Gr3y Custom Shop

Finally an update

2009-11-04T05:05:00.000-08:00

Firstly, i apologies for not updating this blog for such a long time. I've been busying with teaching guitar and most job that came in are small fix like pickup installation etc. Thus the lack of update.

Anyway recently something worth posting came along.

Now if you think Gr3y is addicted to some sort of drugs, you are wrong! Haha! The syringe is for injecting glue during the following repair. I thought it looks cool to post here :D

I'm sorry that I've forgotten to photo the crack. Anyway it's a broken Gibson Les Paul. It's so common for Gibson to break off at that exact area with the same wound! However, this is slightly different. The crack is not big enough for any tools to apply the glue properly and I'm not ready to make the matter worse. I've handled a fair bit of various Gibson repair and as well as neck break cases, it's never wise to expand a crack just so that you can apply the glue.
Let's take a look at the final result.

Like i told my customer, if there is no logo at that area, i would most probably do a paintjob touch up and it'll be as good as new. The crack line would be invisible just like how the black shecter guitar was done. Also, i noticed there are quite a fair bit of color change at the neck area due to extensive playing. It's pretty impossible to match the color back. A crack line in this case would be better than anything else.

FAQ
1) Will the neck break again after being repaired?
Ans: Technically speaking, a neck with such repair would actually be stronger than the original. However, extensively heavy gauge strings or any other big impact may cause it to break.

2)Is there any warranty if i get you to fix my broken guitar neck?
Ans: I would give you 7day grace to monitor, bring back to me if anything happens. Note, guitar with gauge heavier than 0.11 or suffered from any big impact after collection will not be covered for the 7day grace.

3)How long does it takes to fix?
Ans: Usually 5-7 working days.

4)How much does it cost?
Ans: Depends on case to case basis. Usually from as low as $100 to not more than $200.

Some Acquired Taste

2009-09-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Follow up here.

Yes, after many days of bad weather, it's finally done. As i don't have the luxury of a humidity controlled paint booth, it's not possible for me to paint on rainy days. Unknown to both my client and i,the rainy weather sets in after the collection of the instrument. Not forgetting the deadly Morakot was during that period.

So after painting this white, i realized white guitar in such shape does requires some tasty vision to visualize it. Nice choice of color i must say.

I hope you do like the stuff you see here. I would appreciate if you would follow my blog or leave a comment as these are good motivating food :) Thanks!

Schecter Neck Broke

2009-09-10T01:13:00.000-07:00

My next impossible task is on this beautiful schecter C1-Elite.
Say OUCH!
When Shaun first showed me his images of the broken headstock, i told him it should be a
simple fix and he is lucky. But at that point of time, the headstock was not detached like
what you are looking at now. The first impact create only a big crack at the rear. Oh did i
just said first impact?

Yes! During our meet up, i was helping Shaun to carry his guitar. Naturally i took the sling
and sling it up on my shoulder. Guess what, the plastic that holds the strap in place broke
and causing the whole guitar falling onto the floor for a second impact. I was pretty sure
that Shaun was really terrified at the moment.

"No worries, it's in my hands now", i said.

So the guitar went through some clamping and gluing. At that point of time, i know the steps but i'm wondering to what extend could i perfect the repair to.

Here we have the front and rear shot of what's left after removing the clamp and sanding away the excess glue. Pretty neat huh? The reddish brown is actually the mahogany.

So next time is pretty much repainting the damaged area and polishing it to shine. I guess there is a reason why many people prefers to repair a black guitar. It's the easiest to match color after all.

I always thought that neck with such reinforcement area on the rear of the headstock and neck joint are much stronger. Seems like it's pretty much the same as a normal design. I guess the best design that prevents headstock breaking could most probably be the fender style.

Anyway, the Schecter is now good as new! Well i mean at one glance, you'll probably not know what it had gone through! I hope Shaun is feeling way better now :D

8888 Visitors!

2009-09-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting my blogsite and going through my humble collection of repairs and modifications! Although this site counter was not implemented when this blog started and does not represent the time and effort i've put into my work. I'm still glad that i've now 8888 visits!

The Gr3y Story(simplified)
The story started since the first day i took the daring attempt to risk modifying on my own electric guitar. I wanted something that looks different and special but i was a kid and cannot afford anything expensive. My friends who were richer were all using nice guitars with fancy appearance and those artist on tv is always using something that would cost over 2-3k!

Although that first guitar i modified did not successfully leave the surgery table, i never stop and gave up. The first ever guitar i did all the damage on was a Vantage sunburst superstrat which i bought off cashconvertor(I don't even know where are the guitar shops in Singapore back than)

It was later painted into chrome. Sadly i can't find any of the photo though i do remember taking them. The chrome didn't work out and was ready for a backup plan soon after. So i sanded it and got it repainted. Eddie was very much influencing me that time and thus the following color scheme. Ok i admit i'm being ambitious to paint a chrome and later a frankenstrat color theme when i don't really know how to paint a guitar. But it's this ambitious mind that kept me going.

The guitar may look presentable in this photo but the real thing is not as it seems. The cavity filling is really bad, the paintjob is very uneven and i even tried scalloping on the board but it's a big mess. At current stage, the guitar's neck is already warped and i'm only keeping it as a display in my room. I'm still proud of it being my first ever guitar modification project. Also, the headstock bears the name of a person i adores :)

If you are a budding repair/modification enthusiast thinking about trying out guitar repairs etc, my piece of advice is that this is not something that you can do when you know the steps. There are tones of information floating online(e.g. my tutorials) and as well as in books and video. I'm sure you could google it easily. However, it is much like cooking, the receipe is only there as a guide. To succeed, trail and error at own cost(time,money and effort) is unavoidable. Patience is the key element :)

I'm not sure where will this never ending quest of guitar modding and repairing leads me to but whatever it is, i'm very thankful for all that allowed my quest and hobby to live on! Without you guys, i can't possibly be modding that much of guitars(i can't possibly own lots and lots of guitar right?)

Cheers to 8888 visitors!

Best Regards,
Vincent

Epiphone Joe Pass

2009-09-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

Owner requested to replace the original plain plastic inlays with some real mother-of-pearl blocks.

Though it's a seemingly simple job, the big block makes inlaying on a fretted board exceptionally difficult. I'm glad i managed to finish the task and the owner love the end results. :D

So why MOP? It gives a lively 3D depth with vibrant color of commonly pink,green and blue. It's hard to resist isn't it?

Sick of standard pickup position?

2009-08-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

Remember her?
Yes she is back to visit again :) I still remember the first time i saw her, she was opting for a Bigsby bridge installation. Later on she got herself stars tattoo on her neck, followed by a esquire style single ply white pickguard. Now she is back for more!

I start by covering her in some old school woolen blanket to make her feeling cosy.

If my friend(a particular luthier) saw this, he would go.. "that's what happens when your edges are blunt!"

I took some foundation and did some touch up.

Yes, some very unusual position! When we were discussing on paper, it's all a mystery. I'm totally new to see such a pickup installation.

Position 1: Dimarzio Fast Track (Neck)
Position 2: Dimarzio Fast Track (Neck) + Stock Tele Bridge Single Coil
Position 3: Stock Tele Bridge Single Coil

My conclusion is that, this guitar is now something very versatile! The fast track actually sounds good at that position and retains the esquirish look! I do hope to be able to get her owner to do some sound sample of this experimental installation. I say it's Les Paul in the making(the owner not me, i'm just his worker for this project).

Tutorial ( String Changing for Archtop Bridge )

2009-08-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

Many people often miss this part when restringing an Archtop guitar. Since an Archtop's bridge is not screwed onto the body or held in place by any support, it is common that people cannot find the intonated perfect position for the bridge after restringing. This problem can be easily solved! Works well for violin or other string instrument of same nature!

1st
Tear a low tack masking tape into 3 pieces. I'm using the 3M blue colored low tack tapes. It should look like the following illustration.

2nd
Make sure you are using the original edge of the tape and then tape it as close to the edge of the bridge as possible. Look at the following picture.

3rd
You'll no longer worry when your bridge came loose after you've loosen your string! Perfectly marked in place. Also do note that i keep the end of the masking tape up. This helps to reduce the chance of creating a ding with your nails or scratching the finish when you are removing the tapes.

Anyway this belongs to my client's beautiful Epiphone Joe Pass model which is currently going through re-inlaying process. He has cleverly opted for the real deal, high grade mother of pearl :D

Tutorial (Decal Application)

2009-08-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

In this post, i'll try my best to show you how to apply a decal to your headstock. Do not skip any of the steps while going though this tutorial. If you have any question, you can simply post in the comment box and i'll get back asap.

1st
Cut the decals to size, keeping a small gap away from the printed area. Check if it fits nicely on the headstock or in your case the desired position.

2nd
Soak them into warm water. Cold or room temperature water will work as well but warm water allows the decal backing to be separated from the decal faster. This allows the glue of the decal to remain. Cold or room temperature water will take longer to allow the decal and backing to separate, also causing the glue of the decal to be less effective. It should take not more than 2mins for warm water.

3rd
Look carefully in this picture, the decal and the backing are now able to slide away from each other. Always slide and not peel like you would on sticker. It should be a very easy and gentle process, soak more if you need to apply pressure to slide it out.

4th
Slide the decal onto the desired location, adjust while the decal while it is still wet. You may use your finger but not any sharp object. The decal is very fragile at this stage.

5th
Use your finger to slide out excess water underneath the decal. Be gentle as the decal tends to tear at this stage. After that, use a lint free cloth or anything mild to wipe out the excess water.

6th
If you have been following so far and not skipping the steps, good. The next info is the most crucial part! The above 5 pictures have a big problem. To apply a decal, always make sure your wood is already sealed with a layer paint or sealer. If you do not do so, the clearcoat will cause a color difference. So basically, the first step is to prepare your desired area with a nice coat of finish. After that, do step 1-5. Step 6 is clearcoating the area. If you choose not to clearcoat it, you'll face decal tearing problem. Decal itself is actually very fragile but decal covered with clearcoat will be very strong.

Good Luck!

Spot The Difference!

2009-08-24T03:49:00.000-07:00

Haha! The above image is just for some self entertainment :) I was restringing a client's guitar and was asked to use this set of strings. The packing for each string got a hand sign to tell you what number it is.. I was mischievous thus the special version of the E string appeared :D

Anyway the Gibson SG project is currently on hold as i need to source for some wood in order to fill the cavity. Here's a simple repaint, price is listed on my price.

The original

After paint stripping

After first layer of white.
Final product will be a glossy white.

Neck Reinforcements Have Arrived.

2009-08-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Alright.. so the neck is now glued back with the headstock.. But is that safe? Considering the tension of strings are pretty powerful. Personally, i'm not that much of a scientist so i'll prefer to play safe. I found some Nato wood lying around and decides to put them into action. For those who don't know, nato are the "asian" mahogany and have pretty much the same characteristic and are often used in guitar neck building.

Sawing these nato into shape is quite ridiculously tough. They are indeed the choice of wood for neck building.

So i carefully mark out where i plan to inlay some reinforcements.

Test fittings are as important as you trying out your jeans before buying. These sits about 3-4mm deep, depending which side you are on.

Finally. Now i have a safer feel when i'm going to string up this Gibby. Don't worry, since i'm going to coat it with white paint, it won't be visible. Anyway, it still looks ok :D

Saving Gibson Sg

2009-08-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

So recently i acquired a Gibson SG from my friend.

Friend: Hey vincent, you want a free guitar?
Me: Oh why not? What is it?
Friend: It's a Gibson SG
Me: WHAT?! YOU KIDDING ME? FREE?
Friend: Yeah! BUT! It's broken
Me: In 2 parts? Should be easy to fix..
Friend: No.. in 3!

So here's Saving Gibson SG! Let's take a look at what i received, not for the faint of heart!

We could see here how the "neck thru" is actually done. So yeah, i prefer bolt on joints way better :D

Very nasty break at the headstock -> neck portion

So i start with the headstock to neck portion first. I used paint stripper to remove the paint on the back of the headstock so as not to damage the Gibson signature series number and "made in usa" stamp marks. However! A careless mistake caused the front logo to be left with "son"! Don't worry, that can be fix easily ;)

This is actually known as the Gibson SG-X. Made in the late 80s and early 90s for a very short period. Many people (includes professional luthiers) have never seen this model. It's considered rare for Singapore. It has 24frets instead of the usual 22 and have very different pot positions.

However, i'm not interested in the original SG-X look but rather the 60s SG Jr!

courtesy to www.rocknrollvintage.com

I'll be posting more on the progress of how i will attempt to save this SG and give it a new life! Or you can say how i turn a real Gibson to a "fake" Gibson!
Bookmark my page up or simply add as a follower to receive the latest post the minute i post it up :)

The beautiful start of a series of unique Inlays..

2009-07-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hi folks!

I'm starting a series of beautiful inlays designed and made by me. I hope you'll like what you see.

A little background. These inlays are made from high grade White/Gold/Black Mother of Pearl shell and Abalone shell. I might throw in certain other stuff like copper or acrylic if there is a need for some special color. These inlays are handmade by me and by no way i can duplicate something exactly the same. Meaning to say if you like something i've created but it's bought by someone else, i'm sorry but you'll just have to wait for something else you might like and act fast.

So today i made 2 of these inlays and i've not set the price yet. Don't worry we'll start once i've come up with a price list for these beautiful stuff. You can purchase them for your ambitious d.i.y inlay adventure or you can simply get me to do the inlaying onto your guitar/bass/banjo/lapste.. ok you get the idea.

Without more talking, let's look at the result for today!

Let's start with something light..
I was thinking to myself, what could possibly be the type of inlay that most people will like it on their instrument.. I do know that most christians love nice inlays because it's part of their culture and history however they might not want a cross smacked on their instrument. (you can still request me to do one for you :D ). So the next that came to me somehow was this Dove. Pure, Peace and Happy.
This is shot in white light as compared to the above shot in yellow lighting. I'll try to get a day shot, where the natural light really glows the Mop gloriously! Btw, these are not polished thus you won't see the smooth and glossy finish :)

Next we have something in contrast! I call this the Angel and Demon. Why so? The main dark greenish(black mop) skull represents the demon's skull while the purplish(abalone) broken part represents the angel. The white(white mop) left wing belongs to the angel and the dreamy dark(black mop) wing with piercing nails(white mop)is from the demon!
This is shot in white light as opposed to the above shot in yellow lighting. All these photo are taken with my old Konica Minolta Dimage X50! Though the color and focus is not the best but i'm glad it still works well! and yes... i'm sure you've spotted some other things on the way.. ;)

New Banner!

2009-07-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hurray to the new banner! All thanks to wordpress.. why so? Initially the smart alex IT dummy me thought that wordpress do allow you to edit the css/html like blogspot.. so i was happily editing until the horrifying part when i saw "pay ... to update your theme now".

Well it's not that i am being stingy in paying a $0.04usd per day fee but i'm sure you guys that've been supportive of me would know that i don't earn from this freelance job.

So yes i'm back to blogspot.. might be exploring others that my friend is recommending me soon..

Also.. Recently i've acquired a 1990s Gibson SG-X but it's broken into 3 pieces! I'm planning to restore it and post the process up(like never before)so you can witness the whole adventure! Stay tuned!

Custom Mahogany Truss Rod Cover

2009-06-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Abuse

2009-06-04T12:14:00.001-07:00

I do pity my amps sometime..

Almost rocking!

2009-05-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

This guitar has been coming back to her doctor(me) for quite a couple of times just because she dream to be rocking one fine day! So yes, she is almost ready now!

Things done for this project:
- Staining of body color
- Clear coating to a low gloss natural feel
- Replacing a brand new rosewood fingerboard
- Inlaying offset Mother of Pearl dot inlays
- Fretting with Jumbo frets and finishing with bullet ends

I can't wait to see her owner put her into action soon! The feeling of accomplishing other people's dream axe is just good :)

Old Skool~

2009-05-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

So finally the old school tele project is completed. I can't help it but took a few shots and post it here to share.

Total mod:
- Mother of Pearl Star inlaying
- Single ply 5 screw w/o pup hole pickguard
- Bigsby B5 installation

Everytime i pickup this guitar, i can't help but play sleepwalk! It's an amazing telecaster~

Star Inlay!

2009-05-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

it's been really long since i've posted. Still, that does not mean i am not doing any more modification etc! It's just that most are small scale repair jobs and i've been really busy with my band RazzlePlay .I'm so glad my regular clients are so patience with me! Thanks peepz! You know who you are! :)

I wonder how many of you remembered this bigsby B5 installation?

After i've posted that blog, i received quite a number of emails asking me to install a B5 for them. I'll now take this opportunitity to announce again that i do not carry in any Bigsby product and as for that installation, my client provided the bridge he bought off ebay.

Anyway, he came back to me recently and this time round we worked on something better! Mother of Pearl Star Inlays! Some people emailed me before on what is the difference between a real inlay using plastic, shells and sticker "inlays". Inlays are nothing but decorative but having a decorative on your guitar that does not last can be really annoying. It is also a form of art pass down from skillful wood craftmans that served their king. A good inlay are one that have defined edges without excessively big routed slot and is completely flat and smooth with the wood beside it. Buying stickers to stick on the fingerboard will not be able to last a fraction of the actual inlay and when removing, it'll cause gooze to sip into the pores of the fingerboard. Yucks!

So here's some pictures to look at the result of his request.

(i fake an email that claimed i spoilt his fingerboard, i wish i could see his expression when he saw this picture! :P Don't worry, it's part of the inlaying process)

Here we go, the first star that shined!

There are more projects that i'll be posting, please be patience with me :)

Ibanez(s) Modifications

2009-03-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

It's been really long since i last update my blog here. I guess many of you must be thinking that i am out of this business. It's ok, let the rumble begins again! I'm so sorry that i've not been updating due to previous few months of crazy performance schedule.

Ok here's some update. Apart from usual small repairs, i've this 2 Ibanez i'm going to feature.

Let's start with the JEM. This jem is modded by me from originally a RG. Looking at the picture above, you'll probably mistaken it as a normal sunburst on first glance. I don't blame you. It resembles much of a regular sunburst. Let's look closer.

Now this picture clearly shows you that it looks much like a faded texture that's due wear. I call this the wasp skin. Simply yet deadly like the wasp. If you think that you'll probably feel the roughness then you are wrong. This is going to be smooth and glossy later on.
and no, it's not a print on graphic or something. It's painted. Currently i've not seen anyone in the guitar making industry local/oversea that have did this type of finish. It's a method i discovered while doing trial and error paint experiments. Tell me what you think about this. :)

Along with chrome hardware, this little wasp is gonna sting you real bad in the eye!

Next we look at the all natural JPM. Remember i did a custom JPM neck not a long time ago? This is the body that will be matching with. Veneer top, Stained back, low gloss finish.. this is going to be a beauty! Isn't the body just gorgeous? I can't wait to finish both projects :)

FAQ Add-On

2009-02-08T01:57:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Recently i've got a couple of repeated questions on my email so i think i'll just reply them here for all :)

Q1: How much is it to do a vine of life inlay?
A: At least SGD$600. It depends on the material used and if there is a need for a fingerboard change. Why change the fingerboard? Read Q3.

Q2: Are you able to do a custom shape guitar?
A: At the moment, no. But i'm not restricting to that. The reason it's a no is because it's costly for both me and the client to do a custom shape guitar. If you are ready to pay a minimum of SGD$2k, i'm ready to fulfill your dream :) (my own current dream is the Ibanez fireman btw! Now that is a custom)

Q3: Are you able to change my block inlays to other inlays?
A: Anything i inlay, the new inlay have to be exact or bigger size then the old inlays. This is because once wood is removed i can't really replace it back. The only way to do it is to do an additional step of wood inlay, which will add on to your cost and can be obvious in lighter colored wood.

Q4: Do you do set-up?
A: Yes i do, just email me. :)

Q5: Do you repair anything other then guitar?
A: Drop me an email, i'll help if it's within my abilities. If not, i'll try my best to refer you to the best guy in town.

Q6: Can i just get routings done by you?
A: Why not?

Q7: Do you still do custom pickguards?
A: Yes i do but current i don't have the materials in stock. If you really want it, you may have to wait for me to ship the materials in for you.

Bullet Frets!

2009-01-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

So recently i've not been updating my site! Here's a recent work i've done for a client. Refret, and i'm doing it with a new technique! The bullet refret. :)

The original factory fret ends

The new bullet fret ends

A nice recap!

2008-12-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'm glad someone knows about me and he sent me a pm.

Hi Vincent,

It's Phil here, if you remember, I sent you a PM asking you if you were Vincent Mah.

Anyway, I've been in this forum for a long time, and so have you. I've always seen you posting, and I've also seen and spoken to you in Maestro Guitars. I bought lots of Lyric HG from you guys.

But, I've never reconciled the Maestro Vincent with Gr3y, until recently.

Anyway, I checked out your website and everything, very impressive. I remember reading and replying in the thread whereby you first started out cutting pickguards. And since then when people ask about customing pickguards, we'll always refer them to Gr3y. Haha, but nowadays I'm hardly active in the SOFT forums anymore. It's just different now, but that's another story altogether.

Anyway, nice to meet you. And, guess what. I'm working for Maestro now, just ORDed not long ago, and while waiting for Uni to start, I got a part time job doing retail. Too bad you've left, it'd have been fun.

Lastly, I'm considering getting you to do some jobs for my guitars! There's just so many ideas, I loved the inlay you did. That could work out great on my guitar. And the respraying of the pedal as well, that's good news. I've a CMATmods Deeelay that I love to death but it looks plain ugly with the matted silver coating.
And the Tree of Life is tempting as well, I've Prestige 1570 that might need some sprucing up.
So tempting, eh.

Well, have fun with whatever you're doing now, and congrats on the album launch!

regards,
Phil

Lion Attack!

2008-12-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Nope it's not another horror scene you'll read on newspaper. Recently i did a nice little modification for someone who have trouble with his floating bridge. The new bridge he fixed on can't do an up wham because of the routed area not big enough. So instead of expanding that routed area, he got me to do a lion claw on it. Lion claw design was originally from Ibanez Jem designed by well known guitarist Steve Vai.

This is how it looks like on a typical Ibanez Jem. Oh yes, that's something i'm working on and you should watch on if you like Ibanez guitars.

To Fret or Not To Fret?

2008-11-23T07:39:00.001-08:00

I noticed that my work comes in some fashion. If you've been following my work you'll realize a pattern i'm sure! Hmz. haha. Anyway here's some fret work.

First up, a rosewood fingerboard that's pretty old and worn. Owner wish to get back the feel of jumbo frets instead of jumbo flats. So upon removing all the old frets, i realized the dirty and worn board. Took the initiative to restore it back to glory.

Next up, Remember the black vine of life on a maple board? Yup, i've completed it's fretwork. Sorry to the owner for the delay, my band have quite some activities lately. Anyway dealing with maple is always tricky as they need extra care always. Anything wrong will result in an almost irreversible move. Masking tapes are called upon for this case.

Here's a close up of the fret edges :)

And the neck picture splitting into 4.

Bigsby B5 Installation

2008-11-18T07:20:00.001-08:00

I'm glad i got to do this, again. I did it quite a while ago without taking any pictures! Now here comes another piece. This time round, a cij fender tele with a B5 with authentic Fender logo! Now that's cool.