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Posts: 1735
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
Working on factory-made guitars
A guy contacted me and asked "Do you do setups? (nut/saddle/action for rasgueado and golpe)." I said yes and he brought me a Cordoba "Luthier Made" cutaway negra (GK LMNOP Pro, I think) with electronics and no golpeador. Both the saddle and the nut were very high and the saddle was too narrow for the slot and crowned like a bullet. I adjusted the action and applied a golpeador. But the thing has very little sound. It is a heavy wooden box. I am worried about the owner's expectations. I can't work miracles. I think in the future I will say no to working on this kind of guitar-like thing. And I see the list price of these things is $2449.00. To would-be buyers, I say: Save up and buy a real guitar!
Also, he left me with a set of LaBella strings to put on the guitar. They had red trebles and little white cubes that looked like dice, and after I cut off the old strings I discovered that there were two high E strings and no B string in the sealed package.
If it has electronics and it’s overbuilt that’s not so bad because the voice can be articulated with various sound kits today. But making it play easier with good set up probably helped it. Bullet shaped saddles don’t work.
How did you lower the bridge saddle? I ask because the bottom needs to be very flat in order to balance or “sandwich” the piezo pick up (so all 6 strings pick up as evenly as possible, which is rare anyway). I have used a friend’s belt sander in the past. The B string on the 820 La Bella’s is pretty soft tension, I remember Professor RD claiming PDL complained about this and used a hybrid set. Maybe that is why you think it is two E’s? I become quite accustomed and enjoy the feel of 820’s.
Posts: 1735
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: Working on factory-made guitars (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
How did you lower the bridge saddle? I ask because the bottom needs to be very flat in order to balance or “sandwich” the piezo pick up (so all 6 strings pick up as evenly as possible, which is rare anyway). I have used a friend’s belt sander in the past. The B string on the 820 La Bella’s is pretty soft tension, I remember Professor RD claiming PDL complained about this and used a hybrid set. Maybe that is why you think it is two E’s? I become quite accustomed and enjoy the feel of 820’s.
No, I thought it was two E strings because they both had a little white cube on them that said "1" and I checked with a micrometer that they were the same gauge.
I put the saddle in a kind of little vise I have that holds things parallel to the table of my disc sander and sanded material off the bottom. I left the bullet crown. It can't sit flat because it tilts in the too-big slot when strings are tensioned. I considered fixing the slot, but didn't. The customer liked the result.
The "sliding vise" is in the foreground of the picture (from Amazon). I don't use the drum sander.
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I put the saddle in a kind of little vise I have that holds things parallel to the table of my disc sander and sanded material off the bottom. I left the bullet crown. It can't sit flat because it tilts in the too-big slot when strings are tensioned. I considered fixing the slot, but didn't.
Out of curiosity, why didn't you just make a new saddle that fit properly and had the proper top shape?
RE: Working on factory-made guitars (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
How did you lower the bridge saddle? I ask because the bottom needs to be very flat in order to balance or “sandwich” the piezo pick up (so all 6 strings pick up as evenly as possible, which is rare anyway). I have used a friend’s belt sander in the past. The B string on the 820 La Bella’s is pretty soft tension, I remember Professor RD claiming PDL complained about this and used a hybrid set. Maybe that is why you think it is two E’s? I become quite accustomed and enjoy the feel of 820’s.
I don’t use any electric tools when I make nuts and saddles. Except to thin the saddle to the perfect slot thickness. For the rest of it I use a bench hook and files. Ok then I use a buffer machine, but you don’t need that if you don’t have it.
I put the saddle in a kind of little vise I have that holds things parallel to the table of my disc sander and sanded material off the bottom. I left the bullet crown. It can't sit flat because it tilts in the too-big slot when strings are tensioned. I considered fixing the slot, but didn't. The customer liked the result.
The "sliding vise" is in the foreground of the picture (from Amazon). I don't use the drum sander.
I bought that drum sanding contraption, along with enough spare sanding drums to last me well over 800 years, when I was starting out and still had a job that actually paid. I had grand plans for it, used it once, hated something about it, and now it sits somewhere in a box to remind me of how easily one can get sucked in by a good sales pitch.
On the other hand, I use the "sliding vise" clamp all the time. It's super handy. I have a few shims of different shapes that I put against the pillars to keep the piece being sanded from pushing in and use it for dimensioning nuts and saddles, mainly on a belt/disc sander, but also as a holder for filing, sanding, and planing at the bench, too. It kind of took the sting out of buying the sanding drum monstrosity and was a worthwhile purchase, although making one wouldn't be the least bit difficult. So, I guess I'm still a sucker. But it's great.
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There was this horrible book published in the 1970’s when I was in elementary school and Jr High. It was called ‘The Joy of Sex’ and many of my friends and my mothers friends had this embarrassing monstrosity on their living room coffee tables or bookshelves. Look up this disaster on the internet. Now I’m no prude, but I seriously did not want to think about my friends mother naked when I was in the 5th grade, and half a century later, I still find this a repulsive thought.
I mention this because there were many parodies launched which spoofed the title, The Joy of Math, The Joy of Cooking, The Joy of Hex ( for urban witches) and there was an essay in guitar publication called ‘The Joy of Low Tech’. Fine.
The Joy of Low Tech is an embarrassing parody of the Joy of Sex, but really low tech is the way to go, what ever you do with sex is your thing. If you want to do set up work you only really essentially need hand tools and a good vernier caliper. Ring me if you want to know more, Igor at your service.
RE: Working on factory-made guitars (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
There was this horrible book published in the 1970’s when I was in elementary school and Jr High. It was called ‘The Joy of Sex’ and many of my friends and my mothers friends had this embarrassing monstrosity on their living room coffee tables or bookshelves
'tis the hairiest book I've ever read. Speaking of V nut slots ...
RE: Working on factory-made guitars (in reply to silddx)
quote:
ORIGINAL: silddx
quote:
There was this horrible book published in the 1970’s when I was in elementary school and Jr High. It was called ‘The Joy of Sex’ and many of my friends and my mothers friends had this embarrassing monstrosity on their living room coffee tables or bookshelves
'tis the hairiest book I've ever read. Speaking of V nut slots ...
Since the cover was not pornography they just left it out on the side table or on the TV. I mean how disgusting, a few years later we learned about sex properly by reading Penthouse letters.
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