Robbo's MB-1 build

[Rockfactor]

Yeah Kick, black headstock It looks pretty cool in real life too.

I am after some decal advice from those in the know.

I have ordered a waterslide decal sheet (5 actually so I can mess 4 up) which I plan to print my avatar on.

If you look carefully, there is a fine white glow type of thing going on around the edge of the writing. I have two versions of the logo, one with black background and one with a transparent background.

The decal sheet is clear and you can't print white, so should I paint a block of white on the headstock where I intend to place the decal or will it not really make too much difference? If I do I'll use the black background but my concern is if the colours don't match particularly well it may be noticeable.

Should I not worry about it and just go with the transparent background straight onto the black headstock?

Will a white block of colour help the logo pop a bit more or will it not make much of a difference? If it takes a few goes to get it right I'm really not too worried but someone with experience may be able to save me some mucking around.

It's all a bit hard to explain so hopefully you get the gist of it all.

Thanks, Robbo

[stan]

Hey Robbo - just a hint with waterslide: if you have printed them yourself, spray some clear over before placing into the water - it help prevent some inks from running when it goes into the water...

As for the white bits - if you paint the headstock to enhance the white effect - you will get white in the centre of your letters unless they are blacked out or you are very careful with the white outline.
Also you will need it to be perfectly flat or it will show as a bump under the decal

Your logo is cool and i don't think you will miss the white drop shadow, but it's your axe, you have to get it how you want it

[Rockfactor]

Thanks Stan.

I'll give the white a miss and give the clear coat a go.

Robbo

[Rockfactor]

Anyone taken the cover off a stock humbucker?

I have a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom I plan to use in the bridge, but it has no cover and is black, which obviously won't match a standard HB in the neck position.

Way I see it is i have four options

1. One black and one chrome pickup (last option)

2. Remove the cover from the stock HB if they look OK

3. Get a chrome cover for the Seymour Duncan (covers are relatively dear for a genuine one)

4. Paint the chrome cover black

Hopefully someone has removed a cover from a stock HB and has a pic.

Thanks, Robbo

edit: found a tutorial from WierdBits on a 4 conductor mod that showed me the answer, so hopefully not too much has changed in 3 years

[pablopepper]

Option 5 - I could send you an uncovered stock humbucker. I have a few of them lying around. PM me your address.

[Rockfactor]

^^^ legend, thanks mate, PM sent.

Robbo

[Simon Barden]

You can't just solder a cover on or you'll get bad microphonics. You'll need to get some wax in there as well so that it at least fills the space between the top of the pickup and the underside of the cover. Now you can dip the whole of the pickup in wax once the cover's on, or you can melt as much wax as you can in the upside-down cover (a hair-dryer on a hot setting should do this) and press the pickup into the cover and continue heating for a while to allow the wax to re-melt (some of it will have solidified when the cold pickup hit it), then let it cool before soldering the cover on (after scraping off any wax that may have got in the joints. You only need a small blob on either side of the pickup to ensure electrical ground conductivity with the cover and to help hold it on.

If you screw the adjustable pole pieces right down to start with, then sticking some tape on the outside of the cover first stops the wax running out without the tape being pushed off by the screws.

I'd use a fine wax like beeswax (I got some from eBay from a candle-making supplier) rather than melt a normal candle. Never apply more than just enough heat to melt the wax to avoid damaging the rest of the pickup. It's tricky to know how much is enough and if you have a powerful hairdryer, then you may not need the hottest setting.

[Rockfactor]

Thanks Simon. I'll prob put in another pickup with the cover removed.

[Rockfactor]

Check this out. Best decal ever (if you can even see it, is is there)



Disappointing as I emailed the decal seller and asked for their recommendation on decal stock for a guitar headstock.

I'm presuming they assumed it was a timber coloured headstock, not black.

Robbo.

[wazkelly]

Hi Robbo, if you want to do it again I suggest you sand that off and then use MS Excel to drop your logo into an enlarged 'black' cell so that when you print the sheet it will have the black background and be big enough to cover the whole headstock. Once dry just trim the decal off at edge of the headstock. If you use satin clear to seal the transfer and then a couple more coats on top it should remain satin and not turn out glossy.

Cheers, Waz

Edit: I reckon this method will also bring out more of your logo colours too. Laser printers work better but inkjet is passable.