Bucks Guitar Modifications

Squire P Bass – Holds a precious gift

By Buck on October 8, 2008

Off the wall and out of the box guitar modifications always present a challenge. This latest one really proved to get my artistic juices flowing.

My son’s friend Kyle (A Bass Player) presented this latest challenge, his grandfather had passed away and left him with an old Zippo lighter a gift that he treasures and is quite nostalgic to him.

Kyle wanted it mounted in his Squire P Bass, we brainstormed together and thought of different ways to display his grandfather’s gift.

Originally the idea was to rout a small pocket in the body and make a plexi-glass cover. We just couldn’t find the right spot.

After 1/2 an hour of “What about here? What about this?” it was if grandpa slapped us in the head with a golden 2 x 4. The Guitar Gods up there working their magic I suppose.

I turned to Kyle and said “What about turning the Zippo sideways, just below the neck, make it look like a small humbucking pick? We both agreed – “Cool” That was working with and listening to the customer. Now it was time to make the dream a reality.

I started by making the cut out in the pick guard for the Zippo/Humbucker, using a scribe to outline the

Zippo, I drilled small holes for my coping saw. After making the cut out in the pick guard, I reinstalled it on the body of the Squire P Bass, so that I could scribe the outline for the body rout.

Using my router and a straight flute bit, I won’t bore you with the small details, like removing the neck and cutting the wire’s..etc..etc..

Rout was made, and I glued the Zippo/Humbucker in with “Duco Cement”

Good Stuff – Started putting it back to gether, getting to the bridge, yeap, that came off too. I noticed the screws were a sloppy fit.

(Some Dowel Rods and Glue) Sloppy no more.

Needless to say, Kyle was ecstatic about the results.

Moral of the story – no matter how much you think you know everything, and us guitar tech’s often think we do, listen to the customer’s wishes, and something will come of it when you analyze what is wanted and what needs to happen to get it done.

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Categories: Guitar Modifications, guitar

Calling all Guitarists

By Buck on October 6, 2008

As a practicing musician and not a pro, I find it tough to record myself and critique what I think is crap. I am always being told that I am good, why do we not hear it in ourselves? Part of life I suppose. Well if you are interested in coming together with some like minds – there is an interesting new forum that has just hit the internet.

Musician’s Plaza – They are offering a contest to win a Bad Monkey Overdrive Pedal for doing just that, record yourself. If your looking for somewhere to hang out and share idea’s, it’s worth stopping in and signing up.

Here is a snippet of the story on Musician’s Plaza – go forward and read more

If you are a practicing musician or just thinking of picking up a guitar, here is a place to strut your stuff. It’s truly a fresh new Strat stomping ground, with discussions on Stratocaster, Telecasters and an Acoustic Café’ where the coffee could be brewing, the beer could be flowing and the knowledge is being shared.

Creative juices begin to flow when you surround yourself with like minded people. I am a firm believer in having more than one set of eyes looking at something it will get you a totally new outlook on what it is your looking at. In this case you may want to pull out the ear plugs and listen to some practicing musicians and new musical talent.

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Categories: guitar

Talk About Smoking Pot

By Buck on September 29, 2008

For all you that thought this was something else, you were wrong as usual… Back to old Sunn Amp – the Volume Control was what I was really seeking and no longer available. After going through extensive catalogs and finding the NOS part is not available, and if it was, would run us about 200.00.

I decided I would re-build the old Volume Control or Pot which is 15K and no longer available – I came to the decision after trying a 25 K and an 18 K which degraded the amp very badly – sort of like a cat screaming when he was on a hot tin roof. I opened the sucker up, with my tube of Di Electric Silicone Grease, I smeared it across the wipers, making sure not to over lubricate as men are known to do.

I put this all back together, and being a dumb-ass and having cut it out of the amp the lead lugs I had to re-solder the lugs together, reinstall it into the amp and walla, the amp was pretty much back to normal, except a small hair line fracture glitch at the number 7th position.

Which means the wiper is worn out beyond repair. Everything works fantastically except at 7 – The moral of the story is don’t be afraid to re-build old pots, because their quality is much better than the newer stuff and will take the re-build.

If you are a little leary of doing this yourself, please feel free to contact me at buck at bucksguitarmodifications.com and I would be more than happy to help!

Talk about Smoking Pot!

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Categories: Amplifiers & Amps

Epiphone SG Junior after Curfew

By Buck on September 15, 2008

My son came home a few minutes after curfew, do we ground him? Any normal parent would, but wow..he walked in with is 10.00 curfew breaker… an Black Epiphone SG Junior in need of repair.

The input jack was ripped out, etc..etc..etc… it looked like Cat Scratch Fever all over again from way back. But it had a gig bag, with parts ta boot! A gig bag that I believe it never laid rest in.

I started out tightening loose screws, while inspecting this after curfew special guitar. I tightened the neck screws, 4 screw bolt on. You can only imagine how trashed the jack was and it has been replaced, looked like a tin roof, with plenty of cat action and no rain to wash away the stain.

I did not like the standard tuners, so I went into my arsenal and replaced them with a pair of Grizzly 3 to a side tuners. (They may be Gotah Tuners, but..I am not sure, the package and directions have since hit the recycle bin) The P-90 pickups had been quite abused in it’s previous life, that’s life before Bucks Guitar Modifications.

I found two stripped out pole pieces in the P-90 Dog Ear Pick Up, I JB Welded the hole and re-tapped them. My son was in charge of the re-wiring of the input jack, god almighty at six foot 4 and not wanting to play for the Chicago Bears, he best find a niche.. I am getting him to follow in my footsteps, other than playing football, as my wife would wish a box seat at Soldiers Field.. not happening sweetie pie.. His response to me..

“I gotta start something pops, before you get to senile to teach me.. ”

Story will continue as the Epiphone SG Junior after Curfew is still on the bench.

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Categories: Guitar Modifications

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