Short circuit & loose frets :: Ibanez BTB775PB [9.8 lbs]

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A beastly Ibanez 5 string bass in for an intermittent short circuit and fret buzz.  I traced the output issue to a bad 25k volume pot that needed to be replaced (see video below for the replacement).  As for the fret buzz, treble side fret ends 12-20 were playing it high and loose.  The inexpensive fix was to glue and clamp them back down.  Doing a fret level after they were locked back down would have further improved clean playing up the neck.

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Sloppy Gibson Deluxe tuners :: 1993 Gibson J-100

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Here's a common issue with Gibson Deluxe tuners.  The tuner button shafts eventually work against the tuner housing and loosen up the back cover.  These covers have metal tabs that are pressed into the base plate and then deformed to lock in with a mechanical connection (similar to a rivet).  I have tried soldering these tabs in the past but they never seem to hold for very long.  This time I tried a flat screwdriver and a hammer to punch the tab and reform it to hold in to the base plate.  We'll see how long this method will work. I may try a combination of this and soldering on future repairs.  See the video below from the daily vlog.

Rough pawn shop find :: 2002 American Fender Stratocaster [7.9 lbs]

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Here's the rough pawn shop Strat ready to head back out.  The major issues was that the posts holding the bridge were blown out and wrecking the action.  Once the bridge area was repaired (along with the neck pocket), I went through with the setup.  The bridge was fairly rusty, to the point I needed to use vise grips to remove the saddle height adjustment screws before replacing them with new ones.  A new output jack finished it off (check the video from the daily vlog below).

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New bridge to correct string spacing :: Ibanez SDGR 885 5 string bass [7.6 lbs]

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It seems like more and more basses have been coming by the shop lately.  Here is an interesting one.  This 5 string bass has a narrow neck, almost like Ibanez used a 4 string neck on a 5 string setup.  The outer strings were very close to the edge of the fingerboard and causing issues for the player.  He even made his own notches in the original saddles in an attempt to correct the issue. 

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I searched around for for options, initially seeing if I could use different saddles with the original bridge but ultimately came across this Schaller 5 string bridge.  This bridge offered adjustable spacing fell in a more useable outer string spacing range for this narrow neck.  The only issue was that the new bridge needed to be pushed back further on the body to intonate properly.  You can see the original bridge footprint peeking out in front of the new Schaller bridge (see photo above).  The player was made aware of this and gave me the green light to proceed as he valued playability over minor cosmetics.

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I took these photos before the customer stopped by to check out the new bridge so the original mounting holes were left untouched.  After going through options with the player, we ended up plugging the two holes with ebony plugs on the spot.  I wanted him to see the options in person before proceeding.  The new bridge was just what this bass needed!

Check out the video below for the layout and mounting of the new bridge.

Replace pickups :: 1994 Godin Multiac Nylon ERG90VEG15 NA [6.1 lbs]

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A 1994 Godin Multiac nylon string guitar in the shop for issues with amplified string-to-string balance from the pickups.  The pickups are six individual saddles that are set into the bridge's saddle slot.  I ordered a new set of pickups and swapped each one out for a new one as each pickup's output in the set is calibrated.  Check the video below for the pickup swap.

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