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Topic: MSA rebuild / clean up |
Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 11:58 am |
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I recently purchased a MSA S-10 Classic, 5 +4, Formica finish, as a second guitar. The undercarriage was completely permeated with what appeared to be smoke from either a house fire or a smoker who can’t possibly still be alive! There was no hint of odor, so it’s really difficult to know what really happened….Wait ‘till you see the “before” pics!! I found that “Gumout Carb and Choke” was the miracle cleaner for me (don’t get it on your painted surfaces). The disassembly / cleaning took 8-10 hours, and the reassembly was about 2-4 hrs (I replicated my other MSA S-10 5+4 setup). One of the guitars will now live at my weekend gig, while the other will be the experimental subject / practice guitar. Pictures of the process are available for your entertainment at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/158792728FdIZlU
Next, I would like to try a different pickup….Anyone have any comments or experience with replacing pickups on a MSA S-10 classic? I would appreciate any info or opinions.
Has anyone ever seen a guitar with this degree of stain before? I'd be curious to hear the stories! |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 1:32 pm
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The dreaded yellowish gold color is indeed cig. smoke. I have repaired all sorts of gear with that mess on it. More than likely that instrument sat on a stage in a bar for years in order to get that kind of coating on it.
The guitar looks like it has another lifetime worth of playing left on it! |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 2:09 pm
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The guitar shows very little wear. I've owned at least one MSA continously since 1974. My D-12 sat in bars 7 nights a week, week after week..never cleaned...never any coloration. This guitar has no noticable wear at the changer where the pull rods pass through the end plate (I almost wore out the D-12 on several pulls). There are no picking scratches anywhere near the pickup, or anywhere else. The full length of each (rotten)string was wound on the tuning key posts...the removal took the lion's share of the rebuild time!  I hope more people post related stories...very interesting [This message was edited by Steve English on 05 July 2004 at 09:24 PM.] |
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Reece Anderson
From:
Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 2:21 pm
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Steve....Thank you for reviving the musical life of an older MSA, and for sharing your story.
All of us at MSA greatly appreciate your being the proud owner of not only one, but two of our guitars.
If there's anything I can do to help you with your guitar, please don't heesitate to let me know.
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Walter Jones
From:
Athens, Ohio USA
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 5:04 pm
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Steve, since I am a retired firefighter, I will put my money on a housefire. It has all the signs of the Dragon just waiting to get you. Confined, smoldering combustion just covers everything , it can't get enough oxygen to burn freely. Some of the furniture cushions with foam filling is a good example, it will smolder for a long time before enough heat is created to get things going. Sometimes it leads up to Backdraft, or The Dragon and that will trip your trigger for sure. I have been in fires where everything is covered with the same sticky yellowish substance. Could be either one though.
Great job on the cleanup, looks like a keeper now for sure.[This message was edited by Walter Jones on 05 July 2004 at 06:09 PM.] |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 9:08 pm
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Mr. Anderson, I am humbled by your response, and honored by your steel guitar. The rosewood mica I just cleaned is serial #1C 2190, and my black guitar is #1C 3366. If I may ask, I’d appreciate the dates & any info. For many years my pride and joy was a beautiful blue over Birdseye D-12 purchased new in 1975. Sorry that one got away.
I’m just starting to play again after a lengthy hiatus, and lucky enough to have found a fine group that not only tolerates me, but pays me as well each week! Now, as I explained to my wonderful wife, I make more $-per-energy-exerted by not having to move either guitar from it’s intended location each weekend. Life can be grand…
Bill and Walter, thanks for the comments!
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Reece Anderson
From:
Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Jul 2004 2:52 am
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Steve....I appreciate the courtesy of your very kind response and thank you for providing me the opportunity to answer your questions.
MSA records verify serial number 1C-2190 as being a rosewood single 10 which left the factory with 5 pedals and 4 knee levers. It's original destination was our distributor in Chicago. (CMI)
The guitar was born on March 25th 1974!
Serial number 1C-3366 shows to be a black single 10, which also left the factory with 5 pedals and 4 knee levers, and it too was first shipped to our Chicago distributor.
This guitar was born on September 12th 1974!
Thank you again for being a wonderful supporter of MSA over all these years. It's people like you who have helped make my musical life such a blessing to live.
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 7 Jul 2004 1:24 pm
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| By the way, The D-12 I refered to was purchased new from Ralph Hanzel in the Milwaukee area I believe. I went to his house and was treated to an entire basement lined with various steel guitars (mostly MSA's). I had never seen that many steels in one place at a time! What a treat!! He let me play all day long 'till I found the one I wanted. Nice man.. |
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