Page 5 --- Hi-lites of reassembly details to 2-7-08
33. Hardware laid out for reassembly. Hardware taken out of active corrosion penetrating bath, bath oil cleaned off and now coated with teflon oil film. --- Bridge saddle was lemon-oiled.
34.How to thread pickups and stubborn spring blades that are taller than the body cavity (see #40 below): Spring blades are first compressed and then taped to hold that compression. Thus the pickup assembly is made shorter than the body cavity and can then be inserted vertical into the body cavity. --- String harness for front pickup is made to grip around the pickup and the top ends of themounting bracket. String harness is fed through the body cavity from the electronics control cavity hole, retrieved down through the pickup's top hole, and used to carefully pull pickup up into it's deck hole. --- Brass bridge screw-posts are a tone trick similar to Roy Buchanan's telecaster penny trick, and is easier for bridge adjustments / set-up than with old and worn steel screws, and preserves original screws packed away. The screws in sockets attract acidic hand sweat and is difficult to clean off in their sockets and thus corrode the original non-stainles screws; And oiling the screw heads is not an option for preservation because the oil will vibrate down the screw shafts and into their wood holes and soften the wood ...not good for the wood nor the tone; Brass screws have much better tone than stainless steel. To preserve the screw heads, ALWAYS loosen the strings before adjusting the bridge; Not doing so is the cause of so many Danelectro bridge screw posts heads to be wallowed or stripped. Original screws will be shipped with guitar.
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35.Since I've done this many times I did not need the string harness for the bridge pickup, inserting it by hand into it's hole from the front end of the electronics bay hole then up past the wood bridge block in the body cavity. Here the pickup is emerging from it's hole. (Shave yer head before you try that without compressing the spring blades; Otherwise you'll pull your hair out trying!).
36.Pickup is laid on a clean soft rag, the masking tape removed and it's glue cleaned off with naptha or WD40 applied ON A RAG AND NOT DIRECTLY ON THE PICKUP) (easier to do before the tape glue dries than after).
37.Pickup screws and washers are installed in the back. Pickups are tested by plugging into an amp and tapping on each pickup through their switching and volume & tone ranges. --- Bridge is installed and pulled down lightly snug against masking tape that protects the finish; This keeps the bridge snug on it's front screw-posts; Otherwise the bridge would spin and flop around on it's through-plate rear screw-post.
38.Pickguard is staged to ensure final fit and allignment of all componants.
39. Lookeen Gooood; WELL deserving of her detailed clean-up. --- Pickguard was then removed for detailing. Pickguard installation and restringing will finish the assembly and be ready for fine-tuning set up and then fresh strings, and packing her up for her next journey in fine shape.
