The Electra Forums

I dont know if it was mentioned but you want to loosen the strings before adjusting the truss rod and set it with low to no tension and readjust as needed.

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SlmGuy

Thanks..

I am pretty sure that I need to replace the nut. How do I go about replacing it, I think I could get it off and back on but what about the dimensions and the spacing of the nut? Is there a replacement that I can purchase that corresponds with another model or guitar brand? Does this look too close to the fret board? Doesn't it look like there are stress lines or fracturing. There are two pics.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1023 ... Ym_t5K9qwE

Just to be clear (I am sick and thus a bit dense) you are talking about the nut on the truss rod? If so, StewMac and All parts carry them. Remember you would want a metric one. The nut for the strings looks fine, just a bit scratched and dirty. Looks like you have some finish cracks which are normal on a guitar this old. If they don't move when you flex the neck (gently) don't worry.

I am sorry I was talking about the nut on the head stock holding the strings. If it looks good to you...good.
Thanks man

Check these out.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Nuts,_saddles/a-nuts.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lGTSGaSOo

A good resource is Stewmac, as well as Youtube. You do need to be careful when choosing a resource, obviously, so check comments first to make sure that the resource is legit.

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"GREAT Googiley moogilie Jack...jumpin jehosephat, hot dang and all".
- jdwhealton

Thanks to The Chad. I have really learned quite a bit. I might try this. I will post pics as I go along.

I took my guitar to the shop and had it looked over. They said that the headstock is pulling away from the neck and that the neck is cracking. I don't see it, but then again I am not sure that I would know it if I saw it. He said that the hundreds of dollars it would require to restore might be better spent to get a new guitar. So not sure what to do.

Ok-just going by what I can see in your pics,the nut slots for the strings look like they are cut way too deep=fret buzz
The truss rod adjusting screw looks stripped,usually when someone goes primitive pete and doesn't use the correct size allen wrench. I've never seen a headstock "pull away"-these are either 3 or 5 piece necks,glued together lateral in orientation,no scarf joint to separate-the end of your fretboard may be lifting,in other words the glue has failed and starting to curl upwards. I don't see any crack in the pics you have,just maybe a little separation between the fretboard and neck at the very end by the nut.
Do you trust or know the folks where you took it? I hate to say it,but most shops would rather sell you a new guitar,give you little or nothing for yours- win,win for them.
If you are patient,the necks do come up from time to time- could be a good chance to learn if your inclined.
Joe

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"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

Thanks man. The guy did seem a little arrogant and told me that the guitar was not collectable at all so he did not recommend restoring it. I have almost nothing stuck into it so it would be great looking guitar just to have. I would be willing to stick money into it, I like it quite a bit. I will keep on learning what I can; maybe this guy was blowing smoke at me.

Win win for me.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/102331280872784460779/posts

So this project is moving along. I picked up a broken guitar for $100. After looking it over it I thought it looked like some parts might fit. So I started taking parts from a new broken Epiphone Les Paul Custom and switched out parts. I still need to adjust the truss but putting on the new bridge and tail piece made a BIG difference. I need to adjust the intonation and I am thinking about maybe rewiring the guitar (???). The guy at the shop said that I should, but he was the one who told me the neck was cracked and that it could fly up and hurt someone...nice.

New strings and a neck adjustment at least and I will be happy. I am mostly an acoustic player so... I really did learn a lot about guitar repairs though, so it was very much worth my time.

Were you able to remove the nut on your truss rod? That is an important first step. If your truss rod cannot be fixed your guitar may be a wall hanger. The good thing is usually they can be repaired. Then see if your nut from the other guitar fits, but don't tighten it up until you make certain there is no crack in the area.

If your fret board is lifting from the headstock side it will need to be glued and clamped. It isn't hard really, but that would need to be done if it is cracked there. I have had an electra (and other guitars do that). The BEST book on guitar repair is the The Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine. It tells you how to do 95% of what you run into on guitar repair. I bet you'd enjoy that book a lot. You probably can find used copies on amazon on ebay, but also available new if you look for it. Dan is the same guy that does many of the articles for Stewart MacDonalds online. The book pretty well compiles most all of those and more. A great resource. But if the neck is indeed separating you'll need to take care of that first before putting on a new nut on the truss rod. Once it is properly glued, clamped, and dried you can replace that truss rod nut and adjust the neck flat without the strings on it first as a starting point.

Then, usually when you get your strings tightened to pitch, it will frequently give you the right amount of bow or relief to the neck. If not, you can fine tune it. A good way to check it is to capo the first and 17th fret, and use a credit card as a feeler guage in the middle. That will get you about right. Some people like more, some like it less - but that is a good place to start.

As far as replacing the electronics - if your current ones are fine to you, they why? I would try caig deoxit DN5 or D5 cleaner spray on the pots, jacks, and switches first. You many not need to change a thing. Now if you want the epiphone stuff in there for some reason, it should work fine. I am just saying if there is no reason why you want to change it and it works ok, then leave it alone (good rule of thumb with old Japanese guitars). When you change things, you often reduce the collect-ability of it. If you want it to play and you think you will like the epiphone stuff or it is perceived as better to you, then go for it. It is your guitar.

There is something really satisfying about repairing an old Japanese electric guitar that someone else was just going to throw away or sold for parts. Many repair guys just don't see it. Everyone here does though. We do it all the time. Most of us here know a hellova lot more than most repair guys you are likely to run into at your local store too. Many of us have been playing and repairing guitars longer than they (most typical repair guys) have been alive. Not knocking some, like Dan Erlewine can work magic and some are of that caliber. But most sadly are just music store clerks that have been given asked to fix guitars too. Some are good, most are not. I would not trust most to set the intonation on my guitar properly.

Good luck

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Thorny

It might not be collectible in terms of guitars that cost thousands of dollars but the fact is that you have already learned a lot from owning this guitar and there is no value on that. Here's the other thing, you picked this up for free. I sold a red one last year for over $550 on Ebay so value is relevant.