Lunch Report 11-19-12 Skyhawk Revisited

Greetings folks,
Hope your day is going well .
I made a huge loaf of light and savory foccacia last night with tomatoes, olives, olive oil , smoked paprika ...

It's really wet and windy here today in the NW, I'll be looking forward to hot soup and savory bread.

I've been having fun changing my guitars over to TI and curt mangan strings . I'll jump at any opportunity to
play guitars that might be gathering too much dust on the case.

So I pulled out the Skyhawk and played it a bit before setting it down to start the whole re-setup / polish routine .

Here are some pictures from a sunny day a while ago-













...






...I set her down on a nice slab of NW maple that I bought from a local sawyer about 20 years ago .







The grain is very similar to the Skyhawk's grain. I figured the Skyhawk is Ash, and maybe the Ash used and my slab
of maple just happen to look similar... any thoughts opinion's on the wood types ( I could be wrong about the slab being maple .)











So I took a few more quick artsy shots, G&L really did a nice job with this one.











I pulled the pickguard off , I guess because I never had ...I could take pics , clean the pots etc. ,
check for initials of the G&L team, date stamps, etc.
I noticed a price type sticker was in the neck pickup cavity, but only part of one...looking closer
I saw a name...Dale ( !!?! ), cool I thought , but where is the other half of that sticker . I guessed it
was a body date sticker and didn't want to take the neck off to get an exact-ish date.




Found it !! ....nestled in the bridge cavity corner ...



...and hehe... BIG smile when I saw Dales name again but with the last initial
"H" .








That sorta of explains the over the top figuring in the body wood...and top quality birdseye rock maple maple neck wood choice as well.


I'll see if I can find out a bit more history now that I see this guitar was either part of Dale's collection or destined to be
there at some point. I sort of worship this Skyhawk now...she plays soooo welll...loooks out of this world !!....
...and G&L mojo in spades to boot. I'm a happy man .

Over a few days did some light fretwork and devoted polishing ( we're still just talking frets )...
...and then finally some new Thomastik-Insfeld's .

I spent some time dialing in the tremelo tension , the spring tension I ended up with isn't symmetrical.
It bends to in tune notes just before touching the body going up and feels just right for notes going down.
The picture is before the new setup, I'll post a picture post setup of the trem springs and double check the
interval distance I ended up with for each string as the trem is maxed out in the up position.



Do you set up your trem springs at an angle to compensate for the varying tension across the strings ?

I'm hoping to have some soundclips up by the end of the week. I've been making sure this Skyhawk
isn't gathering any dust.

So ...What guitar do have that you haven't seen in a couple months that begs to be played ?
Is it a G&L ?

I'll admit I am really looking forward to trying some heavy TI's I bought on a '70 goldtop
I have, but haven't played since the last time string preferences changed.



I'll check back as I can, thanks in advance for replies and insights !!!
Elwood

Bonus question : ( BTW, I don't have the answer )
What do you think the numbers on that torn sticker are designating ?

Thanks Elwood for picking up LR duties this week.
I am jealous of the Skyhawk, wish I had one. That is one fine specimen. The wood grain is unbelievable.

All my G&L's get played, even today. They are setup from at the shop, so I have no idea if it is at an angle or not.
The luthier used to work at G&L. He knows the default position they should be in.

changing the angle of the string claw to adjust the spring tension to the varying string tensions is not necessary. because the 2 pivot points for the trem are outside of all the springs, only the total counts. you can not change the intervals of the strings as pulling up compared to each other, that depends on the string and sting gauge. generally you get a minor third on the g, a major second on the b and a minor second on the high e. you can change the claw angle and you'll get the same. to actually achieve change in that through setup you'd have to get the trem plate not to sit parallel to the body, and to move off the knife edge while going up and down. not something you'd want. btw, the string tension and spring tension are automatically balanced the moment the trem is floating. if you have looked at some of carl verheyen's videos, as good a guitar player as he is, his understanding of physics is really lacking.

Wow Elwood. That Skyhawk sure is stunning! Congratulations on the Dale find. I have no idea what the sticker means, nor am I certain of the body wood. Could be a beautiful piece of ash or maple. How much does she weigh, and have you something in writing to indicate that it is in fact ash?

And where on earth did you find such a specimen in that condition? Man, you are blessed!

Trem springs: I seldom use the trem, so I don't really experiment with it. As long as the guitar intonates well and feels right, I'm happy enough. - ed

btw, my wife and I recently dusted off a (decent) bread machine we got a couple of years back but haven't used much. I chuckle every time I take a loaf out of that thing, wondering how you might laugh (as you bite into your flavourful, homemade crunchy-chewy sourdough....) Alas....

Hi Elwood, that is a great looking Skyhawk you have there. Thanks for posting the detailed photo's of it!

Right now I am doing the same thing to my Ibanez PS10 that you are doing with your Skyhawk. I have neglected it for the last few years, and it has been put away in its case. I am having problems with the tuners on the G and B strings. There is a washer under the knobs that have broken, and those two strings slip every time I bend the strings. I have been researching, trying to find replacement tuners, but it appears they are no longer made. I want to replace them with the same tuners because I don't want to drill new holes.

Also, after playing mostly G&L guitars the last two years, I can't take the Ibanez AH1 and AH2 pickups anymore. I never liked them, but now I'm spoiled by the tones of my G&L's I have to replace the pickups. I am going with the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded set.

And while the guitar is taken apart, I will shine it up and buff it with the Dunlop System 65 polish. That's the one good thing about winter, time to get my guitar projects done!

Look forward to your reports this week!

Dave

I think you can bring the spring claw into an angle if it feels better for you, but it has no effect, as the vibrato is very stiff and before all it has two posts, not just one. So, on the upper side, there's no left or right, regarding the forces, they are evenly distributed from e to E, regardless on which side the springs pull more or less. At least, that's what I'm believing in.

Great guitar! This kind of job I'm doing, as soon a new old guitar arrives. Before that, I do not even play the guitar, just checking the function and then I put it all apart, clean it and put it together again and doing a complete setup. And of course I pull off the the neck from the body, as it's one of the most interesting parts.

Elwood,
That is one nice instrument you have there. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the body is ash. I would also venture to guess that it is reasonably heavy. The grain should have a paste wood filler in it that is not used in Maple. There should be some residue in the cavities from where it was applied before it was finished. The piece of Maple you have is real nice but if you sand it a bit and wet it you will see that it should be considerably lighter in color although not as light as the Eastern Maple neck. Sound clips would be a plus on this one.
Fred

Right now I am doing the same thing to my Ibanez PS10 that you are doing with your Skyhawk. I have neglected it for the last few years, and it has been put away in its case. I am having problems with the tuners on the G and B strings. There is a washer under the knobs that have broken, and those two strings slip every time I bend the strings. I have been researching, trying to find replacement tuners, but it appears they are no longer made. I want to replace them with the same tuners because I don't want to drill new holes.

Dave

It looks like these are the same except the buttons ,
I can't tell the age by the pics or the sellers description...what do you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-Guitar-T ... 4d0721abd9

I'm using this as a reference -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Ibanez ... 7675.l2557

Those look the same as are on some of my Aria Pro ll guitars, I might have some parts around too.

Did you see that SC-3 that just popped up on ebay??? !!!

I can live without it , but I might just have to think about bidding...
It must be akin to the desire you have for that Rampage proto that is priced a little high presently.

back soon,
Elwood

Elwood, that Skyhawk is really something. An awesome piece of wood that I have seen nothing like. I would have bet it was maple but I have to take stock in what Fred says. It would be interesting if you were to find filler residue in the neck cavity.

I think the number could be a part number or inventory number.

I adjust the trem claws the same distance from the body on each side. I think an uneven adjustment could create a bit of binding on the pivot screws.

The one guitar that I haven't played recently is my Taylor SB-2. It is a wonderfully playing guitar and it is located where it is not as easy to get at as others. I need to move it and play it more. The G&Ls get regular play time and I have also been neglecting the Fenders. The G&Ls are stunning to look at and you cannot resist picking them up and playing them.

Your pictures are great as usual Elwood. I am not a real fan of bread but I'll bet you make it good!-- Darwin

Hey Elwood,

Great looking Skyhawk you have! And it has some tie in with Dale Hyatt to boot! Not bad

To answer your questions (while I'm waiting for the build to finish here at work), I do indeed compensate for some differences in string tension. Just like you do, it involves a lot of back and forth until it is all OK.

Your second question made me smile because I can honestly say none. Every one of my guitars have been played over the last 2 weeks, even the Commemoratives. I usually take them out just before and after winter to see how they are all doing, tune them up (a semi-note below standard) and play atune or 2 on them.

Bonus question: might be the order number in Dale's order pad. Who knows?

- Jos

Gorgeous Skyhawk in beautiful condition! Good job on the photos too!

I haven't played my Comanche in a while. Perhaps it would be a good candidate for some TI strings. I think I currently have Fender Bullets on it.

I'm still wanting to install Ernie Ball Cobalts on one of my guitars - perhaps my G&L ASAT Classic.

Did you see that SC-3 that just popped up on ebay??? !!!

I can live without it , but I might just have to think about bidding...

If you are referring to that black Mustang body SC-3, I know where that landed.

- Jos

Bastid! ;+) - ed

That guitar looks great. Is it heavy? As far as not played, my Ovation/Adamus has been in the dark for a few. I've gone through and tossed all guitars not used this summer including that Anderson Hollow T. Great axe, but not used so....... I use only two springs in my S-500 and it is perfect. Everyone uses 3, but mine stays in the case and never used. The guitar has always been perfect without it. Actually the best all-around guitar I've ever owned.


Cheers,

Will

What a great trip under the pickguard! Thanks for sharing that.

G'day Elwood, If someone has a better G&L I haven't seen it. Amazing grain and I really like that era headstock decal.
Regards
Anthony