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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:59 am 
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Koa
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A lot of you guys loosely know my guitar background as far as building goes from threads here. I’m new, only a few years in, if that. I’m on build 10 I think. Some have been great and a few have sucked haha. Each one a learning experience. I feel that I should be able to do a reasonable setup / maintenance job by now (although I may get surprised).

Well I have a chance to do a set up on a guitar that is special to me. It isn’t anything expensive it but holds value for me because it is the guitar I borrowed from my aunt 30 years ago to learn to play on.

If I’m not mistaken it is 70s Yamaha. Laminated sides and such. No holes. Just needs an adjustment / maybe even a gentle buff on my new buffer:)

Just wanted to share that. I guess it’s not exciting news to most, but it will be fun to touch this one again.

If I have questions or need help I’ll post in this thread.


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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:01 am 
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SnowManSnow wrote:
Well... in a guitar that isn’t one I’ve made
A lot of you guys loosely know my guitar background as far as building goes from threads here. I’m new, only a few years in, if that. I’m on build 10 I think. Some have been great and a few have sucked haha. Each one a learning experience. I feel that I should be able to do a reasonable setup / maintenance job by now (although I may get surprised).

Well I have a chance to do a set up on a guitar that is special to me. It isn’t anything expensive it but holds value for me because it is the guitar I borrowed from my aunt 30 years ago to learn to play on.

If I’m not mistaken it is 70s Yamaha. Laminated sides and such. No holes. Just needs an adjustment / maybe even a gentle buff on my new buffer:)

Just wanted to share that. I guess it’s not exciting news to most, but it will be fun to touch this one again.

If I have questions or need help I’ll post in this thread.


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jfmckenna
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:47 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Location: Virginia
Sounds like you are qualified to me ;)

Building and repair are often seen as two different animals. I think a well rounded luthier knows how to do both. Of course setups have to be done by everyone. If you build a guitar you better know how to set one up.

I had started building guitars in the early 90's and like you it was learn by doing. I think it was my 10th guitar that I finally sold. The first ten were either pretty darn good guitars or just descent guitars that looked awful. But the word got out in my town that I was a 'luthier' so the few music stores that were around hired me to do repair for them. I was shooting from the hip but ya gotta start somewhere.


These users thanked the author jfmckenna for the post: Pmaj7 (Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:41 am)
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Freeman
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 11:53 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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70's Yamahas typically have a couple of things going against them when its time to work on them. First, the necks frequently need resetting and it can be very difficult to do that. Since the first thing I always look at before starting a setup is the neck angle, that can be a problem.

Second, many of them had pretty small frets by todays standards and in 40 or more years the frets can be pretty worn. Since the second thing I always look at before starting a setup is the frets, that can be a problem also.

Old Yamies usually have single acting tension type of truss rods that can be hard to adjust. And finally, mostly as a result of the first issue, many don't have much adjustment left in the saddle so they end up with pretty high action.

They are wonderful old guitars, but a bit of an enigma. I still have the 1970 FG-150 that was my first guitar, a very faithful old friend.
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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:38 pm 
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Image

Image

Image

It’s actually in decent shape ha.
The plastic nut and saddle BOTHER me, but hey... it is what it is


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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:40 pm 
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Right now the neck is pretty flat. That said I did notice a spongy feel from a higher action. I don’t have measurements yet. I can say there isn’t mich room in this plastic saddle:/
Image


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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:44 pm 
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Frets are... well ok:/
Image
I think
1.25 - 1.30 first 5 frets
Higher by a bit than my new necks before doing any level ha


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Colin North
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:07 pm 
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Easy enough to replace the saddle and nut.
Fret plane looks a little low, but you may get away with ramping string slots in the bridge if you lower the saddle.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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Freeman
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:28 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Looks like mine when I did the sawed off neck reset. What was the action and before you took the string off?

fwiw, I make it a habit to measure all the setup things (relief, 1st and 12th fret action) before I take the string off - really nice to know what you are starting with and it makes it easy to talk to the owner if you are doing this for someone else.


These users thanked the author Freeman for the post (total 2): Carey (Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:52 pm) • Pmaj7 (Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:57 pm)
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jfmckenna
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:59 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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If that notched straight edge is not on the frets but on the fretboard itself then it looks ok to me. I don't use a notched straight edge and rest it directly on the fret and look for like 1/32nd inch airspace at the saddle. It looks like you got a bit of room on the saddle too. I would at least make a bone saddle for it, may as well make a nut too.
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Freeman
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:23 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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For sure, make a saddle (and nut) and see if you can get playable action (whatever that means for you).
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Colin North
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:06 pm 
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That's just a straight edge showing the fret plane projection, not a notched one showing the FB projection.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:26 pm 
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Colin North wrote:
That's just a straight edge showing the fret plane projection, not a notched one showing the FB projection.

One of the pics is a notched strait edge showing a strait fingerboard ... scroll up just a tad


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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:22 pm 
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In talking to the owner she wants to keep the plastic parts. She feels it adds value to the oldish instrument. So, at this point it’s mostly cleaning really. Maybe a height adjustment.

Why someone would want cheap plastic parts is beyond me, but all good:)


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Colin North
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:38 pm 
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Keep them in the case, fit bone for playing, just my $0.02

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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SnowManSnow
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:06 pm 
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Colin North wrote:
Keep them in the case, fit bone for playing, just my $0.02


Gotta give her what she wants and she wants plastic back on:)
Oh well.


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Pmaj7
PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:03 pm 
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SnowManSnow wrote:
In talking to the owner she wants to keep the plastic parts. She feels it adds value to the oldish instrument. So, at this point it’s mostly cleaning really. Maybe a height adjustment.

Why someone would want cheap plastic parts is beyond me, but all good:)


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Customer is always right. LOL!

One thing I just found out the hard way; if a guitar comes in with no relief, before the customer leaves make sure you can loosen the rod and introduce some. If you can't, you will have to discuss some other options.

New username, same Pat Mac

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