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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 13, 2006 20:42:05 GMT -7
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Post by johngourlay on Dec 14, 2006 0:08:51 GMT -7
That's good! Is the neck solid with those three pesky bolts? I admire your E bay trickery, no holds barred there, aim for the groin.....
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Post by nitehawk55 on Dec 14, 2006 6:40:55 GMT -7
Nice catch ! The 3 bolt necks are not an issue with G&L . If you have ever owned one and had the chance to unbolt the neck to remove it from the body you will find it is a very tight fit in the neck pocket and this is the way Leo intended . Don't worry on that neck it's solid and not going anywhere !! The only reason G&L did finally go with the 4 bolt was to lay to rest concerns about the 3 bolt which were effecting sales .
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Post by johngourlay on Dec 14, 2006 11:31:27 GMT -7
Thanks. I'm on a mission now. Again this website has all the answers. If you get bored with it let me know!
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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 14, 2006 13:59:21 GMT -7
nitehawk55 is correct. The 3 bolt design worked really well, but was perceived as inferior because of all the 70s Fender guitars that had 3-bolt necks that were having problems. So, people associated those problems (started AFTER Leo F. left Fender) with Leo F.'s G&L line, assuming that the same thing would happen.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Dec 14, 2006 14:55:06 GMT -7
Funny thing with the 70's Strats now is after 30 plus years of aging the 3 bolt neck is now OK as is the white metal parts that crumble . And look at the prices they are getting on Evil-bay......Yikes !!! I have a George Fullerton ser # 0145 (early production ) with the 3 bolt V shape neck that I really love . Still has the original plastic film on the pickguard and trem cover and would be considered as NOS and built as well as any Fender CS guitar . The 3 bolt neck on this one is "excellent" ( in my best Mr. Burns voice ) ;D I came into ownership of this guitar some months back from the original owner . I have played it some but it's only one of a few guitars I'm using sparingly. It's a keeper because of it's preserved condition and I don't have much invested .
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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 22, 2006 2:49:34 GMT -7
This guitar is fantastic! I really like it a lot. The neck feels great, the pickups sound great and it feels extremely solid. I might have to tweak the truss rod, it frets out a little for really big bends up higher on the neck. It sounds incredible through the Carmen Ghia, the Deluxe Memory Man loves single coils a lot more than humbuckers I am thinking (tonight anyway, the McCarty Rosewood's out with a broken string tonight, so I can't A/B them, but they're both staying!!!!)... This is easily one of the best purchases I have ever made. My 2nd electric guitar cost a couple of hundred more than this when it was new (a '97 Guild Starfire III, a cool guitar as well) and I really feel better about having tonal bases covered with both "basic" Fender and dual humbucker set neck type guitars. Very happy camper... sad that I have to leave town for a few days. Well, not sad, but I'll play the hell out of it when I return to have no roommates for a week... that means clips of the ever-nearing-completion rig. I bought a vintage analog delay and a WOBO ProgLooper, which will be awesome. 1st quarter 2007 will be my rig-finishing goal... and now I have a car to haul it in (got a Scion xB I recently began payments on... :/ ), so maybe I can get it all out there and doing something soon...
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Post by mward on Dec 22, 2006 4:35:53 GMT -7
Be careful adjusting the truss rod to take care of it fretting out on big bends because that's not what causes it or will fix it. The fretboard radius is too tight and so the note frets out. This is common on vintage fenders with the 7.5" radius and it makes sense that Mr. Fender carried that along with him to his new company.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Dec 22, 2006 11:04:45 GMT -7
I don't think these will have a 7 1/4 radius nor have I heardof a G&L having any less then 9 /2 . If you are unsure why it is fretting out try a minor adjustment but it's sometimes best to take it to a good luthier .
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Post by mward on Dec 23, 2006 6:51:58 GMT -7
From: www.guitarsbyleo.com/faq.php3#Q4Historically as early as 1980, G&L has offered neck options on its guitars and basses. The options on the F-100 included fingerboard radius (7.5- or 12-inch) and fingerboard wood (ebony or maple). The 12-inch radius was a no-cost option on all G&L guitars (except the student SC series) beginning in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, three neck options were offered: #1 (1 5/8 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 12-inch radius) #2 (1 5/8 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 7.5-inch radius) #3 (1 3/4 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 12-inch radius) From 1986 to 1991, the options were expanded to: #1 (1 5/8 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 12-inch radius) #2 (1 5/8 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 7.5-inch radius) #3 (1 3/4 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 12-inch radius) #4 (1 3/4 inch nut width, 2 13/64 inch butt width, 25-inch radius) #5 (1 3/4 inch nut width, 2 21/64 inch butt width, 12-inch radius) So it is entirely possible that he has a 7.5" fingerboard radius. As it is fretting out high, where the trussrod has little or no effect, I seriously doubt that adjusting the truss rod is going to fix it. By all means, feel free to fiddle with it. I've never read of using the truss rod to fix this, if it were able to be fixed by adjusting the truss rod, I would know about it.
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Post by mward on Dec 23, 2006 7:00:52 GMT -7
Sorry, that last message makes me sound like a pompous know-it-all. I'm not, really. I play a 67 tele most of the time, it's my favorite guitar, but it's got a 7.5" fretboard radius and I like to bend - a lot, and big, and it frets out constantly. I've done quite a bit of research about this and do some luthiery on the side and according to the experts the only way to make it not note out on big bends is to flatten the upper fretboard radius during a refret. I'm not really keen on doing that as it's got new frets on it now anyhow, and it's a veneer fretboard and I don't have that much room to flatten anyhow, so it'll stay 7.5". I bought a strat to cover this "area" of playing. If you could just adjust the trussrod and take care of it, I think that would have been covered rather than flattening the fretboard radius.
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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 25, 2006 16:38:42 GMT -7
How much is a refret? I'll take it to a shop. You really should be able to bend the E and B strings up at least a full step w/ vibrato without fretting out on most any decent guitar, I think... Maybe there are some other setup issues (raise strings?)...
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Post by Curt on Dec 25, 2006 18:43:01 GMT -7
FWIW most G&L's unless special ordered will have the #2 neck with the 7.25" radius, BUT they have much larger frets (like 6100) that allow for big bends. I have never had a G&L fret out even with the 7.25 radius.
How much is a refret? about $300 all told around here.
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Post by (8^D) on Dec 25, 2006 19:21:13 GMT -7
2 thoughts: 1: a fret may have pushed up a bit in the upper register and that's causing the strings to fret out. That happens over time with different weather conditions - wood expands/shrinks - ever had a neck where the frets started sticking out over the edge of the fretboard over time? Similar happens under the frets and they will push up occassionally. If you take the guitar to someone for a basic setup (intonation,etc) ask them to check the fret level...might just need a little tweaking by a tech.
2: Another consideration, when the action is set too low on the smaller radius necks, they'll have a tendency to fret out on the upper register with larger bends. I have an ASAT Classic with the 7.25" and one with the 12" and it was necessary to raise the string height on the 7.25 radius neck to accomodate the bending. Thinking I set it around 5/64ths...maybe?
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Post by mward on Dec 25, 2006 19:21:47 GMT -7
Jumbo frets don't make it not fret out, the radius is the radius regardless of the fretwire that's on it. My tele is a 7.5" radius and frets out on the larger bends. Raising the strings will make it go further without fretting out but I like my action low so that's where it stays. My tele will go 1 step without fretting out, but it's right on the bleeding edge there. Some of the songs I play have 2 step bends, hence the issues. Order a set of radius gauges from stewmac and find out what the radius really is. Half the time even when it says it's something, it's not. I paid $285 for a refret of the tele with a new bone nut.
Curt, when are you guys going to play Blayneys in Kansas City?
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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 26, 2006 4:37:58 GMT -7
I actually have no problem with slightly higher action (easier to "grab onto" the strings for crazy bending/vibrato madness)... I started playing with .012s on a crap-strat Ibanez beater (1st guitar) when I started listening to **** Dale as a newbie player (big surf kick, DD, Ventures, rockabilly, too)... Then I got a Guild Starfire III, which NEEDED .012s to even ring out and stay plink-free.... I had that guitar for a few years and with the floating bridge and bigsby, it had some SERIOUS tension to it. Try doing 1+ full step bends with a .019 or .020 unwound 3rd string that had to be added to every set. I have had people mention that my guitars have high action. When I get back home on Wednesday I will try raising the action at the bridge a bit and see if that doesn't help some... Thanks!
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Post by nitehawk55 on Dec 26, 2006 13:00:53 GMT -7
I like my action a bit higher and it helps you get your finder on the string for bends , especially when using the heavier gauges .
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Post by guitarboy02451 on Dec 26, 2006 17:17:27 GMT -7
sweet looking strat! congrats!
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