The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Things have been busy for me lately, and the weather has only just now cleared up after a terrible wet/hot spell. So, no pix yet but coming soon.

Action
Meantime I think I've sorted out the action problem. Man, this is the touchiest Mats I've worked on, not much room for saddle adjustment at all. Turns out that the the neck angle is critical on this one. I tried a slightly thicker shim but that forced the saddles too high and made the action too high and unplayable for my aching old fingers. Reducing the shim width helped, sort of. But then I ended up with the strings "fretting out" above the 12th and delivering that annoying "thud" sound.

After about three frustrating attempts, I decided to go back to Uncle Mats' original (thin) plastic shim along with some major saddle fiddling. The end result is mostly playable but still not perfect. I only had 9's on hand when I strung her up and this ole gal does not want to get along with them at all. I'm going to change to 10's when I get a minute. 9's don't feel too stable at all and I'm experiencing tuning instability as well. Still, the neck is very comfortable, and the output from the MMK45's and the string thru body is scary!

Finish
It really is a pity that the body is not in better shape. There are many scratches and chips, and I'm also disappointed in the finish. It is quite dark and the colour reads more as black than blue unless under a strong light. Even after liberally scrubbing with my trusty Meguire's Compound there's little life in her. Certainly the difference is really noticeable when compared with my trans blue Westone Spectrum SX which almost looks like it's lit up from the inside.

I count 8 pieces making up the body and the seams are telegraphing more on the front than the back for some reason. Perhaps because of this the finish was kept dark on purpose? Too bad, I really wanted a spectacular blue to match my red. Didn't get it with this one.

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

'Bout time. (It's the weather....always the weather!)
We're about to head into some more rain in the next 24 hrs, so I figured I'd best head outside for a couple of shots while I still can.



These are 1024 resolution so be sure to click on the magnifying glass icon to see more detail...if you dare.

As mentioned elsewhere, the body has taken a beating over the years. You can make out multiple scratches and dings especially between the pickups for some reason. Must have been a metal head thrasher at work. Neck and fretboard is great however.
I tried to highlight the trans finish but it is quite dark and the grain does not exactly "pop". I think that's my biggest disappointment.
That, and breaking the bloody knob shaft, which as you see I still haven't repaired.

Still, it does play reasonably well. Hey it's a Mats after all! A bit more work needed but she's a rocker already. Can only get better eh?

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

I think the grain showing is a matter of the wood used. Some ash has big deep swirly grain that ill take a dark grain filler well. This has even, tight grain which will not show as much. It is more stable though.

You're probably right Nevin. And in this case the body has at least 8 (!) pieces to it, so unlikely to have anything approaching "majestic".
It does sustain well though, but that may be down as much to the string thru bridge as anything else.

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

*BUMP*
A little update for them wot cares...
...you remember that busted shaft?


Well, I just could not be bothered trying to repair the bugger. So I replaced it with a new push-pull pot. Life's too bloody short.
All is well again. No pix, you've all seen a knob on a shaft before!

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com