I get press releases from Rotosound relatively frequently. Some of the information in those releases has found its way onto this site if I thought it might be useful to others.

This time though, I’m posting an image from this Rotosound release just because I like it.

Rotosound say they found a programme from Thin Lizzy’s Bad Reputation tour in their archives and it contained the ad above for their Jazz Bass strings. They say some other stuff about strings and other users and whatnot but I tuned out to be honest.

I just enjoyed the pic and the memories.

I hope I may be allowed a slightly self-serving post. Although, to be fair, I reckon there’s something here that might well interest all you guitar geeks.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I run Haze Guitars here in Ireland, building custom instruments and performing repairs on pretty much anything with strings. Well, I’ve been working with Radio Nova (also in Ireland) on a fantastic competition. Next week (the first week of October), Nova will be running their Rocktober 500 Countdown competition and the ultimate winner will get a completely custom guitar or bass.

Let me just reiterate that: It’s a completely custom guitar or a bass.

The winner will get to meet with me at Haze Guitars to discuss and decide on their desired specification and I’ll then go and built their dream guitar.

Pretty cool, eh?

More information as I can. For now, twiddle your radio dial to 100FM for Nova and pop to Haze Guitars. Stay tuned to both.

For completeness’ sake and to avoid international-internet disappointment, the competition is open to residents of the Republic of Ireland.

About, bloody, time.

In my alter-ego persona as a mild-mannered, guitar-repair guy, about half of the times I get a call about a Jaguar, it’s someone with a stock model asking about modding it to make it all Cobainy.

Well now, they don’t need to. Fender have gone and done it already.

The Kurt Cobain signature Jaguar is a replica of the ’65 Jag that Cobain played with Nirvana. It’s been reliced too, to capture some of the original’s vibe.

As you’d expect, it’s got a pair of DiMarzio humbuckers shoved in there, with a three-way, Gibson-style toggle to select them. The Gibson vibe of Cobain’s Fender is continued with the tun-o-matic style bridge. Three chrome-dome knobs take care of volume and tone (individual volume for each pickup). Incidentally, the Rhythm Circuit works as normal if you’re a fan of such things.

The rosewood fingerboard is bound and, at the end of the neck, a Strat headstock with a spaghetti logo is loaded with Gotoh tuners.

This appears to be a pretty tasty guitar and the ageing/wear has been nicely handled (something that isn’t the case across the Fender range in my opinion).

It’s pitched at a MSRP of $1,850 (US) but you’ll likely find it for a better price than that.

As I read the release information, part of me was hoping that Fender, in an attack of vicious irony would only offer it in right-handed but it’s available for lefties too. I’m a little disappointed.

More at Fender.

Oh, and if you’ve got a stock model Jag, I can probably mod it for less than $1850. A bit less, anyway.

A while back, I outlined a (slightly) unusual method of repairing the broken neck of a Gibson SG. I mentioned that guitar would make another appearance soon and here it is.

The guitar suffered a broken headstock while still in its case. A neck-break in the case was the final straw for the owner—who’s had more than one Gibson require a neck repair— and he wanted to consider options to help prevent it happening again. We talked over the pros and cons of the various solutions and eventually decided on a backstrap overlay.

This methodis sometimes used where the break is too nasty or offers insufficient glueing surface to guarantee a sound repair. A backstrap was not a necessity to repair this particular break (and, indeed, it entailed additional expense to carry out) but the owner wanted to do something that would go towards preventing a reoccurrence.

A backstrap overlay involves removing some wood from the rear of the headstock and some way past the broken section. A patch is cut from new wood and is bent to conform to the curve between headstock-angle and neck. Because the inlaid patch has been bent to shape, its grain has no run-out and remains strong.

I explained to the owner, and I will to you, that this offers no guarantees. However, this method of applying bent wood certainly strengthens a weak area of the guitar and it will be stronger than the original.

The first thing that needs to be done is to repair the existing crack. I’ve discussed this in a previous post so I’m not going into any detail here. A repaired crack is necessary so that the section to accommodate the backstrap can be removed. My usual preference, when doing this, is to run the strap right to the end of the peghead as the inlaid wood is more discrete. In this case, doing so would have removed the serial number and ‘Made in USA’ stamp and I decided keeping these better served the future value of this guitar.

A 3mm section is removed from the back of the headstock. The Saf-T-Planer allows me to do this cleanly right up to the point the neck angle gets in the way. The remaining section along the neck is removed with hand tools.

A piece of mahogony is thicknessed to the appropriate size and cut out roughly to shape. Out comes the trusty bending-iron and I work the wood into a gentle bend to conform to the section I’ve cut in the neck.

Some inelegant, but effective, clamping and glueing and the backstrap is in place.

But it’s not pretty. The patched in piece does allow you to get a look at the bend clearly though. Because the grain in that patch (backstrap) runs—uninterrupted—from end to end it’s much stronger than the piece that was removed.

A little work with routers, drills, knives and sandpaper and the new piece looks a little more like a headstock should. Some touch-up work helps hide the evidence. A (relatively invasive) repair like this can never be completely invisible under a translucent finish but this is pretty discrete.

We’ve repaired and strengthened a broken-necked SG and preserved the serial number. Not a bad few day’s work.

This article was brought to you by Gerry Hayes from the workshop of Haze Guitars and is cross-posted there.
 Haze Guitars provides guitar repair, restoration and upgrade services and makes beautiful, hand-built instruments.

I quite like some of Morrissey’s music. I also quite like meat—tasty, tasty meat—but I have no real problem with the fact that Morrissey isn’t keen on meat or even that Morrissey’s not too keen on people who eat meat. Despite that I’ve heard him say a few things I found annoying and stupid in the past, his views on vegitarianism don’t make him a twat.

What about stating that the recent massacre in Norway pales before the wrongs of the fast-food industry, though? Does that make him a twat?

The internet’s full of this, so it may not be new to you but, before performing Meat Is Murder in Warsaw the other night, Morrissey told the crowd: “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown with 97* dead. Though, that’s nothing compared to what happens in McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Shit every day.”

Now, I suspect that most people, whatever their views on the benefits of a vegitarian or vegan diet, will consider that a pretty objectionable thing to say.

Morrissey, you twat.

*I think he was mistaken about the number—not really the worst thing about this quote, though.

Nobody likes to see this. It’s the headstock of a Gibson SG and, as you can see, it’s broken. Ouch.

Something slightly unusual about this is that this guitar suffered a headstock break while still in its case. This is unusual but not unheard of. I’ve seen a few in my time (and I mention it in my general article about Broken Necks). It’s a real pain to hear this but even a good case might not protect your guitar in all circumstances. If you want to be even more safe, you can slacken off the strings before you pop your guitar in its case. Not the most practical solution but it is what it is.

Anyway, we’ve looked at headstock breaks before but I wanted to show you some unusual clamping arrangements on this one.

First off, let’s get the glue pot heating up. I’ll often use hot hide glue for repairs. If you use it correctly, it’s very strong and creep-resistant. I like the ‘traditionalist’ vibe of it too. Depending on the repair, it can be particularly suitable too (as it was in this case).

And the next photo—whoa, what’s going on here?

We’ve looked at various clamping methods before and discussed making custom cauls and whatnot. Sometimes though, headstock breaks can be very soundly and securely clamped by the clever application of ratchet compression straps.

“Are you mental?” I hear you cry.

Nope. If the neck crack is held on by the headstock veneer and, if it mates cleanly and securely, it can often be easier to use this method of getting the break back together. The strap is secured at either end—around the strap-button and through the tuner holes—and it can apply a strong, directional pull to keep the break together for glueing.

The block of wood I’ve used at the front of the headstock just protects it. Likewise, the cork padding on the rear of the body. Once the glue has been applied where it’s needed, tightening the ratchet applies the pressure that pulls the cracked headstock together again. There’s plenty of force—in fact you could probably pull the headstock off completely if you over-tightened.

Let the glue cure and clean up the excess with some hot water and a rag (another great advantage of hide glue) and it’s done.

This guitar will be making another appearance soon. Stay tuned.

Incidentally, I didn’t invent this clamping method (more’s the pity). Years ago, Stewart MacDonald’s catalogue used to include occasional tips from guitar techs and luthiers. I read this there and have been thankful for it plenty of times since.

This article was brought to you by Gerry Hayes from the workshop of Haze Guitars and is cross-posted there.
 Haze Guitars provides guitar repair, restoration and upgrade services and makes beautiful, hand-built instruments.

OK. I’m as geeky as the next guitar nerd and, like you all, I love looking at videos of guitarists’ rigs. I love seeing their seventy stage guitars and their two full height racks full of esoteric effects with flashing LEDs and their wall of stacks and that special plectrum they use that’s made from a shark’s tooth. I love that crap.

Still though, I can’t help feeling that this look at Buddy Guy’s rig is a breath of fresh air. Deep down, I’m a traditionalist and, no matter how much fun it is to examine a million bucks worth of shiny gear, I can’t help getting a bit misty-eyed and nostalgic for a simpler time.

Tone’s a personal thing and a crapload of effects and equipment has its place. It’s nice to sometimes plug a guitar into an amp though (ok, maybe with a spotty Wah).

Check out this video from Premier Guitar. Great stuff.

Incidentally, that polka-dot Strat nearly gave my brother concussion. During one of Buddy’s jaunts into the audience, the headstock missed his head by less than an inch as Buddy spun around. Disappointed it didn’t make contact as it would have made for a better story.

Bob Taylor is a geek. There’s no denying it. Geek is written all the way through this book as if it were a stick of rock. I think the odd thing—for a person in his position anyway—is that Bob Taylor isn’t really a guitar geek. At least that’s what comes through here.

Instead, what seems evident from reading Taylor’s book, Guitar Lessons, is that Bob is an engineering geek. All through, it seems like his biggest passion is figuring things out. How does a guitar work? How can I make one? How can I improve on that last one? How can I make them more quickly and more accurately? Personally, I love this attitude but I admit to being surprised at learning this. I came away thinking that Bob Taylor could be finding clever ways to improve shoe-laces and he’d be happy.

This isn’t a bad thing, of course, and few could argue with the impact Taylor Guitars has had on the world.

In Guitar Lessons, we get to learn about the early days. How Bob and two partners began making guitars and the many, many problems they faced along the way. Part biography, part business-guide, part self-improvement advice, Guitar Lessons is a slightly strange read. Taylor comes across as a very genuine and pleasant guy and he seems honest throughout about mistakes he made and how he’s worked to better himself, his company, and his product.

Guitar Lessons is a pretty quick read and it’s interesting and entertaining throughout. Taylor sometimes strays into providing sales figures and similar information that’s a little dry but this is only when necessary and it’s never overdone or tedious.

As a guitar-maker myself, I admit to finding Guitar Lessons almost equally depressing and uplifting. Depressing in that nobody likes to have the many challenges to growing their business spelled out for them and uplifting in that Taylor battled his way through every one of those challenges and emerged triumphant. My feelings on this are probably a personal view as someone with a vested interest—I suspect if ‘normal’ people read this book, they’ll mostly just come away with the positive bits.

And you should read it. I know there are some Taylor-bashers out there and, quite genuinely, I think they should read it too. It’s an insight into why Taylor Guitars do things the way they do. Seriously, it’s interesting and enlightening. It might even change your mind. And, to those with no axe to grind about Taylor, it’s a shoo-in.

If you want to take a read you can pick up the actually-made-from-paper version of Guitar Lessons at Amazon. The cutting-edge among you can get the Guitar Lessons on Kindle.

I think you’ll like it. Let me know what you think.

A little ways back, I discussed the removal of an acoustic guitar’s neck for repair. I also talked a little about my opinions on the construction of that particular guitar. The neck-removal post was getting a little long so I decided to split out the reassembly part.

Putting an acoustic guitar back together generally involves some glueing. Sometimes more and sometimes less.

A bolt-on neck will generally just require that the fingerboard extension (the part past where the neck meets the body) be glued to the guitar top while the bolts inside will handle the job of pulling, and securing, the neck into the body.

A dovetail neck joint requires this but also needs glue in the joint itself. Depending on the manufacturer, the face of the heel (the flat portion that butts against the guitar side) may be glued too. Some guitar makers (Martin, for instance) don’t apply glue there while others (Gibson for example) glue it. This is one of the reasons it’s a bit more work to perform a neck reset on a Gibson.

In the case of this particular guitar though, the heel face is entirely flat and is all a glueing surface. The steel box-section tenons must also be glued into their corresponding mortice (channel) in the top and the fingerboard extension must be fixed to the guitar top.

Complicating matters is the fact that there is no force that would pull the neck into the body in the same way as a dovetail or bolt-on joint would. This means I had to clamp the neck into the body in some fashion while the glue cured.

Some inventive clamping-caul making later…

And I had a wooden caul that would fit the curved heel, letting me clamp the neck into the body. Ready to go. I did a couple of dry-runs with no glue as this was a tricky clamping job. When I was happy I could get the clamps on quickly and accurately, I went for it.

That clamp in the photos—running from the soundhole to the heel—wouldn’t normally be required but this instrument’s construction made it necessary. The clamp doesn’t actually contact the soundhole edge but I’ve got a piece of linoleum there to play it safe.

Once the glue’s properly cured, it’s ok to unclamp. I replaced the fret I removed (see the previous post) to help steam off the neck, made sure it was secure and level and I strung this little fellow up to make sure it played well.

This job was a little more involved than it might be on a different guitar. All that’s not important though. What’s important is that this guitar is making music again. That’s always good.

This article was brought to you by Gerry Hayes from the workshop of Haze Guitars and is cross-posted there.
 Haze Guitars provides guitar repair, restoration and upgrade services and makes beautiful, hand-built instruments

This is my Fender Blues Deluxe amp.

It’s a beauty. I’ve had it for years and I love it. It’s full of Fender. Really, there’s so much Fender in here that it bursts out in sparkly loveliness whenever I plug in a Strat.

In fact, there’s too much Fender in here.

It’s too damn loud. It might be fine if I were placed it at one end of a football stadium and ran a really long lead to the other end but in my house it rattles the windows as soon as the master volume is turned above two. I’d learned to live with it but always felt like I couldn’t push it enough to get it really cooking.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Thanks to Gary, I found out that there’s a whole community of loud Deluxe sufferers. And, it turns out it’s an easy fix.

Why is my Blues Deluxe so damn loud?

So what’s the story?

It seems that Fender, for whatever reason, installed a linear-taper potentiometer in the Master Volume position.

Wha?

Trying to stay on the right side of geeky here. A potentiometer (or pot) is a variable resistor. They’re the things used in the volume and tone controls of your guitars and amps. There are two types of pots used in these things. A linear-taper and a logarithmic (log or audio) taper.

The taper determines the resistance at any point in the rotation as you turn the volume or tone knob. This determines how much of an effect the control has.

With a linear taper, one tenth of a turn equals one tenth of the pot’s resistance. Two tenths of a turn is two tenths resistance, and so on.

This all sounds fine but the problem is our brains do not perceive sound in a linear fashion. It’s all to do with decibels and stuff but a linear increase in volume isn’t good for our ears and brains.

So then, this is where the log or audio taper pot comes in. With a log taper, one tenth of a turn doesn’t necessarily equal one tenth of the pot’s resistance. Instead, the resistance varies slowly at first and then curves to have more effect as the control is rotated towards maximum. The result sounds much more natural to our crazy human heads.

The linear taper on the Blues Deluxe’s master volume bring masses of volume in very quickly instead of the gentle curve of an alternative, audio taper pot.

Modifying the Master Volume on a loud Blues Deluxe

We’re going to swap out the linear pot with a log/audio pot in the master volume position.

WARNING

No fooling here. This can be VERY dangerous. The inside of your amp contains enough potential voltage to seriously hurt or even kill you. Even when it’s switched off and unplugged, the capacitors can store potentially lethal charges. I DO NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY if you hurt yourself or damage your equipment in any fashion. If you’re not completely confident to carry out these steps without risk, DO NOT DO IT. Have an amp tech do so or ask around to see if one of your friends is competent enough that you trust him/her to do it. This is worth repeating: Do NOT even open your amp if you are not completely sure you know what you are doing.

If you’re certain that you have the knowledge and confidence to work safely, then I won’t have to tell you (but I will anyway) to ensure your amp is switched off AND unplugged from the power outlet. If you can, unplug it and leave it a few days to allow the capacitors to discharge (this doesn’t guarantee they’ll discharge but it’s not a bad idea to do anyway). It’s a good idea to have someone nearby just in case there are any emergencies but make sure you’re giving the project your full attention and not chatting with them.

• First off, you need to order yourself up a replacement pot. I got mine at Tubes And More Antique Electronic Supply but I’m certain you can get one in other places. Pop over to their site and search for (their) part number R-VHD-250KA (Fender part number 0047540000). Wait for it to arrive (maybe unplug your amp while you’re waiting).
• Turn your amp around and vacuum out any spiders living in the cabinet. Seriously, there was one in mine the size of a dinner plate.
• Remove the six screws holding on the rear panel. Place the screws in a bowl so you don’t lose them.

• You’ll expose the internals of the amp pretty easily by removing this rear panel. We need to get to the other side of that PCB (printed circuit board).
• Using a small, flat bladed screwdriver, loosen the small grub-screws holding the chicken head knobs on the pot shafts. Pop the knobs beside your bowl.
• Now we need to remove the nuts and washers holding the control pots, the input jacks and the footswitch/pre/power-amp jacks to the faceplate. Put all of these in your bowl.

• There are seven philips screws holding the PCB to its mounting. Their location is noted in the photo above.
• When you’re sure the PCB is free, gently shift it downwards. We need to flip it over so we have to have the jack sockets and control pots free of their mounting. You might need to clip the cable-ties on one or two wiring looms to get sufficient slack to allow this. Be careful—don’t cut the wires.
• Once it’s flipped over we can access the solder joints for the master volume pot. Make sure you pick the right one by the way. Count from the left to ensure you’ve identified the master volume.

• Use a desoldering pump and a hot iron to remove the solder joints from the four mounting lugs and the three control lugs. DO NOT remove the solder from the point in the middle (see the photo). I’m not going to tell you how to solder and desolder here—if you don’t know, you have no right messing about inside an amp.
• Remove the original master volume pot and insert the new one. Solder the mounting lugs first and then the control lugs. Make sure you get good shiny joints—use an appropriately powered iron.
• That’s it. Reassemble by reversing the steps above (replacing the spider is optional).

This is a pretty easy mod and it makes a big difference to the amps usability. If you’ve got a Blues Deluxe, I definitely recommend it. It probably took longer to write this article than it did to do the work but the caveat above remains—DON’T DO THIS if you’re not 100% sure you can do so safely.

This article was brought to you by Gerry Hayes from the workshop of Haze Guitars and is cross-posted there.
Haze Guitars provides guitar repair, restoration and upgrade services and makes beautiful, hand-built instruments