The Last of the Mohicans!

[HeeBGB]

Dave Johnson tells me he is not doing resto work any longer making this one of the last conversions he's done.

At long last she is finally home. She was a 53 that was converted to 57 specs and then sanded to within an inch of it's life (check the pics) I had Dave Johnson re-top and convert to what you see here.

note: The nut that holds the pup selector switch was damaged in shipping (see photo) so it is removed along with the rythm/treble ring. I still need plastic covers for the control cavity and the switch route. She weighs in at just under 8.5lbs and the fret work is beyond perfect with low action and no fret buzzes or rattles. It was set-up with 9 gauge strings and I prefer 10's so they are a bit light for me at present but I am really diggin it. Pup's are Florence Voo Doo 57's. Not as fat as the WCR's in my R7 before I sold it but very nice. Has that hollow woody tone. A little cloudy on the neck pup so I will need to work on that.

More pics to follow

The way we were
[IMG:600:800]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/ ... 3LP004.jpg[/img]

Today's delivery
[img:800:600]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/ ... pix012.jpg[/img]

Damaged switch nut

[img:800:600]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/ ... pix016.jpg[/img]

[Structo]

OOOoooh, that is pretty!

Did he replace the neck or just put a new fretboard on?

Nitro lacquer finish?

That is kind of strange a 53 would have a three piece top.

[HeeBGB]

OOOoooh, that is pretty!

Did he replace the neck or just put a new fretboard on?

Nitro lacquer finish?

That is kind of strange a 53 would have a three piece top.

Sorry it took so long to respond to this Tom. It is the original neck. It has been reset at the time of the retop and I'm guessing it's not the first neck reset for this guitar. It was converted to a 57 spec before I got it by Mike Lennon at the Apprentice Shop probably sometime in the 90's.

Original top looks to be a 2 piece from the pics. Shading and some grain lines make it look like more though.
[IMG:800:600]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/ ... 3LP006.jpg[/img]

[IMG:600:800]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/ ... 3LP004.jpg[/img]

[Noel Grassy]

I saw this axe over at the LP forum and wondered if it was the same HeeBGB.
That was some leap of faith IMHO. But I can't argue with Dave's results!
I've been holding out for some used Tom Holmes PUs but the WCR humbux keep coming up on my radar too. Which model were the ones in your R7?
I hope that Dave will get back to these conversions because his work exudes a deep love for what he does. He also seems to bring a wee bit of magic that only comes from experience. You are a lucky soul to get this done before his decision to chill.
As for that switch nut, WTF?! It's a good thing your fine axe was spared further harm.

Noel Grassy.

[wsaraceni]

i love tom holmes pickups. wish they werent soo expensive. played one R9 with them and they were great. like my lollar low wind imperials too. how invasive is a neck reset (stability and soundwise)? i guess it wasnt as invasive as the retop.

[Zippy]

Neck resets can restore stability and improve sustain - if done well.

The procedure is moderately invasive if you've never witnessed one but does not require inpatient recovery. You can usually go home soon after the glue dries.

Here's an example of a job on a Martin 000-28:

http://www.frets.com/fretspages/Luthier ... set01.html

Check out the comments regarding the steamer.