13 6 (he asks on behalf of everyone else who will be wondering the same thing)? I get the VI, but not the XIII.
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13 6 (he asks on behalf of everyone else who will be wondering the same thing)? I get the VI, but not the XIII.
Hah, well, 13 is one of those numbers that keeps coming up in my life (anniversary, son's birthday, and more). So it's become something of a lucky number. So when I was trying to think what to call this one... I thought some other roman numeral would be cool, since I definitely wanted the "VI". I then realised it was my 13th guitar currently. So it was a no-brainer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Thank you.
I discovered something interesting. The post holes for the TOM bridge are the same width apart as the posts on my Squier Bass VI bridge (I have a StayTrem on my Bass VI, so the original bridge for it is spare).
The only problem with just using it is that the holes are far too deep, so there is no way to adjust the height.
As I see it, I have 2 options:
1. use washers or something to lift the height generally, then make finer height adjustments with the saddle adjustment screws
2. find "something" to put in the holes to make them more shallow. Either short grub screws the right size to actually screw down into the post holes, or just something that will "fit" but stay steady inside the hole for the offset bridge posts to sit on.
The reason I would even consider this effort is that I really don't like TOM bridges, especially on offsets... plus... having something with saddles with individual height adjustment might be invaluable to getting it to play nicely. Also, the saddles slots are already set up for Bass VI strings.
All this will be academic if I can't get the E string to work with the incredibly short distance between nut and tuner.
There is someone on a Bass VI facebook group that apparently has one of these set up as a Bass VI totally stock (except for he routed and changed the pickup spacing and added a custom pick guard). This gives me hope, but I just don't know how, heh.
I know it looks super weird with no pick guards or electronics...
But even with only like 15 minutes spent on adjustments, it plays pretty dang nice already!!
I didn't even have to use the smaller .084 strings... I went straight to the Fender .100's.
heh, it's pretty hard to turn the low E tuner, so I might need to invest in some better quality tuners. Maybe even something locking.
I can't wait to get the electronics soldered up and see what this is capable of.
It's looking very likely that this will be worth spending some money on the pickups and electronics.
Attachment 41387
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OK, so actual question time:
With the copper shielding, I have seen some where it's just on the pick guard, and some where it's all through the cavities as well.
Is that needed? I don't think I got anywhere enough copper with the kit when I ordered it (I ticked the add on) to do the cavities...
I think it depends a lot on what pickups you go with. I tend to play it safe and shield everything. A role of copper tape is not that expensive (I also use it when welding stainless). It's pretty easy to find on uncle ebay. As I understand it, aluminium tape is just as effective.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommycarlos
To shield, you need to shield everything fully, so you create a 'Faraday cage' with the smallest gaps in it possible. The shielding all needs to be grounded, or it has almost no affect. Copper on the underside of the pickguard will be grounded by contact with the grounded pots. Run the copper up over the edges of the control/pickup cavities so that it comes into contact with the copper on the underside of the pickguard to ground it.
Whilst you can use copper or aluminium, it's best not to mix the two if possible, as dissimilar metals can corrode each other if they get damp. You won't be dipping the guitar in water, but sweat and humidity could creep in over time and start to eat away at the shielding.
As Colin said, copper tape is cheap and easy to buy.
I'm wondering if you have any of the thick winding of the bottom E string going on to the post (that would definitely make it hard to wind) or whether it's just the thickness of the central core that's doing that. The 0.084"s would be easier to use.
It's not the quality of the tuners that's an issue, as they are pretty decent tuners that come with the kit, but to make it easier, you'd need tuners with a higher gear ratio. You can check the ration on yours, but on a kit tuner I have, it takes 15 turns of the peg to rotate the post once. 15:1 is already pretty good. To make turning the tuner easier, you'd need to go up to 18:1 tuners (16:1 isn't going to be enough of a step to make a difference). You can get 18:1 tuners, but most aren't cheap. You'd get a 20% increase in mechanical advantage using them.
You could probably still get the locking Grover 406Cs at low cost from Pitbull as you've bought the kit, but I'm not sure how well the locking mechanism would grip the thicker bass string cores, especially the low E. The locking pin in the middle of the post is supposed to deform the string into a 'U' shape. If the central core of the string is much thicker than a standard low E, then I don't know how much the pin could deform the string by, and it may slip.
A wider tuning peg would also help, as you get more leverage, but the six-in-line style tuner holes normally haven't got the spacing for larger 3+3 style tuning pegs (you can normally find replacement tuning pegs in different shapes, so you don't have to make up a 6-in-line set from two 3+3 sets). But you could measure the spacing and see if wider tuner pegs would fit.
What about shielding paint for the cavities, then copper for the pick guard? Does that combo work?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Yeah, there is for sure a little of the thickest part of the winding on the peg.
The other strings are fine, but that E...
Attachment 41391
The problem with the .084s is that one of the first changes you really need to make on a Squier Bass VI is to up the string gauge as the .084s it comes with, the E is just too... floppy.
That's the reason it's so hard to turn!
But it's so hard to find strings that have the right length thick section. There's almost no data on the strings on most web sites, and it is very important to know.
Another make may be better match, but it gets expensive trying them out.
Yeah, especially when what I REALLY want are LaBella Flatwounds that cost $150AUD (it’s what I have on my Squier).
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That’s fine. Shielding paint is graphite, not a metal.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommycarlos
My most hated part of any build is the wiring. I suck at soldering, I have arthritis that makes manipulating small things a pain. Etc.
This kit was mostly premiered, so it should have been easier, but in the time since it arrived, 3 of the wires have already broken off and are loose, making it that much harder.
I am thinking of starting from scratch with a much simpler diagram. I only need 2 pickups (they are so close together on this kit, I doubt you’d get much of a bridge pickup sound anyway). I was thinking of wiring it like a jazz bass, where it has 1 tone, and 2 volume… with no switch. Then only using two of the pickups (neck and middle for hum cancellation).
Being designed to fit in a Strat, the bridge pickup will be wound hotter then the middle and neck pickups, and placed more where the middle pickup would normally be, will probably have a significantly higher output than the neck or middle pickups.
If you only use two pickups, I'd swap the middle and bridge pickups round, and not wire the old bridge back in, and then use the new bridge (old middle) and neck pickup positions for a wider range of sounds. Obviously use the neck and middle pickups to keep the hum cancelling aspect, though this will only work properly with both pickups at equal volumes.
Though I may also be tempted to use the physical bridge and middle positions rather than middle and neck as the neck position could be pretty bassy. If you can get it to work with the switch first, you could at least compare the sounds from the three different positions and decide then which positions sound best.
Arthritis is not nice at all. Do you know anyone who could help you with the soldering?
I actually had a go at it tonight. I stripped off all the wires not needed for my Jazz Bass inspired wiring and it actually worked! I have proper cloth wire and nicer pots etc coming, but for now it seems like it’s alive!!!
I’ll have a real play with it tomorrow to know for sure.
I kept the neck and middle wired up so at full volume I have the hum cancelling, but I agree that I should move the middle pickup to where the bridge one is now to get a wider range.
I just wanted to have some fun, but this might replace my Squier :)
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I had a play this morning. It’s awesome, and that’s with the stock pickups and without switching the position of the “middle” pickup.
It has more sustain than my Squier. Less “tick tack”, more like an even lower tuned baritone…
Even the intonation was easy (notoriously difficult on a Squier).
My only real complaint is that the “treble” strings action has to be a fair bit higher than the “bass” strings side. I suspect that’s due to it needing a fret level and dress. But it might still be solvable with more adjustments of the truss rod. We’ll see. Fret levelling is also something I have never done before so it scares me a bit.
Either way, dang it’s an awesome guitar.
I’ll get some final photos up once I get a set of Jazz Bass knobs (seems like the right choice considering).
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Well, while I wait for the knobs (as well as new pots, cap, jack, and wiring)... this is the "finished" product.
It plays as well or better that my Squier.
Thanks to Simon and everyone else that chimed in on this thread to help get me here :)
Attachment 41439
Interesting build. Looks great.
Got the knobs finally... so now since the only changes coming up will be ones you can't see (wiring, a new neck pickup, etc)... this should be the final photo :)
Attachment 41448
We use a lot of shielding paint at work, most is not graphite, but copper based. The spray can to hand (empty after last night's noise source chasing session on a lighting rig) is EMI 35 from Kontakt Chemie. A lot less expensive than the silver-based paints & cleaner to work with than the graphite ones.
(One drawback with using a spray conductive coating is that you have to be VERY careful in masking up anywhere you don't want to coat - don't ask how I know)
Looks great. Glad that it plays well.
The pickups are actually pretty decent. The pickups in a Bass VI are just jag pickups, so it’s not that dissimilar, though obviously the positioning is different.
That looks awesome, well done