jello's workbench - rehabbing a Jackson...

jelloman

Couch'd Tater...
So, I bought a Jackson Dinky off Reverb so I could get some practice working with Floyd Rose bridges...

This one...

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Got it for 150 shipped, so I wasn't expecting much...

"not much" is what I got...came in with a chunk broken off the headstock...seller offered an immediate return, but the break wasn't affecting playability so I negotiated a 50.00 refund and opted to keep it...I SHOULD have taken a closer look, though, because the bridge is in ROUGH shape as well, with several rusted and frozen screws, including one string lock screw that appeared to be cross threaded...

I started working on it Friday night by completely tearing it down...
 
This was the neck damage...

2017-07-20_05-55-41 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

2017-07-20_05-55-32 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

2017-07-20_06-17-57 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

Glued it back together in 3 stages, smallest pieces first...came out of the clamps a couple hours ago...

2017-07-23_12-09-32 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

2017-07-23_12-10-08 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

Of course it looks better from the back...:embarrassed: ...not sure how I could have done it better...

I'm probably going to get some black epoxy to fill in the face cracks...
 
The bridge was grungy as hell...

2017-07-20_05-55-22 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

...but worse than that the B string saddle string lock screw was cross threaded, and the hex was stripped so it was impossible to back it out with an Allen key...

Started by slathering it with WD40...

2017-07-23_12-11-56 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

Then I disassembled it and cleaned everything with a toothbrush (Oral-B)...soaked all the parts in alcohol and put it back together...

2017-07-23_01-15-53 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

I had to put the B string saddle in a vise and twist the screw out with a vise grip...

2017-07-23_01-14-42 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

...it got a little chewed, but it's still usable...and luckily the threads on the saddle did not get boogered up, so all I need to find is a new lock screw...
 
Wow, great work.

FWIW, PB Blaster > WD for freeing up rusted screws.

I get brass and nylon brushes at harbor freight.

A guy told me to use a 30cal barrel brush and a cordless drill on low to clean out 1/4" jacks - I've tried it, it works.
 
Nice repair work!

You should get a job at Gibson in the warranty repairs department. Absolute job security!
 
Wow, great work.

FWIW, PB Blaster > WD for freeing up rusted screws.

I get brass and nylon brushes at harbor freight.

A guy told me to use a 30cal barrel brush and a cordless drill on low to clean out 1/4" jacks - I've tried it, it works.
PB Blaster is a much more powerful solvent, I went with the WD40 because I wasn't sure if the plating was undermined...
 
Of course it looks better from the back...:embarrassed: ...not sure how I could have done it better...

I'm probably going to get some black epoxy to fill in the face cracks...

I remember somebody here or, on HC fixed a headstock crack, when they were done, they glued a really, really thin veneer to the face.
 
I remember somebody here or, on HC fixed a headstock crack, when they were done, they glued a really, really thin veneer to the face.
It's such a small area, and I don't want to cover the logo...I mainly just want to make it less obvious...
 
A guy told me to use a 30cal barrel brush and a cordless drill on low to clean out 1/4" jacks - I've tried it, it works.

That's fine for light contaminants/surface oxidation but once a jack starts to corrode, replacing it is the way to go....especially for such a cheap part and easy swap on many guitars.
 
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