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Post subject: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 5:02 am
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Hi !

I recently restored a Coronado II 1966, but the action is pretty high, and my neck is already straight as hell !

The problem is that the bridge PU is very high, so I can't lower the bridge more...
How the hell did they do to get a low action ???
Put a piece of wood in the neck pocket to lift it up ?
Remove the black plastic plate under the PU to gain a few millimeters ?
Or what ?

Thanks a lot ! :D

Ps : The previous owner has removed the paint because it didn't aged well, this is not me ! :oops:

Image
Image


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 5:50 am
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It's a vintage bolt-on neck guitar, so (especially with Fenders) shimming is almost SOP. Actually, you're lucky - correcting the neck angle is a lot simpler than with gluenecks.
And soundwise (as a very personal and possibly just psychological opinion), bigger neck angle -> higher bridge -> steeper string angle over the bridge -> more "downforce" -> better sound.

BTW, the bridge looks strange - I've only seen C2's with steel bridges, so is that original..?


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 6:40 am
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Hi ! Thanks for the reply.

Haha yes, God bless Leo for that !

But the angle is not the problem here, the neck needs to be upper, or the bridge PU lower...

As far as I know that's an original bridge. We can see it mostly on Coro I like here :
Image

I'd like to do the Mustang bridge mod, but not sure how to do it... I have to remove the two shafts I guess... (The ones that are supposed to get into the bridge holes on a solid body guitar)

If you or someone has some suggestions, you're welcome ^^


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 9:08 am
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Jessy_C_dead wrote:
But the angle is not the problem here, the neck needs to be upper, or the bridge PU lower...

Ahh, geometry...
Tilt the neck backwards with a shim, raise the bridge -> the strings raise up and clear the bridge pickup better.

On the bridge, I've only met less than a handful Coronado II's, they all had a bridge like this one played by Elvis.
But I don't doubt you - I still learn new things. Not every day, but occasionally. :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 9:46 am
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Sorry but I don't understand ! :oops: (I'm French :lol: )
May I ask you to explain "Tilt the neck backwards with a shim" ?

You mean to put a piece of wood under the neck to raise it, right ?

Thanks a lot :roll:

And yes, this kind of bridge seems to be rare. You think it's better if it's a metal bridge ? Or different ? Or it doesn't change anything ?


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 12:10 pm
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Here's a thorough article on shimming: Shimming a bolt-on neck - Premierguitar

Edit: a simplified pic of what you're aiming at, borrowed from Haze guitars webpages:
Image


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 2:26 pm
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I don't know much about that particular instrument but that pickup looks really tall. It looks much taller then the one in front, are the front and back pickup the same type and size on that guitar (it not maybe switch them around)? Does that pickup just screw on the body with no hole or height adjustment? With the bridge that high already even after you improve the geometry it still looks like that pick up is going to be I the way. But again I'm just making an observation I have no first hand knowledge about the instrument, just kind of asking out of curiosity.


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:48 pm
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jmattis wrote:
Jessy_C_dead wrote:
But the angle is not the problem here, the neck needs to be upper, or the bridge PU lower...

Ahh, geometry...
Tilt the neck backwards with a shim, raise the bridge -> the strings raise up and clear the bridge pickup better.

On the bridge, I've only met less than a handful Coronado II's, they all had a bridge like this one played by Elvis.
But I don't doubt you - I still learn new things. Not every day, but occasionally. :lol:


My 68 Antigua has a bridge like this...

Image.....
though a Coronado II Sunburst I had, did have a bridge "similar" to the one in the OP's picture.

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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 2:32 am
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Eroot64 wrote:
are the front and back pickup the same type and size on that guitar (it not maybe switch them around)?

The pickups are as they should - the height difference is kinda typical for hollowbodies of those days & earlier.
The vibration pattern of the strings is smaller near the bridge, so to compensate the volume difference to the neck pickup, the bridge pickup can be built higher, and/or adjusted higher, and/or wound hotter.

@Lenny1716, that Antigua color is N-A-S-T-Y :mrgreen:

And BTW; I've been checking Coronado pics on the net re: this topic. Seems there has been many different bridges (& tailpieces) used in these.


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 4:49 am
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Yes, they're as they should !
Are the two PU the same ? Or do they have different specs ?

Another option would be to buy another neck pickup (Lower) and swap it with my bridge PU but I prefer bring it to a stringed instrument maker (Do you use the word "Luthier" in English ?), I guess the angle has to be calculated, choose a certain type of wood etc...
Don't want to do something bad if I do it myself.

Antigua is great, that's true 8) plus the paint and nitro look in excellent condition !

I'm thinking of using it as my main guitar on stage, looks killer and different in front of a LP, Tele or whatever... But as it's more blues/garage, I'm afraid of the feedback problem...
What should I do to use it this way ? A center block on the inside, ala 335 ?
Fill the body with cotton or something ?
Sound post ?
I got an Epi 335 too, never had problem with this one, but this only semi hollow I think, the Coronado starts WEEEEEEE HUUUUUU at bedroom volume with a Tubescreamer x)


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 1:43 pm
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Jessy_C_dead wrote:
Are the two PU the same ? Or do they have different specs ?

I've only seen a couple of measures, and even on those the resistance varies, but it's safe to say the bridge pickup is wound a bit hotter than the neck pup. Both are still low output.

Jessy_C_dead wrote:
I prefer bring it to a stringed instrument maker (Do you use the word "Luthier" in English ?), I guess the angle has to be calculated, choose a certain type of wood etc...

A luthier makes and repairs instruments, a guitar tech does setups, maintenance, repairs.
If you take the guitar to a luthier/good tech, he/she/it can shim the neck and do a full setup while at it. The setup is roughly some 80€, the shimming may even be included in that.
I use maple or birch for shims, and the thickness is a bit guesswork - with experience one gets a feel of how much is needed. Very roughly, a half mm shim means 1,5 mm on the bridge.

Jessy_C_dead wrote:
I'm afraid of the feedback problem...
What should I do to use it this way ?

Coronados really do feedback, a lot. Try f-hole covers, and don't play in the sound beam of the amp, turn the amp away from the guitar. If those don't help, use it for studio only and get a Hagstrom for live gigs. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Action too high on Coronado II 1966
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 2:38 am
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Mp send for explanation in french


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