My first pitbull, IB-5 five string bass.

[Tindrrel]

So then I added the copper shielding to the cavities.

The pickup routes:


The control cavity and cover:


It took a bit more than one of the shielding tape packs from PBG, mostly because of the cover, but partly because I screwed up and wasted some when I started.

Next time I use this stuff I hope to be much neater.

Might get some soldering done tomorrow.

[wokkaboy]

looking great Sam, close now to finishing the build

[Tindrrel]

Yeah, on the home run. Which is where I'll likely trip up.

Speaking of which...



(I realise this isn't the order they go in, it was just the easiest way to compress the spring without having it launch away.)

I have questions...

Is the spring supposed to go inside the pickup body? It doesn't.

If it just goes underneath, when fully compressed the spring is 8mm - that seems a bit high. The pickups would crest higher than the bridge saddles. Nevermind that fully compressed defeats the purpose of a spring and this isn't really a question.

I revise my question. How is this supposed to go together?

[wokkaboy]

haha Sam, the spring goes below the pup so the screw head will be flush with the top of the pup. This allows the pup to raise when you loosen the screw.
The screw head should recess a little into the pup.
If the pup is still too high when screwed right down just get some pliers and cut the spring length

[Tindrrel]

So the springs don't recess into the pickup body - they sit underneath.

You might be able to see the screw heads aren't actually flush. The pickup is countersunk, the screws are not countersunk screws - they're flat.


The spring is completely compressed underneath:


This puts the height of the pickup fully compressed at 30mm:


(which by the way doesn't leave a lot of purchase for the screws, they're only about two turns in. This could not be raised even if I wanted to, they would pull free.)

So the pickup would be sticking a full 10mm out from the route. That puts it the same height as the end frets.


Isn't that going to be too close to the strings?

[pablopepper]

Yep, ditch the springs and pack underneath the pickup with some squishy foam.

[wokkaboy]

yeah Sam I see it clearer now. I'd either cut the spring length or as Pabs suggested you can get foam inserts for pups

[bargeloobs]

Yep, ditch the springs and pack underneath the pickup with some squishy foam.

This is what I used the other day Pabs, I think it was some packing from a TV box or something. As you can see it's a laminate, so I just peeled one layer off, cut it to size and it worked a treat.

[Tindrrel]

I like the idea of foam under a pickup. It also stops them getting jammed by tipping too far one way.

[Tindrrel]

So, the jack.

I had been working from this diagram, http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...s/pdf/IB-5.pdf which says the jack is stereo and connect earth to the long pin (the outermost one) and hot to the short pin (innermost). I figured that made sense.

I decided to check my jack with a meter.

So this is from the right, anti clockwise, longest, middle and shortest.


I couldn't get a circuit from the sleeve on a lead plugged into the jack to the longest pin. In fact it seemed to be the shortest pin.

I checked the lead, tip to tip, sleeve to sleeve, all ok.

So the sleeve is wired to the shortest pin.

I checked the tip, it got a circuit with the middle pin.

Nothing seemed to connect to the longest pin.

I struggle to imagine how this thing is constructed inside that could come out like this.

I even get the same results if I put a stereo plug into it. The mid-sleeve on the stereo plug doesn't seem to make circuit with any of the pins.