Stub Mandrel

After about 10 years, I've just resurrected my fairly basic hifi, although with my brother's NAD2030 as my old Panasonic has volume control issues. Rotel turntable and Goldring Elektra cartridge, Kef Coda 7s. Pretty much the best budget setup of the early 1990s 🙂 I've got about 200 lps to enjoy. Every last crackle and pop 🙂 Sounds good enough to me, certainly better than what i've been hearing music through for a long time. Records are like old friends, and the ritual of placing the vinyl and dropping the needle is a pleasure in itself. I have also sourced a Phillips CD player for the modest CD collection I've accumulated.

A rapier, then I think, although the shop had a different name for it I haven't found anywhere else. Yes I know when=Watkins 😁 someone tried to flog me an ancient copykat last year

I came within an inch of buying a similar pale blue one a few weeks ago. It was gorgeous. Sounded really vintage. Branded Watkins on the headstock, not WEM.

Murder Ballads. Lovely sleazy bass, I could play this riff all night: And Kylie wins it:

It is a fundamental law of the universe that entropy will eventually cause any given forum to lapse into a fish pun thread. While such lapses may be reversible, the process will repeat until the entire internet collapses under the sheer weight. See also: Hake Death of the Universe.

Need to work on the neck pocket fit 🤣

Bypassed the compressor at my last gig. The venue has a lot of electrical noise and the comp just boosted it when I wasn't playing. Did have to fiddle with levels a bit as first set was a jazz with rich but gentle '63 alnico pups, second was Epiphone Embassy with wall-shaking humbuckers. Really enjoyed being able to change my sound much more by digging in. My compressor does have the feel of being a 'better knob' but on the other hand that increased palette of sounds from playing without one...

Great shot... here's a contrast/colour enhanced version:

Good one in the Two Brewers, Chepstow last night. We chopped the set around a bit because people started dancing, our 'Frijid Pink - style House of the Rising Sun would probably have cleared the floor...) Instead we did a majorly extended version of Let's Stick Together with a random drum solo 🙂 We also started the second set with Happy Birthday for the landlords 18 YO son, so a good time was had by all🙂

Embassy now gigged. I's a great fun bass to play live, ditched the compressor and enjoyed what comes from being able to really dig in to a humbucker.

Guitarist has just texted me suggesting I use teh Embassy at tonights gig. He loves it! Going to do one set with the Emb, one with the Jazz.

OK, it's a necro thread, but I'm just completing my new office/music room. Still some wall hanging & pics to go on 🙂

I have a lathe, I can turn a plug to size if necessary. It's a metal lathe not a wood lathe but, it will do the job.

Thanks , that's reassuring to know my plan to vut the plugs across the grain is the right one.

The trouble with a dremel is that the screw core is only 4mm. A 1.4mm slot would only have 1.3mm of steel either side and I would have to use a small screwdriver. No way it could generate the torque needed - these are stuck fast enough to shear the full screws. I have a very good pillar drill and can hold the neck in a macine vice (leather pad for protection). I can probably drill out the screw, but will still have an oversize hole that needs to be plugged. It all comes down to what size of plug is best. I good news, I have found the packet of D'addarios I bought in preparation 😀

I've already tried an extractor, the remaining bits are only about 4mm in the core, too small for one. They are as stuck as any fixing I've vome across, one of the sheared leaving a 1cm stub I was able to get a huge combination pliers on to. It just sheared off again.

The removal tool I used essentially works that way - used in a pistol drill run in reverse. They drill a pilot hole in the head, then a pair of serrated flutes bite into the sides of the hole, but the screws just sheared off they are totally locked.

Thanks for the observations. These aren't going anywhere unless drilled out, but I shall core drill and dowel rather than trying to drill them directly, which would still leave an oversize hole. I've just ordered a set of cheap plug drills off Prime, I can use a larger one to cut plugs out of soke mahogany I have to fill the hole made with the 6mm which seems right for working around 5mm screws. Any glue recommendations? The guitar is very special to me, I found it in a secondhand shop in 1983, and rang up my mum to ask if she would pay for it as my 21st birthday present. It's big, loud jumbo, still with paper S/N and maker's label inside.

My Jag's neck has a quite thin, abit-glossier-than-satin finish which is quite pleasant. I have flatted down high-gloss necks in the past but I'm less worried about it these days.

For the last few decades a minor misalignment of the bolt on neck of my mid-70s Epiphone acoustic has annoyed me. But two of the screws were immovable and rounded out. Today I bought a set of removal bits, but unfortunately the two screws sheared off... from the look of the two that unscrewed normally, they have rusted and expanded into the wood I will have to try and drill them out. This might not succeed. I'm wondering if it might be better to make and use a core drill and fit a pair of wooden plugs or even threaded inserts. The good news is that a thin slip of card seems to be enough to get the neck pointing the right way. Any suggestions for the best way forward?

I'm sure it's long scale, but tug bar and dots.

No, LS.

Took it to rehearsal. Well, it was a limited editions Epiphone Custom Shop one - not sure what was different aside from the tug bar. Looks absolutely glorious, but weighs a tone and still has some neck dive (I could cope if I really liked it). The mudbucker was just too dark and thumpy for me. Afraid I swapped back to my Embassy which is a lot lighter, better balanced and sounded way better. The band agreed the EB3 looked incredible, but the neck pickup just didn't sound right. Might be OK for a Cream tribute. 😞

👍💥😆

Expect humour, immaculate musicianship and damn good tunes. "Good time will be had by all"