Soulman Vintage

05/14/2026

Giving this ‘70s Navigator Esparto the upgrade it deserves.

This one features the iconic big headstock and a beautiful rosewood fingerboard, but the original unpotted pickups were way too microphonic for high gain. That high-pitched squeal had to go!

I decided to swap them for a set of Fender Pure Vintage ‘61s. Before installing, I checked the inductance of each pickup to decide exactly which goes where for the perfect output balance between bridge and neck (just in case 😁).

Now it sounds just as classic as it looks minus the unwanted noise.

05/14/2026

I had to decrease the motor axis travel backlash on my Conn ST-11 to avoid resonance while it was rotating. But it’s smarter than me; when I made the gap too small, it started to rotate incorrectly and failed calibration.

So, I made the gap only as small as I had to. Actually, the issue is wear on the motor shaft bearing, and the best way to fix it is to find a donor with low ‘mileage.’ 🎃

A helpful tip: place the tuner at a slight incline so the motor shaft isn’t perfectly horizontal.

04/14/2026

Soulman Vintage is featured in VoyageLA!
We dived deep into our restoration philosophy — prioritizing authenticity and making sure every vintage piece isn't just a museum item, but a fully functional tool for musicians.
Read about our mission and recent highlights, including our collaboration with the Museum of Making Music at NAMM.

https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-al-soulman-of-chatsworth

Today we'd like to introduce you to Al Soulman. Hi Al, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?My background is in live sound engineering, where

04/12/2026

My analog/digital friend who often switches back to digital/analog mode.
The first generation Hilo is my go-to for experiments and fun, with two LA-610s processing signals from dual mics or one of my basses.

04/11/2026

Got a stash of EB 2221s I used to play on.

04/09/2026

First try at the new place. ✌️
No, it was recorded on iPhone, however preamp’s way to record now is working too.
I definitely must to label plugs with Neutral and Hot. These old two prong stuff could be dangerous ⚠️

04/07/2026

When my Conn ST-11 returned to its 60Hz homeland, I needed to restore its ability to work with that power frequency.
The process was quite simple because I had documented my 50Hz modifications in my archives.
I simply moved four diodes back to their original places in the matrix, and voilà!

04/03/2026

Some of my tools require maintenance too.
My oscilloscope's battery finally gave up after years and needed a replacement.
Done!
Also, I noticed a pretty weird issue with my Keysight DSOX1102G - the k***s have become super tacky and sticky, which seems strange for high-end equipment. I'm guessing it's a sign of wear and tear.
I've reached out to Keysight support and gave the k***s a quick clean with alcohol for now.
Waiting to hear back from them.

04/01/2026

It was bizarre to see how one set of frets became so rusty after 1.5 years in storage, especially compared to the others that were kept in the same climate conditions.
Yeah, this is my vintage Yamaha Strat copy SR 700, the top model from 1978. I think it's due to the chemical composition of the alloy used for the frets. Luckily, I had the chance to make them shine, and now it plays nice and easy.
However, the strings definitely need to be replaced.