J185cat

If it is of any interest to you I can recommend one of those Colossi wooden end pins to replace the jack. If it doesn’t matter, then you probably have your priorities in order so play on!

On one of my J45’s I did just as you described by pulling the UST back into the body of the guitar and then using a small wire tie I strapped it to some of the other wires so it wouldn’t rattle around in there. I did this just in case I ever decided to sell the guitar, it would be easy to undue. My other J45 I just took everything out except the volume control. After reading your process I may now try that. I also got one of those end pins from Colossi. Apparently he made a few rosewood ones and I got one of those. Just took my time sanding it down to a snug fit and also used very fine grade sandpaper to polish the visible part. Looks great! Really nice write up by the way.

When I removed mine the last thing I tried to get was the volume control. I was expecting it to come off easy but when I saw how much resistance there was I decided to just leave it alone. Now I understand.

I have done this to one of my J45’s. Simply pulled the UST back down into the body and started clipping wires. I also replaced the end jack with a rosewood end pin that I bought from Bob Colossi. I had a new bone saddle and fitted that up to my desired height. The only thing I left was the volume pot as I was afraid I would damage the wood near the sound hole removing it. Never have regretted it and yes this should be an option.

So my answer needs more explanation also. I picked one month for the two I play most often. Others could be more like 3 to 4 months. I don’t use coated on any, I keep trying to like them but it just doesn’t work for me. The D’Addarios have come closest so far.

Don’t know what she sounds like but that guitar is a stunner to look at. My only foray was a StewMac Strat style with a mahogany body. For some reason I was determined to use nitrocellulose for the finish. Hint, when they tell you not to apply nitro in high humidity, LISTEN. In the end it turned pretty nice.

Murph next time I need some sanding done I’m going to send the piece out to you and just get you to rub it down with your hands!

None of my guitars look like Murph’s or anywhere near that. Maybe that says I don’t play them enough. I do wipe them down every time I play them and occasionally hit them up with Virtuoso Polish. So it seems excessive to me anyway.

Had a feeling this was where you would end up. Congrats. I have 2 guitars with Adi and love them both. To my old ears they don’t sound harsh at all, more dynamic and clear but both have had a fair amount of play-in time now. Neither top was terrified. Enjoy.

The Git virus burns strong in you. Unfortunately there is no cure. I am still haunted by a guitar I played at a local shop over ten years ago but could not ‘justify” whatever that means.

I could listen to that all day. Great job.

The knowledge that all you guys have about these older guitars never ceases to amaze me. One of the reasons I love being on this site.

NP E-minor. I mistakenly thought you were jesting me and fortyearspickn for believing the story. I think we were both just remembering the post and had no clue whether it was true. Hey, but you’re good! Maybe should run for office. More stories like that and you may get my vote. Think I’ll play some myself now.

So all I was saying is that sometime in the past a poster on here claimed that the early guards were painted with some type of WWII German paint. I I have no idea, didn’t work for Gibson back then. Relax, go play some guitar.

I believe you are right.

I’m still searching. She did this some years ago and I’m afraid the photo may have been on an old PC that got reformatted. Sad that the paint did not stick because it really did look nice.

I’ll see what I have before/after. Real busy now with elderly parents on my wife’s side but I will look into it. Not vintage, 1999. But perhaps the easiest playing acoustic I have ever played and all HBird without a doubt.

So a kinda funny HBird pickguard story. In 2017 I inherited my Dad’s 1999 HB which my wife and I bought for him to replace his older Gib that was lost to the flooding from hurricane Floyd in eastern NC back in 1999. I swear that guitar kept him going a couple years more than he should have. He lived to play that thing. So, the guard was almost completely faded out. My wife is somewhat of an artist and she decided she wanted to repaint the thing. So I got some photos of the guard and let her have a go. The only paint I had that I thought might work was some of those small bottles of model paint like we used to use on model cars etc. She did a phenomenal job. It looked great and I was over the moon. Then, the first time I cleaned the guitar with guitar polish the paint just ran off. Devastated. So that was the last time we messed with it and I now accept it as a badge of former player honor.

He is a guitar guy. I think this has good potential for the future if the board will actually let him lead the Co.

I can hear that iconic voice in my head right now. That’s when you know someone was the real deal for me.

As a previous boat owner (yes I have now achieved the second happiest day, sold it) there was often talk of using ozone generators to remove odors from the interiors of boats and to prevent mold and mildew. I never needed to go that route so I can’t speak directly to the results but the other thing I was always told was not to use the ozone generator for too long because it would begin to attack any plastics. So just wanted to put that out there as a caution in case you get to that point.

Now this is my kind of politics. The Guitar Party. Murph for Prez!

Nice. Always good to have at least one short scale you can bond with. They are just so much fun to play. I like the sound of the fuller neck also.

Just one thought, I assume all the frets are well set? You’ve probably already checked that but no gaps or anything?

Sounds like the damage is done. Feel bad for the guy.