Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!).

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

You painted the original rings? If that's the case, sand and reshoot another color. They're already altered, what is there to loose?

I love the Gretsch knobs. Nice and classy, and perfect depth/diameter ratio. There's got to be a knob on the market that is close.

If I was going to refinish the rings, I'd just go a slightly less stark white, to match the pickguard. It's white, but it's aged slightly yellow-ish. And I will do this someday - assuming I don't go with pickup surrounds (something I really want to do).

About the knobs, I agree. They're friggin perfect. But I refuse to be a poser, it'd be ridiculous to put Gretsch knobs on something that's not a Gretsch. So we'll see! She's far from done, and I know that.

 

[cream123]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

NICE! i'm likin it man. it's got that really retro yet futuristic look to it that the green buddy pulls off really well. It's way kooler than any Gretsch I've ever seen. I'd take that over the white Penguin any day.

this is a really sweet project not to mention an amazing guitar. You've really done a great job so far. I look forward to seeing pics everytime I see one of your threads.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

+1 on wishing for the grime back You're not a dirty enough person to redirty that bridge

other than that, looks great Looks much more clever in operation than a TOM, how well does it stay in tune with the bigsby?

Palm muting looks hard. Or do folk care...

Glad Thad is working with you on the neck

ALSO needs gold bell knobs, pickups, rings

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

NICE! i'm likin it man. it's got that really retro yet futuristic look to it that the green buddy pulls off really well. It's way kooler than any Gretsch I've ever seen. I'd take that over the white Penguin any day.

this is a really sweet project not to mention an amazing guitar. You've really done a great job so far. I look forward to seeing pics everytime I see one of your threads.

Thanks Marcus! I appreciate it. Sometimes I feel bad that I post so many pictures. Then again, I've got over 1,000 pictures of the project on my computer. Hell, I've got about 50 pictures just from this bridge! lol

+1 on wishing for the grime back You're not a dirty enough person to redirty that bridge

other than that, looks great Looks much more clever in operation than a TOM, how well does it stay in tune with the bigsby?

Palm muting looks hard. Or do folk care...

Glad Thad is working with you on the neck

ALSO needs gold bell knobs, pickups, rings

Some day I might wish I hadn't cleaned it, but not today. It looks too darn pretty!

I haven't gotten to 'use' it yet obviously, but these are supposed to stay in tune just fine, as well as anything else. Many people complain about palm muting, I've got no issues with it. About the same as a Tele bridge, which doesn't bother me. And yeah, I care very much about muting, it's extremely important.

Gold rings/knobs/pups!? Blasphemy!

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

So I just tightened three strings at a time (first the top three than the bottom three) so as not to have too much tension on the neck. The bridge feels fine, I can palm mute fine, and it seems to have gotten rid of the muddiness of the last bridge. I don't know how much of that is due to the new nut I put in (finally got rid of the old bone nut).

But the base string finally sounded clear. It still fretted out at a few points, but it didn't sound like a big floppy muddy mess. So that gives me great hope.

God I wish I hadn't busted the neck! :chairfall

 

[emilio]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

i'm really happy for you man! can ou tell me the whole story on the green buddy?

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Definitely, I'm leaving to get some happy food in my sad belly, but as soon as I get back I'll type it up.

 

[Tor]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Looks great! It's one of those nice details on that guitar, unusual; yet very classy and cool.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Looks great! It's one of those nice details on that guitar, unusual; yet very classy and cool.

Thanks Tor! Appreciate it.

Emilio, here goes. In August of 2006, I found this guitar on eBay. You can check out the original eBay pics below. At that time, I only had my Strat, Tele, and my Epiphone Les Paul. I really liked the way it looked, even though it was obviously beat to hell. Megan (my girlfriend) liked my guitars up to that point, but was never keen on me buying more. I left her an off the cuff e-mail and message saying 'hey babe, check this out. I like it, but I probably won't buy it, don't really need it.' Well the next morning, I was riding my bike from San Pedro to Santa Monica. I was just coming in to Redondo at around 9AM when my phone rang. Picked it up, and Megan says "buy that guitar, I love it!" That made my entire week.

Before I get to winning the auction and all that, I should explain what it is. It's a 1962 Liberty MT-280. What is that? Nobody knows. I've asked dozens of shop owners, a few historians, and a few topics on places like 'thegearpage.' The closest I've come so far is that somebody on tgp recognized the basic shape as being a Martin something or other. Basically, I've since found out that Martin had many Japanese companies in the 60's, that all went under quickly. Liberty *might* be one of them, I'm not 100% sure yet. Also, I know it's not a one-off, because one other person has reviewed the MT-280 on Harmony Central, with the same description (futuristic green paintjob, hollow, etc.).

Anyways, I got the guitar in September of last year. Took it out of the box, and it was a piece of junk. :laughing: Dusty, no working electronics but the pots were all rusted to the body, scotch tape all over the back (which took a few days to get off), etc. Also, it smelled terrible. There was this weird dust inside, and it just smelled awful. I can still smell it slightly when I smell in the F-holes.

I spent about a week cleaning it up, getting the old pots out, getting the dust and rust off, and getting that darned tape off. And since then, when I get money together, I've fixed/updated/cleaned every single part on the guitar. All I have left (besides the neck) are the tuners and a neck pickup. The knobs and pup rings might be changed, we'll see.

So there's the basic story! Here are all of the original eBay pictures. I saw lots of promise in them:

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

I say leave the knobs. It looks killer the way it is!

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Thanks bro! Thank you very much.

By the way, are those eBay pictures in my last post showing up for anyone? They were working earlier, but they're not showing up now. Least not for me.

 

[cream123]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

nope. none of them are showing up.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Crap.

Gonna go reupload, thanks Marc.

 

[cream123]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

they work now

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Thanks Marc, just reuploaded them.

 

[emilio]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

wow man, i'd love and name a guitar like that too. i'd like to have a guitar like that. i really want to just buy a crap guitar, or a body, and mess with it to the point that i love it to death...... even if it was a hollow body :9:
that be really cool.......

really cool!

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Thanks dude! It's been very fun, and not real expensive either.

Been meaning to ask you, which high school do you go to? I wonder if Pedro ever plays you all in football.

 

[theodie]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Bigal, is that truss rod fixed yet?

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

lol not quite, expect a big triumphant post about it sometime next summer.

That day, that'll be the best day of my short life. Well, in my top 10 anyways.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Green Buddy Update: 1955 Melita Bridge Pictorial (more pics than you ever wanted!

Last erroneous bump, I promise:

I sent the chick who sold me the bridge an e-mail, with a few pics. Here's her exact response. Really made my week:

"holy ****, it looks great! i'm so happy it went to a good home. will you send me a shot of your guitar when you get it all set up?

happy holidays!
lisa"

I censored the word, but you all get it. Made me happy!