TL adventures

[djowel]

Any comparison using the same figures is OK in my book. I'm used to dBV and dBu for mic and audio equipment noise and sensitivity figures. dBV is an older value with dBu being more common these days in my experience. But both are valid and easily understood.

The Nu v2 is certainly quiet enough. Well below any practical audible threshold and well below most background noise levels. Normal electrical hum levels will be 33dB below an equivalent Strat coil (or will it be less if the Nu v2 figure is for a single pickup rather than equivalent 6 units?) and 22dB below a humbucker.

That number is for a single Nu pickup. It will be more when combined and mixed to mono with a mixer. So for 6 channels, that's an additional 15dB.

Hum is not an issue with the Nu. Low impedance coils are a lot less susceptible to noise. The more important issue is hiss (broadband noise) introduced by the active electronics (the preamplifier), and so that one has to be very quiet (hence using that toshiba ultra low noise transistors was a crucial design decision). Take note that the hiss is higher than the active EMG 81 by around 5-6dB. The reason is because the preamp had to push the gain more than the EMGs which has higher output from the coils to begin with. The EMG's preamp gain is 3 while the Nu requires at least 10.

Yet, this hiss is so much well below the hum and is not perceptible at all, ... until you push the gain. That's the real battle. Unlike mics, guitar pickups are in a precarious place in the signal path since it sits at the very beginning before high gain stages (compressors, distortions, overdrives, preamps, etc. which can push the gain to such horrific :-) levels). So my recommendation for really high gain is 1. Use a pre-filter per channel at around 2-6kHz (high gain distortions do not like the full spectrum anyway -- the high frequency intermodulations are nasty beasts) and 2. Use a noise gate, or a gentle downward expander set above the noise threshold, on each channel. The gates also help a lot in cleaning up channel crosstalk when doing polyphonic distortion.

[JohnH]

I totally forgot I'd ordered and received this kit! Just goes to show what a year it has been.

Keen to get started on it, but will finish my amp build first. Next year I'm hoping to get through all my unfinished builds, as the kids will both be at school, so my day off mid week will be all my own.

No real plans for this except that I'd like to try a spray finish. Otherwise I think I'll upgrade everything but I won't be doing anything too fancy.

[McCreed]

These are purely suggestions, but if you want to like teles even more than you do already,
do forearm and belly contours. Also try doing a reverse control plate. All these are now my personal must-haves for a tele.
I no longer like standard tele bodies and this has deterred me from buying any stock Fender or even Squier models now.

[JohnH]

Good thinking McCreed

[JohnH]

I reckon I have a very small window of opportunity to get some work done on this build, before work and commissions ramp up again for the year. Maybe a week or two, max.

So, while I had planned to do belly cuts and arm contours I think I'm going to keep this one as a solid block tele, and just get right in and sand and spray it. There will always be another!

About to go to Supercheap for some paints - thinking purple mica for this one.

I'll start thinking about upgrades too, but they can be piece by piece later in the year

[McCreed]

So, while I had planned to do belly cuts and arm contours I think I'm going to keep this one as a solid block tele, and just get right in and sand and spray it.

The contouring only takes about 15 minutes. (when done with a 4" angle grinder and 80 grit flap disc!) Then it's just tidying up with an ROS, final touches by hand.

There will always be another!

I like the they way you think... but I'd really encourage you to do the contours on this one. Purple Mica would love those curves and surface changes!

[JohnH]

Hmm, you have me tempted again lol

I'll need to buy a grinder, but that's not a huge hassle.

[edit] going to go to the BGS tonight, ha ha ha

[JohnH]

What kind of round over did you go for on yours McCreed? I was going to go round the whole thing with the router and a roundover bit, but curious to know what you found best with the body contouring

Also, I'm sure I read somewhere (maybe Sonic mentioned?) that with the SCA primer you don't need to grain fill. Anyone have any advice for finish level pre-priming? I was hoping I could get away with sanding it flat at 240 or 360 grit. I really hate grain filling, so if I can get away without it I'd be pretty happy

[McCreed]

Hmm, you have me tempted again lol

I'll need to buy a grinder, but that's not a huge hassle.

If you do, just take a few minutes to have a play with some scrap wood to get a feel for how it takes material off. Once you get a handle on it, you actually be surprisingly precise with it.

[McCreed]

I just caught your edit! Noice!

What kind of round over did you go for on yours McCreed? I was going to go round the whole thing with the router and a roundover bit, but curious to know what you found best with the body contouring.

The red tele in the photo gallery (and my non-PBG build) has a pretty minimal round over. I definitely didn't use a router or the grinder. It would have been by hand. Probably a file followed by sandpaper (maybe some ROS???). The forearm and belly contours are all I used the grinder on for sure though.

Also, I'm sure I read somewhere (maybe Sonic mentioned?) that with the SCA primer you don't need to grain fill.

If that's an ash body, I don't know I'd rely on primer filler or primer surfacer to adequately fill the grain. If it's basswood or alder, there's no need to grain fill anyway, so one of those products would be fine.

FWIW I have read here of people having issues with Timbermate shrinking under paint. I have not experienced this and have used it without issue, but I will stipulate that I have not used that combination on ash*. It that poses a concern, maybe a different grain filling product is worth investigating. If you're going solid colour, that opens up a range of possibilities, like even a builder's bog.

*I used Timbermate to grain fill on two different mahogany bodies and primed and finished with acrylic lacquer base & top coats.