How do all.

Hi all,

This is my first post here,so here goes,I had a guitar about 25 years ago (Les Paul copy) it was really nice and I learnt a few licks and riffs nothing special but after three years of picking it up and putting it down I decided to sell it,so my story stars here now,with having more time,kids getting older I decided get another and see a spectrum st I really liked the look so I though I would put a cheeky bid on eBay and I won it,soon as it arrived i was very impressed with the quality of the build and the feel of the fretboard ect,but to my surprise the pickups was very rusty that's what you get with a thirty plus old guitar,but still my partner was not impressed at all she said that I have had my pants pulled down and I can't repeat the other stuff she said lol,but what does she know?she should sick to Hoovering up haha.

As for the guitar it really needs some TLC as the body work as some scratchers and the pickups are very rusty,like I mentioned.

So any advice on how to get rust off the pickups and does it affect the sound at all?

Also I paid £76 for it,what do you think,if fact it doesn't matter I really like it.

Kind regards!

Congrats on getting the ST.
The Spectrums are great guitars and the ST has a special place in my heart since it was my first Westone and I gigged and recorded with it for many years.

Honestly, I don't see a lot of "rust" in your pictures. The pole pieces don't usually get too bad even after a lot of use. Rather it's the screws holding the pickup ring to the body which are prone to rusting.

The simplest thing to try first is a damn good cleaning, including the fret board and body. As for the pole pieces and screw heads, try rubbing them with a cotton tip swab stick dipped in Naptha (lighter fluid will do) DO NOT use WD40.

In most cases Naptha will lift the majority of the dirt and discoloration. The screw heads can then be touched up with a black marker pen.

If the pickups still look grungy, try a light sanding with a very fine sanding paper, 1500 grit or better (DO NOT use steel wool)

To finish use a good quality auto rubbing compound such as Meguiar's all over the body as well as on the pickup rings and top of the pickups (use sparingly to avoid wetting it)

That should clean up the paint and plastic finishes and restore a nice shine.

Thank you Barry,

You can't really tell from the pics,but believe me there is a lot of rust on the pickups!

As for lighter fluid,any brand? I have some Dunlop 65 lemon juice and some wire wool for the fretboard that I am going to clean on my next day off from work.

Also the strings are looking a bit tatty too,what kind of l would you go for?

Regards jag.

Lighter fluid is naptha so any brand will do. In my part of the world Ronson seems to be the most prevalent. Not so many people smoke these days so it may be a search to find it.

Dunlop 65 is what I use at home and in the shop when I worked there. Use #0000 steel wool and you'll be fine. Put a piece of tape over the pickup poles so you don't attract the steel bits that shed off. Trust me you don't want to try and remove steel fibres from a magnet!

Since it is an F scale guitar, I prefer either D'Addario or Ernie Ball Nickel Wound 9's on my Spectrum, but 10's are fine too if you like some stiffness. The gauge of course will dictate a corresponding tremolo setup.

edit:
It is recommended to have good ventilation when working with Naptha. It is highly flammable so take care.
The good news is that it flashes off very quickly leaving a clean surface so little or no wiping is needed.

Yet again,much appreciated Barry lad!

Also sorry for more questions but I wondered if you would know what's the best rig,amp,foot peddles,guitar for guns and roses sound? I have little 15w Marshall at the moment,I know I am not going to get the correct sound without spending crazy money but I would like to cheapest and roughly sane sound for 80 and early rock!

Thanks Jag.

With the pickups in that ST you've got no chance of a Slash type sound...

Jag, if you are wanting a particular tone your best bet is to start with a new set of pickups.

As wonderful as the Spectrum guitars are, Matsumoku made changes to the stock pickups which resulted in a rather wimpy output, usually around 6K instead of the 11+K which was the original spec.

Have a look at THIS POST for information on how to do a quick check of your installed pups. That will give you an idea of what you have.
There are all kinds of replacement options out there depending on your playing style and pocket book.
As Westbone said, you are likely not going to give Slash any sleepless nights with the stock pups!

Thanks guys,

Well,just a moment ago I won a Westfield Les Paul copy on eBay for £71 so I though that would be better to achieve roughly the sound of early guns&Roses AFD.

Equipment Sound wise I have.

Les Paul copy (when is arrives)
Marshall 15w MG CD-R amp
Boss ds-1 distortion pedal

Anybody have any better options on very low budget lol,I have three kids.

Regards jag.

So YOU are the guy that snapped this up !  I saw it a bit too late to make a decision to bid (I'm also money handicapped).

Fleabay can be your friend for effect pedals.  However, if you're really strapped, a used combo system in the likes of the BOSS GT series or the ZOOM multi-function models (there are other good ones) pack nearly everything you might want in a single housing and can be MUCH less expensive than buying a bunch (or even just a few) single pedals - but the multi units have a rather steep learning curve.  One of the neater things about the multi units is that they all have amp "simulation/emulation" programs so you can trick your present amp to sound (almost, with one ear closed ) like many popular "pro" amps.  I've recently seen BOSS GT-10's and ZOOM G7.1ut's as low as 90 Euros.

I agree with the rest about swapping the pickup, at least the bridge, but check the output of the current ones first, put new strings on and do a complete setup.  Sometimes, strings and setup are all that is needed to get close to what you need.

Sorry extfender,snooze ya lose bud,I am over the moon with it ,really nice to play but it needs a good clean and the rust sorting out.

Also I wouldn't really know where to start changing pickup ect,unless some one as few links on how to go about it? Wouldn't a better amp be better them some new pickups? Or both.

Also thinking about I have the Les Paul copy for the guns tone and the Weston I would like to setup for Kirk Hammett sound,which pickups would I need?

Sorry for all the questions.

Jag.

Hammet would be the likes of an EMG81/85 active set and Slash used an Edwards LP on “sweet child” with a Marshall stack... just an overdriven humbucker noise...

Changing passive pickups is no big deal... I don’t know anything about swapping in actives...

Jagger wrote:
Also thinking about I have the Les Paul copy for the guns tone and the Weston I would like to setup for Kirk Hammett sound,which pickups would I need?

Jag.

S'p'lash some cash....

Slash.....link

Hammett.....link