Saturday, January 23, 2010

It was falling apart.



So we made it stronger.

This pretty blue Strat is, like almost all solid body guitars, made of wood. The original manufacturer drilled the stud inserts somewhat too close to the pickup cavity. Over time, the tension of the strings on the tremolo was transferred to the studs implanted into the body and subsequently pulled the studs and their inserts forward. This implacable pressure eventually caused the studs and their inserts to burst through the thin wall of wood, causing the tremolo to pitch forward and the guitar to be unplayable.

We removed the inserts, repaired the wood and, to make the repair solid, added a piece of carbon graphite to strengthen the weakened area. Under normal playing conditions (your experience may vary - especially if you're practicing on the International Space Station*) this modification will act as a permanent improvement, over the life of the instrument, which could be a very long time indeed.



* - in space no one can hear your space music

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