ask me anything!
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Hi mate,

Im struggling to get pinch harmonics on one of my guitar Its really difficult. Its not my technique because on other guitars its fine i might miss once but in general im fine.

On this one its hard work. I have raised pickup it helped but i believe it could be better.

It has SD pickups and Gotoh bridge… I feel it could do with better sustain too..

I had it set up with guitar tech but to be honest i have not had much luck with techs and im losing hope.. :rofl

What could be the problem? :sofa
 
megametal7 said:
Hi mate,

Im struggling to get pinch harmonics on one of my guitar Its really difficult. Its not my technique because on other guitars its fine i might miss once but in general im fine.

On this one its hard work. I have raised pickup it helped but i believe it could be better.

It has SD pickups and Gotoh bridge… I feel it could do with better sustain too..

I had it set up with guitar tech but to be honest i have not had much luck with techs and im losing hope.. :rofl

What could be the problem? :sofa
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A close up picture of the guitar bridge would help. It could have poor contact on the saddles which would certainly not help.
 
As I'm locking the low E and A:

IMG_0947.jpeg
 
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