Pics of Modified Archtops

[AlanC]

I thought that it might be interesting to discuss modifications you've made to Archtops. So if you are interested could you explain what the guitar was that u modified, why you modified it and what the result was like.

 

With my Tal Farlow I was looking for a different tone so I had a Tech install an ebony bridge. Very pleased with the result. A woodier sound to state the obvious but it now seems to have a bit more character. Tone is great using medium flat wounds 13-56

 

[Kaiser Bill]

Nothing drastic here...I replaced the "carved" bridge with a Gibson tune-a-matic, and replaced the button ended tuners with Imperials. I also removed the cheesy signature on the pick guard. I was going to swap out the pups for a pair of Humbuckers from a '72 Es 355, but it was way too complicated to do so. I also replaced the pup selector switch for one that worked. I did what I did to improve the intonation, and the appearance of the guitar in my eyes. I really love this guitar and use it on "high end" gigs. Yea its Korean, but you'd never know it to hear it.

 

[AlanC]

Nothing drastic here...I replaced the "carved" bridge with a Gibson tune-a-matic, and replaced the button ended tuners with Imperials. I also removed the cheesy signature on the pick guard. I was going to swap out the pups for a pair of Humbuckers from a '72 Es 355, but it was way too complicated to do so. I also replaced the pup selector switch for one that worked. I did what I did to improve the intonation, and the appearance of the guitar in my eyes. I really love this guitar and use it on "high end" gigs. Yea its Korean, but you'd never know it to hear it.

 

 

So Bill its a Joe Pass? I must admit that all the mods you did make sense to me. Prolly would have thought about doing the same if that was mine. Except I quite like the ebony bridges.

[L5Larry]

As I spend LOTS of time with my L-5CES in my lap, there's hardly a part that has remained untouched in some way. Over the years the guitar has basically been disassembled and reassembled a few times. Most of the things I've done were to make the guitar play or sound better, but a few things were just to make it PRETTIER.

 

I too was looking for more of a traditional "woodier" sound than provided by the ABR-1 bridge. As I was shopping for an ebony bridge, I could tell from the ad photos the commercially available ones would never intonate properly, so...... I had to carve my own. I got a block of ebony from a violin makers friend, and went to work with a Dremel tool. 2nd try turned put perfect.

 

 

In the BLING department, there is just nothing cooler looking than a set of Grover Imperial tuners. Picked up a set of "Imperial" buttons that I figured (hoped) would fit my "Gibson" tuning machines. The keyed slot in the buttons was the right shape, but wrong size. I had to re-machine the keyed slots in the buttons, but again, the project turned out perfect. To finish off the headstock, I had a wide white border "Custom" TRC made.

 

 

That's just for starters, I'll continue with the tour later.

[Kaiser Bill]

Yes... sorry...it is a Joe Pass model Epiphone. My carved bridge was okay... but (for me) the tune-a-matic allowed me to dial in each string so that the Peterson strobe stopped dead in its tracks...LOL IN fact what you see on the headstock is a Peterson clamp on tuner. I have three different model Peterson AC powered tuners that I use from time to time for set ups.

 

[L5Larry]

One of my pet-peeves with electric guitars, and especially f-hole guitars, is sloppy wiring. A bunch of spaghetti showing through the f-hole is completely unacceptable to me, plus... sloppy loose wiring can rattle and buzz inside the box and drive you nuts hunting for the culprit. Since he electronics in an archtop is a pre-wired harness, there is really no excuse for a sloppy job, ........

 

What I do is build a faceplate template, with all the holes in exactly the right spots. Of course, you don't really have to cut the outside shape, or the f-holes, but sometimes I just go overboard.

 

 

I then mount all the electronics to the template, taking care to untwist and straighten up as much of the wiring as possible. Here's what the factory wiring harness looked like after mounting to the template.

 

 

Here's what it looked like when I was done and ready to drop it back in the guitar. In this case no wires had to be unsoldered. It was just a matter of bundling and re-routing. All wires, including the tailpiece ground wire will be properly suspended inside the box with no chance of rattles or buzzes.

 

 

 

Next chapter - Pickup mounting rings.

[AlanC]

As I spend LOTS of time with my L-5CES in my lap, there's hardly a part that has remained untouched in some way. Over the years the guitar has basically been disassembled and reassembled a few times. Most of the things I've done were to make the guitar play or sound better, but a few things were just to make it PRETTIER.

 

I too was looking for more of a traditional "woodier" sound than provided by the ABR-1 bridge. As I was shopping for an ebony bridge, I could tell from the ad photos the commercially available ones would never intonate properly, so...... I had to carve my own. I got a block of ebony from a violin makers friend, and went to work with a Dremel tool. 2nd try turned put perfect.

 

 

In the BLING department, there is just nothing cooler looking than a set of Grover Imperial tuners. Picked up a set of "Imperial" buttons that I figured (hoped) would fit my "Gibson" tuning machines. The keyed slot in the buttons was the right shape, but wrong size. I had to re-machine the keyed slots in the buttons, but again, the project turned out perfect. To finish off the headstock, I had a wide white border "Custom" TRC made.

 

 

That's just for starters, I'll continue with the tour later.

 

I had my ebony bridge hand made by my Tech. I tried a Gibson ebony bridge first but my intonation was improved when I changed over to a hand made bridge. I'm about to do the same on my L5 CES.

[L5Larry]

I had my ebony bridge hand made by my Tech. I tried a Gibson ebony bridge first but my intonation was improved when I changed over to a hand made bridge. I'm about to do the same on my L5 CES.

 

Alan, From looking at the bridge photo in post #1, I would still question whether your "G" string "saddle" is in the right place.

 

As for having a wooden bridge made for a guitar that already has a tune-o-matic, it's a pretty easy layout. Adjust your TOM saddles for spot-on intonation, and measurements off the TOM can be used for the layout of the offsets for the carved bridge.

 

Here's one I made naively patterned after the rosewood bridge on my '47 L-7. For the strings and setup I use the "G" location wasn't even in the ballpark. Check the photo below, and if you think this bridge will work on your L-5, your welcome to it.

 

[Danny W.]

I don't consider changing bridge saddles, TRCs or pickguards on archtops to be "modifications", since they can so easily be swapped around, any more than changing the strings would be.

 

Danny W.

[AlanC]

Alan, From looking at the bridge photo in post #1, I would still question whether your "G" string "saddle" is in the right place.

 

As for having a wooden bridge made for a guitar that already has a tune-o-matic, it's a pretty easy layout. Adjust your TOM saddles for spot-on intonation, and measurements off the TOM can be used for the layout of the offsets for the carved bridge.

 

Here's one I made naively patterned after the rosewood bridge on my '47 L-7. For the strings and setup I use the "G" location wasn't even in the ballpark. Check the photo below, and if you think this bridge will work on your L-5, your welcome to it.

 

 

Thanks Larry that's really generous of you but I'm not sufficiently technical to know whether it would be perfect. I tend to rely on my Tech who is very good. So keep it for a rainy day. Buit thanks once again.

[cody78]

One of my pet-peeves with electric guitars, and especially f-hole guitars, is sloppy wiring. A bunch of spaghetti showing through the f-hole is completely unacceptable to me, plus... sloppy loose wiring can rattle and buzz inside the box and drive you nuts hunting for the culprit. Since he electronics in an archtop is a pre-wired harness, there is really no excuse for a sloppy job, ........

 

What I do is build a faceplate template, with all the holes in exactly the right spots. Of course, you don't really have to cut the outside shape, or the f-holes, but sometimes I just go overboard.

 

 

I then mount all the electronics to the template, taking care to untwist and straighten up as much of the wiring as possible. Here's what the factory wiring harness looked like after mounting to the template.

 

 

Here's what it looked like when I was done and ready to drop it back in the guitar. In this case no wires had to be unsoldered. It was just a matter of bundling and re-routing. All wires, including the tailpiece ground wire will be properly suspended inside the box with no chance of rattles or buzzes.

 

 

 

Next chapter - Pickup mounting rings.

 

L5Larry, I've found your posts very interesting on tidying up the wiring, making bridge replacements etc...I hope you continue to post the other things you change on your guitars.