Thursday, March 21, 2024

The Imperials Circa 1974

Here's another blast from the past; courtesy of good ol' Fendi. These two photos were taken in 1974 when "The Imperials" were on a three-month stint at the Merlin Inn, Kuantan. In the posed photo are, from left to right: Jay [guitar/vocals], Azhar [keyboards], Fendi [drums], Roger [vocals/percussion] and Moses [bass]. In the other photo, the boys are onstage, giving it all they've got. The sixth person you see [behind Roger's left shoulder] is one of their roadies.



The Imperials 1974 Lineup

Merlin Inn Kuantan, 1974




Wednesday, March 20, 2024

The Clinic Circa 1978

In the late '70s, beloved River Blues drummer Fendi was in a band known as "The Clinic." Other players included the late Sidek [guitar], Raja Badri [bass], Jimmy [flute], and Zainal [keyboards]. The image below, courtesy of Raja Badri, is of The Clinic performing at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan Coffee House in 1978. According to Fendi, they'd just come off a gig as backing musicians for local reggae star Dr Sam Rasputin, and this was their second engagement for the night.



Hyatt Regency Kuantan, circa 1978



Monday, March 18, 2024

Che'gu Badin | Tunggu Sekejap Versi Berbuka

Hi there folks! Allow me to introduce Che'gu Badin, a multi-instrumentalist who currently resides in Kangar, Perlis. Che'gu Badin is a semi-retired music lecturer who prefers village life to the hustle-and-bustle of the big city. This video clip was captured on the evening of March 15, a few hours before the breaking of fast [iftar]. Che'gu is on the piano, serenading us with a rendition of P. Ramlee's "Tunggu Sekejap."





Friday, March 08, 2024

GLBM Music Equipment Expo 2024

Group Lelong Barang Muzik [GLBM] is currently hosting a music equipment expo, details as below.
  • Date: 8 - 10 March, 2024
  • Venue: Evolve Concept Mall, Ara Damansara


GLBM 2024 Poster


Thursday, March 07, 2024

Fernandes The Revival R-8 | Part 3

Related Posts
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Output Jack

I've just unscrewed the the output jack plate and flipped it over. As far as the output jack is concerned, exposed and tarnished wiring, cold solder joints, and burnt insulation seem to be the order of the day. This jack can probably be reused after servicing, but rewiring is definitely on the cards.



Gnarly Output Jack Wiring



Pickup and Control Cavities

The R-8 pickguard has just been separated from the body, and we have a clear view of the pickup and control cavities. The body has been routed for three single-coils, and there's even a '50s-spec "worm route" in the bridge pickup cavity to accommodate the pickup leads. The control cavity, meanwhile, has been routed neatly, leaving a "shoulder" on the left of the pickup selector switch. There are also clumps of greyish-white residue in this cavity below the second tone pot, indicating component disintegration. Both the pickup and control cavities are coated in the same metallic red finish as the body, and do not appear to be shielded.



R-8 Pickup Cavities

R-8 Control Cavity



Ceramic Pickups

We're now viewing the underside of the R-8 pickguard, and it's evident that only the area around the pots and selector switch is shielded with aluminum foil. Zooming in closer, I'm really disappointed to see ceramic bar magnets on the underside of the single-coils. In any case, I've gone ahead and measured pickup DCR, with the following results: Neck and Middle - 4.93K, Bridge - 4.98K. 



Underside of R-8 Pickguard

Ceramic Bar Magnets



Pots and Selector Switch

Further down, we see three mini-pots in disarray, disconnected wiring, and widespread corrosion. Now we know why this guitar produces no sound when plugged into an amplifier. Time for another zoom-in, then. We'll begin with the salt-encrusted 250K volume pot. The shaft has broken off completely, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. This alone has rendered the pot unusable. 



Pots and Selector Switch

Close-Up of Volume Pot



The two 250K tone pots are in no better shape, and will also need to be replaced. Take a look at the second tone pot. Much like its volume counterpart, it has a broken-off shaft; and is simply "floating" in mid air. It's only being kept in place by one leg of the 0.047uF tone capacitor and a ground wire. Finally, we have a plastic-bodied Ibanez/Gotoh VLX53 five-way pickup selector switch. It's a high quality component, no doubt; but still suffers from intermittent contact after servicing. Sadly, this is another component that cannot be reused.



Tone Pots and Tone Cap

Ibanez/Gotoh VLX53 Selector Switch



Setting Things Right

After consulting with the owner, the plan of action is to degrime, derust, clean, polish, and reuse as many of the original components as possible. Naturally, he wants costs kept to the minimum; so only the pots, selector switch, tone cap, and wiring have been replaced. Seen below are the new control cavity components and wiring. I've retained the white and black wiring scheme to preserve originality. The body, neck and fretboard have also been cleaned and polished to the best of my ability. Well, folks, that about wraps it up for this Fernandes The Revival R-8; and thanks for dropping by.



New Electronics and Wiring

Pickguard and Hardware Reinstalled

Neck and Fretboard After Servicing

Headstock After Servicing




Fernandes The Revival R-8 | Part 2

Related Posts
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Body-Mounted Components

First off, we have two chrome vintage-style strap buttons, one on the upper horn and the second at the butt end of the body. Next are three single-coil pickups with white covers and flat pole pieces. These reside in a single-ply white pickguard which is attached to the body with eight screws. With the pickguard still in view, let's focus on the exposed pot shafts, mounting nuts, and washers. These show signs of oxidation, and have turned an unhealthy shade of grey. More significantly, the volume pot is actually missing. The final image shows all three control knobs. See that broken off shaft stuck in a knob? That shaft belongs to the missing volume pot.



Single-Ply White Pickguard

Upper Horn Strap Button

Butt End Strap Button

Three Single-Coil Pickups

Missing Volume Pot and Switch Tip

Volume and Tone Knobs



In keeping with the vintage vibe, this R-8 is also equipped with a chrome-plated six-screw tremolo bridge and screw-in tremolo arm. The six saddles are of the bent steel variety, and lack any kind of stamping. On the whole, the bridge is in need of servicing and probable parts replacement, specifically with regard to the 12 saddle height hex screws. One more concern is that the ball ends of all six strings are stuck fast within the tremolo block. I'll definitely have to find a way of removing them without damaging anything.



Vintage-Style Tremolo Bridge

Top-Mounted Output Jack Plate



Flipping the body over, we see a chrome-plated rectangular four-screw neck plate, stamped with the Fernandes monicker and "Made in Japan." Lower down is a white single-ply back cover, attached to the body with six screws. Removing this cover reveals the tremolo cavity and its contents, which include a die-cast zinc block, three springs, tremolo claw; and two tremolo claw screws. These components are all coated with a whitish powder, and in dire need of servicing.



Single-Ply White Back Plate

"Fernandes" Neck Plate

R-8 Tremolo Cavity





Fernandes The Revival R-8 | Part 1

Related Posts
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Introduction

Fernandes "The Revival" electric guitars were featured in the company's catalogs from 1981 to 1990. These instruments appear to be fairly accurate reproductions of vintage '50s to '70s-era Fender Stratocasters. For more information on "The Revival," do visit the Fernandes Catalog Archive. And now, I present to you a guitar from this series, finished in metallic red. It belongs to a very nice Kemaman chap who, in his own words, "owns a few guitars." He's had it in storage for years, and believe me; it shows.



Fernandes The Revival R-8

Metallic Red Finish



Headstock

The headstock face is adorned with a gold "Fernandes" logo, and smaller decals that read "The Revival," "Electric Sound Research Group," and "Original Custom Body." Other appointments include six-in-line Kluson-style tuners, a single "butterfly" string retainer for the E and B strings; and a walnut truss rod plug. On the back of the headstock is a large black-and-white paper sticker with "Fernandes," the serial number "011199," and "Made in Japan" printed on it.



Front of R-8 Headstock

Back of R-8 Headstock

Kluson-Style Tuners

Serial Number Sticker



Maple Neck

Now we shift our focus to the maple bolt-on neck, the measurements of which are listed below. 
  • Width at 1st Fret: 1,70"
  • Thickness at 1st Fret: 0.89"
  • Width at 12th Fret: 2.06"
  • Thickness at 12th Fret: 0.96"
  • Width at 21st Fret: 2.22"
This is definitely a one piece neck with no separate fretboard. The back of the neck features a "C" profile, tinted gloss poly finish, walnut skunk stripe and rather attractive figuring. Meanwhile, the neck heel bears an "R-8" stamp, which is the closest I've gotten to identifying this guitar. The neck heel is also where the truss rod adjustment screw is located.



One-Piece Maple Neck

Walnut Skunk Stripe

R-8 Neck Pocket

"R-8" Neck Heel Stamp

R-8 Truss Rod Adjustment Screw



Maple Fretboard

The fretboard, like the back of the neck, is also finished in tinted gloss poly. It features a 25.5" scale length, 7.25" radius, 21 vintage-size frets; and black dot position markers. The width of the nut as measured is 1.69 inches. As to what material it is made of, do take a closer look at the file marks. Sure looks like bone to me.



Bone Nut

Fretboard Radius is 7.25"

Vintage-Size Frets