Hi Folks

[ray82609]

I was told I should do this so here goes. My name is Ray and I'm 54 from Wyoming. I played some in high school and quit for a lot of years picking it back up a little over 3 years ago. I attended a local blues society jam and thought that looked like fun, so I bought a guitar. That was about 20 guitars ago. We had a real hot shot luthier here that left about the time I started playing. Being mechanically inclined and inquisitive I started reading about setups and stuff. I started setting up my own equipment and experimenting with pickup configurations. I recently refreted an old junker guitar just to see if I could do it and it came out as good as any neck I've ever played (a real surprise to me!) I have a pretty easy time with the machanics of the guitar but lack a lot on the playing end. I just keep plugging away. My collection includes a mim strat, Gibson BluesHawk, Danelectro U2 and many Strat clones. My main axe is one I built from parts from Mighty Mite and others. My amp collection includes a Peavey Classic 50, Behringer Vintager 60, Peavey TKO 80, Traynor 30, and an Orange Crush 30.

-Ray

[SuperSwede]

Hi Ray!

Welcome to the forum!

[Justaguyin_nc]

Welcome Ray... alot of info and nice folk around here... hope you enjoy your visits... I know I do... I see a BluesHawk in your listing... a few years back I thought it was the Gibson I wanted and have yet to get around to it.. http://blueshawk.info was a favorite spot to dream about that guitar.. how about a review on it later on down the road?

[Robert****]

Welcome Ray! How did you find our little geetar forum? We have a good gang here, so enjoy your stay.

Btw, which amp of those you have is your favorite?

[warren0728]

glad you found us Ray....you will like it here.

ww

[Tim]

Welocme Ray. This is the place!

[r_a_smith3530]

Welcome Ray. I am fairly new to the group, and I've got to tell you, it's one of the most fun music-related forums I'm involved in. There's a lot of good sharing of info, and none of the heavy-duty brand snobbery that you find in some groups.

I couldn't help but notice that you list a Peavey Classic 50 as one of your amps. As you can see from my sig, I too own a Classic 50. I bought mine back in 1994, just about the same time I got my Reactor. Out of curiosity, is yours the 2x12 or the 4x10? Have you re-tubed it yet? I really like mine. I've played many other fine amps, but none that would make me want to give up the Classic 50 in order to bring it home.

If you check out my intro, you will see that I too like to tinker with guitars. My only stocker is my '83 G&L S-500. In addition to the instruments mentioned (and that you see in my sig), I'm also working on the complete overhaul, including refret, of a 1991 Peavey Predator. I'm building a low-buck hotrod with it. I paid $35.00 for it (body, neck and some parts), so I figured that I had nothing to lose really. At some point, I'll be writing up something on it.

Hey, you didn't mention what kind of music you like, and who are your influences. I like most all types of music myself, but am especially into blues and classic rock. That said, I'm currently playing bass to back up my best friend, a folk singer-songwriter. I'm slowly dragging him into the electric world.

Hope to see many more posts there.

[Spudman***]

Welcome Ray
I'm in Wyoming all the time. What part are you in?
Congratulations doing the refret thing too. I've been wanting to try it myself but I'm still chicken... and real busy. Do you want to try another one?

[ray82609]

I have the Classic 50 with 2x12s. I don't know what year mine is, I bought it used. I really like it but lately I've been using the Orange Crush 30 at a couple jams I go to. The little Orange has a pleasing tone and doesn't weigh anything. I like carrying a lot better than the Peavey! When you happen by the local music store with Orange amps plug into one. I had no intention of buying a new amp when I plugged into it.

I couldn't help but notice that you list a Peavey Classic 50 as one of your amps. As you can see from my sig, I too own a Classic 50. I bought mine back in 1994, just about the same time I got my Reactor. Out of curiosity, is yours the 2x12 or the 4x10? Have you re-tubed it yet? I really like mine. I've played many other fine amps, but none that would make me want to give up the Classic 50 in order to bring it home.

I have a couple of tips for you that I found surfing and reading. Get a bag of shotgun shot from a gun store and sit the neck on it under the frets you are installing. I never saw this mentioned, but I noticed that was what a guy was doing in a picture of refretting. I didn't have a special hammer so I glued a small block of hard wood on a claw hammer and that seemed to work fine. I removed the neck from the guitar while I did all the work and I'm sure that helped in handling it. I used a t shaped piece of aluminum that was straight with a piece of 360 wet or dry glued to it for leveling the frets. I used regular files on the fret ends. to put the crown back on the frets after leveling I put a piece of sandpaper over a new fret facing up and ran a stick of hardwood along it putting a grove the size and shape on the edge of the stick and then turned the sandpaper over to re-crown the frets. I left the top of the frets slightly flat to avoid over doing it and having a low fret.

If you check out my intro, you will see that I too like to tinker with guitars. My only stocker is my '83 G&L S-500. In addition to the instruments mentioned (and that you see in my sig), I'm also working on the complete overhaul, including refret, of a 1991 Peavey Predator. I'm building a low-buck hotrod with it. I paid $35.00 for it (body, neck and some parts), so I figured that I had nothing to lose really. At some point, I'll be writing up something on it.

I'm a blues player too.

Hey, you didn't mention what kind of music you like, and who are your influences. I like most all types of music myself, but am especially into blues and classic rock. That said, I'm currently playing bass to back up my best friend, a folk singer-songwriter. I'm slowly dragging him into the electric world.

-Ray

[ray82609]

Welcome Ray
I'm in Wyoming all the time. What part are you in?
Congratulations doing the refret thing too. I've been wanting to try it myself but I'm still chicken... and real busy. Do you want to try another one?

I'm in Casper. Are you ever here on Sun. night? If so stop by Lucci's Lounge on the old Glenrock highway and we'll Jam! Don't be chicken, if it needs a refret what are you going to hurt? It's more time consumming than I imagined but either I got lucky or it's not rocket science, as I didn't really have any problems with it and it came out great.
-Ray

[r_a_smith3530]

Ray, what fret wire did you use, and did you get it from Stew-Mac, or are there better deals to be had out there?

[Spudman***]

Ray

I don't get to Casper much any more. I mainly stay in the western part in Jackson or Yellowstone/Grand Teton area. Ocasionally I make it to the Wind River Mtns. too.

Back in the 1980's I used to play the Wonder Bar in Casper. Is it still there? Lots of great memories from there. They used to make us stay in a haunted band house too. I got some killer stories from that as well.

I'm probably going to give the refret a try. Did you do a maple fret board or rosewood? Did chunks come out when you pulled the old frets? You hammered the new ones in right? Or did you use a hand press?

[ray82609]

Ray, what fret wire did you use, and did you get it from Stew-Mac, or are there better deals to be had out there?

Well I really don't know what size it was but it was a standard Fender fret size. I bought it (Fender brand) in a bag pre cut and pre-shaped. I bought it several years ago but I recently saw it on ebay so I assume they still make it. I think I paid about $12 for the fret wire.
-Ray

[ray82609]

Ray

I don't get to Casper much any more. I mainly stay in the western part in Jackson or Yellowstone/Grand Teton area. Ocasionally I make it to the Wind River Mtns. too.

Back in the 1980's I used to play the Wonder Bar in Casper. Is it still there? Lots of great memories from there. They used to make us stay in a haunted band house too. I got some killer stories from that as well.

I'm probably going to give the refret a try. Did you do a maple fret board or rosewood? Did chunks come out when you pulled the old frets? You hammered the new ones in right? Or did you use a hand press?

Yup the Wonder Bar is still there. The upstairs is called the Attic now and is seperate from the Wonder Bar. Was the band house supposed to be haunted too, or did you stay in the basement at the bar? I know the basement is supposed to be haunted and I have actually experienced it. The ghost or whatever is supposed to move things around. I have put things down ther and swear they were in a different place than I keft them. Nobody else had moved them so the only conclusion is that the ghost moved them (although I'm still not sure I believe in all the hocus pocus.

I did a rosewood fret board. I used a cheap pair of end nips and ground the end down so that the jaws layed flat on the fretboard and when you squeezed them they kind of pulled the fret up while holding the wood down. I ground them to look like the fret pulling pliers you see on the catalogs. I had to get under some and kind of get them started with my pocket knife. Some small pieces did pull up and I imediately put a very small drop of CA (super glue) on them and replaced them and I don't think I could find them now. I hammered in the frets with a regular hammer with a block of hardwood glued to the face. I used contact cement to glue the block on. I think you could use a piece of hard leather too.
-Ray