I looked at your project when I was doing my research...and watched your video...awesome!Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveyCustom
Lemmy was the MAN...it was a sad day at our house when he passed.
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I looked at your project when I was doing my research...and watched your video...awesome!Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveyCustom
Lemmy was the MAN...it was a sad day at our house when he passed.
Geeze, you paid enough for her, no wonder she's so good.....Quote:
Originally Posted by geddyfan
Attachment 18099
I think you're on to something.....
Hmmm...I wonder if there's room for four mm pups...that would mean more knobs :D
...a headstock logo.
Attachment 18100
Yes? No? Too cheesy?
A 6 position rotary switch (the largest available that I've seen) will give you all but one of the seven possible parallel combinations of the three pickups. Which combo you leave out would be your choice, typically either the 'all 3 on' or the 'bridge + neck' combo if you were wiring a Strat style build.Quote:
Originally Posted by geddyfan
If you use two rotary switches, particulalry the 4-pole type, your possible combinations and options expand significantly. Then you have to decide what combo's you actually want (or are likely to use) and we can start working out how the switches can be wired to achieve that. As Simon mentioned earlier pickup combinations plus parallel, series, phase options etc.
Go digital switching, the possibilities are endless.....
Another option, maybe a bit simpler is to do what I did with three pickups on my Bass IV kit - a individual stack knob with tone and volume for each pickup, and then on/off sliders for each one.
Attachment 18102
Wow some big plans here - this will be one impressive beast - i like the colour combo you have chosen
That's five single coils, so five sets of magnets. 3 humbuckers = 6 sets of magnets. That's 1 more. Each magnet does have a braking effect on the strings, that's just physics. Maybe it has less overall effect on bass strings than guitar strings, with them having more mass and momentum. Setting the pickups a bit further away from the strings helps to increase sustain, and pickups with weaker magnets will have less effect than more powerful magnets. But add in a compressor and the apparent sustain goes up. Add in more volume and the sustain level goes up. So there's a whole combination of things that can affect the sustain.Quote:
Originally Posted by geddyfan
Cannot help thinking would more PUP's sound better or make stuff all difference? On Lemmy's it looks like he had 3 x Cheyenne type PUP's which appear to be a mini compact humbucker controlled by a 3 way switch and what may have been master vol & master tone.
Obviously where they are positioned will have some bearing on the sound but when considering triple humbucker LP's or SG's I have never been a fan because having three PUP's did not make them sound any better IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck
Cool...I read your thread and thought about on/off sliders like you did, combined with the push-pulls for coil-tapping, etc...hmmm...
Lots of good advice and good insights into the pros and cons...looks like there are a few mad scientists on this forum when it comes to wiring schemes :)
I know that any advantage gained by having the third pup is subtle at best, and possibly not worth the cost and effort...but the mad scientist in me would like to have as many options as possible...at least as many as my feeble little brain can comprehend. From reading everyone's comments, there are obviously some that I never considered...
You can obviously get different combinations of sounds by having pickups in different position. You get the quacky Strat position 2 and 4 sounds because the two pickups involved (bridge+middle and middle +neck) are relatively close and have a relatively similar frequency content, so you get a lot of comb filtering. On my DG Strat I can have the neck + bridge together, which results in a much cleaner overall sound, but not quacky at all. A friend of Facebook says that with his 3-pup SG, the neck+mid position out-quacks a Strat.
Now whether or not something similar on a bass would be a useful bass sound or not is up to you.
On the Harmony H59 I restored, that had 3 pickups and the pickup selector switch allowed you to select each one in turn, or all three together, in which case your mix is determined by the relative individual pickup volume levels. Something like that could be an option here.
You might be able to slip a Piezo under the Bridge as well..... :cool:
Don't think I hadn't thought of that ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hobastard
You will, of course have to have a wall of speakers to match this Beastie.......
... and jam along with 'Tom Saywer' :)
When this thing is done, I promise to put together a demo playing medley of Rush tunes...Quote:
Originally Posted by Kick
Sanding now...doing the rest of the cleanup...rounding off the edges by hand...fixing some minor defects...
Now I remember why I sucked at woodworking class when I was a kid...ADHD and no patience for sandpaper...I've gotten better with age, tho...haha
Sanding...sanding...sanding...
Okay...coming along...it's starting to look like a guitar:
Attachment 18142
It's coming along...I had envisioned taking more off, but I'm liking it like this. The gap close to the heel of the neck ended up being a bit more than I would like, but I'm hoping that the 999 coats of lacquer I'm planning to apply will minimize that. Need to work that area a bit more...
Attachment 18143
Attachment 18144
Had to fill a couple gaps...the back of the body up the the edge of the cap is going to be black (and the back of the neck), so that should be okay...still thinking of doing a black burst...ether way, it won't be noticeable.
Attachment 18145
I wiped it back with a damp towel to get a sense of what the figuring will look like...I imagine some folks are going to shudder at the notion that I'm planning to put three big, fat MM pup routs into that wood :D
Need to sit down and finalize the layout for the controls...will be at that step before I know it...
QUESTION...when you guys are sanding, what grit do you work your way to for the best result (just working the wood)...I'm using 150 now and getting ready to go to a finer grit...how fine would you go before you were satisfied and moved on to finishing?
Awesome quilt
Go down to about 400 for the body, much finer and it will have issues taking stain/colour
Those tops are super thin so hold back on the sanding there
Thanks, Stan...actually, that's a 1/4" drop top...I planed the body down y 1/4" before I glued it on...more wood, more room for screwing up :D
That quilt is really beautiful!
great job, it looks amazingQuote:
Originally Posted by geddyfan
1/4" Drop top!? That can't have been cheap?? Great result though, absolutely looks the business. Very nice work! :)
It was $120 for a "master" grade from Northridge Hardwoods...I thought about just doing a thin veneer, but was leery of working with something so thin and delicate, and given my plans for the pickups, etc. I thought a substantial piece of wood would be more forgiving. So far, that's proving to be the case...I can also get this sort of effect...just imagine the back and sides black as opposed to the natural in the photo:Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankenWashie
Attachment 18157
This thing is gonna be really sweet!
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So, I'm getting ready to do the pickup routs and drill the holes for the controls...which means that I have to finalize the wiring for the Syrinx Model 2112...now, I thought it would be cool if there was a 7-way rotary switch to quickly select any pickup combination possible with three pickups...seems obvious, right? Bridge, Middle, Neck, Bridge + Middle, Bridge + Neck. Middle + Neck, All Three. But guess what? It doesn't exist...well crap...there are enough people on the interweb looking for such a beast, but no such critter. I can't believe someone hasn't made one...I suppose there's some reason for it (science, physics, whatever), but most of what I've found pretty much revolves around people disdainfully remarking "why would you even want THAT?" and "traditionalist" reasoning for why you shouldn't. Well...why not? "Custom" should mean "custom," right? Anything you want...people are funny, tho...
So...I guess the easiest way is to have an on/off toggle for each pickup. Fine...low-tech...it works...but I hate toggle switches on guitars...I'm a klutz, and I'm sure I'll break them off in no time...and, while I flail away (my version of "playing") I'm for sure going to smack into them...but oh well, I'll just have to learn to deal.
So...three mm pups...each with on/off toggle switch...push-pull volume for each (coil tapping) and a master tone...what do you think...sound like it will work? I'm drawing up a wiring diagram...but it's a bit like a cave man designing a space shuttle...haha...nah...it'll be okay.
Another question -- the neck on these kits...any cases of these things failing? It's solid, but I look at it and think, "Really? That'll hold?" The way mine is set up now, if that joint ever fails, I'm screwed...
Progress…finally…
So, I finally got around to doing the pickup routs for my build. Like a moron, I decided to make my own template. I was going to order one – and SERIOUSLY wish I had, for multiple reasons – but I figured…”Hey, I’m getting the hang of this whole router thing-ie business, I’ll just make one myself.”
God, I am an idiot.
After three tries, here’s what I came up with:
Attachment 18387
It more or less worked, but it was way harder than I expected, and the material I used was crap. Never going to use this stuff again, even if some guy on YouTube claims it works fine.
So, I laid it all out, measured, drew my guide lines and did my first route and I had this line parallel to the line that I wanted to set the template against. I remember thinking “You should erase that line so you don’t set up your template wrong,” and then thinking, “Nah…only an idiot would do that.”
*sigh*
Well, of course I used the wrong line, off-setting the pickup almost 1/8th of an inch to one side. Fortunately, I had cut the template so tight to the pickup, I was able to make up for it and get the rout back on center, but I had to essentially re-cut one end of the rout twice for all three routs so they'd match/line up.
Yup…I got friggin LUCKY. But it turned out okay.
Nasty routs:
Attachment 18388
Cleaned up routs:
Attachment 18389
While I was at it, I also put a thin quilted maple veneer on the headstock…turned out okay, but it’s not from the same material as the body and doesn’t look like it’s going to be anything close to a match…might re-do it. I have a piece left over from the cap I used on the body…if I could plane it down to, say, 1/8th inch thin…hmmm…
Attachment 18392
So here we are…routed, sanded, and ready to start finishing. I can’t wait to start the staining process. And before you ask…the answer is “because I can.”
Attachment 18393
That's gonna kick serious azz...
Looks amazing despite your mishap
This thing is going to shake down buildings....I like it!
good work Geddy looks unreal
...when I'm done with this project, I am definitely going to do a BOC tribute...maybe a short scale bass, just for fun.
Any-who...
So, I just couldn't wait...busted out the black stain and went to work...here's a shot of the black sanded back:
Attachment 18415
...and with the red:
Attachment 18416
Watcha think? Yes? No?
So I did the headstock, and the thin quilted maple veneer just ain't cuttin' it:
Attachment 18417
*sigh*
Darned thing is pink...and there's damned little figuring, so THAT was money well spent...
Given how the body looks, I just can't...
My wife suggested just finishing it black, but no...that's not the picture I have in my head, and certainly not worthy of this project. I have a fairly big piece of the leftover 1/4" top that I was going to use for a control cavity cover, AND access to a planer...I am definitely going to see if I can plane it down to a thin piece and use that instead. Sanding this veneer off is going to be a pain in the arse, but a bass player's gotta do what a bass players gotta do...
I was going to do a custom decal logo, but now I'm thinking a custom starman inlay like this...
Attachment 18418
This bass is going to end up costing me two grand by the time it's done...
Love the color on the body! Damn.. this thing is awesome!
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Thanks! It might not be as cool as all things Lemmy...but I'm giving it my best :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveyCustom
Its amazing, man!
I did a scratch-built, SG shaped guitar with a nice quilty flamey top, and its about the same color.. love it!
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Nice body colour. With some clear coats on it, it's going to look even better.
I know what you mean about the headstock veneer. It's not taking the stain as well, and it's not as figured, so it needs replacing.
Absolutely...my wife had a good idea on that...I'm going to sand the veneer off and paint the head stock black (the back of the body and the neck will be black). THEN I'm going to take a piece of the material I used for the body top and make a Rickenbacker-style truss rod cover finished to match the body. That should actually look really cool...as if the red and black quilted maple was carrying through, under the fret board, to pop out over the nut.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
I was fighting her on it, but in the end, gave in because...well...she's smarter than I am... :P
Resistance is futile.
Your wife has a good eye for style and detail. It should look good.