NGD Gretsch Duo Jet

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:03 am

Parcel Force say it's in de 'Burgh, this is going to be a long day in the office.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:47 pm

Well, I think that is the most superfast eBay action ever:

First impressions are: it's awesome.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:58 pm

looks incredible.

vroaches · Post by **vroaches** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:09 pm

Two days to move a guitar? Awesome. Looks great, enjoy

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:18 pm

Ossum.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:38 pm

Looks amazing & with the case seems a great price

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:15 pm

It's got a couple of problems actually:

The output on the neck pickup is very low - probably just a loose wire/connection somewhere but a bit annoying.

It's also missing one of the strap nuts - does anyone know where to source spare ones? The strap is also a bit short for my huge frame. It's an old school leather buckle one, I'm going to have to get a longer bit with the holes punched through- any ideas?

Thanks

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:52 am

http://www.thomann.de/gb/gretsch_gurtpin_chrome.htm

And I would either just canabalize a belt or another strap, or buy a different strap altogether.

Congrats man, enjoy the guitar.

George · Post by **George** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 1:26 am

i would be cautious if the pickup is VERY much quieter than the other one. may require a repair ir new one, which would be quite pricey

my rick had a pickup that was like that and because it would void the warranty i had to send te whole thing back

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:51 pm

Hmm, well I'll get it serviced and see. I can't imagine it's still in warranty, it's 12 or 15 years ago.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:40 am

So, heard back from the Tech yesterday and the neck pickup is indeed dead. It's going to be ~Â£100 for a rewind (inc labour) but I guess thems the breaks.

In the plus column, I got a new strap nut from the bits box in Wunjo Guitars for FREE. I love that place.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:15 am

Not cheaper to find a whole new pup (same model) off the 'bay?

George · Post by **George** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:37 am

yeah as it's not a vintage mojo pickup i would consider buying a new/used one, and selling the duff one as "spares or repairs" on the bay with full disclosure. you'll recoup a good chunk of the cost of a new one, and if you're replacing it with an official pickup and there are no construction differences between each model then no one ever need know (in my dastardly opinion), or if you do declare it at resale, it will look better than saying its a rewind

Â£100 seems a lot for a rewind but i don't know. i would be principally concerned with things like

- will he use the right gauge wire
- will he get it to the right output
- having to declare it's a rewind when selling it on

it's kind of the worst option financially and may not be the same pickup at the end of it

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:47 am

Thanks for the tips - I'll look into a new one. Â£100 included the rewind and the labour for a full service and de/re-fitting the pickup which I didn't think was too bad? I think the wind itself is about Â£50.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:54 am

100 quid doesn't sound bad for the amount of time and effort (though I don't actually know the market value of such). But yeah, I'd just get a new one off the intorweb.

George · Post by **George** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:59 am

that sounds better but it depends what his idea of a full setup is. if it's just new strings, action, truss rod and a fretboard oiling (which it probably is at that price point) i'd pass cos you can do that yourself easily. if he's going to recut the nut and give the frets a touch up to sort out high/sharp frets then maybe it'd be worth it, IF you're struggling to get a nice action on it and only if you're not happy with it. in any case, a good setup may be worth it, but i would still consider cutting your losses on the rewind for the above reasons.

by the by, a guitar that old having had constant use may be after a light fret levelling and recut nut if it's never had one before, but if you're happy with the current ability of the neck, i'd say there's no rush.

i just spent Â£80 getting a full fret level, crown and polish, all frets reseated and the ends tidied up. he also did a good job on the nut. if you can get something approaching that i'd say go for it. bargain. the action on the high e can now go down to 0.8mm at the 12th fret. fucking jokes.

George · Post by **George** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:10 am

and if the full setup includes things like pickup height and cleaning pots, loose connections and polishing the body i'd say pass on it altogether because that's a waste of money and effort. these are things you can do at home. i'm of the opinion that most people should only need a tech to do the dark art stuff like fret and nut work. keep his work focused on the neck.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:14 am

The guitar itself has hardly been used but it's about 15 years old and has been sat in it's case for most of that time so I figured I would invest in a tune-up to make sure it's all good to go before the pickup problem showed up. The guy original quoted me Â£35 for the service which included new strings, oiling, action, fret dress and a check on the electrics and there now seems to be an extra Â£15 for extracting the pickup and sending it off to be rewound and then refitting it.

George · Post by **George** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:29 am

Â£35 for dressing the frets seems like a good price. i'd say can the electrics check though unless he won't budge on it. i'd also see if he does a Â£70 "pro" job or something which includes more of a proper fret levelling and nut work and if so then i'd go for that. i highly suspect the stock nut and fretwork on that gretsch (and virtually any off the shelf mass-produced guitar) could be vastly improved.

also the fact he's sending the pickup off somewhere just seems a bit over the top. again, go new, cut your losses and get the soldering iron out