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NOS 2001 Danelectro DC3
~ Inspection and Packing Progress Report ~
~ Page 1;  NOS Inspection ~
HELLO DEAR ...I'M HOME ...Time to wake up!
Original hang tags sometimes don't fare well in this packing position;  They get bent by the foam bag cuff around the headstock.  I relocated them to between the strings just forward of the bridge where they will will ride flat and be much more secure.
A better look.  ~~~~~~~  Evets / Danelectro tries to deny any warranty liability after doing some company name and licensing shuffling;  But I feel reasonably sure a telephone call from an attorney would inspire them to honor a warranty card;  Although their option to replace the guitar would be with a new reissue which I would think hard about;  The now rather rare hang tags and blank warranty card is probably worth more to a collector on ebay than filling it out and sending it in !
These are one of the finest playing and finest looking electric guitars ever made, imho (and many others opinion as well).  A guitar that sold new for $250 only 5 years ago, ...now sells for as much as $1200 NOS in some places when they can be rarely found, ...speaks volumes about just how fine the Danelectro 1998-2003 reissues were;  Particularly some models like this DC3.  ~~~~~~~  The CAD / CNC manufacturing provides tight tolerances never before known prior to CAD / CNC.
The only thing I did to this guitar's NOS condition was to bend the tips of the string ends sticking out of the tuners, because not only do they poke through the original foam bag and tear it, but even worse they poke peoples fingers which is a carelessness I'd rather not acquiesce to.
The factory height setting for the pickups is a happy medium between low dynamics and high dynamics.  Most casual players in the overall / general Guitar market prefer lower dynamics that they can fram on in any manner they desire and still get pretty much the same sound;  While most good seasoned guitarists dearly love high dynamics that respond to hand, attack and other techniques nuances.  Small adjustments of these pickups up or down will make big differences in dynamics of these pickups.  I personally like them adjusted just as high as they will go without buzzing against the stringsfretted at the last fret.  To make that close / high-dynamic adjustment, as much as the factory pickup tension springs will allow, is to simply loosen the pickup mounting screws on the back of the guitar until they start to lose their spring tension.  As you loosen the screws the pickup rides upward / higher on the screws by the pressure of a spring that surrounds each screw shaft.  As the pickup rides farther up on the screw, the spring extends and becomes looser.  You don't want a pickup's spring tension so loose that the pickup flops around in their body top slots;  AND you can run the screws all the way out of the pickup flanges if you're not careful to pay attention to the spring tension as a good gauge of when you're running out of thread.  When you feel the springs starting to lose their tension, then tighten them 3/4 a turn and make sure that's adequate tension to keep the pickups from flopping in the body top slots.  NOW fret the very last fret and make sure the strings are clearing the pickups when you pick as hard as you're going to in playing.  This will probably not be a problem since the springs usually aren't long enough for the pickups to reach the strings before the springs start losing their tension.

To set the pickups to their highest dynamics, they need to be set right up close to the strings without touching / buzzing the strings fretted at the last fret.  That will require removing the pickups and replacing the springs (surgical rubber hose works great as a replacement spring).  Remove the pickups by facing the top up and securely propping it's neck up at about a 45 degree angle using pillows or a a soft secure prop to prop the neck / guitar up ....so you can get a screwdriver on the pickup screws on the back while being able to also reach the pickups.  This angle will keep the springs on the screws when the srews release from the pickup.  Loosen the screws OF 1 PICKUP AT A TIME, alternating 2 our 3 turns on each screw to loosen the screws evenly, keeping the screw head flush with the back surface of the guitar to secure keep springs on the screws by gravity when the pickup releases from the screw.  When you feel a spring losing it's tension, the screw is about to release from the pickup;  So place a piece of masking tape across that screw to hold in into position while loosening the other screw in the same manner until it released from the pickup;  Then put a piece of masking tape across it to keep it snug up against the body and thus also holding it's spring on by gravity.  Carefully remove the masking tape from the other side while keeping the screw up against the body.  When that screw also release from the pickup then tape the screw back down against the back of the body.  You can now pull the pickup out of it's slot on the body top.  You can now reach in with long nose pliers and remove the springs from the screws taped in place.  the front. keep the screw up against the bodyuntil the pickup falls out of it's body top slot.  Should you lose a spring inside the guitar, it's usually not difficult to shake-tease them out of the pickup slot.

Now cut 2 pieces of surgical rubber just 2 threads shorter than each screw, which will become the new springs.  Place the new surgical rubber onto the screws and reassemble the pickup in the reverse order of disassembling them.  Repeat the process for all 3 pickups.

Now adjust the 1st string end of 1 pickup up as close to the strings without the strings buzzing on the pickup when the string is fretted at the last fret.  Repeat the other 6th string end in the same manner.  Repeat the process for all 3 pickups.

Now you have to balance the pickups tilt latterally for equal volume across the strings for each pickup, and then the pickups height for the same volume between them (or one louder than the others if desired).  Start with the bridge pickup to make sure it's adjusted as close to the strings as possible as said above.  Swith ONLY the bridge pickup on.  Now lower the bass / 6th string end 1 full turn of the height adjusting screw.  Compare the volume between the 1st and 6th string.  ADJUST THE 6th STRING UP (louder) OR DOWN (less volume) until the 1st and 6th strings volumes are equal.  Repeat the process for all 3 pickups.  Now strumming across ALL strings, compare the volumes of the bridge and middle pickup.  Raise the one that has the lower volume IF DOING SO WILL NOT MAKE THE STRINGS BUZZ WHILE IT'S STRINGS ARE FRETTED AT THE LAST FRET;  Otherwise lower the loudest one. Adjust the pickups height by turning the screws sequencially 1/2 turn at a time maintaining the same pickup tilt that was previously set.  When you have the bridge and middle pickup the same volume (or desired difference);  Repeat the process comparing the neck pickup WITH THE BRIDGE PICKUP (a brain psychological prejudice thang).  When you have all 3 set at the same volume when strummed (or a desire one louder than the others), then go back and double check the same volume between the 1st and 6th string, .....only this time you will have to determine if it's the 1st or 6th string that's the same volume as the other 2 pickups, and adjust the other end accordingly.
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