1981 Springy Sound - Cleaning rust and removing the neck?

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amunro

amunro

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Hi, I've been following this site for a few months now and today took delivery of my first Tokai - a beautiful 1981 (I'm told) ST-50 Springy Sound in two-tone sunburst. My pictures to follow but the seller's pics are here: http://imageevent.com/nu2uguitars/1981tokaispringysoundst50. I have two questions which I hope the assembled experts can assist me with. The guitar needs a slight clean up and a re-string and I want to take a full set of pics as part of this process. Firstly, I have never removed a guitar neck before - is there anything I should be aware of or is it as simple as removing the strings and unscrewing the four bolts? Does the neck simply bolt back into place? Second question; overall the guitar is in excellent condition but there is slight risting to a few screws, pickup poles and the jacl socket. The bridge saddles are also slightly corroded. What is the best way to deal with these? I'm happy with an aged patina and I don't want to impact the value but I'd like to tidy these up if practical. Any advice gratefully received,

Andrew
 
Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum ... :lol: :lol:

Don't worry - just turn out the screws of the neck, but be aware of that the neckplates often use to adhere at the bodies because of the lacquer ... if it won't loosen immediately take a fan to warm up the area a little bit ... it must work then ... but be careful !!! :wink:

OK ... restring it as you've got used to do it - no problem.

To clean the metal hardware I prefer a Gibson Vintage Restoration Kit where a metal cleaner is included ... but I'm sure there are some m8s who know something from Grandma's kitchen doing the same job ... 8) 8)

Roger
BTW - http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9256
 
Hi Andrew,

Be aware that, if the neck hasn't been removed for years, or maybe ever, it could be stuck to the finish on the body. It's fairly common to see bits of the body finish flake off when you remove the neck, so be careful if that matters to you.

The other thing to watch out for is whether there is a shim in place to set the correct height for the neck. If there is a piece of card, thin slice of wood or something similar in the neck pocket, remember where it is. It might be on the headstock side (to raise the action) or on the body side (to lower the action), & if there is a shim there you need to remember where it was. If there isn't a shim present (and there probably won't be), removing and replacing the neck should be fairly straight-forward, just as Leo Fender designed it in 1954.

Personally I would leave any rust or tarnish - it's an old guitar, its should look like it's seen some life.

By the way, the link to your pics doesnt seem to work.

Mike
 
Thanks for the advice. I think the vendor has taken down the pics so I will post my own as soon as possible.

Andrew
 
One more thing - remember that most of these metal cleaners are actually quite harsh abrasives. For example, as far as I can make out, good old Brasso is just chalk suspended in ammonia. That's fine, it cuts through the tarnish on brass very well, but the cleaning action comes from you rubbing chalk across the metal while the ammonia loosens the dirt. Whether these abrasive products will damage the metal parts on your guitar, only you can decide.

Mike
 
Hi Andrew!

I'd also recommend the Gibson vintage restore kit for the metal parts. It's not too agressive, I use it regularly and the parts still look "right" afterwards. Costs just a few Euros.

If you want to get the rust/tarnish off completely you have to dissassemble the parts. I then normally put them into nitro-thinner for some 24 hours and use a Dremel plastic-brush to clean them. But please be warned: afterwards the look like new, which IMHO does not fit an '81 ST50.

If you do this to Kluson-tuners don't forget to put in some "fat" afterwards. I normally use vaselin.

Cheers. Rupert
 
I used autosol on my 79 Silverstar, gets the rust off well, but does leave a shiney finish.
 
Thanks once again for the advice, it sounds like the Gibson Vintage kit is the one. I don't want a shiny, new look, just a cared-for and gently aged one. The weekend is calling so hopefully I can get a chance to go play with my screwdrivers and new toy. In equal parts exciting and terrifying. :)

Andrew
 
for me, a vintage looking & oxidized patina on hardware (on a guitar) is a HUGE appeal

To clean oxidation and/or rust just for the sake of cleaning it, I use an old soft bristle toothbrush, very lightly applied.

To clean oxidation on a part for mechanical movement, such as a saddle, I use the smallest amout possible (one drop at a time) of WD-40, just to get the parts moving/lubed; usually applied with the smallest available item, such as the tip end of a toothpick, or a straight pen. I want to be sure the stuff is applied to the specific area/part that I want it on, and NOT any other metal.

See the below pics for the patina that many want (myself included) on their vintage style gear :D
You really don't want to get rid of that kind of stuff, do you? :wink:

Oxide1.jpg


Oxide5.jpg


Oxide2.jpg


Oxide4.jpg


CasinoFlameTop1.jpg


NormansRare2.jpg
 
MIJvintage said:
for me, a vintage looking & oxidized patina on hardware (on a guitar) is a HUGE appeal
Click to expand...

Amen to that. Your guitars look great. Killer flametop Lester!

As I get older, I get more vintage looking and a little rusty too. Not interested in trying to look 20 any more. Same with my gear. I keep it clean but let it age on it's own. :wink:
 
Under the above advice, and due to my inability to wait for the Gibson Restoration kit to arrive, I decided to opt for the more used look. In fact, the guitar is in great condition and now I have put on some decent 10 gauge strings instead o the gossamer it came with, it plays like a dream.

I have also put some pics up on my blog site: http://andymunro.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

Note that it is definitely a two-tone sunburst though some of the photos look a bit red.

thanks once again for all the advice,

Andrew
 
Looks nice, & I don't think you'll regret your decision to leave the few small rust marks it has. It's still in very good condition for a guitar that's 26 years old.

I assume the neck came off easily? No shims?

Mike
 
Yes, no problems thanks. In fact the hardest part was actually getting the back plate to the trem springs off. I don't think it had ever been removed (also judging by dust and dirt there). The neck unscrewed nice and easily, the back plate slipped off and there were no shims or difficult bits :).
 

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