Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

[ajd6c8]

All,

I'm looking for a high-quality guitar shop in or around ZIP 90041 for the following:

1. Hardware (I don't want to wait for online orders to ship)

a. black ferrules that fit my Godin LG P90 (see my other thread for a pic and discussion about this issue)

b. black recessed machine screws that fit a standard 3-way blade switch. The screws that came with the stock switch on the LG are too thick by a fraction of a millimeter (**** Canadians!)

2. Post-install set-up (i.e. truss rod adjustment, pickup height adjustment, any other modification that I don't trust myself with). Conversely, if anyone has fool-proof DIY advice for doing this myself, I'm all ears.

3. My old Fender Vibro Champ is flaking out. Occasionally outputs horrible, loud interference noise. I bang it, it stops for a while. Etc. I have a lot of replacement hardware for that amp, but the problem is that I cannot figure out where the failure is occurring; thus, unless I replace everything, I can't likely fix it. I replaced all the tubes in 2003 and replaced the speaker in 2005. All the caps/transformer/resistors/etc are stock.

Thanks!
Anthony

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

what were you saying about Canadians?

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

d a m n

i think Godin uses metric system machine screws? Whatever size they are, they don't fit this.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

d a m n

i think Godin uses metric system machine screws? Whatever size they are, they don't fit this.

almost every machine threaded screw on just about any guitar hardware is metric... Asian and European production

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

ps... for that Godin i guess you will need longer ones since it is a rear routed body....

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

longer what? No comprendo.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

longer what? No comprendo.

well it may not be an issue... but sometimes switch mounting screws are meant for pickguards only, that are made of thin plastic and not meant to mount thru the wood like your godin has.... sometimes you have to keep an eye out for that and make sure you get long enough ones for your rear routed axe......

most of the time the stock switch screws they give you when you buy a switch these days are long enough to mount thru the wood and/or a pickguard... but sometimes you can run into a problem with getting a switch mounting screw too short from a parts supplier...

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

ohhhh. Gotcha, thanks for the head's up. The stock screws are quite short, though. Shouldn't be a problem if I could just find ones that were the right diameter!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

i'm not sure what it's like down there in LA but here in Canada it can be a pain to find Metric thread machine screws that fit guitar hardware... hardware and auto stores do not carry such items for metric threaded stuff here... there is a few specialized bolt places that can get you close but never the same.....

so to get the right screw locally near you, you should go to a guitar shop that does repairs... chances are they have some in stock that will be exactly what you need... LA has to be full of good shops... a guy i know on tour down there said there is a section of Sunset i think they call Guitar Mile...

as i said almost every piece of guitar hardware is metric threads these days... if you want the right part a good repair shop will have the right one... otherwise online is your next best friend

 

[lex666]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

In regards to your parts question, it could be real tough finding a shop in your area that has all the parts you're looking for. Beleive me, I've tried. In many cases, you get home only to find out they don't fit right or whatever.

Why not give some online retailers a try? StewMac and Allparts are very reliable and usually deliver in just a few days. Their prices are decent and usually you get specs and support and stuff you wouldn't find in a store...

...It sure beats the heck out of driving around hoping to find what you're looking for...

...just tryin' to help...

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

well if you do go hunting in person take the part with ya to make sure it fits before buying

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

in regards to your Champ amp it does sound like it needs the Caps replaced... but i'm no expert... it just sounds like the same issue i had with my original 65 Deluxe amp.... it was making some weird noises that would get louder and fade away and stuff...

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

i bet finding the top Ferrels would be the hardest things to find in stock anywhere... it's not your averge parts order

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

I've got both switches (old and new) and the old screws in my pocket. I was really hoping to avoid hauling myself out to Sunset (Hollywood), but you're probably right about that being my best bet. I wouldn't even care about dropping another $5-10 bucks on a different switch if the screws fit!

I've got nothing against the internet sellers - in fact it's where I got my pots, bridge, switch and knobs - but I want to finish this project today or tomorrow. Plus, the whole screw-fitting fiasco would be difficult to solve via the internet.

Anybody got any thoughts on the amp?

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

Which cap(s) did you replace? The big power caps (barrels) or the little guys (i.e. orange drops). I've got both parts... If I replaced em all, it'd probably fix it. I really doubt the transformer is defective (do those things ever die?). And as I previously noted, the tubes are fairly new.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

Which cap(s) did you replace? The big power caps (barrels) or the little guys (i.e. orange drops). I've got both parts... If I replaced em all, it'd probably fix it. I really doubt the transformer is defective (do those things ever die?). And as I previously noted, the tubes are fairly new.

i didn't do the work myself i left it up to my tech... but judging from the bag of parts he returned to me after he was done i'd say he did them all!!!! Filter caps for sure plus there was extra large barrel caps in the bag... he also said something to the effect some bad caps(?) were allowing high voltage to my tubes and i melted a new pair of tubes in less then 20 hours playing time!!!!

 

[ajd6c8]

Re: Miscellaneous guitar parts, set up, and amp repair Questions

oh... crap.