Spectrum DX

[Barry]

GAS is threatening again (as well as my wife if she gets wind of this!)

Here be the 'poop' so far...
For weeks now I've been so frustrated trying to find any guitar that I'm interested in, never mind a Mats, in the Greater Toronto Area...Nuthin'...Nada...Nyet...Bugger all.
So, I started looking further away from home which in itself spells addiction...especially since I have precious little money in the bank to fuel the search (sigh).

I ended up looking in a town about an hour's drive away and lo-and-behold, there be a Spectrum DX fer sale, with HSC...cheap! Nothing is finalized yet, we're communicating via email, and I'm waiting on a day and time from the seller. Meanwhile, here are some pix to consider:




Aside from the usual dings, scratches and greasy crud the only problems are the missing string lock clamp and of course the f&*%$^g trem bar! The seller's confirmed these are MIA, as apparently is the serial number, which he claims is non existent (!?). He's probably not looking on the back of the headstock.

This is almost a dead ringer for my ST, the only real difference being the Bendmaster bridge, so my main question to you who know these things way better than I (oh, John!) is: am I going to be in a fresh new world o' hurt with it compared with the ST's Tekglide? Or should I just lock 'er down a fahgetaboutit? I'm not much of a dippity-doo player. All assuming, of course, that I get the thing in the first place!

[corsair]

Yeah, that's the FT bridge and David still has the clamps etc. for it so no worries there, and Stewmac have wang bars for "imported" guitars.... can't see what's holding you back, old chum!! Just be aware that if the locking base has been stripped, then it becomes a little more problematic; not insurmountable by any means - Steve777 has a fix, and Kahler locks work well - but , gee it looks pretty damn good!! How much is the seller after?

[Barry]

Thanks John!

...gee it looks pretty damn good!! How much is the seller after?

Would you believe $75!?? That's why I'm GAS'ing...it would be impolite to not buy it, eh?!

I have about $109 in the bank account and 2/3 of a tank of gas in the car.
And I stand ready to rock!
Or, you know, bleed a lot from the wife beating me with it when she finds out!

[Warrn]

Pfft, get it.

[Barry]

Quickie update:
I finally reached the seller and I am picking the up geetar tomorrow (Friday)!
One more sleep.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned....

[Pollyanna]

Yay Barry, go get her!

Oh, and if the wife asks, do what I do when I happen to buy loads of unnecessary clothes that I don't really need but were a bargain not to be missed... say you've had it lying about the place for ages!

You never know; it works for me!

Good luck!

Polly

[Barry]

Thanks Polly, I used that line with some success up until about guitar #16 or 17. But the last 4 or 5 have been brutal! This one makes #20. Help me. I am weak.

Well, after a horrendous hour+ drive in the rain (what else is new!!!!) there, and the same back, I am now the owner of a Spectrum DX!

I GOT HOME LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND COULDN'T TAKE ANY PIX BECAUSE...
IT WAS RAINING FOR A CHANGE!
Al Gore is the anti-Christ!

Bite me. Bite me now.

(Deep breathing...deep breathing...In goes the good air, out goes the Gore...)

*ahem*
Overall it's not in too bad condition actually, but in addition to the missing items already mentioned, it is also missing it's cover plates for the springs and the electronics cavity....where in hell does this stuff disappear to anyway?! Not to worry though, I have three other Spectrums to use as a templates to make replacements. Still, it's a pain in the arse; one more thing to do.

There is one other thing missing: no serial number! The headstock is completely blank except for the usual Westone branding and the model name. So, the seller was correct after all. There's nothing anywhere on the guitar. Perhaps a clue under the pups. How common is this?

This makes back to back Spectrums which appear to be transitional or prototype models, the last being the "GT" which wasn't branded: LINK

It'll all make sense when I can get some pix up for y'all to look at. As I write this I haven't even yet even plugged 'er in! I think she'll be OK but that Bendmaster looks kinda scary and I don't mean in a Halloween kinda way.
You may have to hold my little cyber hand as I get used to that puppy!
Stay tuned. Film at eleven, you know, after Halloween.
BOO!

[Pollyanna]

Thanks Polly, I used that line with some success up until about guitar #16 or 17. But the last 4 or 5 have been brutal! This one makes #20...

Mmm?
I see your predicament Barry... not quite the same as stuffing yet another pair of jeans or half a dozen pairs of knickers into already overflowing and bulging drawers...!!!!

Anyhow mate, when you have recovered from your arduous trek, giz a look at what you've got!

Polly

[Barry]

mini updater (for them what cares)
I still can't get outside to take some 'before' pix because...

It's F%^$#*&G Raining! Still! Again! Always!
And windy as hell! And cold!
Global Warming my arse!
Al Gore can bite me!

There. Much better now.

Well I did finally plug her in and unfortunately I have an electrical problem of some kind to fix too.
The neck pup is not working at all, and the bridge pup is "on" in both the centre and bridge toggle positions, but no audible difference noted in tone or volume between the two settings. Coil tap seems OK though.

The cover plates are missing so I am assuming the kid who had this guitar tried in some way to 'soup it up' by fiddling with the wiring. Wouldn't be surprised, wait til you see the 'custom' paint job on the HSC! A quick inspection revealed what I think are some non-standard solder blobs on at least one of the pots.

The tension springs on the Bendmaster have been slacked off so it is currently sitting with its little chrome arse up in the air, and of course the strings are hovering majestically about a foot and a half off the fretboard as a result. The good news is that all the parts appear to be there...dunno if they work yet, but they're there. Oh, and I ordered a string clamp set and a trem bar from David, so all I need do now is fix the wiring and make new cover plates and the DX shall rock again! Thanks are also due for the wiring diagram posted on the INFO site. At times like this you really appreciate having that valuable resource available!

All these things shall be revealed when I can take some decent pix. (sigh)

[corsair]

Cool!! The sound prob doesn't sound like a major, thankfully and I'll hold yer wee cyber hand and run you through the trem; it's not terribly difficult, just time consuming and fiddly. Gonna have to watch those lock bolts when you get 'em; it's real easy to over-tighten and strip the lockbase....

[Barry]

Well kids, if you've been playing along (especially in the GG forum) you'll know that the weather in Toronto this year has been just terrible...cold, windy, stormy and rain, bloody rain...hence the invitation to Mr. Gore to "Bite me!".

Taking pix outdoors in natural light is my preference, but it is not to be right now. And even though the sun is shining today it's too damn cold to work outside on the deck and tear her down as I normally would do. So, I offer instead some grab shots I took last night indoors. They're not as sharp as I'd like but should be OK to give you something to comment on.

Here then are some "before" shots:






Looks like the seller's son couldn't cope with the trem bridge, or he just thought it looked 'cool' with its little arse sticking up in the air. Reminds me of one of my cats whose nick name is BumBum because he sticks his bum in the air when rubbed, not unlike this pose!




Seems like everything is intact though....just needs a d@mn good cleaning and adjusting.



The cover plates are MIA. How the hell does that happen?!
Lots of dust and dirt in the cavities, and I think that the pup wiring has been buggered up. If you look closely at the pot it looks like someone has been soldering some extra wires where they don't belong. As mentioned there is no response from the the neck pup at all and I'll be comparing it to the schematic on the INFO site.



This is the only significant damage to the finish. Paint's gone, right down to bare wood, with a small bit of gouging...looks like another one who couldn't find a pair of wire cutters (sigh).




The fretboard has the usual filth and crud on it, and the string locking clamps are gone. But at least the bracket is still there! Replacements are on order from Spares.



Now here's the big question: "Where is the serial number?"
Not a trace of one anywhere! What do you make of that, another pre-production/prototype model???
Next question: what manufacturing date do you assign to this one?



So that's it fer now. I'll be tearing her down for a thorough cleanup and repair and I'll document the process as I go. Not sure how soon though, I'm still working on restoring a Vantage Avenger, I have 2 replacement bridges to install on the Thunder I-A and the Vantage AV325, and I've just run into another electrical problem on the Spectrum S (position switch has cut out completely on neck pup).
On it goes...

[corsair]

You're a glutton for punishment, bro!! Hey, as a quick fix, slacken the strings off a lot, and then screw in the trem claw screws until the bridge plate isn't at the Jenna Jameson angle; this action will tighten the strings hence the slackening off. You'll also see what I mean about the trem bridges being a bit fiddly to set up as you have to do this more than once usually to get it right...!!. I don't like mine with 2 springs - they're very wobbly and inclined to go out of tune too easily - and opt for at least 3; gee, other than that, it's a nice looking guitar, boy... well done!

[Administrator]

Good work fella...

Is that Bridge pickup in backwards?

[Barry]

Good work fella...

Is that Bridge pickup in backwards?

Yup.
Probably part of the kid's misguided "customization" methinks. All in search of the perfect noisy output!
I haven't torn her down yet but I suspect he tried to somehow put all the 'juice' into one pup thinking he'd get higher gain! I think he may have also spun the pup around to get the one side of the coil closer to the strings, then pulled the coil tap thinking that would do the same thing.

Hey, what about the missing serial number?? Significant or not?

[Barry]

You're a glutton for punishment, bro!!...

Ain't it the truth though? They just find me.

...I don't like mine with 2 springs - they're very wobbly and inclined to go out of tune too easily - and opt for at least 3

Yeah I think I may have to add another spring. But my Spectrum GT has a similar arrangement. Right now it's floating a wee bit on the aft side, but it seems to be staying nicely in tune. So who knows, eh? Anyway, springs are the least of my problems right now. I need to get the electronics working first!

[corsair]

But my Spectrum GT has a similar arrangement.

...different trem, non-locking, right? I think I have mine sitting level on the GT to allow wee up-bends and I tend to rest the heel of my hand on the corner of the bridge for easier palm muting so 3/4 springs = solid as a rock; 2 springs = wobbly as ....

I need to get the electronics working first!

...very true, and you've a bit on before you get to that, too!!

[Frenchy]

Nice Barry... And for $75... What a steal.....

Hope you get it playing without to much trouble... You are starting to pile the projects up... I know someone like that!...

P.

[Barry]

Nice Barry... And for $75... What a steal.....

Yeah, but I've already spent about $25 for parts so far...and I still haven't made replacement plate covers, so, looking more like $100+. Still, not too bad, I guess.

...You are starting to pile the projects up...

Don't remind me. And I have 2 computers that have decided to go belly up on me--software configuration; really time consuming! (groan!)

[Barry]

But my Spectrum GT has a similar arrangement.

...different trem, non-locking, right? I think I have mine sitting level on the GT to allow wee up-bends...

Yup.
Don't think I'll be up-bending though, seems kinda counter-intuitive somehow. Got enough trouble going the other way without screwing up! Got some pix coming of the trem and wiring. Stay tuned.

[Barry]

Here are some more pix for documentation purposes, again taken indoors so not the greatest, but good enough.

The Bendmaster bridge is in good shape apart from dirt, dust and a bit o' rust on the screws:



It cleaned up very well with a soapy scrubbing, and there was no corrosion on the chrome. A couple of the intonation screws were tight but loosened up OK with some penetrating oil and a bit of the 'ole elbow grease!


It will get another once over before reassembly, but so far, so good.

No markings on the pups

As with my ST there are no markings at all, just a metal plate. For comparison, my S has black plastic plates and are marked A and B, and the GT has two MMK45's plus the single unmarked coil.

I'll see if I can find and resuscitate my old multimeter and take some readings. I may need it anyway in order to trouble shoot the electronics. (Now, if I can just remember how to use the d@mn thing! )

Missing Serial Number
I keep asking about the missing serial number on the headstock, I guess nobody knows. The only identification on the guitar is that rubber stamped number in the pup cavity: 5 826. 952 (note the decimal point and the space). This configuration looks a bit unusual at first glance but it still adds up to the more familiar 7 digit number usually found stamped into the headstock.

Perhaps this reflects the actual format of Mats' internal serialization???
If I'm correct, my interpretation then would be: 1985 August 26 unit#952 Does this sound right to anyone? The fact that there is a space after the decimal indicates to me that they were expecting to go into 4 digits (thousands) so I assume 952 is a running yearly total?

Wiring Harness
Here are some pix of the current wiring. Still not sure if it's original or 'customized' yet, but I have the schematic printed out and I'm gonna check it out today.