Author Topic: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader  (Read 396 times)

BruceGarrett

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Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« on: July 23, 2019, 08:13:03 AM »
Hi... I bought my first Alembic last month...a Persuader made in 1985 according to the serial number...and I am loving it. But I suspect it wasn't treated as well as it could have been in recent years. It has a few dings, which I'm seeing on other threads can be fairly easily filled in. I don't think the fingerboard was oiled in years before I got it home (I did this almost right away). One of the strings broke after I oiled the fingerboard and started tuning it (I ordered new from Alembic and they came yesterday). But my question here is about a couple of parts: the tailpiece and the cover over the neck adjustment nuts.

I've attached photos of mine. It looks like the brass plating is coming off parts of the tailpiece and the cover over the neck adjustment nuts is all scrapped up on one side. Can I buy new ones of these from Alembic? The bridge itself looks to be in good shape and just needs a little polishing. This is a magnificent instrument and I want it to be its best.

I have a different question about the electronics I'll ask elsewhere. I suspect those have been fiddled with too but maybe not.



gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2019, 11:38:25 AM »
They are probably solid brass with a clear coat painted over them. You should be able to remove the rest of the clear coat and then polish them up (may require fine wet sanding first too) and then get them perfectly clean and rattle can spray some clear finish or leave as is and re-polish every so often.

keith_h

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2019, 11:52:53 AM »
As gtrguy says the parts are solid brass and you are seeing the results of the clear coat coming off. I'm not sure the best way to remove the reset of the clear coat but once it is off I would use Flitz to clean it. A small tube will last you a long time and works well without being excessively abrasive.  I have also included a link to disassembling and polishing the bridge if you are so inclined. If you decide to go this route I suggest taking a picture before you start so you have it as a reference for reassembly.

http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=2593

BruceGarrett

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2019, 07:07:10 AM »
Thanks guys! A friend suggested I just try getting the tarnish off and polishing the places where the clear coat has worn off and see how that looks, as a first step before trying to remove the rest of the clear coat. Maybe I can buff off those scrapes on the neck adjustment cover. Thanks you much keith_h for the link!

Time to go buy some Flitz...

gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2019, 12:08:02 PM »
It probably won't work very well to partially remove the clear. Strip or sand it off all the way and use a fine wet sand paper with water. You can do it in the sink. Say, light pressure 600 to 1000 to 1500 and then switch to hand rubbing with rubbing compound - OR- a chemical stripper that works (I forget what stripper I have used in the past). You could do a final polish with wax or swirl mark remover. Cotton cloth like old white Tee shirts are good for polishing. I get mine at the Goodwill Outlet store for this kind of work. I use Mothers aluminum polish a lot. Of course a buffing wheel works great!


I have also been known to use quadruple ought steel wool for jobs like this, plus a polish, with good results on brass, but some folks say not to. In fact, I think the last brass bridge I did was with steel wool.


Alembic brass parts are tough and you don't need to be afraid of doing this kind of stuff. On the bridge, you need to remove all polish and wax traces when done.

gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2019, 12:13:08 PM »
Also, some brass parts are polished smooth and some parts may have a light straight sanded look to them that you can replicate with a sanding block and straight light even strokes.

gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2019, 12:27:14 PM »
BTW, I always use steel wool with a polishing compound, never dry. You can also use Brasso with it.

mario_farufyno

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2019, 07:39:58 AM »
Carefull with finishing if you'll not disassemble parts and be very, very carefull using steel wool since they can spread steel dust in electronics and the magnectic PUs will atract them.
Not just a bass, this is an Alembic!

BruceGarrett

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2019, 11:27:15 AM »
Thanks much for the suggestions. I was able to get the clear coat off the neck adjustment cover by way of a method that uses baking soda and boiling water. The tailpiece was a tad more difficult. The clear coat came off the front pretty easily, but to get it off the sides I had to resort to laquer thinner. My local neighborhood hardware store had a soft past polish made in Germany, "Simichrome" that worked beautifully, and I bought a buffing wheel for my grinder, to give the tailpiece a final going over.

I didn't take the bridge off but I did carefully polish it where I could. Also did the Alembic namepiece at the top of the neck. I've attached some photos. It's looking really sharp now. I suppose I'll have to keep doing this periodically now that the clear coat is off, but then again the fretboard wants oiling twice a year according to Alembic so I can just do everything then.

pauldo

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #9 on: August 04, 2019, 11:34:58 AM »
:-D

edwardofhuncote

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2019, 12:30:05 PM »
Excellent - Looking Great!

I make an afternoon for each of my Alembics on their 'Birthday' with a good cleaning of the brass and oiling of the ebony. Good time for a new battery too if its been a while. I seldom have to change strings, but that's the time for that too. Come to think of it, one of them has one coming up soon.  :D

Here's a link to the Persuader Showcase- http://club.alembic.com/index.php?board=705.0

...when you get that beauty all ready for primetime, post a thread over there with some of its kinfolks.  8)




gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2019, 10:10:37 AM »
That is looking great! You can remove the bridge if you take notes and shoot photos. I then use super fine steel wool and Brasso and then polish it up with rubbing compound. But, I also have an vintage Strobe Tuner I use to set the intonation afterwards. You will lose your intonation setting by taking it apart.

gtrguy

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Re: Can I Buy These Parts For My Persuader
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2019, 10:14:19 AM »
Another trick I have learned is that if the 'Alembic' logo comes off easy enough on old Alembics and it is the silver one, I use Tarnex on it. I also make sure to throughly rinse and dry it afterwards. Works like a charm! You have to be very careful to use a thin blade of some kind to gently pry up on each of the 3 holding pins a little at a time.