Igor gets the Blues, The FrankenLab Reso Project.

[FrankenWashie]

Masking off binding, what a fiddly, PITA job!



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[Swanny]

Hey Frankie,
Is the preamp compulsory for the piezo pickup to work? I think I may have accidentally bought the last kit... I should do some Google research, I guess.

[Simon Barden]

You'll really need a separate output for the piezo if you don't use a preamp. For a flat response, the piezo needs to feed into an impedance of around 10 Megohms. A standard guitar amp has an impedance of 1 Megohm and the line input on a mixer of 10-47k ohms.

You'll get a sound from it if connected to a guitar amp, but it will be all midrangey and horrid. Maybe more acceptable for a resonator but the sound will still need a lot of EQ work to get it reasonable, which probably won't be similar to the EQ you'd want for the magnetic pickup.

You can use an external pre-amp designed for an acoustic guitar with a piezo - but again that's going to require a separate output.

Another option is an acoustic guitar amp with a 10Megohm input. I've just bought a Fishman Loudbox Mini acoustic amp (which is a very reasonable priced and good performing compact amp) and I found out after purchasing that it has a 10k instrument input, so can take piezos directly.

If you want to use the piezo rather than the magnetic sound, then you are better off using a full-range amp such as an acoustic guitar amp or an active PA speaker, as the limited frequency response of a guitar amp speaker will take off some of the top-end and clarity that the piezo gives.

So unless you want to use a separate amp or external pre-amp, then fitting an on-board pre-amp is really going to be the best sounding option when using a single output.

[FrankenWashie]

Hey Frankie,
Is the preamp compulsory for the piezo pickup to work? I think I may have accidentally bought the last kit... I should do some Google research, I guess.

What Simon said Swannie!😁
I’ve gone completely FrankenHack with mine, but you can find all sorts of different pre amps on line, if you look at Corksniffers build diary, he didn’t go with a preamp and still got a good result. I think he has a wiring diagram in there somewhere.

[Swanny]

Cheers, gentlemen! I have some research and buying to do while on nightshift for the week.

[FrankenWashie]

I’ve not been a fan of working with the Pawlonia, it’s fibrous and pulls under even the sharpest tools, though it does machine reasonably well.

After slapping on some sanding sealer this afternoon, I may have to review how I go about attacking the final colouring and finish scheme.



The back doesn’t fare quite as well as it is rather plain to begin with. So it is likely to get the full blackout, but I want to try and leave some of the grain visible through the cutaways, so it may more of a varied edge with the black brown fading in and out.





Ever so slowly forwards!

[Simon Barden]

“Beware the Igorbotch, my son!
The curves not masked, the tape that lifts!
Beware exposed edges and shun
The frumious binding cracks!”

[FrankenWashie]

“Beware the Igorbotch, my son!
The curves not masked, the tape that lifts!
Beware exposed edges and shun
The frumious binding cracks!”

Yers, verily some clean up and re taping before stain, a full sealer sand will be required.

[FrankenWashie]

We’ve all got projects that for one reason or another get put aside. Out of frustration, out of fear, out of time whatever.

This has been one of those. I’d pushed skills and knowledge beyond limit. I’d started rushing things out of frustration and put it aside as life got a lot busier.

I’ve spent some time recently tidying and reorganising the lab during which I dusted this off.
I need to get done with the stain burst on the rear and the repainting of the neck and headstock, but first I had to get done with the HS inlay and reshaping the added node feature.



I had to tidy up and even up the recesses, they were slightly asymmetrical amd they were too shallow.
Once I had that done, the shaping of the pearl took about an hour to get to fit.

There is still an asymmetry to them, I think I measured a .5 mm width differential left to right.

What it does also highlight is a slight irregularity in the orientation of my Center line to the headstock.
I continued the indicated Center line as an extension of the bridge/body/neck C/L. That unfortunately puts it off to the left a smidge in relation to the headstock, about 1.5mm or thereabouts. Peeved? Much. But I am not about to rip it all out, skim the Headstock back, apply a face plate, re-center and then start inlay again. Blow that for a joke!
I’ve still got a nut to shape, an EQ faceplate to machine and some kooky wiring to get sorted.

Stay tuned for pictures of my diabolical hand rubbed burst!


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[DarkMark]

I was wondering what had happened to this.
Looking forward to your hand rubbed burst debut.