Getting lucky with a dead pickup :: Yamaha FGX-412SC [5.2 lbs]

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This pickup hasn't worked in years and the player decided to let me give it a shot.  I got lucky on this one.  First thing to check on acoustic pickup issues is the power.  A fresh battery didn't solve the issue so I started checking connections with a multimeter set to continuity (beeps when a connection is good).  The culprit turned out to be the battery box.  All of the connections were good, but their wasn't enough pressure to hold the battery leads up against the contacts in the battery tray.  I used some foam to take up the slack and push the battery forward in the tray and voila! 

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After resolving the pickup issue, here's a quick string-up from the vlog:

Put a humbucker in the sound hole :: Yamaha APX500III [4.7 lbs]

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Put a humbucker in the sound hole :: Yamaha APX500III [4.7 lbs]

A player brought by his custom made humbucker sound hole mount and wanted me to re-install it for him.  It was previously mounted but missing the screws and not wired up.  The guitar does have an undersaddle pickup, but the wire was broken free from the pickup.  I disconnected the side-mounted preamp and ran the new humbucker pickup directly out to the jack.

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Shim Nut, Cracked Bridge & Ghost Bunny :: Yamaha FG-360 [5.0 lbs]

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Shim Nut, Cracked Bridge & Ghost Bunny :: Yamaha FG-360 [5.0 lbs]

A low nut and cracked bridge brought this guitar into the shop.  I shimmed up the nut and glued the bridge crack through the pins.  The bridge is really rosewood that is dyed black to look like ebony.  While cleaning the bridge I noticed there was an odd silhouette on the bass side wing.  I had a good laugh when it turned out to be the remnants of an old Playboy bunny sticker.

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Setup :: 2014 Yamaha FG700S [4.4 lbs]

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Setup :: 2014 Yamaha FG700S [4.4 lbs]

A return customer recently picked up this inexpensive dread as a camping, beach, etc guitar.  Unfortunately I found a top crack and recommended that he return / exchange the guitar since he purchased it only a few weeks ago.  Bummer, this one didn't sound too bad and played really well.  The crack was not a big deal to repair, but not on a new guitar.

LR Baggs Transplant :: 2010 Yamaha FG-336SBII [5.3 lbs]

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LR Baggs Transplant :: 2010 Yamaha FG-336SBII [5.3 lbs]

A player in the area dropped by with a used pickup in one hand, this guitar in the other. The LR Baggs Anthem he brought with him had been previously installed in another guitar and needed to be refurbished a bit. The adhesive had to be cleaned from the modules and prepped to remount with new adhesive (for the sound hole control module & internal microphone). The undersaddle pickup took a bit of work to balance as the pliable element had conformed to another saddle slot. Gig ready.

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