Pinball Wizard

This project is the one I've been busting my strings to start.

The basis for this audacious (hee hee) bitzer will be a TL-1 neck, leftovers from an ST-1 plus lots of cool shit (I have no shortage of pinball parts let alone guitar bits)
The format will be a "cigar box" body proportioned to resemble a pinball machine cabinet.
Headstock will be shaped like a classic "wedgehead" pinball backbox.

The body will house its own inbuilt baby 9vdc amplifier & multi effects unit(see pic)gutted & wired to suit. These will be controllable from pinballesque knobs on the guitar itself.
A small speaker will be at each top corner of the body & semi-concealed. In addition there will be a fair bit of LED lighting fitted inside the body & parts within to give that blingy pinball look.
At this point I plan to use a single bridge humbucker to minimise clutter on what will equate to a pinball playfield inside the body.

9vdc will be supplied by what will appear to be a guitar lead connected to an off the shelf power supply. An electronics wiz mate is helping me here with calculating the required/available milliamps etc. to run all the on board stuff.

Pics below:

(1) First conceptual rough out superimposed on a Strat (see how a crazy mind really works?)
(2) Teaser pic with a few bits & pieces scattered around.

P.S. Please don't start with the "Tommy" jokes folks.








http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...8-PW-rough.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...i4f-Wizard.JPG

has potential to be a most amazing build...

Wow, just wow.

I saw the picture in your other build thread and wondered what you were up to. Can't wait to see this take shape.
Love your concept drawing too. = )

Well, I am SO looking forward to seeing this pan out. Please, tell me there's gonna be a "TILT" warning light!

Love it. Love the idea. Love the name. You're imagination never ceases to amaze.

Awesome concept. Can't wait to see how it shapes up. Love the concept art.

Cheers,
Gavin.

The concept art is worth framing. You're a true artist Max.

I am sooo looking forward to watching this build. It should be insane.

wow this is going to be something different.
And I have so many TOMMY lines I could use right now.. :(

One question, wouldn't it be better to start with a 3 by 3 neck, rather than using a tele neck?

Still it's an insane concept, but if you've proved you could pull it off.

Wow... Just wow... If ya can pull this off, it will be the best PBG build I've ever seen!

Big thanks for the warm reception everyone . . . your encouragement does help enormously.

Still lots of thinking, planning, drafting & work to do - but we're all used to that!

? GGP: there WILL now be a TILT warning light (which I'd overlooked!)
? Fretworn: not sure what a 3 x 3 neck is but I really only like slimlines.
? Andy: ta for suggesting a smashed mirror. I have safety acrylic mirror on hand.

Now it's off to the drawing board . . . again.

The 3x3 refers to there being 3 machine heads a side on the headstock as opposed to 6 inline like you have on the headstock from the ST-1 kit.

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/]<\\/p>/Quote from DanMade on November 1, 2013, 20:10
The 3x3 refers to there being 3 machine heads a side on the headstock as opposed to 6 inline like you have on the headstock from the ST-1 kit.

---

Ah, of course - I'm a scatterbrain at times.
Yeah, the plan is to enlarge/modify the headstock as a wide 3 x 3 proportioned as per an old pinball backbox/headbox (see rough drawing).

Modicum of progress: drafted up 1:1 plans for the build . . .

The old drawing board . . .

Pic is the 1:1 scale plan with a couple of bits & pieces placed on it for consideration.
There'll be a lot of the old "put & look" method to decide what goes where and how etc. etc.

I have collected most of the non-kit materials and begun cutting them to size using this plan for reference (no one plans to fail - they fail to plan) jeepers, I hope that's right?

Still lots of things to finalise and sort out but at least I'm starting to have some fun . . .


http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...12m-PW-004.JPG

This build diary promises to be (wait for it)... An Amazing Journey....

Certainly we can expect Sparks to fly...

I think it's alright, yes I think it's alright...

I'll stop now...

http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/...-wizard/150920

Time to start practicing, so you will be ready for when it is finished.

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Fretworn on November 14, 2013, 10:11
http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/...-wizard/150920

---

Ooh, thanks for that!

Time to start practicing, so you will be ready for when it is finished.

Thanks for the link guys - I have printed off the chart for my own edification.

I had already started learning this piece in anticipation of the inevitable requests which will crop up when the guitar is completed.

I will say in all humility that I DO play a Mean Pinball . . . B-A-D-E (and all that sus4 jazz)
I will also say that I DON'T play a mean guitar . . . more like B-A-D.

I've been learning from You-tube Guitar Lessons 365 which also seems correct to me?

By the time the project is finished I should be able to play a fair semblance of it (I hope)

Quick update:

More drafting work to ascertain fit of the various components etc (see pic)
Much better to f--- up on paper than on the real deal.
So far I've spent more time brainstorming and nutting things out than making any tangible progress.

This will change soon (he said)












http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...6wh-PW-007.JPG

Onwards:

The cigar box style body gluing . . .














http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...c4-PW4-002.JPG

A couple more steps forward:

(Pic 1) Built the "core" to which the neck & bridge will be anchored. This is made up from from solid aged pine, glued & screwed.

(Pic 2) The part where luthiers & Pitbull builders are bound to say "WTF?"
The "core" aligned & setting into place in the body before getting screwed from behind (he he)
This hideous arrangement will be mostly concealed by the "playfield" at a later stage of construction.

More soon . . .




http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...4-PBW3-001.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...p-PBW3-004.JPG

This is just insane. Might have to change your name to Mad Maxaxe.

I'm with you Max - similar to the oak block at the core of Brian May's Red Special.

How to spend a Sunday literally shredding a guitar . . .

As can be seen, I've prefit & cut the speaker holes, the flipper button holes and a recess hole in one side for the effects control plate and the other side for the input/output jack plate.
The neck has copped a routing all the way down the back to accommodate the wiring pair for the headstock LEDs.

I took heed of the consensual advice from our wizards on here and bought some Timbermate to back fill with - it's great stuff and cleans up with water, a real bonus - thanks dudes! After the rout channel filling is sanded back this will all be hidden under paint matching the body.

Still madly doodling around with artwork/graphics ideas behind the scenes . . .









http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...3-PW-5-001.JPG

First fit-up:

Neck with built-up "wedgeheadstock" positioned, speakers in place, effects module (I/O actuated by left flipper button), amp module (I/O/OD actuated by right flipper button), shooter rod (works but no function) and power in/signal out jackplate fitted.

Still much to do . . . . .










http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...7-PW-8-001.JPG

Holy cow. This things really coming along.
I didn't realize you were putting in an amp sim and effects unit. This is going to be an everything but the kitchen sink build.

Now I wonder if somehow you could make the shooter rod actuate a whammy bar. Just a thought.

This is getting more insane each time you post an update. It is so cool.

Hey Dan, Cool idea.

I reckon it would be feasible to operate a whammy system from the shooter rod. After all, they work by simple leverage. A suitable linkage wouldn't be too difficult to make up.
However, I can't do it at this stage as the axe is already set up to take a Badass bridge.

Below is an early stage pic of the "wedgeheadstock" clearly showing the lateral dowels running through it as suggested by DB for my Stealth project headstock.

Mad Max






http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...r7-PW1-005.JPG

Geeze max this things insane . Pete Townsend would have loved to have played it in the song Pinball Wizard

looks insane Max, love the concept and how its turning out. Whats all the circuitry will that run flashing lights ? assume the electronics near the blue button are for powering the speakers ? wedgestock looks amazing. This project will be one of a kind, that's for sure !

Hey Max. How much d'ya reckon it'll weigh in the end? You may need to play it on a stand like Yngwie.

Wokka@ Circuitry -

Flashing LED lamps will be run from incoming 9VDC via a simple programmable chaser unit coming from U.S.A. The amp & effects will of course be powered from the common 9VDC source.
The little board near the further blue button on the right is just a jackplate with a 9v power in socket and an odd looking, but standard guitar output socket on it.
The tan coloured PCB sitting below the bridge mount is a 9VDC 3WRMS amplifier which will indeed power the two speakers which have matched impedance.
Clear as mud to me 8O

Lawry@ Weight -

Because she's hollow and the electronics are very light, I'm hoping the whole deal won't weigh much more than a Strat or similar. Will do a comparative weigh up soon.
And because I don't go gigging, I suppose I can play sitting or just leave the bastard hanging on the wall :?

You could always put it on a stand and set it up for slide.

Just a small update:

Artwork for the "backglass" in the wedgestock plagiarised from a SOCIETY6 poster/shirt of Pete Townshend performing Tommy.
I Photoshopped their cool graphic to create what I hope will be suitable for my purposes.
Note that the score reel says 1969 - the year The Who released Tommy.
Also note the largish "TILT" sign which will be backlit by a LED on a tilt actuated switch.




http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-PBW-Glass.jpg

Very cool design. How are you going to print it?

Love it! That design would also make a great vinyl wrap for a tele!

Cheers,
Gav.

I don't want to sidetrack this thread but I'm curious about a comment you made above Gav. Tell me more about this vinyl wrap thingy. Never heard of it, but I take it that you can lay a design over the body or such like.

Never tried it but Andy could probably tell us more. It's kinda like they do for cars and such. Just a big vinyl decal to put whatever design you want over your guitar body..

Cheers,
Gav.

@Lawry
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