Gasalcoholics anonymous? whoever said this was a help group?

[Blackened Soul]

Sure low output buckers could work out and sometimes those cheap pickups are nice sounding.. be it usually not very unique or mojoy but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.. and there is always down the road

[dubkitty]

yeah, pickups are kind of a secondary consideration unless they’re absolutely awful.

i found a Chinese rosewood bridge with the Gibson-style inlay like a real Byrdland, and Kluson makes the perfect tuners, big relief waffle-backs with metal keystone buttons permanently forged on. not horribly expensive if you shop around. the tailpiece is another question…there’s a visually adequate Allparts number that’s more affordable, and a nicer one (heavier gauge wire on the decorative loops and overall sturdier-looking) that’s over $100. i’ll probably get the better one because why not?

[dubkitty]

i think i may have solved a dilemma that's been pestering archtop fans for ages. Byrdlands, as well as ES-175s and other Gibson archtops (as well as some others e.g. Guilds) used a big rubber grommet around the toggle switch, allegedly to quiet the switching sounds. they're utterly unattainable, and apparently Gibson not only won't sell them but are absolutely snotty when asked. examination of contemporaneous Greco catalogs shows that my guitar should have the grommet, but the photos show it with a poker chip that looks suspiciously caved-in. fortunately, my Google Fu is still strong, and with that and a little lateral thinking i found a Maestro grommet used for old stompboxes that looks like it'll do. the 0.5" switch hole should fit a toggle switch, and at 1.06" diameter it should cover the oversized hole used for the original (0.8" IIRC), which no doubt is why the poker chip is sinking. they're not meant to be load-bearing elements, just ornamental. i hope i can get the chip off without fucking up the finish. this may be the point in my life where i have to buy a hair dryer...i never use them on my hair because it's exceedingly fine and frizzes and fries under the heat, but they're cited as a DIY tool for all kinds of things requiring removal of adhesives. with that i startlingly may already have solved all the questions regarding re-gilding the Byrdland. and if everything's getting done, there's no point in even contemplating aging the parts. so once it's here i'll have another little specific parts-ordering bonanza. tuners, bridge base, probably new bridge, tailpiece, grommet. there's a missing strap button i'll probably replace even though i don't think it's traditional. surprisingly the Fender-style black knobs with silver inserts are kosher both for the Greco and for 70s Byrdlands. so i think that's everything other than pickups, which will be evaluated when my ship plane comes in. need i add that my excitement level is ratcheting up as i wait for the guitar to ship? i'm gonna hate the wait even though they say they don't use economy shipping anywhere. so now i wait.

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products ... XSKy2HD15E