Post by CTGull on Jul 27, 2017 8:22:49 GMT -5
With all the projects I'm working on (and not working on), I had a couple of ideas to satisfy the one thing that bugs me about vintage Yamaha FG's, the less than 2" saddle string spacing. It makes fingerpicking really tough.
One on my projects is to replace the bridge on my favorite 1970 FG-110 with a custom identical bridge with a 2-1/8" string spacing. I've done this twice before, both times making a custom bridge from scratch. I install a 1/16" thick maple bridge plate patch, since most vintage guitars have chewed up bridge plates. Then I fill the existing bridge pin holes and worn grooves with epoxy. Then the epoxy is scraped flush with the top. The new bridge is used as a template to drill the 2 outer bridge pin holes in the top of the guitar, being sure to back up the bridge plate with a block of wood to prevent splintering. Then a custom caul with threaded studs is inserted thru the holes from the inside. Then the bridge is attached with hot hide glue, clamping it to the top with wing nuts and washers.
The newest project is to mate the neck of a 1994 Seagull S6 (bolt on neck, and it has the truss rod adjustment in the headstock) to the body of my 1971 FG-110 (another FG-110). The YAMAGULL!!! The Seagull is the guitar I started working on guitars with. I paid $20 for it. It was "well loved" with grooves in the frets, fretboard and top. It also needed a neck reset. I really got my feet wet on that one but I did a poor job of pull sanding the heel when doing the neck reset, many of the edges are rounded over and look like crap. If I use this neck I'm going to have to sand & chisel it back and glue in a strip of wood to keep the intonation correct. Or find another old Seagull with the truss rod adjustment in the headstock, there was one on ShopGoodwill.com recently but it went for more than I wanted to spend. The FG-110 needs a neck reset, so the neck has to come off anyway. The challenge will be filling the dovetail slot of the FG-110 with a block of wood to be able to convert it to bolt on. AND the bridge needs to be replaced as mentioned above, although with the wider neck I should be able to push the saddle string spacing to 2-3/16". Lots of work for this one.
And WHY should I do this when I already have so many guitars to work on??? WHY NOT!!!!
One on my projects is to replace the bridge on my favorite 1970 FG-110 with a custom identical bridge with a 2-1/8" string spacing. I've done this twice before, both times making a custom bridge from scratch. I install a 1/16" thick maple bridge plate patch, since most vintage guitars have chewed up bridge plates. Then I fill the existing bridge pin holes and worn grooves with epoxy. Then the epoxy is scraped flush with the top. The new bridge is used as a template to drill the 2 outer bridge pin holes in the top of the guitar, being sure to back up the bridge plate with a block of wood to prevent splintering. Then a custom caul with threaded studs is inserted thru the holes from the inside. Then the bridge is attached with hot hide glue, clamping it to the top with wing nuts and washers.
The newest project is to mate the neck of a 1994 Seagull S6 (bolt on neck, and it has the truss rod adjustment in the headstock) to the body of my 1971 FG-110 (another FG-110). The YAMAGULL!!! The Seagull is the guitar I started working on guitars with. I paid $20 for it. It was "well loved" with grooves in the frets, fretboard and top. It also needed a neck reset. I really got my feet wet on that one but I did a poor job of pull sanding the heel when doing the neck reset, many of the edges are rounded over and look like crap. If I use this neck I'm going to have to sand & chisel it back and glue in a strip of wood to keep the intonation correct. Or find another old Seagull with the truss rod adjustment in the headstock, there was one on ShopGoodwill.com recently but it went for more than I wanted to spend. The FG-110 needs a neck reset, so the neck has to come off anyway. The challenge will be filling the dovetail slot of the FG-110 with a block of wood to be able to convert it to bolt on. AND the bridge needs to be replaced as mentioned above, although with the wider neck I should be able to push the saddle string spacing to 2-3/16". Lots of work for this one.
And WHY should I do this when I already have so many guitars to work on??? WHY NOT!!!!
