# OLP MM5 baritone guitar overhaul



## mgcasella (Jul 11, 2010)

As I mentioned in my NGD thread, I have begun to overhaul this guitar. After reading the tutorial on taking off the finish, I decided to use the chemical method since it would be faster. I was discussing this with a friend of mine who repairs pianos and she told me about a guy outside of town that could strip the guitar for a small fee (he's done a few pianos for her). I met the guy and he said it would probably cost $50-$70 and, even though that's a lot more than I thought it would be, I figured it would save me time (as well as exposure to harsh chemicals). It ended up costing me $70 and he showed me snapshots of the various stages of the operation. Apparently, the coatings of finish and primer measured approximately 1/8" in thickness and it was difficult for him to get off. We hung out for a while, he showed me his place of operation, I took some pictures, and then I went home to get ready for my friend's retirement party. 



Enough talking and on with the pictures!






Chad holding the fruits of his labor. This guy works for the City of Lawrence and has a furniture stripping business that he does on the side. If anyone lives in the area and wants his contact info just send me a pm.





Front view of the stripping tub





Side view of the stripping tub





Scraping bench





55 gallon drum of extra-strength stripper





He has to open the spout for a few seconds each day or the drum will explode 





Top of the OLP MM5





Back of the OLP MM5





The control cavity looks so much bigger now!


Unfortunately, that is all for now. Tonight I will be heading to the airport for a trip to Savannah, GA to go ghost hunting with my mom for my birthday (it will be fucking sweet). Because of this, it will be a couple of weeks before I will be able to update the thread but, don't worry, it'll happen


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 12, 2010)

this is relevant to my interests, kinda!


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## Customisbetter (Jul 12, 2010)

awesome!


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## eyebanez333 (Jul 12, 2010)

Looks awesome! Glad to see another Kansan


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## Moro (Jul 12, 2010)

As Alucard would say... "I'm interested in this"


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## mgcasella (Aug 1, 2010)

Alright everyone, apologize for not updating this earlier as I have been short of funds  Also, it has been to hot and humid here for the past few weeks to do any sort of staining or finishing.

I was thinking about using Steinberger Gearless Tuners on this beast, instead of the Gotoh tuners. I really want to use the Steins but they are much more expensive than the Gotohs - what do you all think?

Also, is there anyone here that can get me the Steins cheaper than Stew-Mac?


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 1, 2010)

the steinbergers can't be used with larger strings, so if you're tuning low-ish with it, go for something else. try hipshot locking tuners maybe?


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## mgcasella (Aug 1, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> the steinbergers can't be used with larger strings, so if you're tuning low-ish with it, go for something else. try hipshot locking tuners maybe?



Durero told me in another thread that you he's been able to do it by unwinding the ends of the large-gauge strings 

The decision still remains: Steinberger or Gotoh?


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 1, 2010)

mgcasella said:


> Durero told me in another thread that you he's been able to do it by unwinding the ends of the large-gauge strings
> 
> The decision still remains: Steinberger or Gotoh?



of course, if you´re willing to keep doing that every time, then that´s totally awesome 

steinberger tuners are totally awesome, but take a little more effort to install if i recall correctly. hufschmid posted a full picstory guide for it once, try the search.


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## mgcasella (Aug 1, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> of course, if you´re willing to keep doing that every time, then that´s totally awesome
> 
> steinberger tuners are totally awesome, but take a little more effort to install if i recall correctly. hufschmid posted a full picstory guide for it once, try the search.



I found the thread here but unfortunately the pics aren't showing up  Is it just me?

$100 is pretty steep but if they are really as awesome as everyone is saying then...


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## mgcasella (Dec 19, 2011)

I know it's been a long time but, due to the recession and me being busy, it has been difficult to put money aside for the guitar. I'm happy to say, however, that the tuners are here! 

I went with MF_Kitten's suggestion and bought Hipshot tuners  However, I went with the non-locking ones to save a few bucks and because I don't expect much slippage due to the string gauges I plan to use (and I have super badass string-winding technique).

I purchased the Hipshots from Todd at TK Instruments for a VERY reasonable price. He even made sure the low E tuner was drilled out by Hipshot so I would be able to install my La Bella Baritone strings 

Anyway, onward with the picstory!
































As a side note, I've been working on the neck and the body. I will post pics of that soon.


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## SYLrules88 (Dec 19, 2011)




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## MF_Kitten (Dec 19, 2011)

sweet!


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## mgcasella (Jan 2, 2012)

Because the pickup cavities aren't deep enough to install the Wolfetone pups, I bought a Dremel over the holidays and will soon be ordering a Precision Router Base from Stew-Mac in order to keep it steady during my routing (I've tried routing freehand with a Dremel and it didn't turn out clean in the past). I was also ordering some other things anyway so I decided just to toss it in 

Anyway, while I'm waiting for stuff to come in I'm going to finish the headstock and install the tuners, which reminded me that I need to get strings for this beast. It is important to remember I'll be bringing this to a luthier for a new nut and set-up with these strings and that I'll be tuning from E to E (an octave below). Here are the choices I'm currently looking at:

1. La Bella Baritone Guitar Medium (15-80)
2. Ernie Ball Silhouette (20-90)
3. Fender Bass VI (24-84)
4. Or I suppose I could always order a custom set from La Bella.

Let me know what you guys think! I'm really stumped here because I've never been able to tune this low before.


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## the8tank (Jan 5, 2012)

MG - Tuning that low is great! Your revisions to the guitar look good so far.

In regards to the string size, I have a hard time suggesting to go for the ernie ball set. The 84 gauge low e is just a chore to play at times! I don't know what kind of style you play, but if you really want those low e's to be tight, I would suggest going for the bassXI strings or the LaBella. I know that when I'm using the low E for my band, it's really hard to get the rhythm super tight just because the string is so big.

Hope this helps!


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## cth512 (Nov 12, 2012)

Any more news on this project?


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## mgcasella (Nov 12, 2012)

Don't worry it's getting there! I've just been procrastinating a bit


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 12, 2012)

Im not trying to be a dick but you took the wrong route when it comes to getting rid of the finish. You should have bought a power sander for like $20 and it would have taken you 15 minutes at the most plus the end result would have been a lot cleaner.


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## mgcasella (Nov 12, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Im not trying to be a dick but you took the wrong route when it comes to getting rid of the finish. You should have bought a power sander for like $20 and it would have taken you 15 minutes at the most plus the end result would have been a lot cleaner.




That actually isn't the end result - it was sanded nice and smooth afterwards (as well as had some nice contours put on it) but I forgot to take pics before adding the ebony stain.

Also, it's important to note that, when I started the thread, I didn't have the workspace nor the spare time to the sanding so (unfortunately) I had to pay someone to do it. It probably was for the best as this probably would have severely aggravated my old shoulder and back injuries.


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## iron blast (Nov 12, 2012)

$70 to strip the finish is pretty pricey I hope he did an exceptional job


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## mgcasella (Nov 13, 2012)

iron blast said:


> $70 to strip the finish is pretty pricey I hope he did an exceptional job




You're right it is. When he gave me an estimate, he told me that it would be $50 to $70 depending on how much time it took; however, he guessed it would be around $50. I come back a week later and, lo and behold, he charged me $70. He did a great job but I wasn't too happy about that price jump.


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## OfArtAndArsenal (Nov 13, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> it would have taken you 15 minutes at the most



I'll send you mine next time...


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## JamesM (Nov 13, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Im not trying to be a dick but you took the wrong route when it comes to getting rid of the finish. You should have bought a power sander for like $20 and it would have taken you 15 minutes at the most plus the end result would have been a lot cleaner.



15 minutes?  You're talkin out your ass Stealth.


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