Leave well enough alone?

[livemusic]

I don't know what it is but today, my old J-50 sounds fabulous. Not that it ever sounds bad, just today, it is exceptional. I put Martin Lifespan strings on about a week ago. (I have posted on here that I am blown away by how good those strings make my J-45 sound.) I wonder if it took a few days to "get right." Or maybe it's the weather, who knows. Or my ears.

 

This guitar has an adjustable bridge with the rosewood saddle. I've never touched it. The action is great. I bought this a few years ago sight unseen because a fellow who just oohed and ah'd online over "one of the best sounding guitars I've ever heard... now I know why some people go nuts over certain old vintage guitars." I tracked down the guitar and bought it. Today is one of those days that it's just so purty!

 

Would you change this adjustable saddle to a fixed one? Anything else you'd do to it? Leave it alone? I wonder if I were to try this and that and didn't improve it, could I go back to the way it is now? I'm hesitant to change it but just curious. I mean, could it be even better? By doing what?

 

Up around the first fret, b-string, there is some pitting/wear in the fretboard but it doesn't bother me at all. Somebody sure played it!

 

Also, the tuners are vintage and they are hard to turn. I can live with it but could this be improved without changing its ability to stay in tune?

 

I'd like to put a pickup system in this and use it at gigs. No clue what to put in it, it's so confusing!

 

I look forward to recording this guitar and see how it sounds recorded.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I don't know what it is but today, my old J-50 sounds fabulous. Not that it ever sounds bad, just today, it is exceptional. I put Martin Lifespan strings on about a week ago. (I have posted on here that I am blown away by how good those strings make my J-45 sound.) I wonder if it took a few days to "get right." Or maybe it's the weather, who knows. Or my ears.

 

This guitar has an adjustable bridge with the rosewood saddle. I've never touched it. The action is great. I bought this a few years ago sight unseen because a fellow who just oohed and ah'd online over "one of the best sounding guitars I've ever heard... now I know why some people go nuts over certain old vintage guitars." I tracked down the guitar and bought it. Today is one of those days that it's just so purty!

 

Would you change this adjustable saddle to a fixed one? Anything else you'd do to it? Leave it alone? I wonder if I were to try this and that and didn't improve it, could I go back to the way it is now? I'm hesitant to change it but just curious. I mean, could it be even better? By doing what?

 

Up around the first fret, b-string, there is some pitting/wear in the fretboard but it doesn't bother me at all. Somebody sure played it!

 

Also, the tuners are vintage and they are hard to turn. I can live with it but could this be improved without changing its ability to stay in tune?

 

I'd like to put a pickup system in this and use it at gigs. No clue what to put in it, it's so confusing!

 

I look forward to recording this guitar and see how it sounds recorded.

 

I know what you mean . somedays the guitars just sound astounding even though they sounded really great to our ears when we first heard them .

=)enjoy it and may your J 50 give you many more days like today

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

[kidblast]

 

I'd like to put a pickup system in this and use it at gigs. No clue what to put in it, it's so confusing!

 

 

You're going to get a wide range of answers here!

 

I put a Fishman Infinity Matrix into a Taylor that came with no pickup system factory installed.

 

easy to use, sounds fine, and good on battery life, tone and volume controls sit inside the sound hole.

[ParlourMan]

I wouldn't, not if it sounds great to you, there are pickup alternatives....

[j45nick]

If you are happy with the way the guitar sounds, don't mess with it. However, if you want to experiment, try one of the direct-replacement bone adjustable saddles. It's a cheap and totally reversible experiment.

 

As far as the tuners go, you probably have three-on-a-plate enclosed Klusons. The process described here works equally well for individual enclosed Klusons. If they are stiff, they could benefit from a cleaning and re-lube. The next time you change strings, remove the tuners by removing the screws holding the plates to the back of the headstock. The tuners should press out under finger pressure. If they don't, a few gentel taps on the top of the string posts with a plastic mallet, using a piece of wood to protect the top of the posts, should do the job.

 

Clean the inside of the ferrules (the bushings in the headstock) with a Q-tip soaked in naphtha. Clean the tuning posts with a paper towel dampened with naphtha as well. I may also use a little metal polish on both the tunings posts and the inside of the ferrules if they seemed dirty or a bit corroded. Q-tips are your friend here.

 

Using a glue syringe, flush the tuners with naphtha through the lube holes repeatedly while turning the tuning keys, until the liquid runs clean. Set them aside on paper towels to drain and dry for a few hours. When they are thoroughly dry, lubricate with a dry spray lubricant such as McLube or Tri-Flow, sprayed through the lube holes, while turning the keys. Wipe everything throughly with paper towels to remove excess.

 

I've "restored" any number of old Klusons this way. If there is a lot of surface corrosion on the tuner housings--these are just nickel-plated steel, so they can rust-- you can clean them to a beautiful aged patina finish with a metal polish like Flitz, once again using a Q-tip as applicator and tool. Tuners are rarely beyond "redemption".

 

Here's a set of 1968 Klusons I cleaned up this way, They work like new, and have just the right amount of visual "aging" for tuners that are 45 years old.

 

[livemusic]

Yes, my tuners are that type, thanks.

[Stubee]

If it were mine:

 

I'd change out the tuners to replicas & keep the old ones if you can't loosen the originals.

 

I'd put a pick-up that mounts underneath the soundboard vs under the saddle (K&K, Pick-Up the World, etc) but still would need an endpin jack out. I did this to my '52 player J-45 & AJRI. Your call.

 

I'd not mess one bit with the saddle on a great sounding guitar with an adjustable saddle. I know fixed saddles are supposed to 'sound better' & generally agree but IME some adj saddle guitars will walk all over their fixed bridge brethern.

 

But it is your guitar and it sounds like a nice one.

[larryplatz]

All great suggestions so far about the replacement saddle and the repro tuners. If I was looking at doing everything possible to improve the sound, I'd also find a competent luthier to replace the plywood bridgeplate (I'm assuming they were still doing this in '68, but could be mistaken) with a solid maple one.Just make sure you find someone capable of taking the old one out perfectly intact. But, it's always a crap shoot. I've been surprised how many times I've heard some well known singer/songwriters playing the early adjustable bridge J45/50's with the adjustable still stock (although the ceramic saddle may have been replaced with something else). I would definitely replace the tuners with repros, but if the guitar sounds that great to you why change anything else? The best alternative I've found to adding a pickup with an endpin jack is the Bartlett Guitar Mic (easy to find on Google). It's a bit pricey, but is well worth it. It's a small condenser mic that clips to the inside of soundhole. It can be a bit awkward to get used to. There is an illustration on the website that will make this more obvious than I can explain.I use the model with the phantom power box that clips on your guitar strap in order to use a 1/4" plug in. I've suggested to Bruce on several occasions how awkward it is to get used to and the last I knew he was looking into alternatives. It is the closest I've heard to capturing the actual sound of the guitar, short of a condensor mic out in front of the guitar. I only use this on my 2011 Jackson Browne and my '53 J50 on the rare occasions I use them live, so as not to modify them in any way. My '08 AJ is my main stage guitar and has a B-Band Bridgeplate transducer which other guitarists in the audience rave about. But, of course it required the mod to an endpin jack and you could never really make it "truly origianl" again like you could with the repro tuners or the drop in bridge saddle replacement suggestions.