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stop bar stud rant .......

tripletime

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2018
Messages
189
so I got a new old stock goldtop historic 2014 r7

while changing strings I decided to check out the stop tail studs

low and behold the treads were covered in gold paint and the top of the internal bushings were painted in gold

in addition there was a ton of play unless you clamped down the stud 100 % - I am talking a crazy amount of play for male and female thread of the same size.

very bad for tone transfer

so I cleaned out the stud with solvent and removed the paint on the threads

on the guitar I took a box cutter knife and removed what looked like a golden 1/16 " thick lock washer of paint from the top of the bushing

I now clamped on the stud and locked it down metal to metal on the bushings

restrung guitar and it is a tone monster !
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Somewhere over the last 60+ years the grade of steel changed, the tolerances of the studs & the plating changed. The original bushings(the part inserted into the bodies) went from steel to zinc to brass, etc. The studs also changed. Your guitar should have gold plated steel bushings. As fr as the gold paint on the top of the bushings.. Who knows as that's not typical.
 

grimlyflick

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
1,276
It is normal for the paint to cover the top of the bushing, every Les Paul I’ve owned has had this and it has been discussed here many times.

It may flake off the top of the bushing in time, and although many see it as a fault it is normal.
 
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