# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 187
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3724 "2014-10-15T03:05:33Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Yay for you! I think you could have been quite happy with a MIM strat, they’re well thought of, but an American Standard is an excellent instrument. I have a red (“candy cola”) one myself. Since you describe it as “red sunburst”, I’ll hazard a guess that your guitar is [Sienna Sunburst](http://www.fender.com/series/american-standard/american-standard-stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-sienna-sunburst/) color, a nice choice. > > Note that the latest version of Am Standard Strats come with Custom Shop Fat50 pickups, which I love for really great clean tones. Check if the included, stock pickups are in a cream color bezel, and if so you probably have fat 50’s. These are great pickups, IMO. You should consider trying them and seeing if you like them better! I think Fender switched over to Fat 50’s for American Strats in 2011, not sure. Find the serial number on the instrument (back of the headstock), and Fender has some site you can look that up and get the year. I don’t know if the Fat 50 designation is on the back of the pickups so I’m not sure how determine what your ‘stock’ pickups are by inspection. > > So the easy way to ‘block’ a tremolo is to simply add all possible tremolo springs to it (open the hatch in the back to do so; I think 5 is the maximum number of springs, yours probably has 3 installed. Look on Amazon, they sell a set for just a few bucks), then use a screwdriver to tighten the springs until the bridge is flat against the body, immobile. This will possibly make the action really really low, lower than you’d like, so you may need to either adjust the neck relief a bit, or raise all the saddles on your bridge by the same number of turns with a small allen wrench to compensate. > > Have fun! Hmmm…must be wrong on the color. [Here](http://s42.photobucket.com/user/chefguy1/library/?sort=3&page=1) are a couple of photos. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3725 "2014-10-15T04:05:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Hmmm…must be wrong on the color. [Here](http://s42.photobucket.com/user/chefguy1/library/?sort=3&page=1) are a couple of photos. Okay then. That’s a straight-up [3-Color Sunburst Strat](http://www.fender.com/series/american-standard/american-standard-stratocaster-rosewood-fingerboard-3-color-sunburst/), the most popular Stratocaster color, a color available across many levels of Strats, Squiers, and Fender-poseurs. I’m not sure why you describe that as a “red sunburst”; Clapton called his (2-color sunburst [I think], but similar), “Brownie”, and that seems like a fair description of that burst. I love the look of 2/3-bursts; great choice. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3726 "2014-10-15T04:13:13Z")
BTW, **Chefguy** , looking at the pic you posted of your guitar, I’m guessing the stock pickups are not Fat50’s. The Strats with Fat50’s had cream colored knobs, and yours doesn’t. I’m guessing your guitar is older than 2011, and had stock (good pickups, but unremarkable) Fender strat pickups. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3727 "2014-10-15T14:43:53Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > BTW, **Chefguy** , looking at the pic you posted of your guitar, I’m guessing the stock pickups are not Fat50’s. The Strats with Fat50’s had cream colored knobs, and yours doesn’t. I’m guessing your guitar is older than 2011, and had stock (good pickups, but unremarkable) Fender strat pickups. The pickups are Texas Specials that were installed by the previous owner (the box is still in the case). I think the guy at the store said the guitar is from about 2000. As for the color, your link looks right; I’m not a Fender expert, by any means. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3728 "2014-10-15T16:32:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The pickups are Texas Specials that were installed by the previous owner (the box is still in the case). I think the guy at the store said the guitar is from about 2000. As for the color, your link looks right; I’m not a Fender expert, by any means. I checked the back of the headstock; the Z2 prefix means it was made in 2002. Whoever owned it either rarely played it or just took extraordinary care with it, as there are only some light scuffs above and on the pick guard. I’m not sure why there would be stroke marks _above_ the guard? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3729 "2014-10-15T16:38:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m not sure why there would be stroke marks _above_ the guard? All my guitars get marked up there; I’m an aggressive strummer with a lot of Billie Joe Armstrong-style “hit it from the shoulder” choppy downstrokes. Especially live, where I often end up with blood on the strings. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3730 "2014-10-15T17:15:28Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > All my guitars get marked up there; I’m an aggressive strummer with a lot of Billie Joe Armstrong-style “hit it from the shoulder” choppy downstrokes. Especially live, where I often end up with blood on the strings. Yikes. I was reading about SRV’s playing style; the guy just destroyed his guitars and practically needed steel hawsers for strings. Looking at a strat forum, it seems that some products are suitable for removing fine scratches. Some recommend toothpaste and others recommend products like Maguire’s Scratch-X. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3731 "2014-10-15T17:29:50Z")
Good luck with whatever path you take. I leave the marks on my guitar - missed strums, dings, etc. And my old guitars - they have big strum patches from 60-80 years of use. Some call it “mojo” - blech. I call it honest wear for a respected and used tool. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3732 "2014-10-15T17:35:52Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Good luck with whatever path you take. I leave the marks on my guitar - missed strums, dings, etc. And my old guitars - they have big strum patches from 60-80 years of use. Some call it “mojo” - blech. I call it honest wear for a respected and used tool. Yeah, I’m not all that interested in fussing with the finish. It’s not a showpiece, it’s an instrument with some history. I’m happy just keeping the body oils and shmutz to a minimum. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3733 "2014-10-15T17:47:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yeah, I’m not all that interested in fussing with the finish. It’s not a showpiece, it’s an instrument with some history. I’m happy just keeping the body oils and shmutz to a minimum. Good for you. Wish I could say the same - body chemistries can vary widely in how they interact with guitars. One person’s dry hands can extend string life; other folks like me seem to produce gunk on contact. It has actually influenced my taste in guitars - if the guitar doesn’t sound great with perpetually-dead strings and a desperate need for a wipe-down, it won’t last long with me. It’s probably why I favor mahogany acoustics vs. rosewood - the dry, simpler thumpy tone of mahogany is less affected by stuff like that, near as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3734 "2014-10-15T19:16:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yikes. I was reading about SRV’s playing style; the guy just destroyed his guitars and practically needed steel hawsers for strings. I read that he used heavier gauge strings than the extra (0.010) or super (0.009) lights that most guitarists use on their electrics nowadays. I think he used either mediums or heavys. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3735 "2014-10-15T19:22:22Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I read that he used heavier gauge strings than the extra (0.010) or super (0.009) lights that most guitarists use on their electrics nowadays. I think he used either mediums or heavys. He typically started tours playing 13’s and sometimes lightened up to 12’s towards the end. Those are Medium gauge for acoustic. Dude played with bridge cables. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3736 "2014-10-16T01:19:44Z")
I’ve come into a free guitar which is sometimes the best kind and sometimes the worst (I was given an acoustic that must’ve come from Walmart…you couldn’t tune the damn thing). This is a classic H54 Harmony (serial 1137h54). Made sometime between 59-66 (doesn’t have double mustache PU’s): [http://harmony.demont.net/guitars/H54/142.htm](http://harmony.demont.net/guitars/H54/142.htm) The good: The finish is in remarkably good shape. Gets in tune and stays in tune. Sounds fairly good over the buzz (see below). The bad: The front pickup doesn’t work. The whole thing is buzzy when plugged in. I know buzzy guitars (my main is a 70/80’s Hondo flying-v) but this isn’t just grounding. Pots are dirty but this isn’t as big of a deal to me. Is it worth paying someone to clean up the electronics and try to get that front pickup to work? These guitars aren’t worth a whole lot but it’s got a lot of cool to it. And I do love the idea of a hollowbody. I’m a fan of straycats/rhheat/reverb/surf/etc. I’m also not scared of a soldering iron but I haven’t done anything with guitars beyond soldering a new input jack on my Hondo. Some pics for reference: [![](https://i.imgur.com/jCzKbpR.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/jCzKbpR.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/EkyyoqB.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/EkyyoqB.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/QLDg6T8.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/QLDg6T8.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/LGR1RoD.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/LGR1RoD.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/O9gqIPW.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/O9gqIPW.jpg) The Hondo in all it’s panty dropping glory: [![](https://i.imgur.com/fOCaTpb.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/fOCaTpb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3737 "2014-10-16T01:35:17Z")
One more observation: It’s easy to play my Hondo through my amp (computer…sold the 180w Fender Super Twin _sniff_) and hear it well. The Harmony is so loud on it’s own that you have to turn the amp/computer way up to hear it over the acoustic sound. I have a Guild acoustic and it’s damn near as loud as it on it’s own. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3738 "2014-10-16T02:14:22Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > The bad: The front pickup doesn’t work. The whole thing is buzzy when plugged in. I know buzzy guitars (my main is a 70/80’s Hondo flying-v) but this isn’t just grounding. Pots are dirty but this isn’t as big of a deal to me. > > Is it worth paying someone to clean up the electronics and try to get that front pickup to work? These guitars aren’t worth a whole lot but it’s got a lot of cool to it. And I do love the idea of a hollowbody. I’m a fan of straycats/rhheat/reverb/surf/etc. I’m also not scared of a soldering iron but I haven’t done anything with guitars beyond soldering a new input jack on my Hondo. So re “buzzing”: 1. those pickups are very likely single coils. There’s single coils, and then there’s single coils. Small single coils like you’d see on a Strat buzz a bit. P-90 single coils, on the other hand, buzz a lot. They pick up RF noise like you wouldn’t believe. I don’t know where yours fall on that scale, but let’s assume they’re just going to buzz, at least some. But that doesn’t mean you don’t _also_ have wiring issues, so: 2. The original wiring may be partly or wholly unshielded. And the only good way to tell is to get in there and look. And add shielded wires to the leads that go to the pickups and out to the jack. Unfortunately, there’s no way in hell you’re going to be able to shield the actual inside of that guitar, because there’s no way to open it up and put copper tape or similar on the inside, and besides, you’d see it through the F-holes which would look horrible. Re: rewiring and fixing that pickup: sadly, working on a semi or all-hollow instrument with f-holes is very difficulty to do. If the problem is one of the wires just behind that pickup and you can fish it out and patch it (the pickups will be surface mounted with screws, so unmounting the pickup is simple, just proceed cautiously) you’re done. More likely the problem is at the pots or in between there and the pickups, or the pickup selector, and fixing that is a world of hurt: you need to push the pots (minus knobs and knuts), jack, pickup selector into the body and fish the whole thing out through one of the f-holes for inspection/repair. Not fun, but it gets worse: once you’ve fixed the problem, you have to somehow put everything back. Most folks attach light string/dental floss to the pot shafts _before_ pushing them into the body and out through the f-holes, then you just pull on the strings when you’re done to get everything back in place. Sound simple to you? Me neither. I have an Epiphone Dot that I never worked up the courage to do this to, because I didn’t want the world of hurt trying to get it all back together. Back to buzzing: if those pickups buzz like P-90’s, one easy thing to try is just never turn the volume pot up past 8. Just add more juice to your amp to compensate. I learned that trick on my P90 guitar. The other thing is turn off any florescent lites, and back away a few feet from your computer, the latter helped me enormously with my P90’s. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3739 "2014-10-16T02:47:50Z")
There’s always a video somewhere: “Rewiring a Semi-Hollow Guitar”, [part 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2h2DBL3p0), [part 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbUgGHXmBXU). It’s for a semi-hollow, but most of what you see should apply to your hollow body. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3740 "2014-10-16T03:49:29Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The pickups are Texas Specials that were installed by the previous owner (the box is still in the case). Yeah, I get that. My comments above were about the pickups you referred to as “the original pickups were still in the case” in your description, and if they might also be cool pickups. If they were Fat50’s, then yes. But this is a 2002 Strat, so they aren’t either. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3741 "2014-10-16T05:05:48Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I’ve come into a free guitar which is sometimes the best kind and sometimes the worst (I was given an acoustic that must’ve come from Walmart…you couldn’t tune the damn thing). This is a classic H54 Harmony (serial 1137h54). Made sometime between 59-66 (doesn’t have double mustache PU’s): [Rocket 2 pickup H54 guitar - made by Harmony](http://harmony.demont.net/guitars/H54/142.htm) > > The good: The finish is in remarkably good shape. Gets in tune and stays in tune. Sounds fairly good over the buzz (see below). > > The bad: The front pickup doesn’t work. The whole thing is buzzy when plugged in. I know buzzy guitars (my main is a 70/80’s Hondo flying-v) but this isn’t just grounding. Pots are dirty but this isn’t as big of a deal to me. > > Is it worth paying someone to clean up the electronics and try to get that front pickup to work? These guitars aren’t worth a whole lot but it’s got a lot of cool to it. And I do love the idea of a hollowbody. I’m a fan of straycats/rhheat/reverb/surf/etc. I’m also not scared of a soldering iron but I haven’t done anything with guitars beyond soldering a new input jack on my Hondo. That’s an incredibly sweet guitar, especially for free. If you don’t pay someone to fix it, I’ll buy it off you and fix it myself. It’s not a worthless guitar, that’s for sure. I’ve played several, and every one I’ve played made me happy. The value of them varies, but they’re not cheapo guitars, these days. Here’s a page with a few for sale: [https://reverb.com/item/246864-harmony-rocket-h53-66-redburst?\_aid=pla&pla=1&gclid=COCJ9aGysMECFQaBaQod708AZg](https://reverb.com/item/246864-harmony-rocket-h53-66-redburst?_aid=pla&pla=1&gclid=COCJ9aGysMECFQaBaQod708AZg) I’m guessing that the front pickup not working and the buzzing is either from that pickup having a break in it, or it’s got a loose connection. Probably the latter. I’ve done the string method for getting electronics back into a hollowbody. I don’t find it as bad as squeegee thinks it is, but I’m patient. I’m also the type of person who’ll take chisels to a solid body in order to mount pickups, so I might be the adventurous type. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3742 "2014-10-16T06:25:33Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > He typically started tours playing 13’s and sometimes lightened up to 12’s towards the end. Those are Medium gauge for acoustic. Dude played with bridge cables. 12s are light for acoustic. At least, for the D’addario EJ-16’s I’ve been using on my Martin since 1982. Okay, once in a pinch I put on some Martin Light Bronzes on it. 13 for an electric might be considered medium. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3743 "2014-10-16T06:36:34Z")
Dental floss is the way to go with a hollow or semi-hollow electric. Doesn’t have to be mint flavoured. It’s not all that hard, but it is tedious. I’d suspect the switch first. But I’m biased; I always check moving parts first. Two suggestions: 1. If the switch isn’t the problem, you’re going to have to be pulling all the electronics out, so don’t be in a rush. Take the time to do it right. Don’t try to finish it at one sitting. Spread it out over a couple of days. B. And if you have to go through all the bother to take everything out, you may as well replace the pots and capacitors with new stuff. Considering what you paid for the guitar, it shouldn’t break your bank. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=186) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=188)