tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74917356787711557572024-03-05T22:11:46.574-06:00Logical Guitars and Musical EquipmentProbably the most obese guitar-related site on the internets.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-58099134706790658542008-07-27T19:38:00.004-05:002008-07-27T20:36:23.611-05:00Epiphone Valve Junior and the BitMo Trio ModMy first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Epiphone</span> Valve Junior was one of the combos. Sounded OK but a little sloppy and very noisy. Sold it and never looked back. Since then, however, they've made a ton of improvements and now they are great little amps at any price.<br /><br />Here's mine in original stock condition:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLwJt8QlRU0bH74Vi2YvQ11uuAauxXIfpmXqo1zlO7046FVNNTASFE1ykmaJtwXFW5o5J3mopGp8pDwbi6Iv145NeRQ84NSRvFUrg-4LS4EKsRR29VLh-1SgQq2hgDT76CAQ3WZJGegA/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLwJt8QlRU0bH74Vi2YvQ11uuAauxXIfpmXqo1zlO7046FVNNTASFE1ykmaJtwXFW5o5J3mopGp8pDwbi6Iv145NeRQ84NSRvFUrg-4LS4EKsRR29VLh-1SgQq2hgDT76CAQ3WZJGegA/s400/BitMo+Junior+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859414428993218" border="0" /></a><br />I got mine in like new condition for about a hundred dollars shipped from an online auction site. They go for that much give or take ten bucks all the time. It's a good deal. Buy one if you're considering it. Totally worth it. The sound to me is sort of Marshall-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">esque</span>-good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">midrange</span> bite and that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">crunchy</span> AC/DC type of distortion. Doesn't get too terribly loud when you crank it either, which is a good thing. I can comfortably play it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">dimed</span> for a while in the afternoon or evenings but not at night. It's a few degrees louder than a stereo at what I think of as normal listening volume if that helps you put it in perspective.<br /><br />As I said, I like it a lot but I'm not one to leave well enough alone. It's a little dark sounding for my tastes sometimes (my cabs have kind of a dark sound to them, if you have some brighter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Celestions</span> or something <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">this'd</span> probably be great) and could deal w/ a little more names. After looking into mods for some time, I decided on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">BitMo</span> Trio mod, which you can get on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">internets</span> for about fifty bucks. It adds a tone knob, gain boost and three different gain <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">voicings</span>.<br /><br />All of this looks like a few parts in a bag once you get it in the mail:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFepWYbD4lnY-gyMNRJ6bl8BftyckpoH-C0soVnSFPg9a-cVpVcQ90LCDVign73VKFntmZKced-ULT4sanmo4pIOY_jEKCnzS2fsDkBg8TyyF2YYuA4HkvhbdFFrECatQ2_ATD5ySines/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFepWYbD4lnY-gyMNRJ6bl8BftyckpoH-C0soVnSFPg9a-cVpVcQ90LCDVign73VKFntmZKced-ULT4sanmo4pIOY_jEKCnzS2fsDkBg8TyyF2YYuA4HkvhbdFFrECatQ2_ATD5ySines/s400/BitMo+Junior+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859430327727698" border="0" /></a><br />Now to install these mods, first thing you have to do is get in the amp. Valve Juniors have self-discharging power supply capacitors so they are relatively safe to work on. Don't be afraid to roll up your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">sleeves</span> and get to work on this as a first amp project. The voltages that can build up in tube amps and knock you on your ugly ass should be rendered harmless. However, you can never be to sure so the standard advice still stands: don't be a retard.<br /><br />To open it up, first you have to take off the back:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlpQ_GELarfXkGHTZVadFmY9s00mC7JV4ht0uFgDKpc-tlL6BsLXQzil3tyPQ5YEPmH2A2QZSvIdtYbMF2jolpOKV8m0KLC2Y3D9Lp676KYzoIrHktifNoYOSiKag_qrBujFXBcGVtOQ/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlpQ_GELarfXkGHTZVadFmY9s00mC7JV4ht0uFgDKpc-tlL6BsLXQzil3tyPQ5YEPmH2A2QZSvIdtYbMF2jolpOKV8m0KLC2Y3D9Lp676KYzoIrHktifNoYOSiKag_qrBujFXBcGVtOQ/s400/BitMo+Junior+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859417445086962" border="0" /></a><br />It's held on by screws. Turn them counter-clockwise to remove them. There are then some larger screws on top you need to remove. They're hidden under little plastic things, which I always thought were a bit tacky but, you know, if don't want little cost cutting measures like this, buy a more expensive amp:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKda_ti5EfPi6j16axgHnCrIWeYnrejOu0Rdzb5uBNiuHkyfip7AmNPoUHRVhyXlcvurQ14PaGYEYRZNNsVi6NvY-_VKUtAdMqezS2jwD5MkD4aznnh5GZLN5Y162BR-fyrRGtSkrWlpI/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKda_ti5EfPi6j16axgHnCrIWeYnrejOu0Rdzb5uBNiuHkyfip7AmNPoUHRVhyXlcvurQ14PaGYEYRZNNsVi6NvY-_VKUtAdMqezS2jwD5MkD4aznnh5GZLN5Y162BR-fyrRGtSkrWlpI/s400/BitMo+Junior+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859422803412802" border="0" /></a><br />The cab is designed such that the amp-part doesn't just fall down when you remove these screws. You have to slide it out. And it looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPAYkdri1GEi7TpCIWWbATYRoREj5mGrywPlYxbhHO2THcqellx3qP_5fN57X-RBK_kPtoaL7j0RnjrqC0TtGLGRJH926GmRsLVVVjw38HNBSKUHUBlbOoI5R_uHgJ6AxvHLK_hKm-4w/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPAYkdri1GEi7TpCIWWbATYRoREj5mGrywPlYxbhHO2THcqellx3qP_5fN57X-RBK_kPtoaL7j0RnjrqC0TtGLGRJH926GmRsLVVVjw38HNBSKUHUBlbOoI5R_uHgJ6AxvHLK_hKm-4w/s400/BitMo+Junior+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859427707290770" border="0" /></a><br />Note: I am not drinking whiskey but I do keep it on my workbench/kitchen table for emergency <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">purposes</span>. You never know when things are going to get too complicated to handle properly sober.<br /><br />Next step is to drill the holes for the new controls. Don't rush this and wear safety glasses. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">BitMo</span> kit comes w/ a template to place the hole:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKOO70JU1ja_a6dppcsE-BLfv1QwFZPXpzdhp77v7UMR00mD4Abyh7uziBQgIGNTOjlw6FUuzrI_Hb-gi_GYdNAJIhz8_kb47hhyPaZcyZAZEvkEmLofYN1A-c04MH40fgmE49TNZKPU/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKOO70JU1ja_a6dppcsE-BLfv1QwFZPXpzdhp77v7UMR00mD4Abyh7uziBQgIGNTOjlw6FUuzrI_Hb-gi_GYdNAJIhz8_kb47hhyPaZcyZAZEvkEmLofYN1A-c04MH40fgmE49TNZKPU/s400/BitMo+Junior+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227864707031817506" border="0" /></a><br />I just poked a hole and made a little mark w/ a sharpie. That one's for the tone knob/gain boost. The one for the three-way switch you just gotta guess on.<br /><br />To drill these suckers, you need to be patient. Buy some good quality drill bits for drilling metal. You probably won't be able to get away w/ just buying a quarter inch and three-eighth inch bits. They're too big for one pass. You need to start w/ a smaller bit and work your way up. Go in about eighth inch increments maximum. Be careful and let the drill do the work. Don't try to push it though any faster than it wants to go. I put some tape over the marks to keep the drill from scratching up the faceplate if it slipped (and it did).<br /><br />Here's the finished holes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYi8EiVNCQPxSoGYaCsLVEdCuB_IoPR2Goag381xAdZ7iAs1ADtkWYMqmDlqoqq9hBMqvWczFEIgC-hZFYxaF5ayxtTaB7ThAKXqgpzUVfEY9zMxf9kaqNs4IAqGyHl8XraQzuZ3pQLo/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYi8EiVNCQPxSoGYaCsLVEdCuB_IoPR2Goag381xAdZ7iAs1ADtkWYMqmDlqoqq9hBMqvWczFEIgC-hZFYxaF5ayxtTaB7ThAKXqgpzUVfEY9zMxf9kaqNs4IAqGyHl8XraQzuZ3pQLo/s400/BitMo+Junior+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227864710324862610" border="0" /></a><br />Now, from here, you have to actually install the mod. This is the frustrating part so I didn't end up getting all too many pictures. You're in luck though since <a href="http://gearscore.com/b/boxx/knowledgebase.asp?iid=136&Cat=15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">GearScore</span> has an excellent page on it</a>. Between this and the very good instructions that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">BitMo</span> sent w/ the mod, it was fairly simple to get it all up and running. I soldered everything to the pot and too the switch, installed them and then soldered them to the top of the circuit board. Easy.<br /><br />The one trick, which I stole from that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">GearScore</span> page I linked to, is to use a pair of vice grips to hold things while soldering them:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszF8WMFqQ4qoGb16kPfxcIIX9ADeR5H8agiz9ACHWrmN-3qxQqek9By68qpDl_8kcwElig-vJJXL7jGvTTmE6DrlzLEyBBLXMGWyeeT81onhBJLk1gShLcdpIB_rnOd3kvDQ6GKzPNi0/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszF8WMFqQ4qoGb16kPfxcIIX9ADeR5H8agiz9ACHWrmN-3qxQqek9By68qpDl_8kcwElig-vJJXL7jGvTTmE6DrlzLEyBBLXMGWyeeT81onhBJLk1gShLcdpIB_rnOd3kvDQ6GKzPNi0/s400/BitMo+Junior+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227864713589813522" border="0" /></a><br />Holy crap! That makes life so much easier I'm embarrassed I didn't do it until now. Anyway, that up there is the gain voicing switch w/ all parts <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">attached</span>. The tone knob/gain boost looks about the same but I forgot to get a photo.<br /><br />Here it is all installed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho666pdUkIrIrao0flZjhElcclaTKT_Ii-HhHLbY0BGkYwMgmOJFWaD4Od51bDiVZ5M2TPa2C4dM0_vrV_FJlrpwV2p0JmLBp_ToDzkXM92NSmjspH1t_Zmu5eQKOT3WIoly506_tVBJY/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho666pdUkIrIrao0flZjhElcclaTKT_Ii-HhHLbY0BGkYwMgmOJFWaD4Od51bDiVZ5M2TPa2C4dM0_vrV_FJlrpwV2p0JmLBp_ToDzkXM92NSmjspH1t_Zmu5eQKOT3WIoly506_tVBJY/s400/BitMo+Junior+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227864718873109218" border="0" /></a><br />I had a bit of trouble on the three-way gain voicing switch but other than that it was easy. It's easy to get turned around by the schematics <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">BitMo</span> includes so be careful. It's not necessarily the best way to do things but I just soldered the leads to the top of the board. Works but it is a little sloppy.<br /><br />Here she is all put back together:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdoF2A4xea50aFu8WsYTTbkhJOqa7yO3Sb5ky3wTGMokiJiClVEjFTs_rMjLNn1VsKDxZNmmmoJvtSQEutbPQwQYyqTpcNLKSgdowLdMGX476g58XXX0ws-HV5smM7jm8R0tvS_VuAZU/s1600-h/BitMo+Junior+014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdoF2A4xea50aFu8WsYTTbkhJOqa7yO3Sb5ky3wTGMokiJiClVEjFTs_rMjLNn1VsKDxZNmmmoJvtSQEutbPQwQYyqTpcNLKSgdowLdMGX476g58XXX0ws-HV5smM7jm8R0tvS_VuAZU/s400/BitMo+Junior+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227864728745396514" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't do the water slide <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">decals</span> because I screwed up all the practiced ones I tried. I guess it would look a little cooler w/ them.<br /><br />As far as how it sounds, it's a big improvement over an already good tone. The gain voicing switch just gives you three levels of gain, really. The higher gain settings seem to get a bit more oomph in the high <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">midrange</span> as well. The tone knob is nice too. It's not the most versatile thing in the world and seems to work something like a high end filter though it does add a bunch more high end than is available stock just by being there. The gain boost, adds some lows back in and is what can really take you over the top when you got the thing cranked.<br /><br />Overall, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I used to use an OD pedal to really crank the Valve Junior into rocking distortion territory but now it's totally unnecessary and sounds better besides. I'd recommend this to anyone as an easy first mod or a way to get a killer small tube amp for the price of a decent distortion pedal.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-44777300493272412472008-07-22T19:13:00.009-05:002008-07-22T20:04:53.385-05:00Making Neck Pockets, Screwing Up, Making new PlansI took advantage of the nice weather a couple weekends ago and had a crack at routing out the neck pocket on the cheapo guitar. Rather than use normaly router bits and a template following kit, I decided to use a template following bit. It has a little bearing on it that rests against the edge of the template which you can see here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6z3vVtU3ZuMWb_RKLy36MwKEUtl8pJHeVMkrql8fJe9T3YRm0LiL8VCqj6ToBXLcxBCETQzgQ6tZhVUab5klW9SrRuNQ4b56QGKy8XhiYi1trKanQYyujd2DzRlS14Hwky09T9RqiApM/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6z3vVtU3ZuMWb_RKLy36MwKEUtl8pJHeVMkrql8fJe9T3YRm0LiL8VCqj6ToBXLcxBCETQzgQ6tZhVUab5klW9SrRuNQ4b56QGKy8XhiYi1trKanQYyujd2DzRlS14Hwky09T9RqiApM/s400/Neck+pocket+2+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225997984061633746" border="0" /></a><br />Here is how it follows along the template. You can see that the bearing keeps the router bit from cutting into the template:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYam1hLx-6BMTFT_LFJ2I0nqZexLH_Xrmnx1cw_Vli0XsTTPuHPA8T2L8k4N5IU11d31doM1iob4iJk5eN2pmxeBVfxDAhXRLKRDeTAZUX0eod2DIWFp9JxNN4c5l0qnCn6U6gTQlzYpU/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYam1hLx-6BMTFT_LFJ2I0nqZexLH_Xrmnx1cw_Vli0XsTTPuHPA8T2L8k4N5IU11d31doM1iob4iJk5eN2pmxeBVfxDAhXRLKRDeTAZUX0eod2DIWFp9JxNN4c5l0qnCn6U6gTQlzYpU/s400/Neck+pocket+2+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225997975865278738" border="0" /></a><br />After my first crack at, I found that for some reason it didn't cut it completely and there was a little bit of wood still sticking up on the side:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV86mrMCGWEF0BEv3C5bbFWt_il7DrzNL7wi4D8_V9z7LEJIcTwPMOrgAjXCkxvw1mysxz403yuEJWWOQqZg5lbohaNBg0JmUFjjRg5PwDJp_B2kVaNNg012U9QilhPvR93NHACQtGf0o/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV86mrMCGWEF0BEv3C5bbFWt_il7DrzNL7wi4D8_V9z7LEJIcTwPMOrgAjXCkxvw1mysxz403yuEJWWOQqZg5lbohaNBg0JmUFjjRg5PwDJp_B2kVaNNg012U9QilhPvR93NHACQtGf0o/s400/Neck+pocket+2+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225998011964395266" border="0" /></a><br />I solved this problem by moving the template over a bit and routing it off. Bad idea. It turns out that it wasn't that the pocket on my template was wrong but that the little stem for the neck was a little too wide. Now my neck pocket is a little too wide for the neck. I am getting kind of ticked about not having my baritone neck, which was what was destined for this neck pocket on anything and this is yet another guitar that won't turn out to be up to snuff so I think I'm just gonna buy a decent Squier Tele and put the baritone neck on that and use the Squier neck for this guy. It kinda sucks that on my second try, I can't make a guitar better than a Squier but there it is. Squier has CNC machines and millions of dollars. If I had that, I'm sure I could make a damned fine guitar.<br /><br />Anyway, w/ that done w/, I used a template and the same bit to carve a little recess for the control cavity cover. Ended up having to free-hand it a bit and it's not perfect but pretty good. You can see it's a little rough around the edges:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo3sHmLTA83vVAMsBEKIlvLgHNw4j0PQZ-vgHa3I6u09UcJ1y53Uf020VZFUC5AQBTLofN9DGtp2RlSOhBK3GJV0XDMuMfzU5XZOUwhJ3VOXRQ9nJJCxiSCiDX7X-5FHt6fIXELfqoLA/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo3sHmLTA83vVAMsBEKIlvLgHNw4j0PQZ-vgHa3I6u09UcJ1y53Uf020VZFUC5AQBTLofN9DGtp2RlSOhBK3GJV0XDMuMfzU5XZOUwhJ3VOXRQ9nJJCxiSCiDX7X-5FHt6fIXELfqoLA/s400/Neck+pocket+2+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225998016566503538" border="0" /></a><br />The wood on this guy is a little thicker than a standard tele body so I wanted to make a little recess for the neck plate too. Note to self: make sure that router bit is deep enough that it doesn't destroy your template:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NqZtX-0JRmx6rYDyxoYB-MRmcEQuWHJmGvHi7UyOydOJJpEJdpiyZDUVe6eJotYpJZHw_eJtSMoPshPyA6EEofhCxiVqrSjTt4VGMLLYvgjZlMplieMO002uErpsIDpQUNUiz8fpdn4/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NqZtX-0JRmx6rYDyxoYB-MRmcEQuWHJmGvHi7UyOydOJJpEJdpiyZDUVe6eJotYpJZHw_eJtSMoPshPyA6EEofhCxiVqrSjTt4VGMLLYvgjZlMplieMO002uErpsIDpQUNUiz8fpdn4/s400/Neck+pocket+2+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226008322910508498" border="0" /></a><br />Lots of work down the tubes there. At least it doesn't look so bad I won't be able to fix it up a bit w/ a sander:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAASJwnMwkhLtw9Ua5ugJmvUlgZqsQmviepbLaVlumhkc8uHTJ9ucqPN1F0pIiYd7rwIljAdTUlz2jvWL2wLzJyxJdTrrLQT9PJh6SF36nYv8rz3YSHrSmYCovPYI5u7_Ji2nf7D5i_yc/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAASJwnMwkhLtw9Ua5ugJmvUlgZqsQmviepbLaVlumhkc8uHTJ9ucqPN1F0pIiYd7rwIljAdTUlz2jvWL2wLzJyxJdTrrLQT9PJh6SF36nYv8rz3YSHrSmYCovPYI5u7_Ji2nf7D5i_yc/s400/Neck+pocket+2+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226008327774027074" border="0" /></a><br />After these two mistakes, I decided to call it a day. Sometimes you just gotta leave well enough along. On the brightside, at least I'm not this dumbass fly who got stuck in the carpet tape I use to hold my templates in place. He's dead dow:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKxVFr5YV6vv4lrj_YfsQoUHuXjz4TCUQJ0Vfe2BysJrRyR5RClQ1DDdvNmVpxTjAdIfxF4hUrQwv-lgmdFsaznd65_qp6AVcpI9Uph6oNd9Vdt1qVijvi4ZuMgPmjVWSNAz0tZgAUpQ/s1600-h/Neck+pocket+2+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKxVFr5YV6vv4lrj_YfsQoUHuXjz4TCUQJ0Vfe2BysJrRyR5RClQ1DDdvNmVpxTjAdIfxF4hUrQwv-lgmdFsaznd65_qp6AVcpI9Uph6oNd9Vdt1qVijvi4ZuMgPmjVWSNAz0tZgAUpQ/s400/Neck+pocket+2+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226008329477684658" border="0" /></a><br />Fly: 0<br />Frank: 1<br />Luthiery: 2<br /><br />Second place isn't bad, I guess.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-86843591127108998662008-07-09T20:36:00.003-05:002008-07-09T21:11:51.248-05:00The Linux/Ardour Recording RigSo about a half year ago, I got a wild hair and decided to build myself a computer recording rig for the purposes of creating demos for my band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sunsplitter">Sun Splitter</a> and for whatever else I so chose. Given that it's one of my projects, I put it in it's natural place: the back burner. That is, I did until a certain North American government decided to give me six hundred dollars to save me from the terrorists. Not only do I appreciate the sentiment, I also appreciate having enough cash to spend on yet more musical equipment that I don't really need.<br /><br />I bought myself a decent (or so I thought) motherboard case combo from an online retailer and four gigs of ram to which I added four two gigs I had sitting around. (This is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary, I only bought this much ram to be a jackass. Also, I have six gigs of ram. Up yours!) I got a decent but lower-end AMD dual-core microprocessor, a used and slightly damaged flat screen monitor of eBay for fifty bucks and w/ an old mouse and keyboard I had laying around, I was in business.<br /><br />The recording software I chose is called <a href="http://ardour.org/">Ardour</a>. I love it. It's open source and finicky and pisses off my whole band every time I record on it so it's just about perfect for me. I use it and subscribe to it monthly w/ a small donation. You should too. The thing about Ardour though is it's only for Linux and MacOSX. Having enough self-respect to avoid OSX, I opted for Linux. You should too.<br /><br />I've tried a few Linux distros in my day and ultimately my favorite proved to be <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a>. Some nerds will bag on it for not being 1337 enough but, honestly, if they care so much about their Linux distro being hard to install, they are probably pretty boring to talk to anyway. Ubuntu is easy to install on most systems and they have a great <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/">forum</a> if you get stuck. There's enough people on there that there's someone bored enough to help you w/ the dumbest n00b question. Don't be shy. The other nice thing about Ubuntu is there's a package called <a href="http://ubuntustudio.org/">Ubuntu Studio</a> that includes everything you need to get your audio workstation up and running. It's a bit bloated though as it contains all kinds of vidoe and picture editing. The best way, I decided, was simply to install vanilla Ubuntu and then install only the audio package of Ubuntu studio from there.<br /><br />W/ that taken care of, I needed two more things, the most important being an audio interface for my computer. Normal computer soundcards simply don't cut it for serious recording. Thankfully, the other guitarist in Sun Splitter happened to have a Lexicon Omega USB interface laying around so that got us started. USB interfaces really aren't the best, better to have firewire or PCI (even though PCI is old there is good support in Linux), but we get by OK w/ this. The Sun Splitter tracks we have on the current page as of now were recorded using the Lexicon and a Windows laptop. He also provided the other thing we needed, "studio monitors." I put that in scare quotes because we're actually monitoring w/ an old stereo reciever and some nice stereo speakers he just had laying around.<br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywNLUpK3HDBSwvm1TRo5GCGfP4ij8Ia2poCUyLrjZswcm3k_JJ-3IIeqwHrD2rKdjMJdXEi6WStXpMooqyW9c_WIpx6sYqksSE-gzVZbbv0Mm0NqesuZ7D9tQ-D141fGyO3oFnceO-V0/s1600-h/Space1+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywNLUpK3HDBSwvm1TRo5GCGfP4ij8Ia2poCUyLrjZswcm3k_JJ-3IIeqwHrD2rKdjMJdXEi6WStXpMooqyW9c_WIpx6sYqksSE-gzVZbbv0Mm0NqesuZ7D9tQ-D141fGyO3oFnceO-V0/s400/Space1+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221193717799890450" border="0" /></a><br />You can't see the computer because it's under the desk and I'm not getting down on that floor for any reason. It's filthy.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-90577530347522467452008-06-03T20:23:00.002-05:002008-06-04T09:32:03.524-05:00A Change in Scope - Luthiery, Gear Reviews and MoreBetween my numerous hobbies, my band <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7491735678771155757">Sun Splitter</a> and my desire to remain absolutely motionless seventeen hours a day, I am not spending as much time on my guitar projects as I would like and am thusly running out of stuff to write about here. However, I do like to keep my wonderful readers engaged in and informed of the latest goings on at the Logical Compound so I have no choice but to broaden the scope of this internet. Basically, I am just gonna post whatever I want and you're going to have to read it because you have a Logical monkey on your back and you just can't help but to return time and time again. I am gonna keep it gear and project related though so you will still get your fix of pure sonical Logic. I have a recording rig set up finally--which I will explain in a later post--so I'm going to hopefully compliment the tales of my haphazard adventures w/ dangerous power tools and guitar shaped objects w/ general gear reviews and sound samples.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-61859131580273906322008-05-18T14:55:00.005-05:002008-05-18T15:49:39.586-05:00Fun W/ a Fender ChampI bought a Fender Champ three years ago. It's from 1975 and has been modded so that it supposedly sounds more like a tweed Champ. Don't know what they did exactly but it sounds great and looks sweet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVHJVJBagIuimM2orXgU6hCboE8kQFylPs2SCQ1mYeCREaMB_p4wI7OloimQEQG3iG-AXDipmq4cA6jjq-WRsK7Zx_AOq8o6C7a1xro41vfN9DtR4a3-7HYE7EQlQAODziQZY_FFpuXc/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVHJVJBagIuimM2orXgU6hCboE8kQFylPs2SCQ1mYeCREaMB_p4wI7OloimQEQG3iG-AXDipmq4cA6jjq-WRsK7Zx_AOq8o6C7a1xro41vfN9DtR4a3-7HYE7EQlQAODziQZY_FFpuXc/s400/Champ+Tube+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201810590273054114" border="0" /></a><br />I have had the same tubes in it for a year and it's going strong but I wanted to try something different. Tubes are really easy to change in a Champ. It is a cathode bias amp so you can just pop the power tubes in and out w/o adjusting anything. Supposedly, you can make adjustments in the bias of the amp and get it sounding better but I've never tried it and it seems to be working fine how I've been doing it. One of these days, curiosity will get the best of me and I'll go poking around in there.<br /><br />Step one. Remove back plate w/ screwdriver:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hrfcBFqrWXvFPGLN0r3JwlnKlRTsnkQIbvk0QXQ6U8VMTOL1HnqABV0I_2eIAGJFv2VH-PVrVFEjM8VAFeTePvNH8vcKr_3YUvwbaYPTOUH_0YibP4m_xXVum_V-MF8LcwfljRhZf60/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hrfcBFqrWXvFPGLN0r3JwlnKlRTsnkQIbvk0QXQ6U8VMTOL1HnqABV0I_2eIAGJFv2VH-PVrVFEjM8VAFeTePvNH8vcKr_3YUvwbaYPTOUH_0YibP4m_xXVum_V-MF8LcwfljRhZf60/s400/Champ+Tube+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201810598862988738" border="0" /></a><br />They are Phillips head screws. You turn them counter clockwise to remove them. This exposes the tubes. You could probably just work around the cover but it'd be a pain. The Champ has three tubes in it:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiowR5BbaWL-uW9SPIVXp98sDNG5Kh_hGEwAG_YXGK5zaQWCD0PFdzL1u7vHA51pF9a0Zywj-EqRS2g4Qv3e1y1hE7OLjN8e9r0udbsTA4mSBVmqbV78W5xv7D62zdQalhJN6YJC79P4/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiowR5BbaWL-uW9SPIVXp98sDNG5Kh_hGEwAG_YXGK5zaQWCD0PFdzL1u7vHA51pF9a0Zywj-EqRS2g4Qv3e1y1hE7OLjN8e9r0udbsTA4mSBVmqbV78W5xv7D62zdQalhJN6YJC79P4/s400/Champ+Tube+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201810603157956050" border="0" /></a><br />From left to right, the first is the rectifier tube which is a 5Y3GT, the second is the 6V6 in the power section and the last is the 12AX7 preamp tube. Good stuff. So basically to get these guys out, you just grab hold and pull:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC0q05E8AbXQAPjtD9SiYv5ejRktQP6TLtKHYf_078sbGkNKbTJrYLgHaYg59mOo3raz2_vudWH1Is1E4bE-owux0OUW9rQsQYyFljz8fIsI8TMptGiqZyADU8AHbasJBU2WUhzwSJao/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC0q05E8AbXQAPjtD9SiYv5ejRktQP6TLtKHYf_078sbGkNKbTJrYLgHaYg59mOo3raz2_vudWH1Is1E4bE-owux0OUW9rQsQYyFljz8fIsI8TMptGiqZyADU8AHbasJBU2WUhzwSJao/s400/Champ+Tube+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201810607452923362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Be careful putting themin. You need to get the pins lined up. Power amp tubes have a little key that prevents you from putting them in the wrong way but preamp tubes you just have to be careful w/. Here is me putting a power tube in:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKPUTUe6Sc1obcKW9J3hyphenhyphendXyyMj2F3QhxGt_Y37hm477vB_g-viBXBI6kaCPbx5s-Cv7ug3q5nygAK4BUtyoe4FQ7I2TAV7FI-D76-MpAV_XhMJSlSkgoMRS3YCxeq_-attt6iVfif1Q/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKPUTUe6Sc1obcKW9J3hyphenhyphendXyyMj2F3QhxGt_Y37hm477vB_g-viBXBI6kaCPbx5s-Cv7ug3q5nygAK4BUtyoe4FQ7I2TAV7FI-D76-MpAV_XhMJSlSkgoMRS3YCxeq_-attt6iVfif1Q/s400/Champ+Tube+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201815748528776690" border="0" /></a><br />The one thing to be careful of is the tubes get hot if you've been playing. The rectifier tube swaps out the same way. I replaced it w/ the same kind, Sovtek, so it wasn't interesting enough to me to take a picture of it.<br /><br />The particular tubes I tried were a reissue Tung-Sol 12AX7 and a JJ 6V6. I forget what kind of preamp tube I had in there but it was Chinese and sounded pretty good. I love the Tung-Sol though. Very tight sounding and clear but still very warm. It added a lot to my tone and I'm very pleased w/ it. The JJ power tube I wasn't so happy w/. It was slightly warmer sounding but in a muddy way that I didn't care for. To be fair, though, I am using a vintage Jan 6V6 that I got as NOS so the cards are kind of stacked against the JJ. NOS preamp tubes are way to damn expensive for me so I just go w/ new ones and have been fairly happy.<br /><br />The other cool thing I did for my Fender Champ is build an adapter so I could plug it into a speaker cab:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BWdEy_KfBx7_W6ReVGd1sdzltnDIzGkeHed-tjeBlNDCxP9lS_DyHQX1shPyomVGUxbOFIgpOI3aufospE6RxIokirMCwvdyQ06_lUzU3K3rX4yBTyfjW0rwSlsaLeksdX39P2QXgg8/s1600-h/Champ+Tube+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BWdEy_KfBx7_W6ReVGd1sdzltnDIzGkeHed-tjeBlNDCxP9lS_DyHQX1shPyomVGUxbOFIgpOI3aufospE6RxIokirMCwvdyQ06_lUzU3K3rX4yBTyfjW0rwSlsaLeksdX39P2QXgg8/s400/Champ+Tube+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201810594568021426" border="0" /></a><br />It is very easy to build. You just need an RCA plug and a normal quarter-inch mono jack. To put it simply, you solder wires between them and you're done. I wrapped some of that shrink wrap tubing for wiring over the RCA to protect it. Couldn't really do much on the quarter-inch jack but it's held up for a couple years now.<br /><br />The best part about this five-minute project is it allows me to do this:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/logicalfrank/fullpracticestack004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/logicalfrank/fullpracticestack004.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I use a Weber Z-Matcher to match the impedances of the cabs to the amp. It is a wonderful device and very well built. Buy one. You'll find a use for it.<br /><br />The two cabs I have going are a Traynor 4x10, which is a strange beast. It came w/ an old Traynor solid state head. The head and cab sound great together. But the head doesn't sound good w/ anything else and the cab is only so-so w/ other amps. I only keep it in my rig for the machismo factor. Say what you will but I like having a full stack in my living room and keep it as a matter of principle. The bottom cab is a Kern 4x12. It was made in the 70s in Chicago and is freaking awesome. It's my favorite 4x12 in the world. Kern still makes some bass gear now but their old stuff is super rare as far as I can tell. I actually sent them an email about this cab to see if I couldn't learn some more about it. Whoever I talked to was like, "Yeah, we used to make those," and that's about all I know about it. The speakers are some square-backed Eminence models and are beat to hell but still sounding good.<br /><br />Anyway, that's about all I have to say about my Fender Champ at the minute. The silverface ones like I have are still pretty cheap and hands down better than the cheap little tube amps people are putting out now in terms of build quality. Tone is a matter of personal preference but I think this thing sounds better too.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-53553447879928699582008-05-13T13:25:00.010-05:002008-05-15T09:42:40.876-05:00Sunn Concert BassRecently, through of inquiries over the internets and train rides to and from the south suburbs, I acquired a Sunn Concert Bass free of charge from a gentleman named Tariq who plays in the excellent south of Chicago metal band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/couldron">Couldron</a>, who are looking for a new drummer at the minute should you happen to be one. The only caveat was that it was in non-working order. Some asshole had apparently decided it would be a good idea to let the magic smoke that typically resides in capacitors, transistors, diodes and other such enigmatic electronical elements into the outside world where we all know it should not be. My task was to put it back in there.<br /><br />I live my life car-free so it is often a trial to get out to the 'burbs. I knew it was worth it though as soon as I set this magnificent bastard on my speaker cab at home:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv4gvWm2h1jRP1mKMbmLsgBkWIs8UiSskfw8e7R8t88PubTXYaF8LHXwL-m20wjTBLZkP37lFICnzFXVaFc5HtCNrhOWz-7AwszoTcla1S6a0Dr3LhRxXD-MrEa8h-b5Vk5LeFiIXg4c/s1600-h/broke+amp+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizv4gvWm2h1jRP1mKMbmLsgBkWIs8UiSskfw8e7R8t88PubTXYaF8LHXwL-m20wjTBLZkP37lFICnzFXVaFc5HtCNrhOWz-7AwszoTcla1S6a0Dr3LhRxXD-MrEa8h-b5Vk5LeFiIXg4c/s320/broke+amp+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199935566465410386" border="0" /></a><br />Looks pretty sweet, don't you think? How'd it sound? Well, at this point, it was still broken so it sounded like crap. I was hopping that the magic smoke may have found it's way back in there on its own but, sadly, that was not the case. Guitar sound would come out of the amp but not much and a ton of buzz came w/ it. Obviously not the best situation.<br /><br />I opened it up to see what was up. Bear in mind, I followed the proper safety procedure of not being a retard before I started probing around. If you are a retard, I recommend you not open any amps up.<br /><br />These are the amp guts:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSEXn1WPn5Bhw_9ZXylXYKB0vmpMWkPoy3oWboS_Ydn7444rZEIaCuxpPwabNXMoc15C4wt0UZbV4Jo8ubdx_FSYopHyyo14mA1AFWtPZOghsX4L2vy0v5hPsRHzrf-bNvSH3Crn31wk/s1600-h/broke+amp+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSEXn1WPn5Bhw_9ZXylXYKB0vmpMWkPoy3oWboS_Ydn7444rZEIaCuxpPwabNXMoc15C4wt0UZbV4Jo8ubdx_FSYopHyyo14mA1AFWtPZOghsX4L2vy0v5hPsRHzrf-bNvSH3Crn31wk/s400/broke+amp+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199937744013829474" border="0" /></a><br />At this point, I realized that <span style="font-style: italic;">some</span>body had actually tried to put <span style="font-style: italic;">some</span> kind of magic smoke back in there. I can't say what kind but, seriously, this thing utterly reeked of nag champa incense, leading me to suspect that it'd been tampered w/ by a hippy at some point.<br /><br />Closer inspection lead me to my first clue, two burned out resistors:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-lfbf7t3sCU1f5G8_VWBYixPoQOiMidwoo4b1QOe3Fe2HL3c_qOFOajzGJxzjFlX683KnLGIJQTalKiQhm3SYJwJf__EtTV1_VOcFHHJOoVfaClm-S5m_tX6k02CvLQSrWEGYFsRMq8/s1600-h/broke+amp+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-lfbf7t3sCU1f5G8_VWBYixPoQOiMidwoo4b1QOe3Fe2HL3c_qOFOajzGJxzjFlX683KnLGIJQTalKiQhm3SYJwJf__EtTV1_VOcFHHJOoVfaClm-S5m_tX6k02CvLQSrWEGYFsRMq8/s400/broke+amp+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199937752603764082" border="0" /></a><br />Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I tried swapping out those two resistors. The only good thing to report here is that only one of the resistors burned up this time. Apparently, the other one had just been taken out by the first one. I was one resistor down now but at least I had something to show for it. I replaced the one that burned up again and set off about the internets to find the real source of my problem. After some research, guided by several fine gentleman on the <a href="http://sunn.ampage.org/">Unofficial Sunn Musical Equipment Web Site</a>, I managed to narrow down the source of my problems to a few transistors in the power section. I am not sure if this is normal but they are stuck to the back of this amp and covered w/ little plastic pieces:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgu6LCV3W5tgNRxBXXqag65Z6cNcN0LtnaFokB4UgSHUVa2rXf511Yf8eumO-Vqzf2v65zjfJ8Yw9JIwXZDRZCS25XDlvInOeygsS_MN9oVs6zAr1f4E0QQE6jGlZHEcs_ICBNTpvOAs/s1600-h/broke+amp+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgu6LCV3W5tgNRxBXXqag65Z6cNcN0LtnaFokB4UgSHUVa2rXf511Yf8eumO-Vqzf2v65zjfJ8Yw9JIwXZDRZCS25XDlvInOeygsS_MN9oVs6zAr1f4E0QQE6jGlZHEcs_ICBNTpvOAs/s400/broke+amp+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199937756898731394" border="0" /></a>You just have to unscrew the screws and they pop right in and out, no soldering required. I tested them using a multimeter and the method described on <a href="http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/tran.htm">this page</a>. Three of them were bad out of five. Good thing I ordered four. Once replaced, it fired up just fine. It's loud as balls and your mom keeps calling me to ask about it. I've had it down at my band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sunsplitter">Sun Splitter</a>'s practice space for a couple weeks now and it's still going strong. Sounds pretty good for guitar or bass but I use it w/ my drum machine, Sober Bill. Here's the full rig:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEPLe5KTkYFGRJ1vKcreEGR1pTmuh7bgyDEIXl1nxXbmP-MHdycRVqD_JdNlsDqmLpth6_8qE80M2Ow0B16F1B-n_ltO3Kn8T33WHytiO8cE3Gk4ssKP81BdWLoXVa0HeEdWDhaBgN8Y/s1600-h/broke+amp+fixed+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEPLe5KTkYFGRJ1vKcreEGR1pTmuh7bgyDEIXl1nxXbmP-MHdycRVqD_JdNlsDqmLpth6_8qE80M2Ow0B16F1B-n_ltO3Kn8T33WHytiO8cE3Gk4ssKP81BdWLoXVa0HeEdWDhaBgN8Y/s400/broke+amp+fixed+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199941785578055058" border="0" /></a><br />As I said it's been going strong for a while now and I'm happy w/ it but I posted some pics of the board on the Sunn forum and someone noticed that a couple electrolytic capacitors had leaked out some of the crazy capacitor juice that's inside of them. I am OK w/ this since it works anyway but they're telling me that those caps could short at anytime--leading possibly to total protonic reversal--so I'm gonna replace them pretty soon. There's also some old resistors in there that I want to replace as some have drifted pretty significantly over the years. I will, of course, keep you posted.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-19686817598169493372008-05-12T14:19:00.004-05:002008-05-12T14:56:28.241-05:00The Un-Baritone GuitarSo I had to come to terms w/ something about my <a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/07/baritone-body-project-overview.html">baritone guitar</a>: It was cool, it sounded and played OK but I just needed to accept the fact that it is simply not that great. It's a nice first try but that is all I can say about it. I've decided that it is not worthy of my beautiful Warmoth neck so I've replaced it w/ a dirt cheap no-name neck from eBay. It's a load off my mind saying that out loud.<br /><br />And I'm not kidding when I say no-name. It literally doesn't have a brand name at all on it's vaguely Telecaster-ish headstock:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqd1HTIOMPpZfPMsg5tokSPJX5dsPfnF-rR-urCI_msySvC3m0StM0dEkXR0HXcbATTRTyryDhNg0E0gJaOP-pNBQ3rbsfb4L5HxEHsodOgDCAejLlOqXtzWfDHNmTyx9E4_khIQpjkM/s1600-h/broke+amp+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqd1HTIOMPpZfPMsg5tokSPJX5dsPfnF-rR-urCI_msySvC3m0StM0dEkXR0HXcbATTRTyryDhNg0E0gJaOP-pNBQ3rbsfb4L5HxEHsodOgDCAejLlOqXtzWfDHNmTyx9E4_khIQpjkM/s320/broke+amp+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199575184349537586" border="0" /></a><br />I have no problem w/ the lack of name-brand and, in fact, I appreciate not having to shill for whatever company imported this son-of-a-bitch from French Indochina. What I do have a problem w/ is the fact that the holes were drilled in the wrong damn place. Not only that, they are too big for a normal neck screw. I filled them in w/dowels and re-drilled them, no problem. It actually fit in the neck pocket better than the Warmoth neck because it was too big.<br /><br />Of course, that could not possibly be the end of my problems w/ this thing. The fact that it fit better, meant I got it on there straighter which made it a apparent that the bridge was in the wrong place so I had to move it again using <a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/07/flood-and-fixes.html">this same procedure</a>. And if that was the end of things, I'd have been pleased but it wasn't. Now that the neck was straight and the bridge was in the right spot, the pickups were no longer in line w/ the strings. Blast! There's really not much I can do about it w/o redoing the whole damn thing so I'm leaving it like that for now. I also rewired it so it didn't have all that goofy stereo crap going on, which was always weird and problematical and I never used for anything other than screwing around. I also unhooked the push-pull pots I was using for pickup selection and threw a Gibson-style toggle sort of awkwardly into the mix. Works but it's kind of cramped.<br /><br />I also had to level and crown the frets to get it playing w/o a hideous amount of buzz. The neck really was a trainwreck. In hindsight I wish I hadn't cheaped out and got something decent. Here is the guitar w/ it attached:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpVUbyHeH1h1zvOhwv-SuezXG5V2VJbR0KX_hQH6Y63ezk8f1_EW_jodd6cglDiX2CDFq4yPAIwbn_Zx2uTyHYFZGuM1dYeq7gnjTY2y1zbAwTHkXjPSLZG47g6dVxj2JTRJyyAnx5TY/s1600-h/broke+amp+014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpVUbyHeH1h1zvOhwv-SuezXG5V2VJbR0KX_hQH6Y63ezk8f1_EW_jodd6cglDiX2CDFq4yPAIwbn_Zx2uTyHYFZGuM1dYeq7gnjTY2y1zbAwTHkXjPSLZG47g6dVxj2JTRJyyAnx5TY/s320/broke+amp+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199575201529406786" border="0" /></a><br />Now that is one fine fiddle! Seriously, it's not that bad. If I ever get around to it, I'll re-rout the pickup slots so I can move them where they need to go and then make a pickguard to cover all the mistakes up. If I really wanna get into it, I can fill the wood and refinish in a solid color. Might be worth it as I can fix some other crap too while I'm at it. It's still pretty fun to play and having the pickups out of whack doesn't seem to affect the tone much at all. The neck is a big fat vintage baseball bat so it's good to practice on. Makes my other guitars feel tiny and insignificant, thusly allowing me to better bend them to my will.<br /><br />The Warmoth neck is now going to go on the cheapo guitar project. Somewhat ironical but there you go.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-74382890359358224002007-11-06T19:08:00.000-06:002007-11-06T19:49:06.606-06:00Master TemplatesWell, if you're anything like me, every now and again you just gotta get your best scratchy cough out and call into work so you can take the day off to build guitars in your back yard. I did that yesterday and, let me tell you, it's a hell of a good feeling. Not gonna let the man hold me down. (Who's w/ me!?) My task for the day was to get a couple templates done for a couple elements of my next guitar. Last time, I made the mistake of building all of these things into the template for the guitar. This is very convenient for one project but makes it a little more troublesome when you move onto the next shape and have to do everything all over again. This time, I'm made each element on a different piece of mdf for greater versatility.<br /><br />The two pieces I made were for a humbucker rout and for a tele-style neck pocket. These will be common elements on guitars I make in the future so this will equal a lot of time saved. I made these on quarter inch mdf this time. Last time, I used three quarter inch and it was a beast to shape and very frustrating to get accurate.<br /><br />The first step is to draw everything out very carefully w/ a straight edge and a carpeneters square. I got the measurements I needed from various places online. This took me about an hour and half. For the last project I didn't have this kind of patience but now that I know I can pull it off, it's easier to reach down into the depths of my psyche to find another five minutes of attention span to erase a line and redraw more accurately.<br /><br />This is the neck pocket:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo6MgWkwmmDHG6ON6mJIEAC2YjTFpOMq6tL63kg0kKGxnKrtlDOR-teJv-jmPPbZAHchCX6W0ZK7HRRlKJAGdhoW9XT4SaG4FvFc26Gvnz4QPhm2Bus8T3Y5yqV75r4a30Iinw1YTIIA/s1600-h/templates+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo6MgWkwmmDHG6ON6mJIEAC2YjTFpOMq6tL63kg0kKGxnKrtlDOR-teJv-jmPPbZAHchCX6W0ZK7HRRlKJAGdhoW9XT4SaG4FvFc26Gvnz4QPhm2Bus8T3Y5yqV75r4a30Iinw1YTIIA/s320/templates+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129903823069834514" border="0" /></a><br />I made the top of it extend an inch longer than it had to be. Hopefully, this will give the router something better to rest on when I use it so I can better control it. There's lines drawn so I can get it in the right place.<br /><br />Same deal w/ the humbucker routt:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSQLDyYafZttWz2xbB3CHwOpoxIJy4U4kTk8sKiLx8enWlT4YBFU3QV7hf307UhSKwJU8mPrODeNsENKLYQR6oOEm61zfAhVR4yncq20dC-Br8sDsq2YdlXz4qoB5qyDTjiS-797oiuc/s1600-h/templates+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSQLDyYafZttWz2xbB3CHwOpoxIJy4U4kTk8sKiLx8enWlT4YBFU3QV7hf307UhSKwJU8mPrODeNsENKLYQR6oOEm61zfAhVR4yncq20dC-Br8sDsq2YdlXz4qoB5qyDTjiS-797oiuc/s320/templates+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129903853134605602" border="0" /></a><br />Ultimately, it was a mistake to cut it out so small, at least before I had the middle cut out. It made it really hard to clamp down as I worked on it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRHCRtrEDuC-ltDgTkuWWppGEaNr7PfAUE4Tinvd2z3jolyN0MUR7J5eB8FvZQHvnQNda0Sa_6z2Ay3Ph96lGW9W4-cc2jiqT5W-kKryuJhIC3k20Bf479UDbaB8vIv2WPZD0_b2RUgY/s1600-h/templates+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRHCRtrEDuC-ltDgTkuWWppGEaNr7PfAUE4Tinvd2z3jolyN0MUR7J5eB8FvZQHvnQNda0Sa_6z2Ay3Ph96lGW9W4-cc2jiqT5W-kKryuJhIC3k20Bf479UDbaB8vIv2WPZD0_b2RUgY/s320/templates+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129903896084278578" border="0" /></a><br />It was too small for me to use a jigsaw so I had to use a coping saw. As seen in the picture above, I drilled out the corners w/ a handbill so I could turn the blade. The initial cut was none to accurate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM5lxdmRXubCmak3b78hkAEs8Y07rY3AaX7lx__9SWK6jOquxSngc78FlQE-hfM-2ELmfPGNGowZdU-EQ7ijUhU4aZWEQTLgTIZvGD_FF1d4k-KnLzgNcf9di5W-XKBzLOqAfboBsv1Q/s1600-h/templates+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM5lxdmRXubCmak3b78hkAEs8Y07rY3AaX7lx__9SWK6jOquxSngc78FlQE-hfM-2ELmfPGNGowZdU-EQ7ijUhU4aZWEQTLgTIZvGD_FF1d4k-KnLzgNcf9di5W-XKBzLOqAfboBsv1Q/s320/templates+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129903934738984258" border="0" /></a><br />But some time w/ a file got it in good shape pretty quickly (I actually filed it a bit more from this point and it looks very clean now):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mqu0NcRpUaRhn69m8YODzyvTtr4Ldzv0W-N8blZR7OETGsK2JsM8x2kchbIG6TJzEhtpo2A7-mvBoxPlTrt1B5g-YVudN4aMNkGElr0dE3yl1Y2qE6rbYWMBYFjvbOPddZwXyiBaM5s/s1600-h/templates+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mqu0NcRpUaRhn69m8YODzyvTtr4Ldzv0W-N8blZR7OETGsK2JsM8x2kchbIG6TJzEhtpo2A7-mvBoxPlTrt1B5g-YVudN4aMNkGElr0dE3yl1Y2qE6rbYWMBYFjvbOPddZwXyiBaM5s/s320/templates+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129903943328918866" border="0" /></a><br />Same deal w/ the neck pocket only this time I could use the jigsaw to save time (and I'm actually more accurate w/ that than a coping saw). It is nearly perfect:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKch2AvmtXfhFDIBRrMqTR4RAmilLxBDDaP1TeoS_55HTZ3ucGnY6Kuznv8-J2N6Rmo6-5PAajVqJsjzRtvSmopIBj0LB0L3iBOsbytgwNzvY-GsAEOYnVOh5qr2M6ltU41DQGsBwKHM/s1600-h/templates+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKch2AvmtXfhFDIBRrMqTR4RAmilLxBDDaP1TeoS_55HTZ3ucGnY6Kuznv8-J2N6Rmo6-5PAajVqJsjzRtvSmopIBj0LB0L3iBOsbytgwNzvY-GsAEOYnVOh5qr2M6ltU41DQGsBwKHM/s320/templates+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129907718605172066" border="0" /></a><br />This all came together a lot quicker and better than previous efforts so I'm pretty pleased. The only problem w/ using the quarter inch thick mdf is it's really too thin to use directly on a guitar so I will need this to make some thicker templates. It's worth the extra effort for the added accuracy.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-49941888587626617412007-10-29T19:54:00.000-05:002007-10-31T19:35:07.705-05:00Shaping and ScrapingOk... My camera is giving me shit so if you're just here for the pics, this is all you get:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTxyVeGfU-VDcUXa3hJi2OHGiPPjS85KduUqC2GeZPNqDqsyo0vbhFdXye9Muua-67QUwvWiVqBHdDWuMaoN1VVjt22J3K2jBsXdQ7K0kKiWKN2Ysi-PWQ-bnEa04xpsDIVAR8MA3nMw/s1600-h/finished+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTxyVeGfU-VDcUXa3hJi2OHGiPPjS85KduUqC2GeZPNqDqsyo0vbhFdXye9Muua-67QUwvWiVqBHdDWuMaoN1VVjt22J3K2jBsXdQ7K0kKiWKN2Ysi-PWQ-bnEa04xpsDIVAR8MA3nMw/s320/finished+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127663688387325186" border="0" /></a><br />So there you have it. That's the body of the cheapo guitar cut to shape and routed. I used pretty much the same method as I did on the baritone body. The only difference is this time I frakked up the glue joint between the two pieces of wood so the top of the thing wasn't quite level so before I started I put some eighty grit paper on my random orbital sander and whirred it across the top and back a few times. Worked like a charm. I used the same template as I used for the baritone body. I like it and just can't think of anything better.<br /><br />First thing I did was trace the outline on the body and do a rough cut w/ my jigsaw. Last time I tried to use a smooth cutting blade and get as close as possible, which worked OK. This time, I just went ahead and used a fast cutting blade and stayed about a half inch outside of the line. If anything, this method left me w/ less wood to cut away during routing--and it must have saved me fifteen minutes or a half hour w/ the jigsaw. Of course, it could have just been the fact that I have greater and more substantial jigsaw skill now but I really do think this was the better method of doing the rough cut and will continue to use it in the future.<br /><br />After that, it was a simple matter of routing. I set up my template follower to cut a sixteenth of an inch outside the line and am glad I did. There was a little bit of tear out but, unlike last time, I left some extra wood. Once I was done routing, I just took my trusty random orbital sander and sanded down to the line.<br /><br />So far, I must say this is head and shoulders above the first one and I think I'm gonna buy a nicer neck than I originally planned. I like the kinda weird streaks on the cheapo alder I'm using and I think this one will be nice enough just to finish w/ a couple or five clear coats. I'm thinking I will get a tele-style neck w/ a maple fingerboard and it will look really simple and classy. Probably go w/ chrome hardware and chrome-covered humbuckers. The only weird thing is it's gonna have about six knobs because of the electronics I'm gonna cram in there.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-70449772779306390382007-10-25T17:53:00.000-05:002007-10-25T18:13:23.255-05:00Gluing Up a BlankFor some reason, I never seem to get around to working on my new project, the cheapo guitar. It is mostly laziness combined w/ the fact that I have a new band started up which takes a great deal of my time. Also, it's fall now so by the time I've relaxed for an hour after work, it's already getting dark and I'm not keen on using power tools w/o proper illumination. However, I did finally get around to gluing up the body blank, which is a relatively simple process.<br /><br />First thing, the two pieces of alder I bought off the world's most famous auction website had roughly sawed edges that needed to be straightened to be jointed so I could glue them. Originally, I had planned on using a router table for this but, alas, the one I got off that same auction site is the right kind for my router--thought I had a great bargain on it too. Instead, I used a hand plane, which is a fun tool that makes fun, long shavings:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeD80oErD0v9LyaMjAv_3sScDUkNgkJi18a6h6gioZWJ1i8LvdWz5u8z3XusEIi3ZdC_fh8hKnUkDtdN82ZbFVfceHE9WmyR5IffiZ99tO4cUcWlL-HCQs2HqrjfknoVUdayZyqrujtE/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeD80oErD0v9LyaMjAv_3sScDUkNgkJi18a6h6gioZWJ1i8LvdWz5u8z3XusEIi3ZdC_fh8hKnUkDtdN82ZbFVfceHE9WmyR5IffiZ99tO4cUcWlL-HCQs2HqrjfknoVUdayZyqrujtE/s320/California+and+Amps+023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125412236465990834" border="0" /></a><br />Having never used one of these bad boys in the past, I spent about twenty minutes fixing the mistakes during the first five minutes. Nevertheless, I managed to get it pretty well straight. I checked my progress continually throughout this process w/ a straight edge to make sure I was keeping it real.<br /><br />Then I put a generous amount of wood glue on there. The brand I chose was Titebond but only because Elmer's (which should work just fine) seemed to commonplace for use in luthiery. Plus, I was pretty damn certain that I wanted it bonded tite-ly.<br /><br />For some reason, I always think wood glue looks delicious, like a vanilla milkshake:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyFqroj0UBcmrBQvsuFC882Jvs2TpvxMfGGUjiXyXgNjoRALR8TR2z_dI326K_uaDhn5Bjrq1Nc4UB36JV8KEb7e64rGXzVvJY1TxLlVWGU-QHjcHj0EKTA28MN-3ZyWr264-S3ejVZE/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyFqroj0UBcmrBQvsuFC882Jvs2TpvxMfGGUjiXyXgNjoRALR8TR2z_dI326K_uaDhn5Bjrq1Nc4UB36JV8KEb7e64rGXzVvJY1TxLlVWGU-QHjcHj0EKTA28MN-3ZyWr264-S3ejVZE/s320/California+and+Amps+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125412240760958146" border="0" /></a><br />After I got the two pieces together, it was just a matter of clamping things up and wiping off the excess glue:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3Ryk6e4cFBaIbqA18RVe3WK_cDJ1GiodB5Is34sbJrjgIF1O8inYC9GOc1RYgqHdBrd7dx-GMKMRrCKO3Q6VpZh5CRIh8iyEzIjF7_Mylh_VevxuZ8Bqj1dkyFK-k_qH2dLRl4sx6lg/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3Ryk6e4cFBaIbqA18RVe3WK_cDJ1GiodB5Is34sbJrjgIF1O8inYC9GOc1RYgqHdBrd7dx-GMKMRrCKO3Q6VpZh5CRIh8iyEzIjF7_Mylh_VevxuZ8Bqj1dkyFK-k_qH2dLRl4sx6lg/s320/California+and+Amps+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125412249350892754" border="0" /></a><br />Unfortunately, I wiped too much excess glue off and actually manage to suck some out of the joint w/ a paper towel. Just a little but once it was dry, I squeezed some more glue in there to fill up the crack:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYMBHdmFAc87jDU4-Z3cb9lxePUHWvr6mIgAGb-vE-jUqM743NVzB6NkcV1a1epzuYJwGbqEKAAw5ZQqkuC-VxPH1dMXqNgwxI-tYIMxqaEv4ogepQFSA4qZ6QKWChC5UtN7PTYTIvs0/s1600-h/finished+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYMBHdmFAc87jDU4-Z3cb9lxePUHWvr6mIgAGb-vE-jUqM743NVzB6NkcV1a1epzuYJwGbqEKAAw5ZQqkuC-VxPH1dMXqNgwxI-tYIMxqaEv4ogepQFSA4qZ6QKWChC5UtN7PTYTIvs0/s320/finished+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125412253645860066" border="0" /></a><br />Now it is right as rain and feels completely sturdy, like it's a solid piece of wood. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the two pieces of wood completely even. That is something I'm going to be able to hopefully deal w/ this weekend.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-64812846825405818462007-10-16T19:18:00.000-05:002007-10-16T19:52:32.067-05:00A New Engine for the HollowbodyA while back I found a really cool Ibanez Artcore hollowbody guitar on clearance at my local guitar warehouse of super proportions. It only cost two hundred bucks so I bought it on the spot and have regretted the descision exactly never. It is a fine looking, great playing and decent sounding guitar. The only problem was the stock pickups were about as flat as your back. Of course, I will not let such things stand in my house so I set about changing them. Ultimately, I chose to use some GFS Retrotrons I had laying about. I originally had them in the SGeezus but found them a bit to chimey for the inherantly dark sound of that guitar but they seemed a perfect fit for the hollowbody. At the very least, I figured, they wouldn't be so dull sounding. I also wanted to try out a super fancy <a href="http://www.rsguitarworks.net/cms/">RS Guitarworks</a> wiring harness so I figured I'd give that a go too. Let me tell you, replacing the pickups in a hollowbody is as harrowing an adventure as you could imagine.<br /><br />First, I took the thing apart:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj0BbmTlTUU99k4e6Mg8Z5iVPdtUzdzqFzjOnvxyYLipyEaSI8Ul4v3NXr4JQtRaCS_tWBpHX2EHlPbZJrDkjoq8ZRlhleAxX9v2Muzc_vBdngKeaNPOCUAjPktwUuLfb1gLL1BH9Djw/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj0BbmTlTUU99k4e6Mg8Z5iVPdtUzdzqFzjOnvxyYLipyEaSI8Ul4v3NXr4JQtRaCS_tWBpHX2EHlPbZJrDkjoq8ZRlhleAxX9v2Muzc_vBdngKeaNPOCUAjPktwUuLfb1gLL1BH9Djw/s320/California+and+Amps+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122096029286659506" border="0" /></a>And already my first surprise! The bridge isn't attached to the body in anyway aside from the pressure from the strings. OK. I guess I will just have to put it back on. These are the original electronics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5PZFBZvc6eSBY2ZrjC7ygtLZAvbq0wH623YI0yJxW5YGjBQifDRzqntQS708RJt1DINtR6B2qfVmVfUmAtxdISwFj2uLKiRwG01b0qNXeqbIHxtLwWFevB0F9qE3WagQlqVZPjVmKFM/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5PZFBZvc6eSBY2ZrjC7ygtLZAvbq0wH623YI0yJxW5YGjBQifDRzqntQS708RJt1DINtR6B2qfVmVfUmAtxdISwFj2uLKiRwG01b0qNXeqbIHxtLwWFevB0F9qE3WagQlqVZPjVmKFM/s320/California+and+Amps+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122096050761496002" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, the pickup selecter switch is weird and cheap looking and the pots are teeny tiny. They weren't problematical but I felt there was a very high chance of failure. I will give Ibanez this: they were at least the correct values. A lot of times in cheap guitars they'll just use whatever's cheap. No 100K volume pots here.<br /><br />The next step was wiring up the harness. I had a bit of frustration w/ this and didn't end up taking any pictures. Sorry. It turns out my trouble was the tip of my soldering iron was just old so I replaced it. No big deal. It also helped to use a little extra flux. I got some that was safe for electronics work in a little tin from a giant electronics chain.<br /><br />Next was the hard part: getting the harness in there. Lord. This experience was so harrowing I don't even want to think about it. You gotta work through the pickup slots and the F-holes the whole time. I have big lardo mega fingers so this was not easy. You pull the pots and other components through w/ string (I used thread, doubled up) and it is even more difficult than you'd expect. The whole thing was a mess:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1LkD150SIHwJcl8ndXX3W_QCgaNBVSHlaIEkWZgA5HQvnZg8dI5z5xo2pz5chbVC3CkYO7QshayFoQ5_8GMchaLeAuoHwPq_Kxoe3C_MVKJJ9SBF1_oHq601bmSHr28Q2SBUBbw7qjg/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1LkD150SIHwJcl8ndXX3W_QCgaNBVSHlaIEkWZgA5HQvnZg8dI5z5xo2pz5chbVC3CkYO7QshayFoQ5_8GMchaLeAuoHwPq_Kxoe3C_MVKJJ9SBF1_oHq601bmSHr28Q2SBUBbw7qjg/s320/California+and+Amps+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122096055056463314" border="0" /></a><br />Eventually, I got 'em in though and it was honestly thrilling to finally be done w/ it. It took me over a week whereas it takes me maybe two hours to wire up a regular electric guitar. I must say the new pickups are really sharp:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrLzK4ounTAq6gIbw1QWWYnfVeaiBMTZdH9CDi5VOWJ6H2OPGNm1k5tsPXxGzHxKq9CH9TC78bzxN3CUR7jKGqq1IYlfi3dfnwvuQP7yOzH-fUQM-1Sqi8mj8c3jOtPSc67jn8PR5p90/s1600-h/finished+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrLzK4ounTAq6gIbw1QWWYnfVeaiBMTZdH9CDi5VOWJ6H2OPGNm1k5tsPXxGzHxKq9CH9TC78bzxN3CUR7jKGqq1IYlfi3dfnwvuQP7yOzH-fUQM-1Sqi8mj8c3jOtPSc67jn8PR5p90/s320/finished+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122096076531299810" border="0" /></a><br />As mentioned, they are GFS Retrotrons. Specifically, the bridge is a Hot Liverpool and the neck is a regular Liverpool. They are modeled after the old FilterTron pickups like you might see in a Gretsch. It's at least a distinctive look where people can tell it's customized right away. The sound of them is exactly as hoped--very clear, bright but still smooth. It's brought new life to the guitar. The RS Guitarworks harness works well too. The volume knobs especially are much more usefull. The guitar doesn't get all kinds of dull sounding when you turn them down.<br /><br />And here she is in her entirety, not bad for $200 and some pickups I had lying around:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPVOxEmnZ5Cdx_JYFSwz44NMNLt63POw52QeabsYW_iHTUe-s1hLc9EcAfVg2FCOMKLRsyZ_Bmj60WKEOnFAtaYj5DeZgmeQAsrBWdsgfEap3NXXKPW9kMkNyYP9V2DdSD7eh2DxD5rg/s1600-h/finished+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPVOxEmnZ5Cdx_JYFSwz44NMNLt63POw52QeabsYW_iHTUe-s1hLc9EcAfVg2FCOMKLRsyZ_Bmj60WKEOnFAtaYj5DeZgmeQAsrBWdsgfEap3NXXKPW9kMkNyYP9V2DdSD7eh2DxD5rg/s320/finished+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122096085121234418" border="0" /></a>Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-29551094623387058602007-09-02T21:50:00.000-05:002007-09-04T11:31:50.500-05:00SGeezuz is Risen!For some time now my SG Special Faded (2002-ish w/ the half moon inlays, too cool for words) has been in some sorry shape. It just sounded dull. Imagine you have the deadest strings you've ever had in your life only worse. Even brand new strings would sound bright but there'd be this weird undercurrent of mud. I couldn't figure it out. I swapped in two different sets of pickups and dropped in a replacement bridge and it sounded different, maybe better, but there was still a general problem w/ the overall sound. Eventually, I narrowed it down to the bridge posts. This had been my one workhorse guitar for many, many years and over time my sweat had actually weakened the wood around the original posts. As you can see here, especially on the bottom, it is pretty gross:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzP6wR_BQZPS9JeLq-d7DN_Osfi56EwxJZ-3AJjQBXVgbdgyeTA7D9tn6Lk61SpAbcBRvf3Sl0AAazgf4sZvh9SsZUs4DHPVnb77JMWfkE8CTmMAIGWbXE_QAZGDyA0Y916dYc3BIhBE/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzP6wR_BQZPS9JeLq-d7DN_Osfi56EwxJZ-3AJjQBXVgbdgyeTA7D9tn6Lk61SpAbcBRvf3Sl0AAazgf4sZvh9SsZUs4DHPVnb77JMWfkE8CTmMAIGWbXE_QAZGDyA0Y916dYc3BIhBE/s320/California+and+Amps+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105805782554483218" border="0" /></a><br />(Also, you can see the GFS Crusader pickup I have in the bridge there. Great sounding pickup. Judging by the appearance it is meant to be a Duncan Invader clone and I guess it is pretty close in terms of output but maybe it's not quite a snarly and a little warmer sounding.)<br /><br />Now since the wood surrounding the posts was the problem, I was either going to have to drill them out and dowel them or find a bridge w/ larger posts. I opted for the later. The bridge I used is a Gotoh tune-o-matic:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/logicalfrank/modTom2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/logicalfrank/modTom2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, they mount on big bushings almost like a wraparound bridge. Some people don't like Gotoh hardware but I think they're nuts. I have some Gotoh mini tuners on my baritone and I think they're as good as anything. I think they get a bad name because they're more of a budget brand but, honestly, they're made in Japan and I doubt many humans on this planet could tell the difference between their stuff and, say, Schaller in a practical setting (not to say that the Schaller aren't made better--I don't know one way or the other).<br /><br />The installation of this is simple (though it took a good deal of web searching for me to be satisfied that I knew what I was doing). You just drill holes and tap 'em in w/ a mallet. It's that simple. I wanted to use an 11 mm bit but my local orange warehouse of overpriced tools didn't have metric bits. I settled for 7/16 inch. Since my drill press isn't large enough to drill tune-o-matic posts, I made a little guide out of some scrap MDF. To judge my depth I used a piece of masking tape, which always works like a charm.<br /><br />As you can see, there' s not much marine of error between he depth I needed for the bushings and the thin SG body:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcuJTy_0w5Aa-TRSWhR9Q9lsGTeIEDnIxZSK-ukXMtPexAZTgIqlzB26ZmOu5GRHn3oRhbGv-4mFiTHt5S-5P8D1zNWjbor6C-oPN2VO0DcnSgAA1P2a0B4kqGMRS6RNFU4mMhTsV3Sg/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcuJTy_0w5Aa-TRSWhR9Q9lsGTeIEDnIxZSK-ukXMtPexAZTgIqlzB26ZmOu5GRHn3oRhbGv-4mFiTHt5S-5P8D1zNWjbor6C-oPN2VO0DcnSgAA1P2a0B4kqGMRS6RNFU4mMhTsV3Sg/s320/California+and+Amps+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105805786849450530" border="0" /></a><br />I very carefully drilled through a piece of masking tape. (The tape keeps the finish from chipping--not a big deal on this guitar.) It worked well enough:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WIWI_psZS5mlCOuoyHb2EmzPmDvsy0KfymCsR9AU3au1eKWna30X3SVZ04cbhhdqkg4mg4-pd8msVhNAOU21rs2UH_b7asq0VH56Z_kalGkhLTqBnGnONv4i1DIHM1UGvBbq86MicSw/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WIWI_psZS5mlCOuoyHb2EmzPmDvsy0KfymCsR9AU3au1eKWna30X3SVZ04cbhhdqkg4mg4-pd8msVhNAOU21rs2UH_b7asq0VH56Z_kalGkhLTqBnGnONv4i1DIHM1UGvBbq86MicSw/s320/California+and+Amps+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105813298747251298" border="0" /></a><br />I pressed in the bushings w/ my fingers and then gave 'em a few good whacks w/ a rubber mallet for good measure. I'm not sure if this is the right way to go about things but it feel sturdy to me. The holes in the pick guard weren't big enough for the bushings so I routed it out to fit them. Kinda got a little wild w/ it so it's not pretty:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwzWVOtrNdRNpzZ3ov3t3IJiyCteW99sDzJab7DorO6frpzvNxB9IKOU-lIklvWOwtnmxam2tECRISkwxQZwlZIFQo7OgjGA9lK8j3D-Pl0nGg1BX8v2gYTgTR1m4Ryfs0mVlnNjbu4g/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwzWVOtrNdRNpzZ3ov3t3IJiyCteW99sDzJab7DorO6frpzvNxB9IKOU-lIklvWOwtnmxam2tECRISkwxQZwlZIFQo7OgjGA9lK8j3D-Pl0nGg1BX8v2gYTgTR1m4Ryfs0mVlnNjbu4g/s320/California+and+Amps+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105812766171306546" border="0" /></a><br />Fortunately, this is mostly covered by the bridge posts once it's fully installed. It also so happens that the tops of the bushings are just about flush w/ the pickguard.<br /><br />W/ that taken care of, I decided I might as well change out the tuners while I was at it. I had some Planet Waves auto-trimmers on there for a couple years and while I like 'em OK, I could never really get used to them. Also, I lost a piece of one of them so I had to put on of the original Gibson tuners on there, which looked kinda cool in a used and abused kinda way:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlosXc5XxPB_shEnoLbYWnxc2D3UREN8f8u0VeZcQDGnWv9oHV32ooq3c-ekC48FnAY-WjcngIkqoVfJstdWSip0AXWiqClO9nGfdPy2YbXYKrjuRGg_1-7DSy1E0lhYd-pkT-0_U5i3s/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlosXc5XxPB_shEnoLbYWnxc2D3UREN8f8u0VeZcQDGnWv9oHV32ooq3c-ekC48FnAY-WjcngIkqoVfJstdWSip0AXWiqClO9nGfdPy2YbXYKrjuRGg_1-7DSy1E0lhYd-pkT-0_U5i3s/s320/California+and+Amps+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105812770466273858" border="0" /></a><br />I liked the look of the stock Gibsons but I thought I might try something else just because so I got some Grover keystone style ones that looked the same but hopefully are a bit higher quality. These are a cinch to swap out. Unscrew the nut on top w/ a wrench and and take out the screws on the back. Do the reverse to get the new ones on. Voila!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmvRjuCn1KFEao7T1IHg225IVkqMTJZGajr3w4tcgmMAfQkyhC_vfpa6NL2XuuhN9iDxs2OeFttfDTtcg9hg4EgwqlAGZQbKpBamLioDkO3Fzgx4bMBQm6Cedepu_HnIfzIOeaCugHwQ/s1600-h/California+and+Amps+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmvRjuCn1KFEao7T1IHg225IVkqMTJZGajr3w4tcgmMAfQkyhC_vfpa6NL2XuuhN9iDxs2OeFttfDTtcg9hg4EgwqlAGZQbKpBamLioDkO3Fzgx4bMBQm6Cedepu_HnIfzIOeaCugHwQ/s320/California+and+Amps+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105812774761241170" border="0" /></a><br />And there she is, the SGeezus. I need to give it a couple days to be sure but as of now it's looking like the new bridge fixed her right up. Since I detune two and a half steps down, the intonation is a little off (always the case w/ tune-o-matic bridges) but the sound is much, much clearer now.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-61379929904571280362007-08-30T19:47:00.000-05:002007-08-30T19:58:05.026-05:00No Hot Luthiery ActionSorry folks. I've been sidetracked. Took a wonderful vacation w/ my wonderful girlfriend, rented a practice space and took another wonderful vacation w/ my wonderful friends. During the minimal amount of time I've spent working on the three piece neck project, I've realized a) it needed to be expanded to a five piece neck to be wide enough and b) I have no clue how to go about building a guitar neck and am not quite good enough to wing it.<br /><br />So....<br /><br />New project! The cheapo guitar.<br /><br />I have an alder body blank I purchased off eBay for twenty bucks so that's in. Next I'm gonna get a cheapo neck from wherever the hell I can. I have some pickups that I'm taking out of my SG pretty soon that can go in there, some cheap hardware and then I think I'm shove the guts of an old Big Muff or some such thing in there. I will use this guitar to slay peasants.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-32833638202411435112007-07-03T12:42:00.001-05:002008-05-12T14:51:50.240-05:00Baritone Body - Project Overview<span style="font-family:arial;">This is my first project. My task was to build a new body to use w/ a Warmoth baritone neck that I originally had on a MiM Fender Telecaster. The pickups are Mighty Mite p90s, which I can turn on and off w/ push/pull pots. Another push/pull pot allows me to switch the guitar into stereo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here are the posts, in chronological order:</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/04/baritone-body.html"><br />Baritone Body</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/04/most-unsmoothest-cut.html">The Most Unsmoothest Cut</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/rough-cuts-on-templates.html">Rough Cuts on the Templates</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/we-had-some-nice-weather-today-and-best.html">Some Sanding</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/neck-pocketing.html">Neck Pocketing</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/pickups.html">The Pickups</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/further-neck-pocketing.html">Further Neck Pocketing</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/routing-stage-one.html">Routing--Stage One</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/routing-stage-two.html">Routing--Stage Two</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/routing-stage-three.html">Routing--Stage Three</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/finishing-templates-finally.html">Finishing the Templates (Finally)</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/routing-stage-four_27.html">Routing--Stage Four</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/05/four-holes-in-neck.html">Four Holes in the Neck</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/neck-holes-bridge-holes-and-jack-holes.html">Neck Holes, Bridge Holes and Jack Holes Too</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/hall-of-shame_02.html">The Hall of Shame</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/stained-and-confused.html">Stained and Confused</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/less-painful-stain.html">A Less Painful Stain</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/staining-update.html">Staining Update</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/stained-not-cleared.html">Stained, Not Cleared.</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/harnessing-up-part-one.html">Harnessing Up - Part One</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/force-shields.html">Force Shields</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/harnessing-up-part-two.html">Harnessing Up - Part Two</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/06/id-be-finished-if-i-didnt-screw.html">I'd Be Finished If I Didn't Screw Everything Up</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2007/07/flood-and-fixes.html">The Flood and the Fixes</a><br /><a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2008/05/un-baritone-guitar.html">The Un-Baritone Body</a><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Overall, I count the project as a success. Definitely a first attempt but none of the errors I made make it any less fun to play and I'm assuming they have at most a minimum impact on the sound. Nevertheless, here is what I will do differently next time:</span><br /><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>Make a better template for the neck pocket. Just gotta be a little more patient. I spent plenty of time on this one but I rushed it.</li><li>Make templates for individual parts--one for the neck pocket, one for the pickup, one for the control cavity, etc.. Goes right along w/ the first one. These things take a long time to build so it will be nice to have ones for, say, p90s that aren't part of the guitar template so I don't have to be ever remaking them.</li><li>Not use the one step stain and finish. I will spend more time finding the right color of stain. The combo stain/finish was really hard to deal w/ on a guitar while the wipe-on finish applied like a dream.</li><li>Be more careful w/ the control cavity spacing. Seriously. This one was so tight it makes working on it miserable. I will also probably use thinner hookup wire. The stuff I was using was overkill and made my life even harder. The stuff didn't want to bend into place at all.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">And here is what I intend to improve in the future as I find time to make the changes (and since I'm happy w/ how it turned out and thus am willing to sink a little more money in it):</span><br /><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>Redo wiring to include a pickup selector switch. I will tell you what, those push/pull pots seemed like a nice clean design but they are pretty much impossible to switch on the fly.</li><li>New pickups. These <a href="http://www.tonerider.com/p90_main.shtml">Tonerider p90s</a> look freakin' rad. I'm pretty excited to get these ones in, actually.</li><li>Probably shim the edges of the neck pocket just to get a little better stability. (It's not a problem really but it never hurts to try an improvement.)</li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">I will, of course, keep you all updated of my progress.<br /><br />Update:<br /><br />As you may have seen in the <a href="http://logicalguitars.blogspot.com/2008/05/un-baritone-guitar.html">Un-Baritone Body</a> post, I have changed the neck to a cheaper one simply because I thought I could do better. I still may fix it up but as of now, I'm not wasting any money w/ new pickups even though I still really want to try those Toneriders.<br /></span>Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-63613952346354526802007-07-02T20:55:00.000-05:002007-07-02T21:21:38.965-05:00The Flood and the FixesExcuse my lack of posts lately. I got sidetracked due to flooding in my apartment. Some say it was an act of God. I don't know about all that but I can say whoever flooded my appartment can go fuck themselves. Here's a look at some of my tools to give you an idea of what I've been dealing w/:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGLYQtB8QeHUz3yeH_DO_22lGnUAPKSdaAccFKO50xwD6ojhGytw0wyD9pW2_-J3atIDJGTKZzjJCW4LxzYpUsgGtZUcqcNO42W3Xkva-Lbwo3dF7r_PijgaEfy98XyksjhfCM2EGdis/s1600-h/finish+and+flood+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGLYQtB8QeHUz3yeH_DO_22lGnUAPKSdaAccFKO50xwD6ojhGytw0wyD9pW2_-J3atIDJGTKZzjJCW4LxzYpUsgGtZUcqcNO42W3Xkva-Lbwo3dF7r_PijgaEfy98XyksjhfCM2EGdis/s320/finish+and+flood+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082784813535049906" border="0" /></a><br />Oh yeah--good times. I got it all squared away down here to the point where it's actually cleaner than when I started (which wasn't all that clean, admittedly) so I'm finally getting to finishing this project up.<br /><br />The first step to moving the bridge over is filling the old holes, which is pretty simple. I first drilled them out a bit w/ a hand drill and then I glued some dowels in there w/ wood glue (I just used Titebond; I'm not sure it's the best but that's what I used):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFad7cQd_l05evLUskj2zB01hPPk1iCaeDIiEB2sV0c3Tm3EW1CFphy7KC4PsyVhkRYhW76NFCUr_9nwPFEjhLSqFtimD0OAklKY6zChe_s9PG7ywccA3mA__Qopp_XIjmjdGgs4xyGiI/s1600-h/almost+done+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFad7cQd_l05evLUskj2zB01hPPk1iCaeDIiEB2sV0c3Tm3EW1CFphy7KC4PsyVhkRYhW76NFCUr_9nwPFEjhLSqFtimD0OAklKY6zChe_s9PG7ywccA3mA__Qopp_XIjmjdGgs4xyGiI/s320/almost+done+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082786419852818690" border="0" /></a><br />I trimmed of the excess w/ a pair of end cutters:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_8Gi51DEVshederNfQdyomhkSZnzQRMdQv4ZXegFa4IJ6czCC3-8Xwzhhd5FE5thZeBkbjxioGc4bBIzLascdEKaSbLexphj_0gFPsiDOAdTa-3mIlikrefOjv213pzrI2aFkXXKPX8/s1600-h/finish+and+flood+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_8Gi51DEVshederNfQdyomhkSZnzQRMdQv4ZXegFa4IJ6czCC3-8Xwzhhd5FE5thZeBkbjxioGc4bBIzLascdEKaSbLexphj_0gFPsiDOAdTa-3mIlikrefOjv213pzrI2aFkXXKPX8/s320/finish+and+flood+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082785981766154434" border="0" /></a><br />I then used a grinder bit w/ my dremel to get them down as close to flush as possible. Placing the bridge in approximately the same place as it would be going, I saw that this whole repair would be covered by the bridge so I didn't bother touching up the finish. Maybe I should have but I didn't:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4JEWMyzVcpGjsOl-gBjb5Zc6x42AVq4tbCRDEHBEo1VRlEeH5kFQQB2aa1Nx_x-ci-wAQt1yn2saYbESzhQDNlK_Fk4aHRbhjeFtwyKW9-1XhrwZY-sUDpy62jN52E0p1-DDtTfEAVI/s1600-h/finish+and+flood+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4JEWMyzVcpGjsOl-gBjb5Zc6x42AVq4tbCRDEHBEo1VRlEeH5kFQQB2aa1Nx_x-ci-wAQt1yn2saYbESzhQDNlK_Fk4aHRbhjeFtwyKW9-1XhrwZY-sUDpy62jN52E0p1-DDtTfEAVI/s320/finish+and+flood+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082785981766154450" border="0" /></a><br />At this point, I redrilled the holes using the same method I drilled them w/ the first time (piece of tape as a depth guide on a hand drill). The "careful measurement" method failed me the first time so this time I used the "eyeballin' it" method to place the bridge. Worked a lot better in this case but I'm gonna figure out how to do it the right way in the future.<br /><br />Before I put the bridge on, I took the chance to replace the screws I had the p90s in w/ ones of the proper length. It looks much better now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFkucs_dnS5bT-GPS5Oq2mDmL_ObexO_BBGdM_u2zrcBs0G_Gc5O6oCmlyXdzabpPwTWlANCDgOXwJrWlvP3F9-jzgQWuZhJ1rvhgOkXoUiUW01Co9dO0ocxo5bfDn1u8TovRGqnAki4/s1600-h/finish+and+flood+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFkucs_dnS5bT-GPS5Oq2mDmL_ObexO_BBGdM_u2zrcBs0G_Gc5O6oCmlyXdzabpPwTWlANCDgOXwJrWlvP3F9-jzgQWuZhJ1rvhgOkXoUiUW01Co9dO0ocxo5bfDn1u8TovRGqnAki4/s320/finish+and+flood+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082785986061121762" border="0" /></a><br />Then it was just a matter of screwing the bridge on, stringing it up and making some slight adjustments to saddle height and intonation to get it playing well. Looks better than ever:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbHzNMkH7H9uRblQXqR9v6uEHdmGBeKSU05U6d3OmhkhP62b9EtSiZBkf_KaqtkGTXjdiZ9e1wRK_7cXv92ACqMqRk2p_QqXDkwPo8AgGVsKnXpiyFB0SS47ReOsr9pMPxNuMnJJpH9A/s1600-h/finish+and+flood+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbHzNMkH7H9uRblQXqR9v6uEHdmGBeKSU05U6d3OmhkhP62b9EtSiZBkf_KaqtkGTXjdiZ9e1wRK_7cXv92ACqMqRk2p_QqXDkwPo8AgGVsKnXpiyFB0SS47ReOsr9pMPxNuMnJJpH9A/s320/finish+and+flood+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082786415557851378" border="0" /></a><br />Getting the bridge pickups at the right height made a huge difference in tone. This thing sounds pretty great even w/ the cheapo twenty dollar pickups so I must've done something right. In the next couple days, I'm gonna take this out in the yard and get some nicer pictures of it and also try to do some sort of summary of the whole project. Until then, I think I'm just gonna enjoy it.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-42952378122150367702007-06-25T18:24:00.000-05:002007-06-25T19:02:39.230-05:00I'd Be Finished If I Didn't Screw Everything UpWell--it's about time I start wrapping this up. I've had a good half dozen layers of poly finish on there for over a week and it seems to have been about as hard and dry as it can get for a good couple of days so it's time I start putting the thing together. At this point in the process, I'm so excited that every minor set back sends me off on screaming rampages throughout my apartment and the surrounding neighborhood. However, it is all working out slowly but surely despite various troubles.<br /><br />The first thing I had to take care of was the strap buttons. It just slipped my mind entirely to drill them before I started finishing. It was an easy enough situation to rectify. I just put some green masking tape over where I wanted to be (to minimize chipping of the finish) and drilled the holes w/ my hand drill like so:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbjqoZWLPZqOMhf1SE9mmTHMKaJkXQw9L_uRL0TDj-JIsR7m4pJVTHzSvpd2UPEHjYfMm-tmFVEviltKwgQHtMHWGM_VbhEvXrClzy2f7IDkqeIjeoRXfYT0XnhggH1Cwxa1rChKfajM/s1600-h/almost+done+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbjqoZWLPZqOMhf1SE9mmTHMKaJkXQw9L_uRL0TDj-JIsR7m4pJVTHzSvpd2UPEHjYfMm-tmFVEviltKwgQHtMHWGM_VbhEvXrClzy2f7IDkqeIjeoRXfYT0XnhggH1Cwxa1rChKfajM/s320/almost+done+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080150138099132162" border="0" /></a><br />I did get a tiny amount of tear-out but it was easily covered by the strap buttons and hardly noticeable anyway. I also had to redrill some of the holes for mounting the bridge and mounting the neck as they'd gotten a little gunked up w/ finish--no big deal.<br /><br />The controls in this were rather close together and it really caused me a hell of a lot of trouble trying to stuff it all into the control cavity. I had to resolder a couple things here in there to fit it all in. The end result works but it's ugly. I'm almost embarrassed to post a picture of it but I will because it's funny:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLL5318SMFTQNNI5T3D1TFh86XSqm5OFLJMmFK_NI8pCzOcBLoWLSA2MsRxvFfSNYKDc1Y4wIJI-Jcyimltzd_VZtrEBCpNBU20NDKi-yyuFXKE1vxip30AJTzW-vrYXaoD20c0k8Fls/s1600-h/almost+done+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLL5318SMFTQNNI5T3D1TFh86XSqm5OFLJMmFK_NI8pCzOcBLoWLSA2MsRxvFfSNYKDc1Y4wIJI-Jcyimltzd_VZtrEBCpNBU20NDKi-yyuFXKE1vxip30AJTzW-vrYXaoD20c0k8Fls/s320/almost+done+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080150142394099474" border="0" /></a><br />OK. Not that funny but you have to admit that's about as ugly as it gets as far as guitar wiring goes. Anyway, once I had that taken care of, it was a snap to put the rest of it put together, aside from a few things I noticed that I'll get to in a second.<br /><br />She looks real nice though:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaQJ1_TBh8zJgzRai0rzXowU_iSSgb5_DhHaH-IQmT5RcHjrKNXaq2u1btm61ugS4nvuOHoQcVlcIqay2VOACRXh-RMQwiHxiSgQwaOtsmUYnaHxxvTsBn0TIbjrk3q_-C_KbUciCSdU/s1600-h/almost+done+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaQJ1_TBh8zJgzRai0rzXowU_iSSgb5_DhHaH-IQmT5RcHjrKNXaq2u1btm61ugS4nvuOHoQcVlcIqay2VOACRXh-RMQwiHxiSgQwaOtsmUYnaHxxvTsBn0TIbjrk3q_-C_KbUciCSdU/s320/almost+done+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080150142394099490" border="0" /></a><br />Once I finish fixing the problems I describe below, I will take her outside and take some pictures in the yard where the sunlight is nice. Then me an my homemade guitar will sit together drinking beer and grilling burgers all afternoon--heaven on earth if you ask me.<br /><br />The first and most agrivating problem is I lost the screws to install the p90s. This is what made me have a fit. I know they're around somewhere but whether that's in my toolbox or some landfill I will never know. I gave up after an hour of looking and went to my local super depot of orange colored home tools and duct tape to buy something to stand in. Not to my surprise, they didn't have p90 mounting screws. The closed thing I could get were some number four screws but they were only an inch long and need to be more like an inch and a half. This left me w/ not much room for adjustment. Indeed, practically none. Here are the pickups at their maximum height:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78kZ2QhbV_0jv6fvPnxLheN2NMcjDjdowLH_wEbLEeFQ1v1u37kXU6bhqYDg2b0ohPafz5e5yR4acVaCY83XXh41Y4aIyaMV33919JWM8Ch7S4gu_jWulLULRQPxtzOUZ1wkgCG2IniA/s1600-h/almost+done+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78kZ2QhbV_0jv6fvPnxLheN2NMcjDjdowLH_wEbLEeFQ1v1u37kXU6bhqYDg2b0ohPafz5e5yR4acVaCY83XXh41Y4aIyaMV33919JWM8Ch7S4gu_jWulLULRQPxtzOUZ1wkgCG2IniA/s320/almost+done+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080152612000294738" border="0" /></a><br />There's also a nice shot of the goods for those who are interested what my crotch looks like. It's only a little bit too low but I really spend a lot of time adjusting pickup height and getting it just so (doing this makes a bigger difference in your overall tone than buying more expensive pickups, in my opinion) so it's a bummer not to be able to adjust them, especially since the volumes between the two aren't really well balanced at all. Plus, it just looks funny and I can't have that.<br /><br />Worse than that but somehow less aggravating is I didn't get the bridge on there quite straight. If you'll notice, there's a lot more room between the edge of the fretboard and the string on the bass side of the fretboard (left in this picture) than the treble. It disgusts me to the very core of my being (you can also see the brass Phillips head screws I used instead of the p90 screws):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr-c99pk-OmlkB2M9h4nLwwGvAcTfHWEXeX9zOt6_N7jqOy5pFEnrKtU7POnfxX2jsAJ6hc3tqKIvaWIPXjeKCorZ2HHHGbRazszQTRZ_kuTYDfIxk0w-iqpJ8CEJQ3VJgBKUtLKd67E/s1600-h/almost+done+018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr-c99pk-OmlkB2M9h4nLwwGvAcTfHWEXeX9zOt6_N7jqOy5pFEnrKtU7POnfxX2jsAJ6hc3tqKIvaWIPXjeKCorZ2HHHGbRazszQTRZ_kuTYDfIxk0w-iqpJ8CEJQ3VJgBKUtLKd67E/s320/almost+done+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080150146689066818" border="0" /></a><br />Actually, it plays just fine aside from the highest string feeling a little weird but it really irritates me to look at it so I'm going to remount the bridge so it's all straight. The setup right now is somewhat cursory but it really does sound pretty darn good--especially the neck pickup--and feels nice to play overall. In fact, I like it so much that I've changed my mind and decided to keep the baritone neck on this one and build a new body once I've finished my neck (or more likely right along side it).Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-39318028978699544962007-06-21T17:35:00.000-05:002007-08-30T19:47:25.045-05:00The Three Piece NeckEdit: This project is no more. It has morphed into a five piece neck and put on hold until I know what in the hell I'm doing.<br /><br />W/ my first body almost finished, I decided to embark upon a new project. While the first body looks pretty nice, it is definitely a first effort and really about ten or fifteen steps below the Warmoth baritone neck I'm putting on it so I decided to make a new neck to put on it. This was my first, messed up body will find a good companion w/ my first messed up neck. It's almost poetic in a way. I'm going to build a new body for the baritone neck later.<br /><br />This is gonna be a little ambitious for a first go but hopefully that just means I will learn a lot more and not that I will make a ton of mistakes and ruin perfectly good wood. I'm going for a three piece neck w/ an angled headstock. It's extra work but it will be fun. The fingerboard will probably be ebony and I think I'm gonna end up buying one pre-made for this one. It might be more interesting to try to do it myself but I'm on a budget here and I'd rather not splurge for the new tools all at once.<br /><br />So far, all of I've done is the easy part, which is spend money on wood. I went w/ padoauk and maple. The contrast between the reddish brown of the padoauk and the near white color of the maple is quite striking and I think it will make for a very handsome neck in the end. Here it is:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWlh7gzem4-DAUy5nbzc7xdT7ex_FQmKFpVxoXI0vXZakaRbsHKn-r-jAazHvQWsn4MhE5M0ns9DRrZIn43ZkiJI45cUAV6VPMAKVryL7kIPTMSRdzkwTHtzM83TdGBEg9qi8W9fksPM/s1600-h/finished+body+new+neck+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWlh7gzem4-DAUy5nbzc7xdT7ex_FQmKFpVxoXI0vXZakaRbsHKn-r-jAazHvQWsn4MhE5M0ns9DRrZIn43ZkiJI45cUAV6VPMAKVryL7kIPTMSRdzkwTHtzM83TdGBEg9qi8W9fksPM/s320/finished+body+new+neck+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078653264687064818" border="0" /></a><br />From here, I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do. I figure I gotta glue it together and then do some other stuff and more stuff after that until the thing is a guitar neck.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-19002126893993032792007-06-16T19:24:00.000-05:002007-06-18T10:09:16.766-05:00Harnessing Up - Part TwoThe multimeter is more powerful than the very hand of God when it comes to trying to figure out what in the hell is wrong w/ the wiring harness for your baritone guitar. In all other things, the very hand of God is more powerful but in this one isolated case, the multimeter wins out. Here is mine in action (or right before or right after action, I forget):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju85Ifw9avRH2xnbJwgROn4EcMKLmstyI6sV2TU0XYBeqFEt1f5jLaSAeGbexb3-0ImVzEJoAQN2tYlx0a5r0T1304s3VSvDTS2qPVPIcuryI8KS5dpCCiacDGsMaDDff9Zt79EOdti_8/s1600-h/a+couple+posts+at+once+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju85Ifw9avRH2xnbJwgROn4EcMKLmstyI6sV2TU0XYBeqFEt1f5jLaSAeGbexb3-0ImVzEJoAQN2tYlx0a5r0T1304s3VSvDTS2qPVPIcuryI8KS5dpCCiacDGsMaDDff9Zt79EOdti_8/s320/a+couple+posts+at+once+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076080776845256370" border="0" /></a><br />Basically, all I use it for is a continuity tester to figure out what circuits are being formed when the switches are in various places and for this it works quite well (I also use it to double check that I haven't burned out any pots or switches by overheating them w/ the soldering iron). It turns out the mistakes I made were pretty minor and one mistake was actually the right thing to do in disguise. I temporarily soldered some the pickups on there so I could plug it into an amp and test it. Actually plugging the thing into an amp can be a big help. Sometimes, the multimeter will just pick it up as a break in the circuit but when you have it plugged in, you will hear the sound cutting in an out so you know it's just a cold solder joint or an otherwise weak connection. I ended up fixing some of the grounding and moving some stuff around to avoid short circuits and crossed wires. It is not the prettiest wiring job I've ever done but it works and it should be small enough to fit right in:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4VlWGbAIVvfvBSv2gysXdFc5eanR-lFmAQkuWppoSlPYiZiN1On07BqQwH5RCP22YSMEzy5UrbIeQeliEzZLEbd9UCupl3F3ynvIJ1nl-0CT0dRyowrmc4L8GM6pK8FoyFWmg8NyuCc/s1600-h/a+couple+posts+at+once+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4VlWGbAIVvfvBSv2gysXdFc5eanR-lFmAQkuWppoSlPYiZiN1On07BqQwH5RCP22YSMEzy5UrbIeQeliEzZLEbd9UCupl3F3ynvIJ1nl-0CT0dRyowrmc4L8GM6pK8FoyFWmg8NyuCc/s320/a+couple+posts+at+once+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076080781140223682" border="0" /></a><br />I think this is the first time I've ever wired up a guitar w/o getting at least one burn that blisters, which is pretty amazing as absent minded as I can be when I'm frustrated. The only thing that I'm not pleased w/ is that I couldn't get the solder to stick well to the back of the pot I'm grounding everything to so I ended up just grounding all the wires together and then grounding the back of the pot to that. The rest of the stuff will hopefully be grounded by the foil shielding in the control cavity. If not, I've got some more work to do later but I will worry about that when the time comes.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-62678291507806698812007-06-14T19:26:00.000-05:002007-06-15T11:37:23.035-05:00Force ShieldsOh man, it was funny as hell when I went to RadioShack to see if they had copper shielding tape. The guy was like, "Uhhhhh... Here's some <span style="font-style: italic;">electrical </span>tape. We have copper <span style="font-style: italic;">wire</span>." Brilliant!<br /><br />I just went to the great orange land of home supplies and got some aluminum foil tape like you might use for taping together duct work. The way I see it, it's metal and therefor it must be good. I doubt I will be able to solder anything to it so we'll have to wait and see if it actually works in the end.<br /><br />The tape on the front is just regular:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2Yl9jQJ7yIjQYN_1PRnWLPovycdSqPdB3rOjhXI6ZJkcGFzq8-XIfa4-sj5obSkB0kVOEiI4O18ebWWf2ff-EOXjhl_TDRl8F9hXMeURCasnZEiWn7iTHHqXeUi47b7G87pfG_t6loA/s1600-h/a+couple+posts+at+once+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2Yl9jQJ7yIjQYN_1PRnWLPovycdSqPdB3rOjhXI6ZJkcGFzq8-XIfa4-sj5obSkB0kVOEiI4O18ebWWf2ff-EOXjhl_TDRl8F9hXMeURCasnZEiWn7iTHHqXeUi47b7G87pfG_t6loA/s320/a+couple+posts+at+once+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076081343780939474" border="0" /></a>But the back glows like an orb due to the radiation treatment I gave it in my secret lab:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYZtQ-dVMZRCcePLVCSsFBcoBEq188164IOuAR876N5Pu2EOrPfUFzn_0ImjyUcPrQSc-CIost6nDgL1daHSH6rTrVf9a5ZNLe50f_OuWhQaeo-_GneZlk62lwjry3KZWIJg2cwjbvZU/s1600-h/a+couple+posts+at+once+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYZtQ-dVMZRCcePLVCSsFBcoBEq188164IOuAR876N5Pu2EOrPfUFzn_0ImjyUcPrQSc-CIost6nDgL1daHSH6rTrVf9a5ZNLe50f_OuWhQaeo-_GneZlk62lwjry3KZWIJg2cwjbvZU/s320/a+couple+posts+at+once+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076081343780939490" border="0" /></a><br />I used the cheapest stuff they had which was really thin so there's a couple layers. I'm probably gonna try to finagle some sort of way to attach wires to them so the stuff in the pickup cavities especially might actually do something other than look pretty. I'm also gonna poke some holes in it so I can, you know, assemble the guitar and stuff.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-78009518810780457052007-06-12T14:50:00.001-05:002007-06-18T10:22:29.502-05:00Harnessing Up - Part OneThe wait in between coats gets me a good chance to wire up the harness for all the electronics in there. I'm not sure what everything does but I can tell you I've figured out one or two effective ways of directing small electrical pulses from the guitar pickup, through some controls and into a cable which I've hopefully managed to connect to an amplifier (not always the case though). Of course, this time I decided to do something strange to ensure I'd have a host of problems w/ this simple task. For starters, I'm making this a stereo guitar, which means that you can send each pickup to a separate amp. Some people do this using a stereo jack but I, being a crazy fellow, decided to put to go w/ two mono-jacks so I wouldn't have to worry about having stereo cables and a way to split the signal from them. Stereo mode is switchable so I can run it like a normal guitar and flip a switch to split the pickups between the two outputs. Also, instead of having an ordinary pickup selector, I'm making this so I can turn either pickup on or off w/ a switch. Each pickup has it's own volume and tone control and the switching is all done by push/pull pots, keeping the control layout clean and simple despite the advanced and amazing technology behind it all.<br /><br />The first step of wiring all this stuff up is labeling all the pieces and laying it out in something like the order it's gonna be in when I'm done:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIq4l_VgBQcaHRrLuqVg5z2EfhArYeX8ueLWQjqjHTZBKRecNVDzMx4Br44FDbGVYFvXMXlh42d8KiqneGjzeU3jTlkD0TDHCK7twpnWsoc82fOZy261lvp2wU9Di7M8FiYfKvmmd_sA/s1600-h/11123finish+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIq4l_VgBQcaHRrLuqVg5z2EfhArYeX8ueLWQjqjHTZBKRecNVDzMx4Br44FDbGVYFvXMXlh42d8KiqneGjzeU3jTlkD0TDHCK7twpnWsoc82fOZy261lvp2wU9Di7M8FiYfKvmmd_sA/s320/11123finish+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075268323651675794" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of those things that people tell you to do and but you don't at first because you think it's a load of crap but it really does make things go a bit smoother. I label all the pots w/ a marker so I know what does what and put a little piece of tape on the back of the control cavity cover that tells me what color of wire is for what so I can remember if I ever have to open the guitar up to fix it or change the pickups (and I will). I also try to strip enough pieces of wire so I don't have to stop soldering every four seconds to strip another piece of wire. Of course, even if I spent several hours beforehand stripping wires, I'd still be about ten pieces short as the need for more wires tends to increase as you strip more of them. (This is actually explained by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle but I don't have time to be getting into Schroedinger's Cat and so forth and it doesn't make any sense anyway.) It's also a good idea to clean all contacts w/ some steel wool even though steel wool feels really weird on the fingers and you hate it.<br /><br />While I was doing all this, I found time to make some pizza, which I then ate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrGsUoYAS0yudfsNi2YAOxr9VHc4Ep2sgI4_8Wp4A7SaGNZkqvfVi-HfSw8pI_0_1eZ7E7us_E_2vvpggXnNe1hZAUejYhv_dFhpYlUlhzis2cbirrnpl5KPCYC8gHYFG2M1O9bkWIOU/s1600-h/11123finish+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrGsUoYAS0yudfsNi2YAOxr9VHc4Ep2sgI4_8Wp4A7SaGNZkqvfVi-HfSw8pI_0_1eZ7E7us_E_2vvpggXnNe1hZAUejYhv_dFhpYlUlhzis2cbirrnpl5KPCYC8gHYFG2M1O9bkWIOU/s320/11123finish+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075268319356708482" border="0" /></a><br />Fully delicious. There's nothing that gets me more in the soldering mindset than pizza so I got ready and had at it. Remember folks, hot solder can splatter and cause severe bodily harm, especially to the eyeballs so, as always, safety first!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GPUKwWSKNd_-CVZQFsAWKQAUYhH6joUJD-OXu9JWyl4YJLTdcYfj6-AxsB_YZXZGevBmv14Wv9NpTtSpHl-1EG7SdU5LEUEoTQrFWaT3Ix1JQFUZxnGBCzNK1e4B74RBe1GB6XllQW4/s1600-h/11123finish+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GPUKwWSKNd_-CVZQFsAWKQAUYhH6joUJD-OXu9JWyl4YJLTdcYfj6-AxsB_YZXZGevBmv14Wv9NpTtSpHl-1EG7SdU5LEUEoTQrFWaT3Ix1JQFUZxnGBCzNK1e4B74RBe1GB6XllQW4/s320/11123finish+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075268315061741170" border="0" /></a><br />W/o eye protection it would have been really stupid to be waving the soldering iron like this and there's no way I would have lost less than one eyeball. Instead, I survived to solder for a half hour or so before I realized I messed up my design big time. And I think the reason why is obvious from this picture:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP23akrvuRzbnjrNQQFofw7pUwB23TuOfF_XhWsFMHF8hjUs-HCjsyFXnOilgU2gQoas4DssI9a3oM1rQVzLr3P2Lda3aQrOe59wIcOj-M7Xh2bFLFJ3gYpVnfnMSUJSLZwPY7mOjUZQ/s1600-h/11123finish+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP23akrvuRzbnjrNQQFofw7pUwB23TuOfF_XhWsFMHF8hjUs-HCjsyFXnOilgU2gQoas4DssI9a3oM1rQVzLr3P2Lda3aQrOe59wIcOj-M7Xh2bFLFJ3gYpVnfnMSUJSLZwPY7mOjUZQ/s320/11123finish+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075268323651675810" border="0" /></a><br />OK. Well--I doubt you can tell a single thing from that mess. Basically, I wired it in such a way that if I had both pickups turned off, the amp would hum as if the cable's not plugged into anything, which is no good in high-volume situations. Anyway, I've had enough for now. I'm gonna have at this son of a bitch w/ a multi-meter and a keen sense of logic in the next couple days. Until then, I will just have to be satisfied w/ nothing since it doesn't work.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-57488740766296802282007-06-12T11:04:00.001-05:002007-06-12T11:36:01.979-05:00Stained, Not Cleared.I have finally reached the combination of sick and tired of applying more coats of stain and pleased enough w/ how it looks finally that I'm going to start clear coating this sorry son of a bitch. As it is now, it needs a little work w/ some fine steel wool and maybe some sandpaper but it's good enough for me. The pictures look a little more purple here than in real life but I think this gives you a pretty good feel for the final color.<br /><br />The front:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8OIHVFNJjBKfDUYQWNfc5zJhW7v_JXJ8ZKz_2_WQZsvsSa1J3quzcV-pXlgRfmylF7EITpKUCIgFfb0M7w8QD34STi2tQ5jalCFbci8MKI37zgLpWaRKz_LjRIcu0S7PEyimSlRjQ60/s1600-h/1123finish+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8OIHVFNJjBKfDUYQWNfc5zJhW7v_JXJ8ZKz_2_WQZsvsSa1J3quzcV-pXlgRfmylF7EITpKUCIgFfb0M7w8QD34STi2tQ5jalCFbci8MKI37zgLpWaRKz_LjRIcu0S7PEyimSlRjQ60/s320/1123finish+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075209924981352018" border="0" /></a>The back:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMwKB679uMmj6JnpWKY7hJKpswVEpXlQ3h2F2-VISI5ZYivRjsIgjrawXIFlyaDE_UJhopGAsPX2tvdQ3sAcOndeXQC6OQqcLZH77zNjz0xZQzEqlNt6ryIm5mlECD7_9dBsVn-k9vFw/s1600-h/1123finish+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMwKB679uMmj6JnpWKY7hJKpswVEpXlQ3h2F2-VISI5ZYivRjsIgjrawXIFlyaDE_UJhopGAsPX2tvdQ3sAcOndeXQC6OQqcLZH77zNjz0xZQzEqlNt6ryIm5mlECD7_9dBsVn-k9vFw/s320/1123finish+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075209929276319330" border="0" /></a><br />And that's all there is too it. I'm gonna put three or a half dozen coats of clear on it to get it nice and shiny, let it cure for a while and slap the thing together as soon as I can. The clear is mostly just to protect to wood but there's been enough scratches and other errors produced by my poor handling of the finishing process that it's really more to practice applying it than anything. It makes it look nice and shiny too, which makes my food taste better when I eat off of it.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-5958902214029875752007-06-09T16:05:00.000-05:002007-06-09T16:09:07.249-05:00Staining UpdateIt's all been coming along quite well but there's really no new pictures or techniques being used to merit a full post. I've just been repeating the sand, clean and stain process and it's gradually getting to the point where I can live w/ it. The color is quite nice but I think getting it completely even is a pipe dream. I'm not worried. I kinda like it that way.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-28565484037499561932007-06-07T11:13:00.000-05:002007-06-07T11:26:41.526-05:00A Less Painful StainI cleaned up the streaky mess I made on my guitar a couple days ago using 100 grit sandpaper and then worked my way back up to sanding it w/ 400 grit. I wiped off the dust w/ mineral spirits and it's looking quite a lot better now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIj_DHEDiNPOihITz6-YQ3yE6FsSA4tJqA1wAv6aNTL-iMG8M-bnfmnwlI8L7knIrM8YLqSRbG6KDGGpBn2O880eZtpK_c4jM6ASNesb4Zbw07uXAVo303EgFb6WuqkFE9H_Na4fiY9U/s1600-h/123finish+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIj_DHEDiNPOihITz6-YQ3yE6FsSA4tJqA1wAv6aNTL-iMG8M-bnfmnwlI8L7knIrM8YLqSRbG6KDGGpBn2O880eZtpK_c4jM6ASNesb4Zbw07uXAVo303EgFb6WuqkFE9H_Na4fiY9U/s320/123finish+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073356805506917922" border="0" /></a><br />The hanging thing obviously wasn't working for me so I'm just setting it down and doing one side at a time. Oddly enough, the back looks better this time around:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXd-nYIVkXR-aAARzfJsB8j3p6JDtJ-ZFXhE-L_hnAYUij7kX0v0l2lr5GhNscPFFok5LWajh2IaQZ9HnIenv8aoIHWjAV1iXyscB9mmlwnzU_bApOk1VrkdUGTR4wWgnb9hW_2e-1FyM/s1600-h/123finish+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXd-nYIVkXR-aAARzfJsB8j3p6JDtJ-ZFXhE-L_hnAYUij7kX0v0l2lr5GhNscPFFok5LWajh2IaQZ9HnIenv8aoIHWjAV1iXyscB9mmlwnzU_bApOk1VrkdUGTR4wWgnb9hW_2e-1FyM/s320/123finish+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073356809801885234" border="0" /></a><br />The front doesn't look half bad though:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEMZhXJkyHb7Zcwjc9_lMFGhJ1XbBO6wxmbuenY2e5OxAEBfUt4Zbg9oKvPfXsjJ1_jxo6voBVKuhNH33hVLLK0xAQOTwgcdxW3IZtaCOXs7wWv61EuyI-ymqe9SsPFcrMHwN6xoDOP8/s1600-h/123finish+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEMZhXJkyHb7Zcwjc9_lMFGhJ1XbBO6wxmbuenY2e5OxAEBfUt4Zbg9oKvPfXsjJ1_jxo6voBVKuhNH33hVLLK0xAQOTwgcdxW3IZtaCOXs7wWv61EuyI-ymqe9SsPFcrMHwN6xoDOP8/s320/123finish+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073356814096852546" border="0" /></a><br />My strategy at this point is to keep adding layers until most of my mistakes aren't too noticable. For now, in between layers, I am evening things out w/ 4oo grit sandpaper on a block but I'm going to switch to 0000 steel wool once I get things a little better. Once that's done w/, I'm gonna give it a couple or a half-dozen coats of the wipe on poly to get it nice and shiny and then I'm thinking I might go w/ a wax coat on top of it.<br /><br />Next time, I am going to use a regular stain and then just finish it w/ the wipe on poly if I don't spray it. The combination stain/finish has really proven to be a pain. Regular stain and the wipe on finish are both easy to get on in thin and even coats but the combination seems to like to glop up a little. If I were finishing a railing, I wouldn't worry about it but hopefully, this will be a bit more musical in the end. Oh well--I suppose that's how you learn.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-39187023661230986252007-06-05T18:26:00.000-05:002007-06-07T11:29:46.852-05:00Stained and ConfusedFinishing guitars is an artform in and of itself and a task to master on its own w/o having to worry about all the other aspects of guitar building. As w/ the rest of this project thus far, I'm pretty much jumping in head first and seeing what happens. In an uncharacteristic burst of forethought though, I did test several finishes out on scrap before hand to see what looked best:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnukCiYvCU5DAHDW3MM3BcFu7aMhPhXjxEwFh9JsNyyXeCtfBazeuX96zx_L-n6znVrZLdhZanj5IBvIESdcHiffCmm_YNQsHKlIGyv9ErCjV1LEe_7Nx4Ro_VE5cxbZLZxfTcTFhJAU/s1600-h/stain+test1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnukCiYvCU5DAHDW3MM3BcFu7aMhPhXjxEwFh9JsNyyXeCtfBazeuX96zx_L-n6znVrZLdhZanj5IBvIESdcHiffCmm_YNQsHKlIGyv9ErCjV1LEe_7Nx4Ro_VE5cxbZLZxfTcTFhJAU/s320/stain+test1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072726514761262514" border="0" /></a><br />The one I went w/ is in the very upper right. It is a MinwaxPolyshade finish coated w/ another couple of coats of a Minwax wipe-on gloss poly finish. The color is called Bombay mahogany and it really does look fantastic. It's not a perfectly smooth, mirror-like finish like you normally see on guitars because I did nothing to fill the grain but it has a beautiful hand-rubbed luster that gives it a real quality but still homemade kind of look.<br /><br />The rig I'm using here (which is at the home of <a href="http://www.rineboyer.net/">one of the most famous artists in Chicago</a>) is just a bunch of coat hangers through the neck holes on a wooden bar I put across a couple odds and ends:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfR6arjPjKN8JBCQ_5SCX_JsmhLGp61x0zgmBAo3wduHjsYjg9NmKopS74f5_dKTWXhi8yp4MVpmUR1Z1GLV7jMqYklPFI_psIRwoUWtGScMk0dateMzTsG3DD2YohYzET3IoIVb63xIs/s1600-h/stained+and+confused+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfR6arjPjKN8JBCQ_5SCX_JsmhLGp61x0zgmBAo3wduHjsYjg9NmKopS74f5_dKTWXhi8yp4MVpmUR1Z1GLV7jMqYklPFI_psIRwoUWtGScMk0dateMzTsG3DD2YohYzET3IoIVb63xIs/s320/stained+and+confused+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072726514761262530" border="0" /></a><br />I had it hanging because every picture I've seen of people finishing guitars has it hanging. Unfortunately, the difference between when they did and what I'm trying to do is they're spraying and I'm brushing. Consequently, the body kind of swung around as I tried to put the finish on and I'd have to steady it as best I could by holding onto the coat hangers up top w/ my free hand (which didn't work very well):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYMQSR_XMC52tCdBAU_CBW5Z9NjJJIOWtWEDKVJN6WgEOIDQY4cl5oK7g8I_hLM34lQbZV29DUDjah_mw-ZmibyxcV_VIAsrgdvmCej5hXBabietVcmaxmD7OmxU2zS3Jxj341s6rphM/s1600-h/stained+and+confused+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYMQSR_XMC52tCdBAU_CBW5Z9NjJJIOWtWEDKVJN6WgEOIDQY4cl5oK7g8I_hLM34lQbZV29DUDjah_mw-ZmibyxcV_VIAsrgdvmCej5hXBabietVcmaxmD7OmxU2zS3Jxj341s6rphM/s320/stained+and+confused+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072726519056229842" border="0" /></a><br />This stuff is a combo stain/finish and before I applied it, I sanded it down to 400 grit, cleaned it w/ mineral spirits to get all the dust off and applied some pre-stain conditioner which is supposed to help the stain absorb more evenly. It worked OK on the front (and I do still really like the color):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8z8heBBCfLBWwhdAds-eA_Wie4i2HbU0j-79je0h3mrTanDl6zPOdfDynGfsw0pKsVINfxdKAdZyPXyzo26DBv0Oc0oPkgBPyfAtpB9GiK6m4Lx4RfA3AlBk19yRvZ9cJiVG8H0kE1c/s1600-h/stained+and+confused+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8z8heBBCfLBWwhdAds-eA_Wie4i2HbU0j-79je0h3mrTanDl6zPOdfDynGfsw0pKsVINfxdKAdZyPXyzo26DBv0Oc0oPkgBPyfAtpB9GiK6m4Lx4RfA3AlBk19yRvZ9cJiVG8H0kE1c/s320/stained+and+confused+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072729894900524546" border="0" /></a><br />But the back is streaky as a all get out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU6TNnlnfJCw02VwcAjqSSTYekLf36iCUCF7Dt1LqFMphMJjsmFTalgaQ0ETabOXFLZPI812cVbaAaoD4lJOv6d0ImyPg1jah7q_m4vdFdGQUeZnVn3Hj6vQk54jYYAHYIMZHbmHvZGc/s1600-h/stained+and+confused+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU6TNnlnfJCw02VwcAjqSSTYekLf36iCUCF7Dt1LqFMphMJjsmFTalgaQ0ETabOXFLZPI812cVbaAaoD4lJOv6d0ImyPg1jah7q_m4vdFdGQUeZnVn3Hj6vQk54jYYAHYIMZHbmHvZGc/s320/stained+and+confused+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072729894900524562" border="0" /></a><br />I ended up deciding to sand it down and I'm going to have to redo it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACHzTCoib17TBKSsTMAXxFQz_j9yfCfZDAjvkhGOcgMFx80Ab2VAbz2OunSQTn0uHBVvCPcptwuEQ8cGHbZfVNywsLqmzuv2eXzh549OJhnmq-S14w_d9I-etUsAGRUEOlWgGhxazyxY/s1600-h/stained+and+confused+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACHzTCoib17TBKSsTMAXxFQz_j9yfCfZDAjvkhGOcgMFx80Ab2VAbz2OunSQTn0uHBVvCPcptwuEQ8cGHbZfVNywsLqmzuv2eXzh549OJhnmq-S14w_d9I-etUsAGRUEOlWgGhxazyxY/s320/stained+and+confused+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072726643610281458" border="0" /></a><br />I think that ultimately, I'm just gonna end up making the back and the sides somewhat darker than the front. I think it will look pretty good regardless. I'm going to try to blend it into sort of a ghetto sunburst w/ the front. I'm sure there will be worse looking guitars in the world.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491735678771155757.post-64332345556755642562007-06-02T17:11:00.000-05:002007-06-07T11:30:57.132-05:00The Hall of ShameYeah. The rumors are true. This is the first guitar body I've built and the first real woodworking I've done in my life so I fucked a thing or two up. Nobody's perfect. What can you do? Well--I'm gonna outline the mistakes I've made in the hopes that doing so will pound them into my head to such an extent that I do not make them again.<br /><br />The thing that pisses me off the most is I did a round over along the edges of the little nub that sticks out for the neck pocket. I wish I had taken a picture but what happens is that the edges of the metal plate that goes on the back stuck over the edges of the round over just a little bit. I suppose the issue is mostly cosmetic since the joint still seemed sturdy but irritates me just because it wasn't caused by my lack of skill but simply from lack of thought. I probably didn't need to do anything but just for the sake of learning how, I filled it in w/ putty. The stuff I used is called Plastic Wood and fit the bill nicely in my case because it's both drillable and stainable (though it's pretty much impossible to get any kind of filler to match the wood). First I had to build it up w/ a putty knife (in layers so it dried right):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfnNVAXlr4RG6Fy5cNGs_avambNCfkE3PQLCmqhpdYmo8oN5HjNO9I9mHdJC8Pgxo2e2FMuRoyV-7llPV1oEM2R0dpdM2tDwpmuaId5nsVw3l9t7ZqgqvAjqnSK96CCTj4JP68sh7IFc/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfnNVAXlr4RG6Fy5cNGs_avambNCfkE3PQLCmqhpdYmo8oN5HjNO9I9mHdJC8Pgxo2e2FMuRoyV-7llPV1oEM2R0dpdM2tDwpmuaId5nsVw3l9t7ZqgqvAjqnSK96CCTj4JP68sh7IFc/s320/hall+of+shame+1003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593518395436306" border="0" /></a><br />Then I sanded and shaped it with my random orbital sander and just sanding by hand (you can also see another little fill in the lower right):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBnZUcJImMdj_IRYbJfq-ZNAwFfmZOJISyqeY3IrQ4wMVc3J0Uo74EYpvDYyAB098XXLnnxLkqxAQ8WqEMf6gEMHErRquh4RqMVfq6CibVG-8sTJmyXqhCtbpxc3a0D_gLfZhsAOwpqs/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBnZUcJImMdj_IRYbJfq-ZNAwFfmZOJISyqeY3IrQ4wMVc3J0Uo74EYpvDYyAB098XXLnnxLkqxAQ8WqEMf6gEMHErRquh4RqMVfq6CibVG-8sTJmyXqhCtbpxc3a0D_gLfZhsAOwpqs/s320/hall+of+shame+1006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593793273343298" border="0" /></a><br />I redrilled the hole in the upper left after this picture was taken. There were also some minor tear outs from the router that I filled in while I was at it. In the picture below, you can also see the filled-in gouge I made by carelessly lifting the router off the template before the bit stopped spinning. A moment of distraction can really cause a lot of grief in the end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RT4A11sVxg2ElZ1_InI-9ccG12wLh7_Y-c-lWkNFcz4gmFCYDc4TfNEVQ3oe7lCCid4CR7LUFfuDamF8KalPXOQJAAeNMYKwGPKkxDotTMN8KtSducPGMzZOGnsZEe1Zb7opfOSTlXs/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RT4A11sVxg2ElZ1_InI-9ccG12wLh7_Y-c-lWkNFcz4gmFCYDc4TfNEVQ3oe7lCCid4CR7LUFfuDamF8KalPXOQJAAeNMYKwGPKkxDotTMN8KtSducPGMzZOGnsZEe1Zb7opfOSTlXs/s320/hall+of+shame+1004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593784683408674" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't get the control cavity quite right so I ended up having to build up some little nubs w/ the Plastic Wood so I could drill little holes for the screws that hold the cover on. I'm not really worried abut these being too strong. Basically, I just want them to hold the screws in for the sake of appearance. I figure the two screws that can go into the actual wood will be plenty to hold the cover on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlbbNIOxNuZoraP8G1YOVjNtnH7aO_XugjGBx5vHH2A_QVLVqJ69MDCRV5OPcxxLhbpeXOV4qcYxisIx-J0llDNv6X2_ZKeNh1dSr2p7hnpjK1LHFPTOK9kPRhN2mL9PDSlqQcdjMc3w/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlbbNIOxNuZoraP8G1YOVjNtnH7aO_XugjGBx5vHH2A_QVLVqJ69MDCRV5OPcxxLhbpeXOV4qcYxisIx-J0llDNv6X2_ZKeNh1dSr2p7hnpjK1LHFPTOK9kPRhN2mL9PDSlqQcdjMc3w/s320/hall+of+shame+1007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593793273343314" border="0" /></a><br />These ones are small but they still tick me off because they were caused by carelessness. You can barely see them in the picture but there are a couple small fills there. One is by the pickup cavity and was cause by me marring it w/ the chuck of the drill when I was drilling the hole to the control cavity (which reminds me, I still haven't drilled a hole for the bridge ground). There are also two little crescent shaped ones on the bottom of the guitar which were caused by me not putting anything in between the guitar body and a clamp at some point in the building process.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cc-QP2bwB9WGUUuNbQBOO7KJBRSmz-zZpWpsZf_EQ_o89oAwivC9dEo2jOQwy2hyfBAqm8hOL9iGHOcFDYLT3MF4V27L8YMBgd8YHHXOW0m6QSdLQxh9bVuez9uubgNiTAJm4rluM6k/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cc-QP2bwB9WGUUuNbQBOO7KJBRSmz-zZpWpsZf_EQ_o89oAwivC9dEo2jOQwy2hyfBAqm8hOL9iGHOcFDYLT3MF4V27L8YMBgd8YHHXOW0m6QSdLQxh9bVuez9uubgNiTAJm4rluM6k/s320/hall+of+shame+1005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593788978375986" border="0" /></a><br />There's also a couple tearouts just caused by my inexperience w/ the router. I'm not too mad about these--you gotta learn somehow--but they are still ugly no matter how you count it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkoPdZBlW8QBrfYo3uKwM4hbpw8C2-uz6U4bsV9KjWfVbLu0HP6zNL6vVKfhGc8fgDxGwwN0OiM1XAECh3ntS2JAH-69GSMrBmXEDGlpG3npQhNNJSM8zmHoNLj42lZIyCAwhv199jbs/s1600-h/hall+of+shame+1008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkoPdZBlW8QBrfYo3uKwM4hbpw8C2-uz6U4bsV9KjWfVbLu0HP6zNL6vVKfhGc8fgDxGwwN0OiM1XAECh3ntS2JAH-69GSMrBmXEDGlpG3npQhNNJSM8zmHoNLj42lZIyCAwhv199jbs/s320/hall+of+shame+1008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071593797568310626" border="0" /></a><br />I'm using a dark stain on this and so far it looks like the fills are going to be fairly well covered up (though the finishing processes is proving to be problematical in its own right--more on that soon). Still, I have a lot of work to do if I want to start doing more natural finishes and I don't want it to look like crap.Logical Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355031459029466103noreply@blogger.com0