More on Stringmaster sustain

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

A friend has done this a number of times and it always works. Replace the short screws(1") with longer screws(1 1/2") around the bridge plate. The sizes here may not be exact, so do so with care & caution. No fair cracking the wood or going thru the bottom, etc. The sustain is always increased, and a harmonic can be slid all the way to the PUs, where as it could not before. Has anyone else tried this? ALSO, the new screws should be fatter, so consider the slightest pre drilling. But I've not seen it to be neccessary, as of yet.

[This message was edited by Ron Whitfield on 25 August 2003 at 06:17 PM.]

Bob Snelgrove · From: san jose, ca

Mahalo.

I'll try it

bob

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Are you refering to only the four screws immediately behind the bridge, or all of the screws in the bridge plate?

Rick

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Good tip. Moved to 'No Peddlers' for further discussion.

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Karl Oberlander · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Hey there! I'd be very careful about trying to put 1-1/2" screws into a stringmaster. I measured my T-8 just now and the first neck is only 1-1/2" all together. The second neck is 1-7/8" and the third is 2-1/4". I measured the original screws and they are almost all 5/8" with a few 3/4". I'm going to try this mod but with 1" screws on the first neck and 1-1/4" on the second and 1-1/2" on the third. I'll let you all know how it sounds.

Keep on Steelin'!

------------------
Gibson D-8 Console Grande
Stringmaster T-8
Fender Super Reverb

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Yowza Jeff, good to hear from you! Thanx for your working man's assesment on Bobby's(Ingano) idea. I'll bet you've been playing the H out yours. Can't wait to hear you play again. I hope this works as well for all who dare to try. And, yes, DO replace all the plate screws, at least around the edge. I spent all Sat. with Bobby and his brand new '55 triple neck Stringmaster. He did his thing to all but the outside neck. It allready had THE sound, so why mess with it. The 3rd neck has a foot switch button at the tail of the control plate, connected to an added exterior jack(not Fender in type) on the front/players right side of the guitar. No longer hooked up, so hard to tell what it was for. ANYBODY GOT AN IDEA? Nice workmanship, but really doubt it's factory. All together a beautiful & looking and sounding steel.

Bob Kagy · From: Lafayette, CO USA

Ron, I made such a mod to the 3rd neck plate way back in the 50's when I first bought the guitar. My idea was to run leads inside the guitar from that jack to the 1st neck's tone control, then use a foot pedal to allow a foot controlled wah effect.

Also, even though I could do the Speedy West bar slam staccato style, I still wanted to try it with a button, so I added a button on the same 3rd neck bridge plate, also with leads to the tone control. If you read Jerry Byrds comments on wah effects, you can easily guess how that one turned out.

Anyway, maybe the mod on your guitar was done with one of those things in mind. BTW, it can't be my guitar, I still have it. (I also wish I hadn't done the mod, it wasn't worth it, but I made a lot of dumb moves when I was younger).

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Interesting ideas Bob, pretty much along the same few lines we had drawn, thanx! And I was going to ask if it could be your guitar. The wiring on this one was probably all for the 3rd neck, as no leads, or paths to other areas are visible. Seems odd in this case, to have chosen an actual foot switch, which commands more effort to engage.

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