NGD: Silo Spec Restoration, Andy Timmons-style.

[roburado]

So, not wanting to plunk down $2600 or whatever for an Andy Timmons guitar which I may actually hate, I decided to start with something that I figured I'd have a better chance of liking. I figured I'd just take a Silo Spec and drop some pickups in it to emulate the Andy Timmons AT100 guitar. So, I went on EBay, and I won this:

It's a bit grubby. Some might call that "mojo," I suppose, but I rather clean it up.

The neck doesn't have the feel I like. Plus, I think of it as dirty. So, I'm going to clean the neck the way EBMM recommends in the FAQ. I'm going to try to clean it as best I can. Then, I'm going to oil and wax like in the FAQs.

It looks like this:

I think I might have to get some 1200-1600 grit sand paper to revive the glassy feel of the EBMM neck. It seems really dirty, and I hate that. It seems like it was a poorly maintained guitar. Polepieces rusted, corroded bridge. Corroded hardware on the OHSC. It's a mess. I'll try to get it back to the standard of cleanliness I like in a guitar, get it set up, etc. Then, I'll see about turning it into an Andy Timmons-inspired Silhouette Special.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Great idea! Love Timmons. I'll definitely be following this thread. I'd like to see how that neck ends up. Be sure to take some good before and after shots.

 

[roburado]

Okay. Murphy's Oil Soap is getting some of the dirt off, but I think the neck is irretrievably stained, which is something I think I'm going to have to live with. Sanding isn't doing anything significant right now with the appearance of the neck. It seems to have brightened it up a bit, though. More importantly, I'm getting that glassy feel back with the neck.

 

[Hind]

Congrats on your decision to revamp the Silo. Personally, I think that maple necks that have a certain amount of irremovable "stain" on the fingerboard are sexy. People pay a lot of cash somewhere else to get this kind of vintage look!

Just take a look at Andy's original neck - it's gorgeous! I bet that Silo will eventually look THAT nice and play as smooth as every EBMM neck.

(Btw, I altered the original photo in order to remove pointers to competitive brands. If this pic is still unwanted, just remove it.)

 

[roburado]

Thanks. This guitar is well-worn example if a Silo Spec. There's some pretty significant fret wear in addition to the staining of the neck. It's clear that it wasn't just dirty. The previous owner(s) played the crap out of it. I might need to get some fret work done.

 

[Tollywood]

I love a good project...

Your should have ebmm refret it for you. I'll bet it will come back in excellent condition. I'm dying to see a before and after pic of their work on a neck that is so heavily played.

Good luck!

 

[roburado]

That's not a bad idea.

 

[ILuvPillows]

Andy Timmons + Musicman= Quite the impressive combination.

Do you know what the production date is? Because that neck really does look worn out.

 

[Norrin Radd]

That's not a bad idea.

Yup. Send it to SLO for a re-fret. You won't regret it!

 

[peterd79]

personally i can't waint for my silo spec to look like that... nothing better than a well worn neck and serious mojo

 

[Tollywood]

personally i can't waint for my silo spec to look like that... nothing better than a well worn neck and serious mojo

Nothing better than mojo, but only when you do it yourself. Someone else's mojo seems grubby.

 

[roburado]

Nothing better than mojo, but only when you do it yourself. Someone else's mojo seems grubby.

Yes. Exactly.

 

[roburado]

Yup. Send it to SLO for a re-fret. You won't regret it!

I'll look into it.

 

[peterd79]

True - but that neck looks great in opinion...

 

[Roubster]

So you're doing the AT1 and cruisers treatment? I also suggest getting a white pick guard. Actually, I have a unused vintage white pearl pick guard with 3 knobs which would also help you wire up 1 volume and 2 tone controls like Andy. Let me know if you are interested. I was going to do something like this as well, but have totally succumbed to the power of the Y2D.

 

[roburado]

Yeah. I'm planning to use the AT-1 and Cruisers. I wondered about the two tone controls. Is there enough room routed underneath there to put in the second tone control? I was thinking about changing to a white pickguard, mounting the new electronics there, but I thought I might stick with the Tort since it's already on there. I thought another option would be getting another pickguard and keeping the original with its electronics intact. I may still want to mount new electronics to a new pickguard.

 

[roburado]

Andy Timmons + Musicman= Quite the impressive combination.

Do you know what the production date is? Because that neck really does look worn out.

I posted the serial number in the Sticky thread. We'll see. Pencilled in on the neck was, IIRC, a 1998 date.

 

[Roubster]

Yea of course there is space for 3 pots. That's how the piezo equipped Silos come which is the same routing. IMO any pick guard will look better on that silo other than tort. I absolutely hate it and doesn't accentuate the sunburst as nicely as a white or pearl white guard would especially with a mojoed maple neck.

 

[roburado]

Yea of course there is space for 3 pots. That's how the piezo equipped Silos come which is the same routing. IMO any pick guard will look better on that silo other than tort. I absolutely hate it and doesn't accentuate the sunburst as nicely as a white or pearl white guard would especially with a mojoed maple neck.

Cool. I was wondering if the piezo guitar had the same rout under there as the non-piezo. I haven't looked under the pickguard yet.

 

[roburado]

DiMarzio Cruisers and a 500K pot arrived today.