Doesn't Phil get new requests for SMA daily, though? I know he said he has a folder on his computer that is full of requests, let alone the dozen he gets every Friday when he does his Q&As. I have seen other channels make those requests in his chat log (DovyDAS did it recently) and he always ignores them. I think he should ignore them too, since asking publicly puts someone on the spot rather than doing it in private. Surely it's worth asking Phil, but bear in mind he gets these requests daily. And please shoot him an email if you do, I'm sure he'd probably be grateful.
Ryan, it probably needs a truss rod adjustment to fix the neck or a fret leveling. Either way, I would reach out to Phil McKnight about helping. The video with the two of you would be great content, plus someone who needs a guitar would get one. It would be such a waste to destroy it.
Set your neck relief first then string height then get you intonation set properly ( exactly , not approximately) then cut your nut slots to the proper depth using feeler gauges. I think you might the guitar will fall right into place after all that. It is time consuming but worth it in the long run.
So I think it's about time the guitar world comes together and everyone start intonating in playing position. It doesn't make it easy to film but the guitar will be intonated better. I get guitars back from my tech after a setup and the intonation is just way off (I can intonate them myself, but he does it as part of his full maintenance routine). When the guitar is laying down, gravity is pulling on the neck and you're also putting pressure on the 12th fret when checking if it's in tune. So this guitar may not be that far off if intonated properly, unless you plan to play the guitar with it laying flat on your thighs. Not trying to come off like an asshole or anything, just a genuine suggestion to maybe aid in this field.
The reason I like this vid is the fact that this man has little knowledge with proper guitar setup technique !! Therefore, I get to enjoy the various comments on a few people who actually knows how to set up guitar properly !! You don't need a PhD in setting up a guitar for playability !! But, understanding the basics in how the guitar's nut , neck , bridge, string gage works as a whole is a must !! Brian May and his father built a guitar without UA-cam, Sharpen my Axe, Guitar Fun Stuff, etc ., !
If I had to guess, I'd say it's all in the nut. The G slot is probably cut too flat and not at an angle, which is killing the intonation in the first few frets. Feel free to send it my way and I'll try a Tusq nut if you don't want to spend the money to try it! If the frets were in the wrong spot, all of the strings would be sharp, not just the A. It absolutely HAS to be the nut.
First off, assuming it has a 24.75 inch scale length like a Gibson, set a Gibson next to it and you should be able to see if the cowboy frets are in the correct position. There are scale rulers for this but I'm guessing you don't have one. Assuming the frets are in the correct position, adjust the truss rod so the neck is flat, loosen the strings first. Then hold the G string at the third fret and check the string action at the first fret. If you can barely move the string before it touches the first fret then you're good. If you can move more than a millimeter then the nut slot needs to be deeper. Once you've got that, adjust the strings to pitch and check for intonation on the first three frets. If good then check for buzzing and adjust the neck relief as needed. Given the cheapness of the guitar, the frets will likely need leveling but that's a separate activity. If the frets really are in the wrong locations then it's time for your famous bridge treatment.
Bought a FFJR and had the same problems. Replaced the bridge with the same as in video and filed the nut deeper on 4 of the strings and that made the guitars playability really nice. Giving it to a friend's children for Xmas.
I just finally broke down and bought set of real nut files (I have some of the crappy pipe-cleaner ones but they cut soooooo slowly). Whent they got in it took like half an hour to fix three or four guitars' worth of too-high-cut slots. You just need the right tools. Also, it's easy to tell at the first fret if that's the problem. If you want to give it to me I think I can fix it and give it away.
Ron Thorn from Fender Custom said in a video with Phil McKnight that his order was TRAIN - tune, relief, action, intonate, and noodle to test and adjust the sound.
I just watched a 20 minute video on a failed repair because Ryan is a good guy. Nevertheless, I would now like you to set it on fire and smash it against rocks and then post it to the Firefly guitars FB fanpage as a demo titled this guitar=fire=rocks!
Use a feeler gauge and measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the first fret. You're looking for about .020" and if it's higher than that, keep filing the nut until you're there. Don't forget the slot width so the strings don't bind, along with some lube. Then, intonating the bridge should be easier. Always start with the frets being level and the nut at spec and everything else just falls into place. Love the channel, btw. Have a great one!
I put a Musiclily Badass on a newly purchase Harley Benton LP JR DC. Didn’t work at all. Unfortunately the saddles are not high enough for the strings to clear the front lip of the bridge, so there is always buzz, or “sitaring”. Seems like a fatal design flaw. There is no adjustment, of course, that will affect this. So, unless I find another viable replacement, the one that came with the guitar will be going back on. I’m not sure there’s any problem with it anyway, a slight bit less mass, but enough to make any difference? The up side, posts and post width was perfect for the replacement.
Yea a junk guitar is a fun project. You learn a lot as to how to fix it. I’ve rebuilt 3 so far and all worked out. Just takes some patience and a lot of reading. Measure 5x cut once lol
In other words it's "CRAP" too bad but thankfully we have UA-camrs like Ryan to give us the goods on junk 🎸being offered to unsuspecting consumers. Looks better without the pickguard! Thank you Ryan! 👍
Ryan I would be curious to know how were the saddles on the wraparound bridge from Musically? Were the saddles sitting flush on the metal work or slightly above not making contact other than via the intonation screws? I did purchase a one myself of an entry level Gibson junior tribute special but saddles not being flush tilled/angled sideways (not impressed). To be fair to Musically they did refund the purchase. I have since ordered a Schaller Signum Wraparound Combination Bridge and Tailpiece sadly not $14 to $15.00 AUD dollars more like $180.00 AUD but I am a stickler for proper harmonic tuning. So even if you send money on higher cost guitars you can still have intonation issues. I often think it is the luck of the draw at times. Thanks for your uploads I enjoy your content.
Also, no matter what the initial cost of the guitar, a good luthier that can do a proper setup including fret leveling will make a huge difference in playability. I've taken inexpensive guitars, dropped another $50 in a good setup, and they are real players now.
I mean, if you don't want it, I'm happy to take it as a platform to experiment on. I won't have to feel bad about messing things up too much, but if I succeed I will have a good (or ok, at least) guitar
Those Gibson type nuts are far easier to just knock off and sand the bottom to get the height. Then you can fine tune if you're super picky for each string.
It;s always fun to give something away, even if it's not great. Maybe putting the G string a little out of intonation might help, or check the fret job to see about leveling??
Try a compensated nut and buy a set of nut slot files. Those welding tip cleaner will get you in trouble as they bend over the nut leaving a hump in the nut slot.
My nut is way too high. So much so that even with the bridge fully lowered, just pressing at on the first fret sharps up a semi-tone. Yet fine at the 12th fret. Some say the head angle is too shallow and doesn't put enough string pressure at the nut. Others say the set neck joints are misshimed.
Thesre´s a little luthier trick to set the nut. Use a blade to exacto knife as a straight edge, place it on over the second fret + first fret + bottom of the nut groove. Sitting on the second fret on one end and very bottom of the grooveon the other end, on the first fret should be no gap betweet the top of the fret and the straight edge (or just a tiny tiny bit). you can check it against the bright light to see if hteres any gap. Then you know that these three things are in the line (like if the nut will be a normal fret). Thats the deepest you can be on the nut slot to be sure that it´s not gonna buzz over the first fret. In fact you can get a little bit deeper on G string because it´s thick and as it bends over the nut it will create a little bit more space over the first fret. But if you wanna be on a save side do it like I describer before. You will se there´s still gonna be clerance over the first fret if you press the string to the second fret. Thats right! It´s because the strings are bending over the nut more or less depending on their thickness and it will naturally create the clerance you want above the first fret. It might sound complicated, but it´s just complicated to desribe
U need to get a compensated nut. I'm sure it's worth it 😂. I had a pos that I actually could play if I put a piece of toothpick under the g string just past the nut. Epiphone LP Jr with the 'compensated' bridge. Good luck brother
Ryan did You stretch the strings before setting up intonation? BTW without the pickguard it kinda looks like old Frank Gambale Yamaha signature guitar :)
Hey cool video I've fitted the same bridge to an Epi SG Special but getting a lot of buzz from it as the saddles are so close the the upper part of the bridge, does not seem to be the case in you video. Any ideas as to why this might be ?
The front of the nut is cut lower than back of the nut or could be the nut is to deep now.Get a new nut and adjust the height by shimming or filing the nut.
I would not destroy it, it is fixable and someone would love to have it. I would first check the neck relief then the frets using a fret rocker. Of course the nut might need some work raising and or lowering the slots or possibly a new nut. Also, very important, when installing this type of bridge you should center all six of the saddles on the bridge first then adjust the intonation using the two post screws for the high and low E strings. Only then do you adjust the individual saddles to complete the intonation adjustments.
That's probably something very easily fixable. The intonation should be the last thing you check on a setup. Especially knowing now it will intonate. What is the neck relief? What's the string height at the nut? Are the frets flat? Is there a high fret somewhere? What's the string height? A twenty minute video on what could have been an hour setup and it still won't play?
I bought the same nut file set, I hope you got it for less than a buck like I did. It was worth every 50 cents I paid. Sure, it takes forever to cut the fret, but it will finally get there!
You should've done the nut stuff with old strings before removal. Less chance of bugger ing the new ones. Get feeler gauges to measure strings over 1st fret. G Shd be 16-18 thousands, closer to 16 for all 3 treble strings. 18 max on the base strings.
The FF guitars had a bunch of the 338s with fret spacing issues. I bet you got hit with the same shoddy fret spacing. You should intonate it at the 5th fret instead of the 12th and see if that fixes your cowboy chord issues.
The best you can do is keep the word moving and perhaps the company will either make good product or they will die with the bad reputation..So many people buying a guitar in the price range will not know what is wrong and when or if they find out it will be beyond the return period.
It would be an ideal guitar for a giveaway. There may be some minor things that somebody would be able to fix. (Personally, all of my problems are solved with a wound 3rd set - then again, I am a rhythm player).
Really enjoyed the video. Some lessons are learned the hard way. I have Firefly guitars, and I really do enjoy them. They all needed setup. But some guitars just have “bad mojo”..lol BTW, looks better without imho.
I think you should consider giving it to someone. For the g string problem : First check the frets with a ruler. If they're ok, the nut may be badly shaped which is my guess. I try to explain : the g string may sit on the begining of the nut. When not fretted the g string is ok, but when fretted, everythings goes out of tune because the frets are too far from the nut .... So a new nut should fix the problem if i'm right. If the frets are not on the right place : bbq that pos. Save the électronics, as it looks like decent.
60 Cycle Hum - fret the string at the 3rd fret and use a feeler gauge to check the gap from the top of the first fret and bottom of the string. .004” - .006” is safe. .004” is better but a swipe or two more and the string can quickly be too low
See if you can do a collaborative video with Dave's World of Fun Stuff. Also Dylan Talks Tone just put out a video on how to read the code on the caps. If you don't want to mess with taking it to someone to cut a new nut, then strip the parts off and burn it.
Man, was so excited for this, just to hear it up and running maybe a new nut in general? Good to hear it some what working though. Pickups arent bad though.
Time to have a “Fire Sale” on the Firefly guitars 🎸!!! Since you have experience throwing guitars down a few flights of stairs in an earlier video maybe it’s time for that test😎
Yeah that's pretty bad. I am wondering if a fret leveling and redressing might resolve the problem. You can recover your nifty new bride and send the guitar to me and I'll tinker with it. If there is no reasonable solution I can use it as a wall hanging.
I am just starting out in luthier work, as much as I would like to take a crack at it, I would also like to see it get destroyed lol, but I would also hate to see money be wasted ...
I don't think you should destroy it. I believe it is a huge disrespect, not to the guitar per se, but for all those young kids who cannot afford to buy a guitar, not even one like that. I believe you should contact someone that can fix this issue and together you can give it away to some kid.
I happen to be in that group, and most of the folks in there discuss mods all the time, so your statement is pretty inaccurate. Matter of fact, there are threads in the Announcements section dedicated strictly to drop in mods that people recommend.
@@niclastname Haha, not mad or riled up. I just don't want people to get the wrong impression because a group of power tripping folks in a different group gave a bad vibe. Everyone in the Fans group are super friendly and helpful and have even given suggestions for comparable guitars from other brands. There are some great modding platforms in these guitars, and some are giggable without mods. A good setup is highly recommended, though.
@@keithconville5460 I think the major groups 2 of them I know of ARE run by the company. The Shill group moderators if not actually paid are heavily compensated with free gear they can sell. Even a minor bad opinion gets ghosted...
Ryan, that 2nd fret might just be a bit TOO close to the 1st. Check all the other notes on that fret, if they all pull up a bit sharp, FILE the leading edge a bit to make the crown a but further away from its current positon! But B4 you take such drastic action, REPLACE the nut altogether with a BONE 1 1st! Then if it still pulls sharp, FILE leading edge of that offending fret! Otherwise replacing the fret is the only OTHER option. BUT, as I've always said, 'you CAN'T polish a turd! No matter how shiny you make it, it's still SHIT underneath!' MY 2c anyway dude! GIVE it a shot! PS: Surprised to see those P90s loaded with ALNICO magnets for such a cheap strummer!
Yeah, im feeling like I dont want to throw too much more energy at this turd. I kind of want to salvage those pickups because they actually sound alright.
Trust me Ryan. You are not done cutting fret slots... I tried to use that same exact set of files forever and they suck to use compared to actual files. What you need to do is, determine roughly what size strings you will be cutting nut slots for, buy one for each size that is slightly larger and be done with it... The small thing ones they sell at StewMac aren't much and you can probably find even cheaper ones on ebay now a days. I think in the end you will find it worthwhile. I know I did.
At least the guitar parts companies make money with people who are buying super cheap guitars. Super cheap is not equal affordable. But a waste of wood and manpower. Guitars like these have a life span of a fly.
You should put a fresh new (better-looking/more traditional) pickguard on, and glue little fake diamonds in the newly visible screw holes. Then, they'll sparkle even if its new guitarist doesn't! haha ;)
Wow, those orange caps are "J" caps which is a fairly tight tolerance, so if they're accurate and not faked chinese bullshit (they've never done that before, have they?), then those are good caps. They're way oversized, which is totally unnecessary for the low voltage inside of a guitar, but the fact that they claim to be J's, which is + or - 5% of the stated value is pretty nuts. Most guitars, even the major brands on high end guitars will more often use "K" tolerance caps which are + or - 10%. Also, it's hand wired and the soldering and wiring looks pretty damn clean, you think they'd just make some sort of cheap PCB with 16mm pots, but nope, full sized 24mm pots and hand wiring. I've never heard of this brand, but if they're a budget guitar, it seems like it has potential for being a great guitar given a proper setup.
You can try to do a sharpen my axe with Phillip McKnight and maybe collaborating on the repairs, then you can do the decoration. Maybe you can sell it online and donate the earnings for kids that can't afford musical instruments
It's just simply the nut not being filed properly. The best way to do it is to take a Carpenter's pencil and cut it directly down the middle to where it is literally a half pencil you have to do this with a jigsaw and then you file it on sandpaper until the pencil is completely flat then when you sharpen it you lay the cut edge of the pencil flat on the 1st and 2nd fret, then draw a line on the nut. All nut slot should be cut down to that line and then all chords will be in tune. That's the way Stewart MacDonald does it and Crimson guitars. It is a very old Luther trick.ua-cam.com/video/ZjCT0hZRnDk/v-deo.html here's a very quick demonstration video. It's hard to see in this video but the bottom half of that pencil has been cut away flat. It's good practice to sharpen the pencil to a fine tip first and then cut it directly down the middle to wear the point of the pencil is the same level as the Frets and you will also get the radius of the fretboard when you draw the line
Lubricate the nut. The G string has always given issues with a LP style guitar. The nut and action should always be done before intonation, too. See if that helps any.
u do realize the intonation will be off with the nut being high as well so u should have slotted the nut before u took old strings off lol just a idea for next time. by the way did u check the intonation at the bridge again after u cut nut slot cause that would change it at the bridge again since u cut nut slot lower it changes the intonation at the bridge as well cause u are making the string shorter when cutting the slot so u would have to take the saddle back! am make sure your string isn't binding in the nut slot that it is slotted wide enough u might want to file some off the top of the nut if u have the strings to deep in the slot now. should be about half the string out of the slot if u can feel the string protruding out of the top of the nut it is to deep! awesome u give these guitars to kids wish I new someone like you when I was a youngin lol oh yea ive made 1 nut from scratch with reg. files and a torch tip cleaner like u had and after that i went and bought a good set of hasco nut files and nut slotting saws lol cause i did a great job in making the nut but had a hell of a time cutting the slots and filing them lol. turned out great but thought with the right tools it be so much easier and it is lol
Never Destroy an instrument! Reach out, maybe do a collaborative video, as with another UA-cam entity, that surpasses your skill set! Or send it out to Phil, as viewer, "RG Pops", suggests! Someone would & could love that guitar and really that's much more important, isn't it?
See if
Phillip McKnight will take on the challenge as a "Sharpen My Axe" project.
Would be a cool cross channel video!
FaceTime with Phil and have him walk you through it. If nothing else it’ll be hilarious.
I agree! If Phil can't fix it...
Doesn't Phil get new requests for SMA daily, though? I know he said he has a folder on his computer that is full of requests, let alone the dozen he gets every Friday when he does his Q&As. I have seen other channels make those requests in his chat log (DovyDAS did it recently) and he always ignores them. I think he should ignore them too, since asking publicly puts someone on the spot rather than doing it in private.
Surely it's worth asking Phil, but bear in mind he gets these requests daily. And please shoot him an email if you do, I'm sure he'd probably be grateful.
Ryan, it probably needs a truss rod adjustment to fix the neck or a fret leveling. Either way, I would reach out to Phil McKnight about helping. The video with the two of you would be great content, plus someone who needs a guitar would get one. It would be such a waste to destroy it.
Set your neck relief first then string height then get you intonation set properly ( exactly , not approximately) then cut your nut slots to the proper depth using feeler gauges. I think you might the guitar will fall right into place after all that. It is time consuming but worth it in the long run.
I have always heard that adjustments like intonation should be made in the playing position, not lying on its back...
So I think it's about time the guitar world comes together and everyone start intonating in playing position. It doesn't make it easy to film but the guitar will be intonated better. I get guitars back from my tech after a setup and the intonation is just way off (I can intonate them myself, but he does it as part of his full maintenance routine). When the guitar is laying down, gravity is pulling on the neck and you're also putting pressure on the 12th fret when checking if it's in tune. So this guitar may not be that far off if intonated properly, unless you plan to play the guitar with it laying flat on your thighs. Not trying to come off like an asshole or anything, just a genuine suggestion to maybe aid in this field.
Yeah, that whole theory has been shot to hell more times than I can count. The physics just don't support it.
@@kscotthoy - Well through my own experience it makes quite a big difference so something must be going on here.
I'd try moving the entire bridge back until the g is intonated, then move the other saddles up as needed.
Stef Penfield what you said
The reason I like this vid is the fact that this man has little knowledge with proper guitar setup technique !! Therefore, I get to enjoy the various comments on a few people who actually knows how to set up guitar properly !! You don't need a PhD in setting up a guitar for playability !! But, understanding the basics in how the guitar's nut , neck , bridge, string gage works as a whole is a must !! Brian May and his father built a guitar without UA-cam, Sharpen my Axe, Guitar Fun Stuff, etc ., !
If I had to guess, I'd say it's all in the nut. The G slot is probably cut too flat and not at an angle, which is killing the intonation in the first few frets. Feel free to send it my way and I'll try a Tusq nut if you don't want to spend the money to try it! If the frets were in the wrong spot, all of the strings would be sharp, not just the A. It absolutely HAS to be the nut.
Wow. I saw Musiclily bridge.Thanks a lot for supporting Musiclily. - Nina
Great content Ryan, very generous of you to give it away
First off, assuming it has a 24.75 inch scale length like a Gibson, set a Gibson next to it and you should be able to see if the cowboy frets are in the correct position. There are scale rulers for this but I'm guessing you don't have one. Assuming the frets are in the correct position, adjust the truss rod so the neck is flat, loosen the strings first. Then hold the G string at the third fret and check the string action at the first fret. If you can barely move the string before it touches the first fret then you're good. If you can move more than a millimeter then the nut slot needs to be deeper. Once you've got that, adjust the strings to pitch and check for intonation on the first three frets. If good then check for buzzing and adjust the neck relief as needed.
Given the cheapness of the guitar, the frets will likely need leveling but that's a separate activity. If the frets really are in the wrong locations then it's time for your famous bridge treatment.
FYI, you should set up the nut first, lowering the nut changes the intonation. Although if the guitar wasn’t built right in the first place...
Bought a FFJR and had the same problems. Replaced the bridge with the same as in video and filed the nut deeper on 4 of the strings and that made the guitars playability really nice. Giving it to a friend's children for Xmas.
I just finally broke down and bought set of real nut files (I have some of the crappy pipe-cleaner ones but they cut soooooo slowly). Whent they got in it took like half an hour to fix three or four guitars' worth of too-high-cut slots. You just need the right tools. Also, it's easy to tell at the first fret if that's the problem. If you want to give it to me I think I can fix it and give it away.
Ron Thorn from Fender Custom said in a video with Phil McKnight that his order was TRAIN - tune, relief, action, intonate, and noodle to test and adjust the sound.
If buying used: Try it out before you buy it.
If buying retail: Make sure they have a 30-day money back guarantee.
Had the same problem with a Gibson double cut lp special that coat 10 times as much. Same issue with the "lightning bolt" bridge.
I just watched a 20 minute video on a failed repair because Ryan is a good guy.
Nevertheless, I would now like you to set it on fire and smash it against rocks and then post it to the Firefly guitars FB fanpage as a demo titled this guitar=fire=rocks!
Actually the size of the pots doesn’t matter. Bigger pots don’t equal better quality. There’s a whole video about it at Dylan Talks Tone.
Use a feeler gauge and measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the first fret. You're looking for about .020" and if it's higher than that, keep filing the nut until you're there. Don't forget the slot width so the strings don't bind, along with some lube. Then, intonating the bridge should be easier. Always start with the frets being level and the nut at spec and everything else just falls into place. Love the channel, btw. Have a great one!
as it is right now the g string is sitting slightly lower than the b and e strings that arent having this issue.
I put a Musiclily Badass on a newly purchase Harley Benton LP JR DC. Didn’t work at all. Unfortunately the saddles are not high enough for the strings to clear the front lip of the bridge, so there is always buzz, or “sitaring”. Seems like a fatal design flaw. There is no adjustment, of course, that will affect this. So, unless I find another viable replacement, the one that came with the guitar will be going back on. I’m not sure there’s any problem with it anyway, a slight bit less mass, but enough to make any difference? The up side, posts and post width was perfect for the replacement.
Yea a junk guitar is a fun project. You learn a lot as to how to fix it. I’ve rebuilt 3 so far and all worked out. Just takes some patience and a lot of reading. Measure 5x cut once lol
In other words it's "CRAP" too bad but thankfully we have UA-camrs like Ryan to give us the goods on junk 🎸being offered to unsuspecting consumers. Looks better without the pickguard! Thank you Ryan! 👍
could be a bad string, I had one that was stretching different at the bridge than it was at the nut
Ryan I would be curious to know how were the saddles on the wraparound bridge from Musically?
Were the saddles sitting flush on the metal work or slightly above not making contact other than via the intonation screws?
I did purchase a one myself of an entry level Gibson junior tribute special but saddles not being flush tilled/angled sideways (not impressed). To be fair to Musically they did refund the purchase.
I have since ordered a Schaller Signum Wraparound Combination Bridge and Tailpiece sadly not $14 to $15.00 AUD dollars more like $180.00 AUD but I am a stickler for proper harmonic tuning.
So even if you send money on higher cost guitars you can still have intonation issues. I often think it is the luck of the draw at times.
Thanks for your uploads I enjoy your content.
Also, no matter what the initial cost of the guitar, a good luthier that can do a proper setup including fret leveling will make a huge difference in playability. I've taken inexpensive guitars, dropped another $50 in a good setup, and they are real players now.
I mean, if you don't want it, I'm happy to take it as a platform to experiment on. I won't have to feel bad about messing things up too much, but if I succeed I will have a good (or ok, at least) guitar
Those Gibson type nuts are far easier to just knock off and sand the bottom to get the height. Then you can fine tune if you're super picky for each string.
Those are not nut files, they are welding tip cleaners that don't really cut well at all. Especially on a bone nut.
It;s always fun to give something away, even if it's not great. Maybe putting the G string a little out of intonation might help, or check the fret job to see about leveling??
Try a compensated nut and buy a set of nut slot files. Those welding tip cleaner will get you in trouble as they bend over the nut leaving a hump in the nut slot.
My nut is way too high. So much so that even with the bridge fully lowered, just pressing at on the first fret sharps up a semi-tone. Yet fine at the 12th fret. Some say the head angle is too shallow and doesn't put enough string pressure at the nut. Others say the set neck joints are misshimed.
Thesre´s a little luthier trick to set the nut. Use a blade to exacto knife as a straight edge, place it on over the second fret + first fret + bottom of the nut groove. Sitting on the second fret on one end and very bottom of the grooveon the other end, on the first fret should be no gap betweet the top of the fret and the straight edge (or just a tiny tiny bit). you can check it against the bright light to see if hteres any gap. Then you know that these three things are in the line (like if the nut will be a normal fret). Thats the deepest you can be on the nut slot to be sure that it´s not gonna buzz over the first fret.
In fact you can get a little bit deeper on G string because it´s thick and as it bends over the nut it will create a little bit more space over the first fret. But if you wanna be on a save side do it like I describer before.
You will se there´s still gonna be clerance over the first fret if you press the string to the second fret. Thats right! It´s because the strings are bending over the nut more or less depending on their thickness and it will naturally create the clerance you want above the first fret.
It might sound complicated, but it´s just complicated to desribe
I would love to take a shot at that guitar. Fix the g string issue and update the look.
U need to get a compensated nut. I'm sure it's worth it 😂. I had a pos that I actually could play if I put a piece of toothpick under the g string just past the nut. Epiphone LP Jr with the 'compensated' bridge. Good luck brother
Ryan did You stretch the strings before setting up intonation? BTW without the pickguard it kinda looks like old Frank Gambale Yamaha signature guitar :)
Hey cool video I've fitted the same bridge to an Epi SG Special but getting a lot of buzz from it as the saddles are so close the the upper part of the bridge, does not seem to be the case in you video. Any ideas as to why this might be ?
The front of the nut is cut lower than back of the nut or could be the nut is to deep now.Get a new nut and adjust the height by shimming or filing the nut.
I would not destroy it, it is fixable and someone would love to have it. I would first check the neck relief then the frets using a fret rocker. Of course the nut might need some work raising and or lowering the slots or possibly a new nut. Also, very important, when installing this type of bridge you should center all six of the saddles on the bridge first then adjust the intonation using the two post screws for the high and low E strings. Only then do you adjust the individual saddles to complete the intonation adjustments.
I put that same bridge on my AXL Jr. copy. Works nicely.
Might've been easier to pop the nut off and sand the bottom.
I've never messed with frets before and I'd love to take on the challenge!
Is this an older model? Mine has a tailpiece.
I got a Grote semihollow (it was a gift) with the same problem. I'm wondering if making the guitar playable will cost over $200.00
That's probably something very easily fixable. The intonation should be the last thing you check on a setup. Especially knowing now it will intonate. What is the neck relief? What's the string height at the nut? Are the frets flat? Is there a high fret somewhere? What's the string height? A twenty minute video on what could have been an hour setup and it still won't play?
I bought the same nut file set, I hope you got it for less than a buck like I did. It was worth every 50 cents I paid. Sure, it takes forever to cut the fret, but it will finally get there!
Damaged262 what was is?
You should've done the nut stuff with old strings before removal. Less chance of bugger ing the new ones. Get feeler gauges to measure strings over 1st fret. G Shd be 16-18 thousands, closer to 16 for all 3 treble strings. 18 max on the base strings.
The FF guitars had a bunch of the 338s with fret spacing issues. I bet you got hit with the same shoddy fret spacing. You should intonate it at the 5th fret instead of the 12th and see if that fixes your cowboy chord issues.
That was only an issue with the 338s that came from a different factory than all the other guitars.
Another vote for trying to work with Phil McKnight on Sharpen my Axe. It'd be good to see a collab and giveaway.
The best you can do is keep the word moving and perhaps the company will either make good product or they will die with the bad reputation..So many people buying a guitar in the price range will not know what is wrong and when or if they find out it will be beyond the return period.
Put a set screw behind the bridge post and move the entire bridge back till you get the g in tune,
Hey Ryan! Whatever happened to this guitar? I've always wanted a DC P90 guitar but would be willing to put work into this.
I think I have it away
It would be an ideal guitar for a giveaway. There may be some minor things that somebody would be able to fix. (Personally, all of my problems are solved with a wound 3rd set - then again, I am a rhythm player).
Really enjoyed the video. Some lessons are learned the hard way. I have Firefly guitars, and I really do enjoy them. They all needed setup. But some guitars just have “bad mojo”..lol BTW, looks better without imho.
I think you should consider giving it to someone.
For the g string problem :
First check the frets with a ruler.
If they're ok, the nut may be badly shaped which is my guess. I try to explain : the g string may sit on the begining of the nut. When not fretted the g string is ok, but when fretted, everythings goes out of tune because the frets are too far from the nut .... So a new nut should fix the problem if i'm right.
If the frets are not on the right place : bbq that pos. Save the électronics, as it looks like decent.
Did you intonate all the strings after you check the two E strings? If you want to send it to me I’ll give it the deluxe treatment.
I checked intonation on them all, the a was a little off and the problems i had with the g were obvious
60 Cycle Hum - fret the string at the 3rd fret and use a feeler gauge to check the gap from the top of the first fret and bottom of the string. .004” - .006” is safe. .004” is better but a swipe or two more and the string can quickly be too low
I'll take it! And between this one and the exact same guitar that I have, maybe I could get one that's playable.
See if you can do a collaborative video with Dave's World of Fun Stuff. Also Dylan Talks Tone just put out a video on how to read the code on the caps.
If you don't want to mess with taking it to someone to cut a new nut, then strip the parts off and burn it.
Man, was so excited for this, just to hear it up and running maybe a new nut in general? Good to hear it some what working though. Pickups arent bad though.
Also I hate fireflies, but the inner salvage hunter in me has a hard time throwing out guitars
Time to have a “Fire Sale” on the Firefly guitars 🎸!!! Since you have experience throwing guitars down a few flights of stairs in an earlier video maybe it’s time for that test😎
File the G-slot some more...?
and by the way... i really like your videos and how you are doing them! Cheers from luthier Jan - czech republic
Bro .firewood.
Dony they usally make ok stuff?
the 338 was a bunch of fun, so i ordered 3 other models form them and they were all 'meh' at best, this one is a turd.
With pickguard. To fill in holes would be a big Panus.
If it has decent electronics but isn’t conventionally playable I would just set it up for slide. Heavy strings, tuned to open D or E.
Yeah that's pretty bad. I am wondering if a fret leveling and redressing might resolve the problem. You can recover your nifty new bride and send the guitar to me and I'll tinker with it. If there is no reasonable solution I can use it as a wall hanging.
I am just starting out in luthier work, as much as I would like to take a crack at it, I would also like to see it get destroyed lol, but I would also hate to see money be wasted ...
I don't think you should destroy it. I believe it is a huge disrespect, not to the guitar per se, but for all those young kids who cannot afford to buy a guitar, not even one like that.
I believe you should contact someone that can fix this issue and together you can give it away to some kid.
FIREFLY GUITARS ARE PERFECT AND NEED NO MODS OR FIXES!!!! I'M REPORTING YOU TO THE FIREFLY FACEBOOK GROUPS!!!
I happen to be in that group, and most of the folks in there discuss mods all the time, so your statement is pretty inaccurate. Matter of fact, there are threads in the Announcements section dedicated strictly to drop in mods that people recommend.
Btw, it's not the group he got kicked out of. These are all in the Firefly Fans Group.
@@keithconville5460 Calm down, it was clearly a joke.
@@niclastname Haha, not mad or riled up. I just don't want people to get the wrong impression because a group of power tripping folks in a different group gave a bad vibe. Everyone in the Fans group are super friendly and helpful and have even given suggestions for comparable guitars from other brands. There are some great modding platforms in these guitars, and some are giggable without mods. A good setup is highly recommended, though.
@@keithconville5460 I think the major groups 2 of them I know of ARE run by the company. The Shill group moderators if not actually paid are heavily compensated with free gear they can sell. Even a minor bad opinion gets ghosted...
A set of feeler gauges is the best way to get proper first fret action. .030 to .015 E to E . A few bucks at Harbor Freight
if you got a grote, only need to replace the tunners
Got to give it to a pro to fix..and give us all a teaching moment..my guess is the nut..but a level and crown on the frets will help as well..
New GFS neck.
Maybe the fret has a bent crown.
Ryan, that 2nd fret might just be a bit TOO close to the 1st. Check all the other notes on that fret, if they all pull up a bit sharp, FILE the leading edge a bit to make the crown a but further away from its current positon! But B4 you take such drastic action, REPLACE the nut altogether with a BONE 1 1st! Then if it still pulls sharp, FILE leading edge of that offending fret! Otherwise replacing the fret is the only OTHER option.
BUT, as I've always said, 'you CAN'T polish a turd! No matter how shiny you make it, it's still SHIT underneath!'
MY 2c anyway dude! GIVE it a shot!
PS: Surprised to see those P90s loaded with ALNICO magnets for such a cheap strummer!
Yeah, im feeling like I dont want to throw too much more energy at this turd. I kind of want to salvage those pickups because they actually sound alright.
@@60CycleHumcast Yeah! What EVER you feel is best! The HB is a way better and much closer 'homage' to the Gibson LP JR DC!
I could take it off your hands and fix/give life back to it. I love projects like this
aidan l there’s at least a dozen commenters in here doing the “give it to me” thing.
OMG!! Watch the Joe Walsh guitar setup video ! Funny video, however, he definitely knew what he was doing as with explaining why in his methods !
I say get a new nut that's been cut for an LPJr.
Trust rod matey!
Pick the good stuff out of it and then turn the body into something (unplayable and) cool, or a clock.
Trust me Ryan. You are not done cutting fret slots... I tried to use that same exact set of files forever and they suck to use compared to actual files. What you need to do is, determine roughly what size strings you will be cutting nut slots for, buy one for each size that is slightly larger and be done with it... The small thing ones they sell at StewMac aren't much and you can probably find even cheaper ones on ebay now a days. I think in the end you will find it worthwhile. I know I did.
The Shaggs tone for days. You can mail it to me!
If you don't end up taking this, I would like to give this to my pal Foot Foot.
Yup...give it to Phil.
He could probably hook you up with some tuners as well, since you're giving it away.
At least the guitar parts companies make money with people who are buying super cheap guitars. Super cheap is not equal affordable. But a waste of wood and manpower. Guitars like these have a life span of a fly.
You should put a fresh new (better-looking/more traditional) pickguard on, and glue little fake diamonds in the newly visible screw holes.
Then, they'll sparkle even if its new guitarist doesn't! haha ;)
Scrap it! I agree with you.
I usually would take the whole nut off and sand down and lower from the bottom.
Wow, those orange caps are "J" caps which is a fairly tight tolerance, so if they're accurate and not faked chinese bullshit (they've never done that before, have they?), then those are good caps. They're way oversized, which is totally unnecessary for the low voltage inside of a guitar, but the fact that they claim to be J's, which is + or - 5% of the stated value is pretty nuts. Most guitars, even the major brands on high end guitars will more often use "K" tolerance caps which are + or - 10%. Also, it's hand wired and the soldering and wiring looks pretty damn clean, you think they'd just make some sort of cheap PCB with 16mm pots, but nope, full sized 24mm pots and hand wiring. I've never heard of this brand, but if they're a budget guitar, it seems like it has potential for being a great guitar given a proper setup.
If you want, put it for sale on eBay with the disclaimer, many people like me that are saavy would buy it. Of you do let me know
You can try to do a sharpen my axe with Phillip McKnight and maybe collaborating on the repairs, then you can do the decoration. Maybe you can sell it online and donate the earnings for kids that can't afford musical instruments
It's just simply the nut not being filed properly. The best way to do it is to take a Carpenter's pencil and cut it directly down the middle to where it is literally a half pencil you have to do this with a jigsaw and then you file it on sandpaper until the pencil is completely flat then when you sharpen it you lay the cut edge of the pencil flat on the 1st and 2nd fret, then draw a line on the nut. All nut slot should be cut down to that line and then all chords will be in tune. That's the way Stewart MacDonald does it and Crimson guitars. It is a very old Luther trick.ua-cam.com/video/ZjCT0hZRnDk/v-deo.html here's a very quick demonstration video. It's hard to see in this video but the bottom half of that pencil has been cut away flat. It's good practice to sharpen the pencil to a fine tip first and then cut it directly down the middle to wear the point of the pencil is the same level as the Frets and you will also get the radius of the fretboard when you draw the line
Lubricate the nut. The G string has always given issues with a LP style guitar. The nut and action should always be done before intonation, too. See if that helps any.
the action is dropped all the way down, lol. I honestly just think this guitar is a dud
@@60CycleHumcast Could be. Seems the newer run is a little better, maybe because of the tune o matic bridge.
I gues this guitar needs a new fretboard with the nut installed where it should be. Maybe Phil McKnight could (try to) replace that as a demo-project.
Put stickers on it and keep it as decor.
I wouldnt mind taking it off your hands to fix it up!
Scrap it for parts. Those pickups sound pretty decent
This is almost some Bob Ross level shit.
u do realize the intonation will be off with the nut being high as well so u should have slotted the nut before u took old strings off lol just a idea for next time. by the way did u check the intonation at the bridge again after u cut nut slot cause that would change it at the bridge again since u cut nut slot lower it changes the intonation at the bridge as well cause u are making the string shorter when cutting the slot so u would have to take the saddle back! am make sure your string isn't binding in the nut slot that it is slotted wide enough u might want to file some off the top of the nut if u have the strings to deep in the slot now. should be about half the string out of the slot if u can feel the string protruding out of the top of the nut it is to deep! awesome u give these guitars to kids wish I new someone like you when I was a youngin lol oh yea ive made 1 nut from scratch with reg. files and a torch tip cleaner like u had and after that i went and bought a good set of hasco nut files and nut slotting saws lol cause i did a great job in making the nut but had a hell of a time cutting the slots and filing them lol. turned out great but thought with the right tools it be so much easier and it is lol
Musiclily has some good guitar parts and pickups.
I really wonder if this guitar would be better served by slamming it on the ground several times.
Never Destroy an instrument!
Reach out, maybe do a collaborative video, as with another UA-cam entity, that surpasses your skill set!
Or send it out to Phil, as viewer, "RG Pops", suggests!
Someone would & could love that guitar and really that's much more important, isn't it?
as someone who likes to mess around on crappy guitars id love to mess around with it