Easy Upgrades for a made in Mexico Strat-Part 1

Posted on by

The MIM Fender Strat is a good starting point for a beginning guitar player who doesn’t want to invest much money in an instrument. It is also useful for the do-it-yourself type to practice guitar repair techniques, modifications, & customizations. If you mess something up, at least you haven’t damaged a very expensive guitar.

Strat headstock made in Mexico

 

We recently disassembled a newer MIM Strat, checking all the components, measuring, evaluating, fitting hardware upgrades and forming opinions about the quality and playability of the instrument.

The first thing we noticed was that the tremolo bridge was lifted up off the body. We turned the guitar over, placed it on a clean towel to protect the finish, removed the 6 pickguard screws holding the tremolo back cover and checked the claw and springs. There were only 3 trem springs, not enough to do a good job of holding the bridge in place. We took them off and compared them to the springs that come with the Fender vintage style USA Strat bridge and a Gotoh tremolo bridge.  It was easy to see that they were smaller in diameter, and when tested by pulling on them, felt weaker.

For normal playing, unless you are Jeff Beck: The bridge plate needs to be flat to the body when under string tension. If it isn’t, every time you put pressure on it, like resting the palm of your hand there, the tuning will go sharp. (Jeff Beck doesn’t do this.)

Quick fix-For a few dollars, buy a set of 5 tremolo tension springs, part # SBP19-5, and toss the three that came with the guitar. These springs may need to be replaced on any guitar that uses them if you start to notice changes in the bridge action or unusual tonal variations, because they will wear out over time.

          

After replacing the springs, the next step is to tighten the two string claw mounting screws to increase tension on the springs, just until the bridge rests flat to the top of the guitar. Do not over tighten.

On his old Strats, Eric Clapton moved the string claw up into the body, placed a small maple block of wood between the guitar body and the trem block. He did this because he didn’t use the trem arm and wanted the bridge to stay put, he preferred the tremolo bridge instead of the hard tail or non-trem bridge because the springs increase tonal quality, at least for him. Personally, I agree with him, I like to have a trem unit on my Strat type guitars, but do not use the trem arm (whammy bar) when playing.

 Here are a few more cheap and quick upgrades:

Replace jack if you hear snapping and cracking or the instrument cord feels loose. The stock jack was ok, but we prefer Switchcraft ¼ jacks.

The stock plastic nut can be replaced with a pre-slotted bone or Tusq nut, part #BS206S is the most popular. This guitar had a curved bottom nut, an older guitar might have a flat bottom nut. The nut should be replaced if the slots have worn down or the nut is broken. Carefully remove the nut before buying a replacement to check the shape of the bottom edge.
         

The pickguard could be replaced on 2002 or newer MIM Strats with any standard 11 hole, 3 ply model. There are many inexpensive generic USA manufactured pickguards in a large variety of colors, as well as the more expensive Fender brand standard Strat pickguards, some made in USA, most made in Mexico. The stock back tremolo cover is the slightly oversized 1 slot version. A trem cover with individual string slots will work, because the pickguard screw holes line up, but most are a little smaller overall, so if the finish is discolored under the original cover, it may show. A good cleaning & polishing of the guitar finish might fix that problem, try it and see. The pickup covers & control knobs are standard size. All of the pickguards, pickup covers, knobs and trem covers listed at GRGuitars.com on the Strat Parts page should fit without a problem.

 

 

Stock trem cover on bottom

Strap locks are a small and worthwhile investment, I use them on all my personal guitars. It is very easy to unscrew the strap buttons with a screw driver and install strap locks. The chrome neck plate and screws are also standard. Fender offers an “F” logo neck plate and a “Fender Corona” logo neck plate. We carry those as well as a serial numbered neck plate.

 Change strings often. Strings should be fresh, not dirty or rusty, old strings sound “dead.” Lastly, all guitars need to be properly set up. Strings must be in tune and intonation set correctly.   Accurate adjustment of nut, string height & bridge saddles for ease of playing and good tone. Most repair shops offer this service for a reasonable fee. It’s worth it.

Watch for the next post, MIM Strat Upgrade Part II, where we will discuss tuners, electronics, pickups and the bridge—and if they are worth the time and cost for replacement in an inexpensive guitar.  Helpful comments and suggestions on MIM guitars are welcome. Sign up for an email subscription if you’d like notification when new posts are available.

 

 

 

12 string Acoustic Guitar String Change

Posted on by

Steve Trueman

Set aside at least an hour if this is the first time you have changed the strings on a 12 string guitar. While it is not a particularly hard task, it will go a lot smoother for a beginner if the tips below are followed carefully. All those strings with different gauges can be a bit confusing.  The information printed on the back of the string packaging is helpful.

Martin Extra Light 12 String set

Before starting it is important to take a look at your guitar, especially if it is a vintage model. Check the bridge to be sure it is flat to the guitar top. Check the neck to see that it isn’t bowed. 12 strings create more tension on the neck and bridge than 6 strings. Uneven tension can lead to minor intonation problems or even major structural problems, such as a raised bridge, cracked body, or bent neck. If you see an obvious problem, loosen the string tension a little.  If the bridge has lifted, even a fraction of an inch ,or the guitar belly is bowed, it may be pertinent to visit a repair shop that is qualified to access the problems. The bridge shown below is correctly seated on the guitar top.

 Gather up the tools needed and a clean towel to prevent scratching. We suggest a string winder, wire cutters or pliers, an extra light 12 string set such as Martin Marquis .01-.047, Kyser Lemon Oil & guitar polish, 2 small clean polish cloths, & a guitar tuner. A useful tool is the Planet Waves Pro-winder with built in string cutter.

 Starting on the right hand side of the guitar (opposite for lefty) loosen the 12th and 11th low E (wound or fat)  strings by turning the tuning peg counter clockwise until they are quite slack,  Remove the string from the tuner.  It may be necessary to use wire cutters to cut them off. Remove the bridge pins and discard old strings safely. This is a good time to clean the guitar and take an up close look at the fingerboard and bridge.


Even though our friend Steve’s (see Trueman Embroidery) guitar is new, the rosewood fingerboard and unfinished rosewood bridge were very dry. Since the neck was straight and bridge flat, we went ahead and removed all the strings at once to address the wood’s dryness. It took 3 good soakings with lemon oil to get the rosewood rehydrated and return its original deep chocolate color. It’s important to note that when wood becomes dry, it shrinks slightly. This could lead to loose frets, so should be part of regular guitar maintenance. Take care to keep the lemon oil on the unfinished wood parts only. We don’t recommend using it on the body of the guitar or back of neck. 

Dry rosewood fingerboard

 

Rosewood fingerboard rehydrated with lemon oil

Back to the string changing: To maintain even tension on the guitar, restring the two strings just removed. The higher octave string (marked E-12th on the package) should be closest to you, in the top position. Insert the string into the bridge and replace the pin, making sure it is secure. Pull the string up toward the headstock, until it is taut, and wrap it around the tuner post twice in a counterclockwise motion. Insert the string end through the hole in the tuner post, the string should exit the hole between the two loops made with the string. Pull end of string tight, hold tension on string while turning tuner button to take up slack. Don’t over-tighten, but try to maintain even tension on string. Tuning to proper pitch & trimming the excess string length can be done later. Move to the other side of the neck and repeat the process on the 1st and 2nd high E strings. The unwound (skinny) strings should be wrapped 3-4 times around the tuning post. Complete the process by moving back and forth from the top of the fretboard to the bottom. Check to make sure the new strings are going on in the exact same order as they were removed. When the guitar is completely restrung, tune each string with an electronic tuner.  Clip off excess string length, leaving about 1/4” to prevent the string from slipping loose. 

String change finished, guitar tuned, ready to play

String change finished, guitar tuned, ready to play

 Tips:
Make sure bridge pins are pushed down as far as possible into the bridge. They should all sit at about the same height when you are done. If any of the pins are broken or need replacement, you might want to pick up a new set before beginning the string change.

When wrapping the new string around the post, hold the first wrap down against the post with your thumbnail. This will facilitate wrapping and keep the wrapped part of the string looking neat and even as well as holding the string tight.  I have been doing this for over 40 years and find that my guitars hold tuning very well. If you have an alternative solution or tips to share, please comment below.

Use your thumb nail to control string wrap

Extra care must be taken with a 12 string guitar because of the additional tension produced by the double amount of strings. To prevent damage to the guitar neck by relieving tension a little, a 12-string can be tuned down a tone to: D,D, G,G ,C,C ,F,F  A,A, D,D. A capo can also be used at the 2nd fret.

Some of the products used here: #DP0002 Planet Waves Guitar Pro Winder, #KDS800 Kyser lemon oil, #FPC polish cloth, #PW-PK Polish Express Pack, #SN-1 Snark Chromatic Tuner, #KG12B Kyser 12 string capo. Purchase at GRGuitars

Snark tuner

12 string kyser capo

Tuner Replacement: Grover Rotomatics to Kluson style tuners with screw-in bushings.

Posted on by

        Screw-in bushings have a hex shaped head and are threaded.

Grover Rotomatics are a popular style of tuners that are/were used on many Gibson & other guitars, either as original equipment or were used to replace klusons on vintage guitars.  Back in the mid 1970’s it was common practice to replace just about any tuner brand or style with a Grover Rotomatic set. All the big name guitar players were doing it, especially to Les Pauls. Did it myself to my Guild acoustic, wish I hadn’t. The Rotomatics are slightly heavier and a little bulkier than klusons, with the casing being taller and the button size larger and each individual tuner mounts with one screw. The footprint, where the back of the tuner sits against the guitar finish is different.    
 

We compared Grover Rotomatic Tuners, part #102 to Gibson brand kluson tuners #MH010, a set of vintage Grover #135, Tone Pros # PKB3 and Schaller Deluxe klusons, all which have screw in type bushings with 25/64” or 10 mm outside dimension.   All of these different brands of tuners are available for purchase at GRGuitars.com

Any of the listed kluson tuners can be easily swapped out for the Grover Rotomatics or vice versa.   It is possible to install the kluson tuners and use only the existing single mounting hole. Personally, I think it is better to use both screw holes because, even thought the tuner is being held in place by the screw-in bushing from the front side of the neck, you still could get some side to side movement on the back if not using the second screw. If the installation is on a guitar which came stock with the Rotomatics, and you might want to re-install the original tuners in the future, keep in mind that the foot prints are different. There might not be a noticeable mark left by the body of the tuner on a modern finish, like polyurethane, but on a high quality finish like lacquer, there will probably be a visible indent or impression.

Tuner replacement on a 1980’s Gibson Les Paul guitar

Posted on by

Upgrading tuners with the same style and size is a very easy installation to do, no technical skills needed. To prove this, my wife, Marcia, who is “mechanically challenged” was able to do it with only a little coaching (there are 3 individual matching tuners for each side, don’t mix up the treble set with the bass set.)

One of our favorite tuner brands is TonePros. Quality construction and smooth operation are apparent when making a side by side comparison to some other brands. I personally like the creamy button color rather than the buttons with a greenish tint. Having had a couple of problems with stock Les Paul tuners falling apart-literally-we decided to go with an upgrade on this early 1980’s Gibson Les Paul guitar.

 How to tell if an upgrade is needed? Grasp the tuner button and gently try to move the stem up and down, then side to side. There should be no movement.

Continue reading →

Kluson tuner comparison

Posted on by

Vintage style 6 in line individual kluson tuners as used on Fender Strat, Tele, and many other electric guitars:

 At GRGuitars.com, we get many inquires about guitar tuners, this is part of a series to help answer those questions. The goal of this post is to provide information on products currently available at GRGuitars.com as replacement tuners or for new build projects. Our part numbers are listed below. Other retail businesses may have similar part numbers, but the parts may not be exactly the same. For example, Fender Guitar Company contracts with several different manufacturing facilities to produce guitar tuners sold under their brand name. They recently stopped using both a German and a Japanese factory for some of their tuner styles, and now have them produced by a Korean factory. The part numbers, appearance and measurements of the tuners are the same, but the quality and material is different.  To be 100% sure of what tuners are needed for replacement on your guitar, please examine them closely and check the measurements.

 What is a Kluson tuner?

 The Kluson Manufacturing Company was originally based inChicago, opening in 1925. They supplied guitar tuners to Fender from the late 1940’s until 1967. The company went out of business in 1974. In the 1990’s a USA based company, WD Music Products, bought the Kluson brand, which is a registered trademark, and began reissuing the tuners.
In 2005, TonePros Sound Labs was licensed by WD to produce the tuners using their advanced technology. Kluson has become commonly known as a style of tuner, with a closed back, and lined details on the casing. Various different styles and materials of buttons were used, but metal buttons were most common on vintage Fender guitars. To our knowledge, none of these tuners are currently manufactured in theUSA.

 A set of 6-in-line individual (not attached to a metal plate) tuners consists of two end tuners or machine heads, 4 middle tuners, 6 bushings and 7 mounting screws. They are referred to as 6-in-line because the mounting holes are all on one side of the guitar neck headstock. The two end tuners have an asymmetrically look, with one side being longer than the other. The 4 middle tuners are made the same and can be placed anywhere in the middle.

 

What do the terms no line, single line,  & double line  mean?

 

compare no line, single line, double line kluson casing

Refers to the tuner casing stamp. No line, means no logo on the casing. It is simply a plain style, used by many different companies. Single line refers to the words  “Kluson Deluxe” stamped in a single line down the middle of the tuner casing. Used by Fender from 1957 to 1964.  Double line or two rows of lettering, 1964 to 1967.

 

Functionality vs looks vs historical “correctness” -

Historical:  To be historically correct to a specific time period in the 1950’s or 1960’s, Authentic Kluson brand tuners would be the brand of choice. We sell a lot of them and use them on many of our own guitars. The quality the last few years has been good. They were used on Fender vintage guitars (not reissues) and have the correct logo on the casing.

 As new vs “aged”

Aged vs New kluson tuner