CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Jul 10 2013 12:21 PM
JObeast, I usually disassemble the vibrato unit, remove the two pivot/mounting screws, clean up the two surfaces that mate in that area where the pivot screws attach so that the base portion and the string retainer portion have no burrs or rough edges. I then put the two pieces back together, use a little but of teflon lube between the surfaces and screw the pivot screws back in but not too tight. You want that beast to rock freely and easily. I often replace the springs with a 1" bigsby spring as well as a lot (but not all) of the original Teisco vibrato springs are too soft to maintain equilibrium for stable tuning. I'll often replace the washers used to mount the arm with teflon washers as well for quiet, smooth operation.
Hope that helps,
Jeff
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 09:28 AM
The SOLID GOLD TEISCO Project is finally complete (for now)! I spent a good part of the day yesterday doing final polishing and assembly. The hardest part was soldering the ground to the vibrato tailpiece – I guess you need 150w iron to do a good job. Anyhow, here's my daughter modeling the completed Swankcaster!
image
— Squink Out!
Last edited: Aug 10, 2013 09:31:58
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 09:40 AM
As you can see, the finish is flawed from the get-go. My first attempt at gilding a 3-dimensional solid (never again!) and french polish (next time: clear, then color, then clear) – too dark and full of flaws. Turtle Wax car polish (red, then white) and Mothers Plastic Polish helped me bring it to its final lustre. I recommend them, esp. Mothers for any medium-hard finish like a guitar's. Here's a closeup:
— Squink Out!
Last edited: Aug 10, 2013 09:47:15
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 09:51 AM
The guitar turned out terrific. Lots of character. But it's obvious your daughter is your pride and joy. She looks proud of her daddy, too!
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 09:56 AM
Now I have to modify that horrid bridge, or find a replacement. This Rick-type I got from Fat Dog in Berkeley to fit the narrow 1 7/8" string width coming off the neck heel. The string heights are not individually adjustable, it's flat across the top and the whole thing cants forward under pressure from the .12-.54 GHS Brite Flats I installed (neck likes them). I will have to file down the saddles to get them to match the curvature of the fretboard radius. The GFS Teisco/Hofner vibrato tailpiece is well made with no flaws or hangups. THe mighty string tension of the .12 flats makes it more decorative than functional (not loosey-goosey AT ALL) and the lousy bridge saddles hang up the strings so it goes out of tune when I do use it. Any suggestions for a narrow-guage replacement bridge?
— Squink Out!
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 11:11 AM
JObeast,
I think it looks great!
I sometimes use the following on Teiscos and Kawais and such and just re-slot the saddles accordingly for proper spacing.
http://www.allparts.com/GB-0525-010-Chrome-Gotoh-Tunematic_p_1546.html
Or;
http://www.allparts.com/GB-2540-001-Gotoh-Nickel-Nashville-Tunematic-Bridge_p_1614.html
I used the second example on my Kawai MS-170 (the company that made your guitar) It has virtually the same neck as your Tulip and it worked out great, sounds good and is very stable.
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 11:24 AM
Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff. So you just use a tiny file to make new slots? Those posts for the Nashville bridge screw straight into the guitar body? The bushings for the other Tunematic are too long for the thin Teisco body.
— Squink Out!
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 11:42 AM
Yes,
I just re-slot them accordingly. A set of nut files is a big help but it can be done with other files, blades or saws. You want to be careful not to make the slot for each string too deep or wide as it will cause buzzing or sitar like sounds. At the same time you don't want the string to bind in the saddle. After you cut the slots in the saddles you can "floss" them by running the appropriate gauge string through the slot, back and forth. This will clear the slot better so that the string has less chance of binding. FWIW, the guitars I've used these bridges on stay in tune like mofo's even with heavy vibrato use. I actually prefer tunematics with no pre cut slots so that I can custom cut the slots.
The posts screw right into the body. Nice "tone transfer"
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 12:00 PM
Sounds like a plan. Meantime I will experiment with my existing bridge, by filing down the saddles and reslotting them to match the fretboard radius. Allparts' nut file sets are expensive. Know of a cheap alternative?
— Squink Out!
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HockeyPuck
Joined: Sep 11, 2012
Posts: 116
Sierra Vista, AZ
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Posted on Aug 10 2013 10:55 PM
A collection of Teiscos for sale on CL http://sierravista.craigslist.org/msg/3933592243.html
— All I wish I knew what they were talking about
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Aug 12 2013 02:11 AM
Nice stable of clean little Japanese econo-blasters. Is that your own collection or someone in your town's? I would offer about 70% of that but then I used to be a dealer and am accustomed to 'group prices' which are lower than the sum of a bunch of individual sales, because of the convenience to the seller.
— Squink Out!
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Sep 12 2013 03:51 AM
WOrking on 'perfecting my Swankcaster... want to add another pickup, and move the extant one back to a 'bridge' position. What is ideal distance of pole pieces from the saddle point of 1st string? My Strat and has 1 3/8" spacing. My existing pickup, a GFS Surf90 has an impedance of 7.8k. I am thinking of a Dano-style Lipstick Tube pickup, reverse-wound/reverse polarity for the neck position. What would be an ideal impedance for that position relative to the bridge's 7.8k? Would 6k be overpowering? Does anyone think the Surf90/Lipstick combo would suck and could proffer a better compliment to the DeArmond-style bridge pickup?
I like the prices of GFS parts and components. It's a cheap guitar underneath all the french polish and gold leaf so I don't see spending hundreds on it, at least not now.
I also found that GFS has a ABS Gibson-type tuneamatic bridge for less than half the price of a similar product from Allparts, which Jeff suggested above. Anybody know if the GFS bridge is bad news?
— Squink Out!
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Oct 17 2013 04:24 PM
image The SOLID GOLD TEISCO Swankcaster is completed! Thanks to Dr. Steve Dikun the Rock Dr. in Burbank for remediating my horrid wiring attempt so I could at long last, bring this monster to life! Steve tells me sheilding is over-rated and my Mustang-style wiring scheme was grounding out in so many points it made his work miserable. Sorry Steve!
I installed a GFS Strat-sized Lipstick Tube in the neck position and simple Mustang 3-position switched so I can access the hollow out-phase sound unavailable on my other guitars.
I replaced the Rickenbacker-style bridge with a sweet Wilkinson Chopped-Tele bridge, modified with notches in the back plate to accommodate the GFS Teisco-style whammy tailpiece.
The bridge sits atop a 1/4" Rosewood plate to bring the low-slung thing up to grade with the 2-ply pickguard cut from sheet acrylic in Pearloid Orange from Solter Plastics in West LA.
I had to completely redesign the pickguard and learned a lot through trial and error. After my first installation of the fraternal twin pickups, I realized I miscalculated the bridge position relative to string path and had to go 'back to the drawing board' to get it right, after many hours of painstaking hand shaping of the acrylic.
I'm happy with it now and all it needs is a finally polish to make it lustrous. But I'm too busy playing it just yet.
image
— Squink Out!
Last edited: Oct 17, 2013 16:35:54
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Oct 17 2013 04:34 PM
Very cool looking guitar. Congratulations!
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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Big_Ryan
Joined: May 01, 2011
Posts: 578
San Diego
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Posted on Oct 17 2013 06:51 PM
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Oct 18 2013 12:51 AM
Thanks Ryan, Noel. In a word, "Swank", if I say so myself.
— Squink Out!
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Oct 18 2013 08:19 AM
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Finkdaddy
Joined: Oct 04, 2013
Posts: 115
Waterford, WI
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Posted on Oct 18 2013 03:00 PM
 WOW!!!
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Oct 20 2013 10:31 PM
Thanks FD– a real compliment coming from a Fink to a Squink!
Here's a clearer picture with my daughter again.
— Squink Out!
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Oct 20 2013 11:01 PM
Aw! Wonderful photo.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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May Birthdays 
