So, I temporarily installed the tail piece, original nut, tuners (what a joke they are) and a couple E strings. I wanted to get an idea what my bridge options really are. Here's what I found:
With no bridge and the strings resting on the frets I had about 5/32" between the top of the guitar and the strings about where the bridge would be.
With the original bridge installed it gave me around 3/32" action, which is great, but the original bridge is pretty much shot and the string spacing is too wide.
With a Bigsby aluminum rocker bridge, the action was a whopping 3/16"! Way too high for my taste. It could be machined down a bit, but the base is way too wide to work well with the original pickguard shape.
So, I then installed a Gibson Tunomatic and a couple rather thick thumbwheels to approximate the height one would sit at when installed and adjusted all the way down. The strings just layed on the frets....perfect! It also gave me the string spacing I was looking for. I like Tunomatics, especially for plam muting, and despite my hesitation in drilling holes in the guitar, I've decided that's exactly what I'm going to do.
After gathering this info, I made a list of the parts and pieces I still need to buy, as well as the major stuff I need to make:
To Buy:
Tuning pegs
Bridge
Headstock decal
Pickguard
Pickup and mounting hardware
Strap Buttons
Decide of a finish and procure same
Possible different control knobs
To make:
Pickguard template
Nut
Holes for bridge mounting bushings
Now, I got on the web and placed an order with Stew Mac (see below). I went with the Gotoh Tunomatic with inserts and studs. I reasoned this would be better than the old style with no bushings. If I ever wanted to take the guitar back to a floating bridge, the bridge base should cover any trace of the bushing holes, anyway. I had e-mailed Stew Mac previously to ascertain the origin of their three on a plate tuners, and found they are actually Gotoh as well. Worth the few bucks extra IMHO.
I had previously made a tracing of the body and original pickguard screw holes. I've gotten that scanned in today and will be working up a vector file in Illustrator that I can print and tweak till I get what I want. I've already been in touch with Terrapin Guitars (who have cut custom guards for me before) and have all those ducks lined up. It'll cost around $90 for exactly what I want.
I've also drawn up a close approximation of the old Gretsch logo decal used on these and have spoken to the people at http://www.best-decals.com and gotten artwork guidlines and a price quote for a paint mask. I'm gonna order a couple extras to have just in case and to, perhaps, aid a future restoration down the line. I suspect the original decals were more or less the same color as the ones Gibson uses (like on my Les Paul double cut faded), so I will custom mix some lacquer and airbrush that on using the template once the headtsock is smoothed and painted black. It's kind of a metallic gold.
This weekend I'll be seeing a budy of mine who is a machinist, and I'll discuss getting together with him at some point in the near future to drill the two holes I need for the bridge bushings. I'm tempted to go the old hand drill and two bubble levels method...which has worked for me in the past with the able assistance of my girl friend's keen eye....but I'm not sure I want to take that risk this time. We shall see.
So, that's pretty much it....the only decision left is what TV Jones pickup to put in it. Plenty of time to pull that trigger...
Stewart McDonald:
These items will ship tomorrow, Friday, July 20
Via: Standard shipping
Qty - Item# Description
1 - #4095 Vintage-style 3-on-Plate Tuners Nickel, 3L/3R $48.18
1 - #1511-N Gotoh Tune-o-matic Bridge with Studs/Bushings Nickel $21.75
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| Post truss rod repairs and refurb Part3 |
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