Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Anybody else have a '61 Melody Maker D?


JellyWheat

Recommended Posts

Yep, what you say is correct. I have been under the hood already to 'fix' the washers that had deteriorated on the bridge p'up. It was flopping in the cavity. The rubber grommets that I used are apparently too thick to allow a closer adjustment. The cover of this pickup has string scrapes on it from where someone had it too close to the strings for a period of time.

I strung this one with 11-49 with a wound G, mainly because the bridge/saddle is intonated for a wound G.

I will get to it soon.

Thanks, Rod

 

I wonder if springs instead of washers or grommets would improve things any? I have already got a plan in my own mind that if I run into any significant adjustment problems, I am going to have brass baseplates made that will allow me to use longer screws and springs so that I can adjust the pups like any other. This would not be an irreversible mod, so I can't see the harm in it just to make the guitar more playable.

 

Just a thought

J/W

B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W !

Since you have some experince in your MM-D. I am having a problem with the ground in this one. I decided that I barely need any spacers for the bridge P'up. However, while checking the ground to the Bridge anchor, I found that it was compromised. The ground wire goes to the treble-side bridge post. It does not budge much either way. If I push hard on it with the p'guard removed , I can get continuity to the bridge. Is it soldered to the outside of the anchor, or is it pushed thru the anchor sleeve?

I would hate to remove the anchor stud to troubleshoot it...BIG PIA !!

I am impatient this evening....by tomorrow I will fix it.... [biggrin]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W !

Since you have some experince in your MM-D. I am having a problem with the ground in this one. I decided that I barely need any spacers for the bridge P'up. However, while checking the ground to the Bridge anchor, I found that it was compromised. The ground wire goes to the treble-side bridge post. It does not budge much either way. If I push hard on it with the p'guard removed , I can get continuity to the bridge. Is it soldered to the outside of the anchor, or is it pushed thru the anchor sleeve?

I would hate to remove the anchor stud to troubleshoot it...BIG PIA !!

I am impatient this evening....by tomorrow I will fix it.... [biggrin]

 

You should double-check this with Searcy, but I believe the ground wire is simply inserted into the post anchor hole from the control cavity side, and the connection is a press fit that occurs when the anchor is seated. [Then again, the wire might be soldered as is the case with SGs...]

 

Do you know hpw to get the anchors out? It's pretty simple... you have to back the anchor post out, put something under the lower lip of the post on both sides with plenty of surface area contact so you don't dent the guitar, and then screw the post down... It will act like a bolt puller and pull the anchor straight out.

 

You may have to make a C-shaped washer to place underneath the lip of the post as a bearing surface. I'm describing it this way, because you probably won't want to buy the specialized pulling tool if you only do this operation once in a blue moon. You'll have to invent simple parts so you can use the bridge post to pull out its own anchor post.

 

I haven't checked for vids on this, but there are a few ways to do it. A piece of wood with a slot in it will do the trick, and so will a short length of PVC pipe, as long as you are careful to pad things well and provide plenty of surface area so you don't dent the guitar itself. You can use a piece of flat metal stock or a little slab of rock maple or mahogany that fits the post slot exactly, rather than a metal screwdriver. Whatever you use to turn the post must fill the screwdriver slot completely to avoid damage.

 

You have to be much more careful reseating the anchor than when you take it out, also. [i like to press them back into place with a clamp. Provide LOTS of support on the back of the guitar...]

 

Good luck / Check with Searcy (he'll probably give you a better description).

[thumbup]

J/W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W, I did some examining last nite. With a penlight I can see the ground wire firmly set under the threaded anchor sleeve. I used some cleaner and a small wire brush and cleaned up the threads and connection. I now have good ground continuity. Will probably get it all together tonite. Will let you know how the bridge p'up sounds when raised... [thumbup]

RRod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W, I did some examining last nite. With a penlight I can see the ground wire firmly set under the threaded anchor sleeve. I used some cleaner and a small wire brush and cleaned up the threads and connection. I now have good ground continuity. Will probably get it all together tonite. Will let you know how the bridge p'up sounds when raised... [thumbup]

RRod

 

COOL! Gotta love them original MMs!

 

[thumbup] [thumbup] [biggrin][thumbup] [thumbup]

J/W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W, Got the MM-D back togather. Ground fixed and bridge P'up actually adjusted up to max height. Big improvement in volume but still not as loud as the neck(both controls full-up). Nice blend also. Have not got to crank it up as the wife has a headache.... [crying] !

It is not my guitar. I do guitar and amp work as side-work. The owner brought me three vintage guitars and said "fix'm".

I am getting ready to string-up a '73 Tele Custom and take her for a test-drive.

Man, I love my job.... [flapper]

RRod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey J/W, Got the MM-D back togather. Ground fixed and bridge P'up actually adjusted up to max height. Big improvement in volume but still not as loud as the neck(both controls full-up). Nice blend also. Have not got to crank it up as the wife has a headache.... [crying] !

It is not my guitar. I do guitar and amp work as side-work. The owner brought me three vintage guitars and said "fix'm".

I am getting ready to string-up a '73 Tele Custom and take her for a test-drive.

Man, I love my job.... [flapper]

RRod

 

:-k Hmmm ... I don't know what to say about the volume of the bridge pickup. I usually only use mine to add some "sparkle" to the neck pickup sound. When I want to use it for a lead, I usually roll the tone up to 6 or 7 (I usually let it sit at about 2 1/2 or 3). Naturally, when I'm playing a lead, I'm often playing farther up the neck than usual. This decreases the distance between the strings and the bridge pickup even further than the pickup height adjustment alone, and I don't have too much trouble with the volume difference.

 

I rarely "dime " my volume controls, so I always have plenty of room to dial up more volume if I need it in order to keep my level up. I really don't consider myself a vintage guitar expert, except in the sense that I have owned and played many of the ones that are today classed "vintage", when I was much younger. I don't remember the volum difference in these pickups to be any worse than on my old P-90 equipped ES 330...

 

Maybe one of the resident experts will check in and offer some really authoritative insight into these intersting little pups.

 

Happy New Year!

[thumbup]

J/W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No worries, J/W ! It is probably quite normal. Both P'ups read about the same (6.7K ohm) with the multimeter.

 

Well, there's the answer, then. If the bridge isn't hotter than the neck, the pups would behave as we are experiencing their output...

 

B)

J/W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should double-check this with Searcy, but I believe the ground wire is simply inserted into the post anchor hole from the control cavity side, and the connection is a press fit that occurs when the anchor is seated.

 

No need to ask me. You got it right [thumbup]

 

 

And yes, when you have to identical pikcups in a guitar the neck pickup will have more output because it sees more string vibration. Since you already have the bridge pikcup up all the way lowering the neck pickup is the only other option.

 

 

Can we see a picture of the 65 before the owner comes back for it? [thumbup]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...