Mosrite MKA-2

[Mosrite Slab]

‘fraid not. I’m in London.


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[ONSatan]

How is the build going! Happy with bridge? Did you have to shim the neck a lot (to get the right angle)?
I love the color!

[Simon Barden]

It won't be the pot type. You really want audio/log for volume at the very least. I now use audio pots for both volume and tone. But it's very likely to be the selector switch - though that type normally fail with no contact made at all in any position. In your last photo, the longest leg of the tone capacitor looks very close to the input connection of the tone pot. If they touch when you put the scratchplate on the guitar, then turning the pot won't have any effect but you'll get a very muffled tone as all the signal will pass through the cap to ground. But if it's bright sounding and turning the pot has no effect, the pot itself is almost certainly damaged.

You've also got one signal cable (blue on the switch output) with a very long length of exposed wire which could easily move and touch ground at a later date. Likewise the ground wire on the switch has a long exposed length, which could move when installed and touch one of the switch input connections and short it out. So when replacing the switch, make sure that the insulation goes right up to the switch's solder tabs.

[Mosrite Slab]

Just a quick update, everything is fine with the guitar, all problems sorted and I'm 99% there so will do a complete summary shortly. It's been a long learning curve but very enjoyable.

[Mosrite Slab]

Still plugging away. I've got a bit of annoying fret buzz around the 10th-13th frets despite doing a full level and a metal rule along them is seesawing a bit so some more attention required.

[Simon Barden]

How did you do your fret level? Obviously something didn't go quite right with that so your technique sounds like it may need to be finessed.

[Mosrite Slab]

I need to invest in a longer, heavier beam as at present I only have a short 10"" aluminium one. It's also possible that the neck wasn't straight enough and I've sanded down a bit low in the centre of the neck. I'm confident of getting it right.

[Simon Barden]

That should be long enough. I've done it with an even shorter file. I now find it easier and better to sue a radius block and stick sandpaper to that.

Certainly make sure the neck itself is as flat as possible using a notched edge. Do it a few hours before you level to allow the neck time to settle if you are adjusting the truss rod. Then check again just before you start and adjust again if necessary. Always check before you add any masking tape for the fretboard!

Use a dark marker pen like a Sharpie to mark the top of the frets before filing. Keep marking the tops of the frets as you file to make sure they are truly level once all the marker has disappeared on the lowest frets, then mark again and have a light run over with the file to make sure that all the frets are being caught by the file along their whole length. Then mark the frets again when profiling the frets and file until you've still got a thin line of marker on the top of each fret. That way you know the tops are still all level. If you file until the marker is all gone, you've gone a bit too far and one or more frets may now be lower.

Then start sanding up through the grits and polishing. I always give each fret the same amount of rubs with the same grit paper to try and equalise any further height reduction when removing the scratches filing has left.

[Mosrite Slab]

I think it's probably that it wasn't quite straight enough when I did it so I'll leave it a bit longer and keep checking when I do it again. I adjusted it dead straight under tension yesterday but then when I put a metal rule along the frets I could slip a feeler gauge under some or it would rock.

The guitar is fine, it plays well but I really would prefer the strings to be a bit lower and less buzz acoustically, none of the frets are dead though.