I didn't even notice the wiring connectors. That's a solid idea.
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I didn't even notice the wiring connectors. That's a solid idea.
Yeah it looks sweet....I wonder if its stock too Wokks
Its a big sticker on a clear backing that covers the entire headstock. The text is actually not white, it's a cream colour. That was the limitation- could not have white. Although it looks good, I'm not totally happy with it as I think the logo is too big. Expect a change before it's officially finished.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thigg88
Kit is stock except for:Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy40
• Schaller machine heads
• Belcat pre-amp with 2 band active EQ
• Modified bridge for string thru
• String ferrules for above
• 6 bolt neck plate
• Aftermarket scratch plate
Hey Woks, The PUP is the stock humbucker that came with the kit. It's currently wired with coils in parallel, (with individual volume controls) but I have a switched pot that I may install that provides a series connection for more grunt.Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy
The stock kit PUP coils have a higher DCR than genuine MM PUP's, as it was designed to be used with passive controls so I'm going to be doing a bit of experimentation to make it compatible with the active EQ Preamp to get the optimum gain structure. Hence my choice of wiring the control plate with connectors- easy to make changes to the components.
Without knowing what wire they used to wind the pickups, it's not really possible to make a direct comparison between the kit and real MM pickups. If they used thinner wire in the kit pups, that would account for a fair bit of extra DCR. Also, unless you know what strength magnets they use in kit and MM pups, it's hard to gauge which has the higher output. Wiring the stock pickup in parallel will also knock 3-4dB off the output compared to series wiring.
Most active EQ systems are designed to work with standard passive pickups - only the dedicated low-Z pre-amps like EMGs have are really designed for active pickup usage. I believe the Belcat has a small 3dB boost with flat EQ, but that's mainly to accommodate for the 3db drop in volume with both pickups connected to the blend pot in the mid-position if used as designed.
Thanks for the input Simon. Appreciated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
The purpose of my modifications with the gain structure is to experiment to get the best gain and frequency response with the stock PUP. (Passively it's a bit boomy) 5 bucks worth of electronic components is preferable to a replacement $250 PUP.
The Belcat preamp has a JFET in the front end and appears to provide better performance if the input impedance (to the preamp) is under 50K. The Belcat module does not however appear to provide any appreciable signal boost when controls are set flat, and this supports the premise that module is based on a straight Baxandall EQ principle.
One of my experiments will be to put a simple boost stage ahead of the tone module and re-locating the master volume (25K) post-preamp, as per the Music Man circuits.
The process of making the new nut took a lot longer than anticipated, however I was committed to make one as I was unable to just purchase a nut with the correct dimensions from any of the music retailers in my area. (See thread in DB’s corner) My requirements were a 46mm width, 7mm height (top of crown) with 9.5mm string spacing.
Thankfully I acquired 2 Nubone blanks for only $5.50 each, so if I made a mess of one during the process there was a plan B.
After working out the nut shape and location of the strings on a piece of card the same size as the Nubone blank, I transferred them over to the nut. It was a bit tricky to get the right curve to match the fretboard and get the appropriate depth for each string, but I got there in the end.
I could not just copy the plastic one provided with the kit as the spacing was not even (varies by 1mm on some strings) and the slots on the D and G strings were too shallow and could not be made deeper without them being too low to the fretboard.
I have never made a nut before, but just applied standard fabrication practices learned many years ago with metal, plastic and wood. First, I drilled a series of holes that would form the bottom of each slot; from the A to the G the sizes went incrementally from 3.3mm to 1mm.
I then cut through from the top of the blank with a fine fretsaw to create the slots. Each slot was then shaped with nail files (sorry luthiers) and fine sandpaper.
Overall shaping was done on a table disk sander and finishing with various grades of sandpaper down to 400G.
One of the things that made holding the blank secure while working it, was two slots in its base. I added two little metal prongs on my holding jig that slipped in to these slots.
Filing and shaping the nut was a lot of fine work so I took it slowly and carefully, wearing a magnifying headset the entire time to see my progress in detail.
Even though I spent all my allocated build time on the nut, I’m pretty happy with the result, and looking forward to installing it after the frets are done; which will now be next weekend.
Attachment 22532Attachment 22533
I think you did a great job on that nut :)
Cheers Kick. Although I'm happy with the outcome, it's not something I would rush to do again.. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Kick