Archtop modifications

[Bob Mc]

3 tings:
Strap button in neck heel; yeah or noway?
Blocking top to prevent feedback; details anyone?
Reshaping neck (baseball bat reduction): experiences?
While my "G" stands for Gretsch rather then Gibson, can anyone touch on these items for me. The guitar is in 5 out of 10 condition, and it's not for sale. I'm only looking to improve and not experiment (or destroy).
tanks!

[swijak]

Stap button goes where you are most comfortable, the more comfortable you are the better you play.

Blocking the top will affect the tone, and maybe not to your liking. I would vote against it.

As far as reshaping the neck; I love the baseball bat necks!!!! Don't do it!!!! :wink:

[jazztop]

Hey. If you are definitely not selling the guitar then I would suggest that you modify it in whatever way that it will be more functional for you. I don't like "baseball bat" necks as they are clunky and slow feeling for me. There is no "magic" to a neck which is too big and cumbersome for you. Ok, if it's a $30,000 vintage D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, etc, the I would say sell it and buy the guitar that you want, but that's not the case.

Regarding blocking the f-holes, I would suggest checking out your amp and setup. Lots of jazz players turn the bass up on their amp tryng to get a fat sound, but that guarantees feedback. If you want to play LOUD then get a semi-hollow. Depends on what sound you are trying to achieve.
Phil

[Bob Mc]

I bartered some of my repair time at a shop for it, around $300 I'd guess and it's got a slight sentimental value. It's a keeper. The neck is really an issue; I spend an equal amount of time on my mandolin and Tele necks. Besides the old bones ain't as supple as they used to be.
My idea to stop the top was to use a threaded rod with a base; I'm searching for one that would go thru the center of a pot chassis. Probably fantasy but it'd just have a volume knobon top and I'd be able to screw it down when I need to play loudly. That's last on the list of being able to strap it on, and fret comfortably.

[Deaf Eddie]

You MIGHT like to try this - I put a soundpost in my '69 Epi (Kalamazoo-built) Casino, right under the bridge.

I think it made the guitar feel a bit more "solid;" it's "invisible" because it's on the inside;
it didn't harm the tone that I could perceive;
and it definitely helped with the feedback issues.

I got the idea because my ol' Harmony Rocket had one, and it could be played at a surprisingly loud volume with out feeding back...

[Bob Mc]

That's an awesome idea;How big would you say the post was width wise; closer to a pencil, or a roll of Life Savers?

[Deaf Eddie]

I just used a 3/8 hardwood dowel... because that's what I had handy.

[Bob Mc]

Tanks! I'm going to do it this weekend.

[Deaf Eddie]

... I don't think you've said exactly what model/style your axe is, but if this soundpost thang really works to suppress feedback for you, please give us a detailed post - we might be on to something here that would benefit a few others in the same boat.

[Andy R]

The sound post sounds like a great idea. I'd leave the neck alone: I've come to agree with the theory that we're caretakers for these things. Even if it isn't a D'A, I remember 30 years ago totally messing with my old Fender Jaguar, thinking, Hey, it's not a guitar anyone will ever want.......

[Bob Mc]

To be clear it's a full size 54 Gretsch with a Dynasonic PUP.
Acoustically it is the best sounding guitar I've ever played.
My tube amps love her to death; the Deluxe clone makes her howl a little too much though. Thanks to all for the wisdom; I'm leaving the neck alone for now.
Didn't get the post in yet; but I will and document the process.

[nogin007]

Some of the vintage Gretsches came with factory sound posts. I don't remember what models. I've been reading about them on Gretsch Discussion Page website. Theres also Gretsch Talk.com. Hope this helps.
Nogin

( I have Gretsch, Gibson, and Fender. I like them all).

[charliechitlins]

I discovered the soundpost when the top of my 125 began to sag.
Worked great for feedback, but I had long since begun turning my amp to a 45 degree angle onstage and I could play as loud as I pleased and only got feedback when I wanted it.
A violin maker can make you a nice soundpost cheaply.
It's important that it fits correctly.
Oh, yeah...shave the neck and install the strap button.
You'll be glad you did.
Your tone may lose some girth, though.
It seems like every time I fall in love with a guitar's tone, it has a chunky neck, but I don't like how they feel.

[fasteddie455]

doing like Hank Thompson ? His Super 400 has homemade f hole covers/fillers that are pretty much undectable or at least looks like a factory option. He took a rectangular piece of black pickguard material and placed it in the guitar through each f -hole. then it has a threaded screwsticking up through its center. a piece of pickguard material in the shape of a small "diamond"is threaded onto the screw and tightened down thus "Trapping" the guitar top between the two pieces. the "diamond is turned untill it aligns cosmetically with the diamond -like center of theguitars f-hole. so you are esentially plugging the hole and it looks way better than stuffing an old sock in there or usung electrical tape or eliminating the f- holes altogether like the new Lucilles of B.B.'s. sounds like it might be easier than messing around with a soundpost! at least to me! find a good pic of his guitar and see for yourself what i am trying to describe.pretty crafty if you ask me! If my archtop ever gets ta howlin, thats what im gonna do! And hey if I don't like it or it dont work , just take em out!!! hope this helps!
fasteddie

[Chris S.]

Just my own experience, but I had a blonde L-5 CESN back around '81 that the previous owner had installed a soundpost in to control feedback. It worked okay... but it made the guitar sound very thin and wimpy -- not what you want from your L-5! Apparently the post was deadening the vibration of the top too much. On the advice of Mike Stevens (guitar tech extraordinaire) I removed the soundpost, and the guitar sounded GREAT. Egggzackly what was needed.

For cancelling feedback without damaging the guitar (or making it look ugly), a guy on the rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz newsgroup had a cool solution. Take some of that deep foam packing material, and just cut out a piece the size and shape of the f-hole, with a little extra "lip" to keep it from falling in. Insert it when you need it, take it out when you don't -- simple. It's cheap to do, easily replaceable, and if you use black or dark gray material, it's practically invisible when in place.

Just my dos centavos. :-) CS

[comilao812]

Being a proffesional luthier for 25 years , I have two things to offer here .The soundpost under the bridge really works , but is time consuming to fit and could cause tone damping problems if not adjusted properly. What I have done in the past is to cut off the ends on small cable stretchers and glue wood ends tiped with thin cork , these when inserted up under the bridge through the lead PU cavity guitar to the desired pressure can solve feedback problems and also lift a top that has failed because of crappy bracing as in late 60's-70's ES-175's.This mod is also 100% reversable. The cable stretchers can be found at most hardware stores in really small sizes.
The other thing I want to mention is that if foam of any type is used agianst guitar finish , ESPECIALY nitr :D o laquer, you will eventualy have a problem . So that should preclude making foam F-hole covers in my estimation. [/b]

[jonnyrapp]

You guys may or may not have heard this one, but I heard it from Tal Farlow---get some dimestore balloons and blow them up inside the guitar. Breaks up feedback like nobody's business. I tried the soundpost thing for awhile, but it does kill the tone. If you have to play that loud, you have the wrong guitar anyway. If there is one complaint I hear from older musicians over and over again, it is how much louder people play lately. To no good purpose, it seems...