Moon guitars were highly regarded for a time and were often used by skilled players, but in recent years they have become less common.
With some adjustments, I was able to make it easier to play.
The sound is excellent, with a vintage-style tone from the front pickup that has a rich, full-bodied quality, yet it also has good projection and volume, making it much easier to handle and sounding better than Fender-style guitars.
The volume balance between the front and rear pickups is also good, so these domestically modified models tend to be better in terms of usability.
This is a fret leveling for a G&L Tribute Series M-2000.
The sound is muffled, and the neck has significant warping.
It’s not that old of a model, but it’s in surprisingly poor condition.
We decided to address the issue with fret leveling. Due to the significant warping, a lot of material needs to be removed.
The truss rod is quite stiff and difficult to turn, with an unusual stiffness that may be due to the warping.
The truss rod has reached its adjustment limit.
Additionally, while the nut height was already high to begin with, the fret leveling process further increased the height.
If this is a concern during playing, a nut groove adjustment is necessary to lower the height.
Repairs are interconnected with other parts, so if you only want minimal repairs, we cannot do anything here. However, it’s better to think that “if you fix one part, other issues will become more noticeable.”
The neck was severely bowed, causing the sound to be muffled.
In this condition, it was very difficult to play, and the sound was muffled, making it impossible to use properly.
Even expensive instruments cannot be used properly if they are not properly adjusted.
We were able to adjust it and make it easy to play.
It was a model with good sound, and it had a well-played sound.
This is a fret leveling for a Fender Mexico Jazz Bass.
The neck is warped, causing the sound to buzz.
Wood used in recent years tends to be weak, so I think it is prone to warping and bending after prolonged use, and does not last long.
Also, considering the tension balance of the strings, it may be necessary to use D’Addario’s “Balanced Tension Strings” in light of the recent decline in wood strength.
Furthermore, using thinner gauges such as 45-100 is also not recommended.
For example, with 45-100 strings, this is a 5-string pack, but there is a difference of about 5 kg in tension between the 2nd and 4th strings.
Many bassists feel that the 4th and 5th strings are loose, but this is not just their imagination. They are actually loose.
Therefore, we have always said that bass strings are “too thin,” but poor tension balance also results in warping of the neck.
Balanced tension strings are designed to adjust the tension differences between each string to a uniform level, which should prevent warping.
This model also has a soft neck, so the curvature differs between the 1st and 4th strings. It’s important to understand the curvature caused by the neck’s softness.
This varies by individual instrument, but the 1st string side may have a forward bow or a reverse bow, and the 4th string side may have a forward bow tendency or a reverse bow tendency.
Additionally, the effectiveness of the truss rod may differ between the 1st string side and the 4th string side, so repairing such a weak neck not only requires repair but also adjustment, which increases the difficulty.
This is a pot replacement and setup for an Ibanez Prestige RG.
The pot was scratched, so we replaced it with a new one.
We adjusted the high string height, which made it difficult to play, and made it easier to play.
Ibanez guitars, especially newer, high-end models, feature necks reinforced with titanium for increased strength. However, some people seem to believe that these necks “do not warp” or “maintain a consistent warp.”
Even with such high-strength metal reinforcement, the neck will still warp, so it is essential to store the guitar with the strings loosened.
This is a setup for a Squier Classic Vibe 60 Precision Bass.
It was purchased new, but from the start, there was little slack in the truss rod.
Adjustments brought the truss rod to its limit.
Due to the weaker strength of modern wood, the truss rod is already set to a higher tension from the start, resulting in less initial slack.
When brand-new and freshly assembled, the neck is almost straight with 100% truss rod slack, but once strings are installed, it naturally bends forward.
This is a normal condition.
However, if the wood of the neck itself is weak, what happens? As expected, it bends forward significantly.
If it bends significantly, adjusting the truss rod by turning it extensively is necessary to correct the bend.
For this reason, new instruments are often sold with the truss rod already turned extensively from the start.
In other words, since the strength of wood has weakened in recent years, the solution would be to use reinforcing materials during production, but few manufacturers have implemented this.
Additionally, as expected from this state, due to the weak strength, the neck will continue to bend forward over time as strings are played.
Initial adjustment bow (over-tightened) + continued use bowing = limited truss rod adjustment range.
In recent years, it has become more common to see new instruments with almost no truss rod adjustment range or at their limit, and this is the simple reason why.
As you can see, someone with proper knowledge would naturally wonder, “Will this instrument last long?” and it is correct to say that such instruments have little chance of lasting long, even though I cannot predict the future.
It’s a shame because it sounds good and is easy to play.
To avoid purchasing such instruments, always ask the music store to check the “truss rod clearance” when purchasing.
This should be a standard procedure that music stores perform during inspection.
If they genuinely want to provide customers with good instruments, it should be a given.
However, in reality, they don’t do it.
Additionally, you must also check the effectiveness of the truss rod.
Even if there is ample truss rod adjustment, if it doesn’t work properly due to a malfunction, it’s meaningless.
Ideally, someone with knowledge should actually turn it themselves and judge the adjustment and effectiveness.
I hope this article reaches music stores.
Sell with consideration for the customer as a matter of course. Think about how you would feel if you were handed an instrument in this condition.
If you have the knowledge to indicate the amount of truss rod travel on used instruments, do the same for new ones.
It’s fine to sell instruments as “outlet items” at a discount due to reasons like insufficient truss rod travel, but clearly state the reason for the discount. If you don’t provide a reason, label them as “junk items” instead of “outlet items.”
If the instrument is in poor condition from the start, don’t sell it—return it to the manufacturer.
This is an adjustment and setup of the bridge saddle groove on a Gibson Les Paul.
The customer brought it in because the strings were breaking easily on the bridge side.
As I mentioned in a YouTube video in the past, I once had a customer bring in a brand new Les Paul that cost 380,000 yen because the first string would break after only a few hours of playing.
Ultimately, if the original parts quality or groove cutting condition is poor, the strings will remain prone to breaking, so if you’re concerned, it’s better to have the grooves cut even on a new guitar.
Using the guitar with strings that break easily will result in unnecessary string consumption.
The grooves had become rough due to wear, so we removed the burrs and smoothed them out.
