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NuGD: H-150 Blonde Beauty


Gianluca

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57 minutes ago, pressure said:

Every one knows wood has a crystalline structure that's why many guitar manufactures (Fender, PRS, Music Man and others) thermally treat wood used in guitar builds to speed up the aging process to achieve that internal structure. If soaking musical instrument wood in oil is such a great idea then take it to the next level and soak wood fingerboards in creosote and they will look new even longer.

I categorically deny any of that "logic".  The fundamental premise itself is flawed.  Open your mind.  You might start here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood

" Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic material - a natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that resists compression. "

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2 hours ago, pressure said:

I see you there and raise the ante.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid Wood is a porous, fibrous material.  In a general sense it is solid but it contains gases and liquid.  Its strength characteristics vary across and along the grain.

https://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/wood/structure_wood_pt1.php  This says " cellulose is up to 90% crystalline"  The cellulose also is made of fibers.   In the previous straw example, the straws are the cellulose, the lignin which constitutes more biomass is a polymer (non-crystalline).  Then there's gas and liquid within wood's volume, again non-crystalline. 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10086-013-1347-1  This is precisely why I oil my boards!  Oils don't evaporate at the same rate as water.  I use oil to minimize wood's hygroscopic properties.

https://www.intechopen.com/books/cellulose-fundamental-aspects-and-current-trends/crystalline-nanocellulose-preparation-modification-and-properties  You're not reading these, are you.

There are many more scientific journal the refer to wood being composed of a crystalline cellulose matrix but you get the idea.

 

It is comprised not composed of crystalline cellulose.  It's akin to calling the oceans crystalline; yes there's crystalline salt but the oceans have far different properties.

Wood is a natural plant without true consistency, it is further heterogeneous meaning it is truly unpredictable; especially to the degree it is crystalline.  That's why they make sandpaper!

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17 hours ago, rockabilly69 said:

thanks for that, I think I need to understand a few things and build some knowledge
for example, how the Bareknuckles Mules A4 PUs can be paired with right Capacitors an Pots?
My general idea of an H-150 is with a Jimmy Page kind of harness (or sort of), I'd like the split coils and the out of phase tones I could get

I saw Bareknuckle sells some replacements:
 - https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/product/bare-knuckle-jensen-capacitor
 - https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/potentiometers

I guess I'll first clean it and fix it, later I'll be deciding what could be next
The neck PU is a bit too muddy for me, I could think of A2 for the neck

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I'm glad you agree with me, we wouldn't want anyone to ruin their fretboard by over oiling it.

Yes, "composed of" is the correct form. The phrase "comprised of" is never correct to usage purists despite its regular appearance in writing. If you want to be correct in the eyes of discriminating readers, use "composed of." If you like the look and sound of comprise, you can still use it correctly.Jan 12, 2015

Business Writing Blog › 2015/01

"Comprised of" vs. "Composed of": A Test - Business Writing.

image.png

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cleaned the pots and the scratches are gone, tone is better and I like it a lot...I think I'm going to be happy with my Golden Beauty
think I'll go out - maybe to GAK - and buy polish and fretcare product, this guitar needs a clean up

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been at GAK
got a polish and lemon oli
cleaned all the guitar and fretboard
re-strung it with D'Addario XL110 (10-46)

had to adjust the bridge height because it was buzzing, action is a higher now, something to fix next time maybe loosening the neck a bit
prev mounted string were very very old and thin

nice tone, I like it

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On 2/7/2020 at 3:47 PM, Gianluca said:

thanks for that, I think I need to understand a few things and build some knowledge
for example, how the Bareknuckles Mules A4 PUs can be paired with right Capacitors an Pots?
My general idea of an H-150 is with a Jimmy Page kind of harness (or sort of), I'd like the split coils and the out of phase tones I could get

I saw Bareknuckle sells some replacements:
 - https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/product/bare-knuckle-jensen-capacitor
 - https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/potentiometers

I guess I'll first clean it and fix it, later I'll be deciding what could be next
The neck PU is a bit too muddy for me, I could think of A2 for the neck

I don't think that they make switching style pots for the Jimmy Page tone setup with split coils and out of phase stuff, so maybe Bareknuckle maybe your best bet. But for straight Les Paul tone these are the VIPs are the best I've used! As for your guitar being muddy on the neck pickup it could be just a low value pot in that position. 

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thanks rockabilly69
I'v been reading their pages and found their products interesting,
the pots and the caps is something I could maybe ythink to replace myself
I agree they sell straight LP kind of tone accessories, cool ones I'd say

yesterday I spent some time setting up the action after restringing the guitar I had to loosen the neck of one step
and this morning fixed the intonation
interesting experience

the guitar is fantastic, I'm sure it can get better as I gain some more experience and knowledge, thanks a lot guys&gals here
 

I see Gold Tops everywhere ?
 

following is a guitar and pickups video entirely made by VIP and played by JDSimo (great player)
very cool tone 

 

I'd be very happy to have a great Golden era LP tone and maybe the JP wiring another time ?

Question: how do I identify a low value pot ? (Maybe the BK Mules requirements values are not met?)

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so, I have asked Bareknuckles what they recommend using with The Mules, they replied almost instantly:

Quote

Hi Gianluca,

An ideal set-up would be 4x BKP CTS 550k pots - you need to check the length to see what option to go for:

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/upload/support/cts_pots_972e33e.pdf

and a BKP Jensen 0.022 cap for the bridge tone and a BKP Jensen 0.015 cap for the neck tone.

I would also have a play with the height as that can make a massive difference.

Kind Regards,

Ben French

 

same values reported in VIP's https://www.vintageinspiredpickups.com/product-page/vipots-long-shaft

still need to learn how to properly setup the action, not sure I'm doing it right even if the guitar has a better feeling after what I did, and then learn to adjust the PU's height
lots to learn ?

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5 hours ago, Gianluca said:

so, I have asked Bareknuckles what they recommend using with The Mules, they replied almost instantly:

 

same values reported in VIP's https://www.vintageinspiredpickups.com/product-page/vipots-long-shaft

still need to learn how to properly setup the action, not sure I'm doing it right even if the guitar has a better feeling after what I did, and then learn to adjust the PU's height
lots to learn ?

When I've replaced pots on my 150s I've used short shaft pots, but you can check by measuring the ones already installed in the guitar when you remove them. For setting up and general maintenance, I've found the CruzTOOLS GrooveTech Guitar Tech Kit to be very useful, and it comes with a booklet explaining how to do various setup jobs. For setting the pickup height, Throbak have a video which goes into great detail on how to set pickup height for your particular guitar and style of playing.

Have fun!

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On 2/8/2020 at 11:41 AM, Gianluca said:

been at GAK
got a polish and lemon oli
cleaned all the guitar and fretboard
re-strung it with D'Addario XL110 (10-46)

had to adjust the bridge height because it was buzzing, action is a higher now, something to fix next time maybe loosening the neck a bit
prev mounted string were very very old and thin

nice tone, I like it

I'm not sure what GAK is.  This stuff, JOHA:
DE-8631_450x450.jpg

Says:  " Caution: The fretboard oil must not come into contact with varnish, as it can dissolve this. "
I wouldn't have this stuff in my house, let alone apply to a guitar.  Even if it doesn't come in contact with the finish, what about the outgassing?

When it comes to finishes, I rely on Bob Flexner.  He has, time and time again, broken down some of the largest myths in commercial finish products.  When it comes to lemon oil, he writes:
In the early 1970s, Homer Formby started selling his lemon-oil furniture polish by claiming that it replaced the natural oils in wood. Never mind that furniture woods don’t contain natural oils and that a finish is there to keep liquids out of the wood. Through 30-minute TV infomercials and thousands of appearances in shopping malls and at antique clubs, Formby was able to implant this false idea of replacing natural oils into the minds of most Americans as fact.  Lemon-oil furniture polish, is really little more than petroleum distillate (mineral spirits) and a lemon scent.

She's a beautiful gold top Gianluca.  Take good care of her.

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15 hours ago, Gianluca said:

thanks Bob,
might I ask if did you replace pots only? Did you use BK's ?
 

When I've replaced pots it's usually when I've been changing pickups, and I just get "ordinary" CTS 500k audio pots which work fine for me. I'm fortunate that Hot Rox is located in Nottingham, and while they do much of their business online I can pop in whenever I need a pot, capacitor or exotic pedal!

My most recent adventure in pickup replacement was fitting a pair of Gibson Bill Lawrence "The Originals" (which came from my '89 335 Dot Reissue) into my Squier Esprit, along with a couple of CTS push-pull pots for coil splitting each pickup.

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3 hours ago, Steiner said:

I'm not sure what GAK is.  This stuff, JOHA:
 

Says:  " Caution: The fretboard oil must not come into contact with varnish, as it can dissolve this. "
I wouldn't have this stuff in my house, let alone apply to a guitar.  Even if it doesn't come in contact with the finish, what about the outgassing?

When it comes to finishes, I rely on Bob Flexner.  He has, time and time again, broken down some of the largest myths in commercial finish products.  When it comes to lemon oil, he writes:
In the early 1970s, Homer Formby started selling his lemon-oil furniture polish by claiming that it replaced the natural oils in wood. Never mind that furniture woods don’t contain natural oils and that a finish is there to keep liquids out of the wood. Through 30-minute TV infomercials and thousands of appearances in shopping malls and at antique clubs, Formby was able to implant this false idea of replacing natural oils into the minds of most Americans as fact.  Lemon-oil furniture polish, is really little more than petroleum distillate (mineral spirits) and a lemon scent.

 

I agree, indeed it's the first time I used lemon oil in my life and I'm not happy with it, they fretboard needed a cleanup, it was collecting dust and sweat from a long time
so I went to GAK and bought what they gave me - I know I'll make some disappointment here - the Dunlop 65 polish and lemon oil

the products above are for lutherie and for same reasons you said Steiner I did not buy them

so, what are the real products to use, for finihs and FB?
the olive oil goes rancid, maybe the linseed oil?
honestly I'm not sure the fretboard needs rehydrate but some times a clean is needed

 

3 hours ago, Steiner said:

She's a beautiful gold top Gianluca.  Take good care of her.

 

yes Steiner thank you, I will do my best and thank you All for you help, advice and fun
please let me know what you think about best natural products are best to use?

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4 hours ago, bobmeyrick said:

It's a major UK music store. i believe the name derives from Guitar Amp Keyboard.

Not to be confused with "gagh", the Klingon "delicacy"

yes it is,
main shop here in Brighton but i do not know how happy I can be of them
I find i difficult to find a real luthier in Brighton

so I need to learn and help myself 

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instructions they gave me at GAK

Guitar:
- use a clothe
- spray the polish cleaner on the clothe(same as reported on the instructions)
- clean the guitar with it
- do not let the polish cleaner touch wood(some marks/scratches but are not exposing wood fibres)

Fretboard:
- put some drops on the FB
- make sure you spread on all surface
- leave it ~2m
- take a soft old toothbrush and gently clean it
- take a kitchen tissue and clean it dry

 

feel free to throw bad words and stones at me, I need to learn anyways

I thought to buy some of the StewMac book  or something better if I can find it
side note: in Italy it's easier to find more luthiers ?

I love my Gold Top, yesterday all day with it playing, at the end of the day I realized how much I missed a real LP

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All food based oil CAN go rancid, even nut oils.  In small amounts, it's not likely.  I have read others complain about linseed oil becoming tacky with continued use.  I don't take the chance.  I use mineral oil on the fretboard, a cool, damp, soft rag on the body - followed immediately with a soft, dry rag to remove the water.  When I wax, I use Fender/Meguires.  I don't trust Fender but do trust Meguires.  I use Meguires car wax on wooden creations, I'm unsure about using it on a guitar; it may haze with continued skin contact - I don't know.

A few years back, the recommendation here by @Kuz, and others was Virtuoso.  It is, by far, the best cleaner I've ever used.  Last time I tried to find some, I couldn't.  I see now it's available at Amazon - go figure...  I'd start with the Virtuoso.

I've put mineral oil on my fretboards for over a decade.  The only caveat is when I look at a used guitar for sale, most have drab, dry color; yuck!

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