Spectrum LX

[corsair]

... has arrived on my doorstep and is now broken down into quite a few bits and pieces!! It is in fine condition with it's whammy bar and full compliment of OEM stringlock shims and bolts in a non-stripped base: win, right there!

Now, Joss had said that one of the string claws had gone u/s and so it proved; one of the wee arms has broken off but really, I don't see it as being too huge of a problem and whilst I'm going to get a gunsmith or model engineer to make a couple for me, I am going to get some steel and cut, drill and file one up.

The FT is a funny bridge - a real orphan as I don't think any of-the-shelf spare parts from the myriad of suppliers will fit any part of the bridge. At all. However, that is precisely why we love these things, isn't it....

OK, pics...



..as it arrived packed fit to prepare against nuclear war; this lass can pack 'em!!









MMK45s and Matts s/c



...numbers in front p'up pocket



bottom stringlock shims in place



... and underneath were paper packing pieces!! Gotta be factory, eh!!



... the offending broken string claw. However, it is a fairly clever design allowing fast loading of new strings, I reckon!



Bridge plate

It is quite dirty - sorry, Joss but it really is!! - but that's no major and there is next to no wear on those frets so all in all, I'm a happy wee pixie...

[joss]

lol, my bridge shame! I hadn't used it for a while, i did clean the neck a bit and the body though!

funny to see it in pieces!

[Barry]

Love it when members get together! Good on ya both.

[corsair]

lol, my bridge shame!

That's not why I posted the pic, though Joss - just to show everyone what the actual plate looks like and sort-of where the stringclaws fit....

[Barry]

Ya know, as brilliant as these Spectrums are, it's bloody maddening how much overlap, similarity, and yes even goofiness there is between the various models.

Except for the string clamp and weird string claw variation in the bridge, I'm looking at my GT. OK mine has an arguably much nicer finish, but still, I'm betting the sound and playability is about the same, no?

Same can be said for the ST versus the DX, and few other models you can name.
I don't know if we ever put this question to Tom Presley, as to why this was done. It would be interesting to find out. Probably some weird misguided marketing plan of some sort.

[corsair]

I'm willing to bet that my GT and this sound very very similar and the only difference is that bridge, which I think is quite a clever solution to changing broken strings on the fly; well, it seems quite different to most string locking arrangements anyway!! Yeah, you're right Barry about the similarities between models in the Spectrum range with the only difference being the bridge, for the most part but then you've gotta bear in mind the pickup saga - the UBC thing - that Thorn has laid out for us....

However, Spectrums are where it's at AKAIC ..... .. don't know why they light the fire but they do!!

Oh, and while I think about it, the trem arm has a groove machined into it just above the threads; could this be for an 'o'-ring to sit in to enable positioning of the arm?? Anyone?? Thorn??

[Guest]

I don't think it actually has a purpose - or at least none that i can see. The arm on my Spectrum III (Which fits into exactly the same barrel/nut as on the Bendmaster FT) has two grooves above the threads, they don't seem to do anything at all. The arm on my Dimension IV had no grooves. Maybe they were going to modify the trems to use them somehow but never did.

Another guitar without the UBC pickups it was supposed to have - what's the date on that one?

[corsair]

May 1985. (5050152)

I think I'll get an o ring or two and see if having one on there allows any sort of bar adjustment although I'd have to say that I don't see how it would... but what else could it be?

[Guest]

The guitar equivalent of crop circles?

[Barry]

...the trem arm has a groove machined into it just above the threads; could this be for an 'o'-ring to sit in to enable positioning of the arm?? Anyone?? Thorn??

Again, strange and puzzling stuff. All the Mat trem arms I have are threaded ends, no grooves.

I think you may have deciphered the purpose there John. Perhaps they were messing with the idea of a push-in type of arm instead and changed their minds? But I suspect that inserting the arm and then screwing it down with a a rubber O ring (or even a metal one) in place would be a nuisance, and you'd have to overcome the drag of the ring which defeats the purpose. Kinda like wearing suspenders and a belt at the same time, eh?

[corsair]

I dunno; the resistance offered by a rubber ring may be enough to stop the rotten thing swinging all over the shop like a mad dogs nuts but we'll see; I haven't got one yet as I was busy today having a jolly good rummage around in a spares box!! (Loadsa good stuff; FR bridges minus those wee string locky things, set of 5 Gibson tuners, 500Ω pots... all sorts...) And Chris has even more at his house; I'm angling for an invite to go through and find any Matsumoku stuff as this shop had the agency for Westone in the early 80's...

[Barry]

...enough to stop the rotten thing swinging all over the shop like a mad dogs nuts...

[corsair]

Progress pix...







..coming together quite nicely. A spot of black paint on the screw heads will be required... Now, I really don't think this has been to bits before(!) and check this out; the h/b pickup surrounds are reversed... factory???

[Barry]

Looking beautiful John!
(Um, the guitar, not you.)

Interesting that you mention the reversed HB's.
It reminded me that the bridge pup in my DX was also reversed when I got her: LINK
At the time I chalked it up to the seller's young son messing around with the configuration, since the arse end of the bridge was also sitting up and begging like a puppy dog, and all the trem bits were and cover plates were missing.

Now this one shows up in the same condition; perhaps this was a factory install after all. If so, was it deliberate or just inattention on the assembly line (very uncharacteristic of our Uncle Mats)? Another mystery looms.

[Pollyanna]

Progress pix...


..coming together quite nicely. A spot of black paint on the screw heads will be required... Now, I really don't think this has been to bits before(!) and check this out; the h/b pickup surrounds are reversed... factory???

Nice work there mate!

As for the pickup surrounds being reversed, nothing really mysterious about it.
I reckon it has something to do with aesthetics and balance - both deeper ends of the surround pointing towards the middle pickup which has a lower surround, making it easy on the eye. Also, it could have something to do with accessing the neck for all of those who like to play right down to the last fret... OR, making access to the control knobs easier. In either case, it stops the bulk of the surround getting in the way!
Pollys logic strikes again!

Keep up the good work there mate!

Incidentally, isn't it about time you came over to the mainland for a visit? The kettle is always on here at sunny Seaham!

Polly

[umpdv5000]

My guess would be that they had a really cheap supplier of one size pickup surrounds and as the balance screws on the pickup magnets have a tendency to stick up a little higher, they reversed the pickup surround (as the surrounds do not allow the pickups to address the strings squarely no matter what position that they are in) in an attempt to better align the bridge pickup, as it needs to be adjusted up much higher and has a greater tendency to lean the wrong way. Simple answer to all these problems is buy a correct height bridge pickup surround and then skim the bottom edges of both neck and bridge so that the top edge lies in parallel with the strings, thus allowing the pickups to address the strings squarely.

This is a common and more accentuated problem on Gibson SG's that have a cover plate with the pickups mounted in them (square to the body and not the strings). It amazes me how they have the gall to turn them out like that.

Martin.

[Warrn]

I don't think Gibson cares about their product quality, since it seems like people will buy them anyway regardless. I know far too many people who will pick out a Les Paul in a Best Buy or Guitar Center without trying out almost anything else, then defend it as being the best possible guitar when I suggest they should have looked around some more. They usually don't even look at the used instruments.

[Barry]

I've looked at the pup mounting rings on my Spectrums and Vantages many times and wondered how appropriate the sloped version was. One of the coils is always sloped away from the strings, which ain't good since the magnetic field becomes weaker on that side; makes the pickup sound a bit thin.

As I understand it, slanted rings are for Gibson-style guitars, to compensate for the neck angle. They keep the two coils the same distance from the string, whereas flat mounting rings are used on guitars without neck angles. The only Mats I have where they seem appropriate is the Vantage VE550 which is based on an LP and has an arched cap. There's quite a steep angle from bridge to neck.

Maybe time to think about replacing the slanted with flat?? Anyone know if the Mats pup rings are standard size (he said fingers crossed)?

[corsair]

My guess would be that they had a really cheap supplier of one size pickup surrounds

That would surprise me somewhat given the rest of Matsumoku quality, but yes, could be... or it could be as Polly said and be an aesthetic issue!! And oddly, the more `i look at it, the less it offends my (rather jaded!) sensibilities; I'll leave it as is, I think!! You're right, though - now that I actually THINK about it!! - on a flat top guitar with very little neck relief, sloped rings are anathema, eh!!!

Martin; once again a thought-provoking post; thank you and please keep it up; I value any and all advice from people who know so much more than I, as I guess most of the gang in here also do!!

Polly, nice to see you, lass; planning an adventure to the frozen north as we speak....

[umpdv5000]

Hi Barry,

Most pickup surrounds for humbucking style pickups are standard and what you need is a set like this (but there are loads to choose from)....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pair-Black-humbucker-pickup-surrounds-/160442373275?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item255b1c549b

All you need to make sure of is that the bottom of the surround is flat (like these) if you have a flat top guitar, or slightly arched if you have a carved top guitar (although you can arch them yourself). When you get them, you may find that you will need to rub the bottom of them on a piece of sand paper on a flat surface to alter the angle, biasing them so that the face of the pickup surround addresses the angle of the strings in order to make it absolutely parallel.

Martin.