Finished up the Coronado today and a new pickup for the Pawn Shop '72

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
Post Reply
User avatar
Sid Nitzerglobin
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1503
Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:14 am
Location: fROMOHIO

Finished up the Coronado today and a new pickup for the Pawn Shop '72

Post by Sid Nitzerglobin » Fri Jan 12, 2018 9:16 pm

I got this 2013 Modern Player Coronado II in trade for my '75 Ibanez '59er Deluxe a while back. It had come in on consignment and in the process of setting it up I was really surprised how great it was in every regard but one: they drilled for the bridge post bushings ~1/8 - 3/16 " too far from the nut to intonate on 3 strings w/ the stock bridge :confused: I was madly in love w/ just about everything else about it, and after trying a couple other ABR and Nashville ToMs I found the ABM 2400 had sufficient range to intonate beyond my ability to measure. I don't find a need for the roller bridge w/ the fixed tailpiece and I wanted to use the ABM elsewhere so I ordered a Kluson Harmonica bridge for it a couple of months ago.

It finally arrived a couple of weeks ago and I had a comp day from the day job today so I got around to drilling for the new bushings and installing the bridge and slotting it to 9.5" radius to match the fretboard. I also gave it some Gretsch bling courtesy of the factory nobs and switch tip from my ProJet:
Image
Image
The factory string ground was run to the bushing rather than the tailpiece and those F holes are a bit slender for my big knuckles, so I busted out aircraft bit and drilled a new channel in the centerblock for one right above the strap button hole and ran it out to the jack ground. I went ahead and swapped the jack for a Switchcraft while I had it apart:
Image

The tuners worked but didn't feel particularly consistent so I also put a set of Kluson tuners on and had my luthier friend do a great bone nut for it to replace the plastic one (more out of my own irrational aversion to plastic than any malfunction or deficiency of the stock one) a couple weeks after I got it:
ImageImage
Happily, everything seems to have worked out great! The bridge is really comfortable to play, has plenty of range with the studs mounted within the confines of the stock bushings lip recess, and I'm really happy w/ the sound of this guitar all around. It a pretty darn substantial hunk of steel w/ brass saddles and aluminium bushings and posts w/ really close tolerances. This is the best I've ever heard Fidelitrons sound and at this point I really have no inclination to swap them :) I really love the semi-deep C profile of the neck and it's got a smooth and lively action.

It's a heavy guitar (even heavier w/ the new hunk of steel and brass hanging off it), but seems to carry the weight well and feels worth the work out. Aside from the botched bridge bushing placement this was one of the best Chinese built guitars I've played. Now that that's fixed I think it's going to be around for quite a while.

I also wound up trading a friend his set of MojoTone 72 Clone WRHBs against his balance for my AC30 I sold him a couple weeks back and managed to slap the neck pickup into the Pawn Shop '72:
Image
The guitar already sounded great, but now it's even better :D
Image

Post Reply