NBD: Warwick Corvette $$5!

[brikus]

 

 

 

Both finishes look great, but if you're really set on having a matching headstock, I'd recommend the gloss white. I don't think the trans red would look quite as cool.

 

Congrats on the Corvette! Those are really nice basses. They record well too.

 

Yeah, indeed, if trans red is possible given the dents, I'd leave the headstock black, as it is, I guess. My idea was to go for a matching headstock only for the white option.

 

And white do you think about my 2-tone "Corvette C1" red/white idea?

[*BLEEP*]

But if I have to buy it' date=' my concern is about the threading of the screws: I'm afraid it can vary from maker to maker, and if that's the case, that my new ones may thus lack "grip" in the wood and therefore not be stable... If I could be sure all makers use the same threading pace for their screws, that'd solve the issue...but I can't tell... Do you have any idea on the matter?[/quote']

 

 

If you don't have enough wood in the screw hole, you can use a toothpick and some wood glue to add missing material back into the screw hole. Dip a toothpick, heavily, into some wood glue so that it is dripping with wood glue. Stick the tooth pick all the way into the screw hole and break it off the hole. Insert the screw + strap button into the hole as you would normally, so that it compresses the toothpick and glue into the wall of the hole and fills in the voids. The screw should be tight. If it isn't, you'll need to add some more toothpick and a bit more glue into the hole again. Repeat as necessary.

 

You need to use real wood glue -- preferably the yellow-ish polyvinyl acetate variety, which is usually called "carpenter's glue" as it is far stronger and much more permanent than cheap white wood glue. You don't need fancy Titebond I/II/III glue, though it will work great, too. All you need is a small inexpensive bottle of generic carpenter's glue and a toothpick.

 

By the way, do NOT use superglue (cyanoacrylate, or CA) for this type of job. Once the carpenter's glue cures, it will be very hard and it won't permanently stick to metal.

 

 

 

 

[brikus]

 

 

If you don't have enough wood in the screw hole, you can use a toothpick and some wood glue to add missing material back into the screw hole. Dip a toothpick, heavily, into some wood glue so that it is dripping with wood glue. Stick the tooth pick all the way into the screw hole and break it off the hole. Insert the screw + strap button into the hole as you would normally, so that it compresses the toothpick and glue into the wall of the hole and fills in the voids. The screw should be tight. If it isn't, you'll need to add some more toothpick and a bit more glue into the hole again. Repeat as necessary.

 

You need to use real wood glue -- preferably the yellow-ish polyvinyl acetate variety, which is usually called "carpenter's glue" as it is far stronger and much more permanent than cheap white wood glue. You don't need fancy Titebond I/II/III glue, though it will work great, too. All you need is a small inexpensive bottle of generic carpenter's glue and a toothpick.

 

By the way, do NOT use superglue (cyanoacrylate, or CA) for this type of job. Once the carpenter's glue cures, it will be very hard and it won't permanently stick to metal.

 

 

 

Thanks for this tip, man.

[DeepEnd]

. . . Another question' date=' regarding strings this time: what's the difference between roundwounds and flatwounds in terms of sound?[/quote']

It occurs to me that you like the sound of the bass as it is now. A big part of that sound is the strings that are on it. If it has roundwounds, stick with them or maybe try the d'Addario half rounds. If it has flats, use those.

 

If you don't have enough wood in the screw hole' date=' you can use a toothpick and some wood glue to add missing material back into the screw hole. . . .[/quote']

That's the usual method but I've also had good luck with a product called Mr. Grip:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n31790747[/ATTACH]

 

It's strips of textured aluminum that you can trim to fit and use to fill gaps. Here in the US it's available in hardware stores but Amazon sells it as well. However, if you reuse the existing screws and if they fit properly you shouldn't need to use anything at all.

[brikus]

The thing is the current strings are also a bit old and on second thoughts I could use a little more brightness... Anyway, I'll first try that tip to make old strings sound like new ones (not boiling...just search on YouTube for "strings like new"...there's a video explaining that), and I'll see what I do from there... Thanks for all the tips and information anyway.

[isaac42]

My father uses fine steel wool. Put some wood glue in the hole, push in some steel wool so that it's loosely filled, then screw in the screw. Wood dust can work, too. Compared to a toothpick, it has the advantage of not moving the center of the screw.

[DeepEnd]

My father uses fine steel wool. Put some wood glue in the hole' date=' push in some steel wool so that it's loosely filled, then screw in the screw. Wood dust can work, too. Compared to a toothpick, it has the advantage of not moving the center of the screw.[/quote']

I've seen lead wool used for the same purpose. It seems reasonable that steel wool would work too but I've never tried it. When I use Mr. Grip, I either make a tube of the stuff and tap it in the hole or cut a couple of strips and put one on either side. As you said, it keeps the center where it was. A toothpick can also shift the angle of the screw.

[brikus]

You know, guys, I'm gonna keep the stock screws anyway, most likely...

 

BTW, excuse my ignorance, but does a strap locking system work with any guitar/bass strap, or does it require a specific kind of strap ?

[DeepEnd]

. . . BTW' date=' excuse my ignorance, but does a strap locking system work with any guitar/bass strap, or does it require a specific kind of strap ?[/quote']

AFAIK, they'll work with pretty much any strap.

[brikus]

Cool, thanks.

[*BLEEP*]

I've seen lead wool used for the same purpose. It seems reasonable that steel wool would work too but I've never tried it. When I use Mr. Grip' date=' I either make a tube of the stuff and tap it in the hole or cut a couple of strips and put one on either side. As you said, it keeps the center where it was. A toothpick can also shift the angle of the screw.[/quote']

 

 

If it's not an emergency repair, I would generally avoid using steel wool, only because it will eventually corrode. Aluminium wool or strips are better since it won't corrode nearly as fast as steel wool. Otherwise, I've never bothered using aluminium strips for repairing thread bores in wood, just wood + glue. I've used aluminium strips or fine copper wire many times for iron or steel thread bore repair. For aluminium thread bore repair I only use aluminium, never fine copper wire due to galvanic corrosion potential.

 

One can use wood dust (sawdust) also for wood repair, but, the reason behind using a toothpick is that virtually everyone has some handy, whereas sawdust is not immediately available to most common folk unless they know where some is or have the ability to produce a small portion of sawdust for the repair job. Sawdust + glue + optional dye is the best choice for repairing a crack or whatever that is visible. Strap button holes, scratchplate / pickguard holes, and the like are normally not visible once the item to be fastened down is in place.

 

Another good choice for repair filler is a wooden matchstick (minus the flammable part, of course). Just dip the wooden matchstick into some wood glue, push it into the stripped-out strap button hole, snap it off flush with the surface, and install the mounting screw. Wipe of any excess glue that may ooze out of the hole. Just like with the toothpick, the wood will crumble into fibre to a certain extent and mix with the glue when the screw is tightened into place. Once it cures, it will actually be a bit stronger than the original wood screw hole if the guitar body is mahogany or basswood.

 

 

 

 

[*BLEEP*]

I'd leave the headstock black' date=' as it is, I guess. My idea was to go for a matching headstock only for the white option. [/quote']

 

 

For one thing, you would end up with a virtually "invisible" pearloid Warwick W if you went with a white headstock.

 

 

 

[brikus]

 

 

For one thing, you would end up with a virtually "invisible" pearloid Warwick W if you went with a white headstock.

 

 

 

 

I could ask to have it painted black...

 

If I go for the "Corvette C1 side" kind of paint job (see bottom of page 1), the logo would fall into the red part of the headstock, so that'd be fine. Or given the paint job uses chrome, I could ask to have it covered with the chrome paint...

[*BLEEP*]

I could ask to have it painted black...

 

 

The Warwick W is a pearloid inlay, so, the refinisher would have to dig it out of its precision cavity and do some unusual work to change its colour.

 

This would be more like desecration than refinishing.

 

 

 

[*BLEEP*]

BTW' date=' excuse my ignorance, but does a strap locking system work with any guitar/bass strap, or does it require a specific kind of strap ?[/quote']

 

 

 

Any strap with normal leather ends will accept the locks. You will likely need to open the hole up in the leather very slightly. If you find that the locks won't push through cleanly, just use a razor to remove (probably) about 0.5mm of leather along the circumference of the hole. Otherwise, that's all you need to do to the strap.

 

By the way, you really should get a whole new Schaller strap lock unit. It will, of course, have new screws included along with your missing strap locking units. I would replace the existing strap buttons as well with the new strap buttons.

 

Below is a standard set that will cost you much less than if you walked into a typical guitar shop and bought this set over-the-counter.

 

 

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Guitar-strap-pin-security-lock-system-Schaller-style-Black-/251858512781?hash=item3aa3efeb8d:g:yQ0AAOSwBLlU8FUi

 

 

 

[brikus]

 

 

The Warwick W is a pearloid inlay, so, the refinisher would have to dig it out of its precision cavity and do some unusual work to change its colour.

 

This would be more like desecration than refinishing.

 

 

 

 

I was just thinking of painting over the existing logo, not removing it to alter it...

 

Thanks for the info about the strap locks.

[isaac42]

Any strap with normal leather ends will accept the locks. You will likely need to open the hole up in the leather very slightly. If you find that the locks won't push through cleanly, just use a razor to remove (probably) about 0.5mm of leather along the circumference of the hole. Otherwise, that's all you need to do to the strap.

 

By the way, you really should get a whole new Schaller strap lock unit. It will, of course, have new screws included along with your missing strap locking units. I would replace the existing strap buttons as well with the new strap buttons.

 

Below is a standard set that will cost you much less than if you walked into a typical guitar shop and bought this set over-the-counter.

 

 

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Guitar-strap-pin-security-lock-system-Schaller-style-Black-/251858512781?hash=item3aa3efeb8d:g:yQ0AAOSwBLlU8FUi

That'll work only if you have a metric bass.

[isaac42]

Taking shipping into account, this is less expensive.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Warwick-Guitar-Strap-Locks-Buttons-Pair-Set-Nickel-Plated-Schaller-Style-/141883598380?hash=item2108ebe62c:g:5NUAAOSwqrtWoUlw

[DeepEnd]

I'm aware of the various options, thanks. So is the OP by now. I simply mentioned that I personally gravitate toward Mr. Grip.

[brikus]

Guys...thanks for all these tips, but I guess I'll buy my strap locks from a local store instead of ordering them online. Things should go fine, but I'd rather have a place to go to if they don't, plus sometimes shipping can add a significant extra to the price of the purchased item...

 

For instance, on Amazon, I found black Warwick security locks for 18.90 €...with 15 € of shipping!

[brikus]

OK guys, little update... I went to the nearest store and there I found a set of black Schaller security locks, which was for 18.90 €. They probably could be had somewhere else for cheaper, but at least it was close to my place and bought from a physical store (which is better, if shyte happens).

 

So after getting a new strap, with sufficient padding (this one: http://www.rightonstraps.com/mojo-collection-race-black-strap.html), to go with these locks, I went back home to install them. Straight away I could see the bits screwed to the body of my bass were different: so they were not Schallers. Anyway, I unscrewed them and installed the Schaller bits with the stock screws. These stock screws turned out to be similar in length, but their threading was a bit wider than that of those coming with the Schaller locks...and the heads of the stock screws was a bit smaller, too, but not to the point that would cause a stability problem once the thing would be mounted. So that part went fast and easily.

 

OTOH, widening the holes of the strap was a bit of a pain in the butt, as the strap was quite thick, but I eventually got there.

 

A few more minutes to adjust the strap length (there's a dual screw system for that) to the most comfy setting for me, and the job was done.

My only complaint about this strap is that the end of the adjustable part can be felt against my back, around my shoulder blade...given the screws hold it in place anyway, I could cut that in the future if I don't get used to it.

 

When it was time to put the bass back in its padded bag, 2 issues surfaced:

 

1. there's no way I can leave the strap attached to the bass while in the bag. Because the plate with the screws would then come in direct contact with the body and might scratch it. OK, as such it already has dents, but I don't want to add to that. And even more so if I go for a paint job... And the strap is a bit too big and rigid to fit in the bag.

 

2. while trying to find a spot in the bag to store the strap, I went through all the pockets...and incidentally found the "missing" part of the stock strap locks...so I could have avoided buying the Schallers!! :facepalm: That being said, it's only half a disappointment, as the stock locks seem less secure than the Schallers: you indeed unlock them by pushing, which could more easily lead to accidental unlocking, especially at the back. The Schallers, because they require pulling to unlock, appear to be safer in this respect.

 

Anyway, that's it for the update...now I can enjoy my $$ Vette sitting or standing.

 

[DeepEnd]

Sorry to hear about the issue with the strap. Personally I have no use for a strap with metal rivets, buckles, grommets, etc., for exactly the reason you mentioned. I have two all-leather Levy's straps on my electric and my "good" acoustic, a cloth strap my mom made years ago on my bass, and a cheap cloth and plastic strap on my beater acoustic.

[brikus]

Sorry to hear about the issue with the strap. Personally I have no use for a strap with metal rivets' date=' buckles, grommets, etc., for exactly the reason you mentioned. I have two all-leather Levy's straps on my electric and my "good" acoustic, a cloth strap my mom made years ago on my bass, and a cheap cloth and plastic strap on my beater acoustic.[/quote']

 

That's a good rule of thumb...as far as I'm concerned, I bought what appealed to me most among what was in the store, with enough padding.

 

Actually, I think I have a solution that could enable me to solve 2 problems at the same time : the fact I feel the end of the adjustable bit against my back (you can see it, with that leather "ring" that goes around the wide part of the strap, at the far back of the pic below) and the risk of scratching the body with the screws.

 

 

This trick would consist in cutting that leather "ring" open, folding the adjustable part with the holes back over the metal plate with the screws (thus covering them) and sewing back the "ring", but this time around the adjustable part, towards the strap lock. Then it would be rather at the bottom of the strap and thus would no longer touch my back, and the screws, as they'd be covered, would no longer scratch anything.