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Post by newey on May 21, 2010 22:30:50 GMT -5
I have several in-the-works projects that I can't find time to complete. And I've promised myself that I won't start the next one until all the ongoing ones are players, and off the workbench.
So this one may be a ways off- but I can't help at least planning it now. The stereo Tele I'm building was an idea from a couple of years ago, only now slowly taking shape. And parts acquisition, looking for deals, is time-consuming as well.
So, this is a nascent idea at best. What I'm thinking of is what we'll call a "Stealth Strat"- a regular Strat body with a blank matching pickguard, no visible pickups, knobs or switches.
The idea is mostly an aesthetic one, I want to emphasize the modernist lines of the Strat with a sleek, uncluttered look.
I'd use a side output jack to eliminate the football. Several suppliers will do Strat bodies with a side out, including Warmoth and BGP.
Pickup wise, it would have a bridge piezo and a big 'ol brick of a HB under the pickguard- mebbe one of them Motherbucker thingies. I'd use JohnH's active buffer to be able to blend the 2 signals. Buffer and battery would go in the trem spring cavity, and I'd use either a hard-tail bridge or a blocked trem to free up that space.
I've had various ideas for the controls:
1) Rout a cavity on the topside of the upper horn, and put a couple of switches and pots in a recessed panel, like on an acoustic-electric. This would need to internally link to the main cavity, of course- and it sounds like a lot of tricky routing. I'm not much liking that option . .
2) use a small slot like for a five-way switch, and vertically mount some thumbwheel pots so that their wheels just slightly protrude through the slot. I could probably get 3 in a line. The disadvantage of this is, one, while it would be minimally visually intrusive, it would still be visible. Perhaps mounting them right next to the bridge would help make them "disappear". Second, it doesn't help with the switching, just the pots.
3) Put all the electronics on back, recessed into the trem cover. This would be fairly easy to do, but not accessible, realistically, while playing.
4) Make a bigger side jack plate, and enlarge the opening, and mount the controls there. Mini pots and/or switches. This is bascially the same as #1 above, but with less tricky routing, but poorer access to the controls.
5) Remove the controls entirely from the guitar- a separate cable to a small switchbox, perhaps mounted to the guitar strap. This would mean at least a 4-conductor cable of some sort, would require a long cable run, and sounds like it might be a noisy proposition.
6) The Nutz Solution™- this would involve some form of tactile sensor switching mounted beneath the guard (or perhaps flush with it, if the color could be matched). Perhaps the guard would need to be "thinned" to a few mils from underneath, where the switch would sit.
Or maybe it's digital . . . Bear in mind, with the buffer aboard, there is access to 9V of power for other things. . .
Other Nutzy ideas that may, or may not, be incorporated, include painting the neck and headstock to match the body and guard. It would look like one of those monochromatic Mercedes from the '80s.
Dean made some all-one-color guitars, but those were Day-Glo™, not for me here. I'm thinking a cream color. Of course, if I did black, I could get the hardware to match as well- but I don't really want another black guitar. Maybe have the bridge and tuners powder-coated to match, perhaps?
Anyways, any thoughts?
PS.- Did I just type "Monchromatic Mercedes from the '80s"? What a band name!
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Post by JohnH on May 22, 2010 2:35:42 GMT -5
How about:
Accept one rotary control on the front, in the position near the bridge and put a lengthy whammy-like horizontal lever on it. It could be made to do a transitions such as piezo to humbucker to single as a range of variations.
John
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Post by sydsbluesky on May 22, 2010 3:17:27 GMT -5
I kinda like number 4, actually. The access to the controls thing is solved easily; make the controls simple. Then again, what do you have in the way of external tone control... Okay, get this... For knobs I'm thinking those flush-mount knobs that you push in and they pop out... Kinda like a ball-point pen? Dem der jap cars have them to control the EQ... (I love my camry  ) Not sure what they're called, but I think you get my idea... So maybe mount them to the left of the jack (orientation would be guitar on shoulder, looking down) for easy wiring, and use them for wtfever you want. Pop out to adjust and then hide 'em away after. Next, I would say keep it simple, since the entire point is a STEALTH guitar, right? Use pedals to do as much as possible. Hell, I still have my bass with one pup wired right onto the jack. I do my tone-ing before (hands) and after (amp.) Add a pedal or two into that and you're golden, Pony Boy. BUT... where is that thread on the optic pickup...? Photoelectric effect, anyone? I mean... you're gonna have the 9v there, as you said. This is the point where one asks oneself... Am I a simple luthier, or am I a Nut? EDIT: I hate it when typos make real words and they don't get underlined in red. |
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Post by newey on May 22, 2010 6:18:09 GMT -5
Number 4 has some appeal to me as well. Probably the easiest to do in terms of mounting, and once I got used to the control positions, I could learn to manipulate by feel.
But I hold out hope that one of the Nutz comes up with a better idea. John's rotary idea is interesting, but I think, at a minimum, I'd want a way to individually adjust the levels of the piezo and mag pups.
If I take the controls external, wiring the 2 pups to separate outputs, stereo style, would be the way to go, so that the 2 signals could then be combined via a pedal of some sort.
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Post by sydsbluesky on May 22, 2010 6:57:01 GMT -5
I mean... I don't KNOW, but I'm going to go ahead and guess that you're going to find that using external controls to mess with stuff that ought to be on a guitar in the first place is going to piss you off in the long run.
The next step in this build is to decide exactly which controls NEED to be onboard controls, and take the wiring from there.
You said single humbucker and piezo... well, I'd imagine that you're going to want parallel on that humbucker, right? Where are you putting said humbucker?
So you (are probably going to) need series/parallel along with the blend... Tone for each? Always a good idea, if you ask me.
A small toggle would be easy to hide to the right of (same orientation as before) the jack... just throw your hand down to grab he cable with the thumb of your right hand and the pikieish area will make contact.... yes, I just strapped up to check that haha... If you like your guitar as low as possible (like me) then it might be switchable in the opposite way, with the thumb doing the dirty work... I tried both... I like the first one more, but who knows...
I'm still all for the photoelectric controls, by the way...
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Post by sydsbluesky on May 22, 2010 7:07:08 GMT -5
Motherbucker sounds a bit harsh, though.
GFS has a dimebucker clone for like.... 30 bucks? Not sure, but all their stuff is around 30 bucks.
Yeah, $32.95 for the crunchy rails.... the power rails are a bit different... and those are 3 dollars more.
I think the power rails are the dimebucker clone... I mean... with all the typos on the site I couldn't QUITE be sure of anything... (lol)
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Post by newey on Apr 16, 2011 9:37:47 GMT -5
Well, everything I said earlier still applies. Still too many unfinished projects and not enough time. But still planning for this one, which is definitely next on the list. I came up with a wiring diagram, for one MotherBucker™ and a piezo with a buffer. The mag pickup selection is not written in stone, nor is the wiring. I used 4 slide switches, these will be rear-mounted in the trem cover; I'm hoping to be able to recess these in the slot for the string-thru. I did not buffer the mag pup; perhaps I should, and do the blending in the buffer circuit. As it is, I use a trimpot which is hidden in the cavity, as a "set it and forget it" way to equalize the levels between the 2 pickups. The switching for the mag pickup is: 1) series/parallel between the 2 pickups of the MB 2) MB full off, when #1 is in series mode. 3) Fixed tone settings (2) The piezo has an on/off switch which also disconnects the battery. What sayest you all?  |
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Post by KIIMH on Apr 16, 2011 11:28:38 GMT -5
i ca'nt see nuthing ... i cant' see nohtinh
get it? becuase its' stelth, rihgt?
keyl
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Post by ashcatlt on Apr 16, 2011 12:58:17 GMT -5
You will be wanting a buffer on that mag pickup. You're likely to be fighting to get treble out of the thing as is, especially with four coils in series. High series resistance (the blend pot) sucks tone. Low parallel resistance (the output of the piezo buffer) sucks tone. It's gonna...  |
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Post by sumgai on Apr 16, 2011 13:09:20 GMT -5
newey, newey, newey, What am I gonna do wit' you?  I buy you books, I send you to school, and whaddya do...... Worse, you've forgotten the Golden Rule (well, the one after the rule about Marketing Feldergarb): The cable you want is an RF cable! You got 9 volts for that there piezo contraption, right? Why not drop in a simple transmitter too, stuffed into the same "non-tremoLeo" cavity? Presto! no control-type fiddley-stuff to deal with at all - it's now somewhere else. A small switch on the back cavity cover to control the power to the two circuits, and you're done. Pull said cavity cover to refresh the battery. Instead of screws, use magnets to hold that cover in place (within a routed recess, as per most Gibsons, etc.) Although truth to tell, if you're gonna go 'hardtail', why fake it with blocked block? Just route the cavity for the springs, but not the block portion. A few tiny holes directly under the bridge plate at the exit points for the piezo wires, leading down into the cavity, and you're done. (Although if you don't want to get antsy about the accuracy of where to place those holes, you could just run the wires over the front lip of the bridge plate, and then under the pickguard. But once again, that would be visible.) And while yer at it, I can tell ya, skip the rest of the mumbo-jumbo pickups - the piezo's all you need. Well, that and a VG-8/88/99 or better yet a GR-55. I don't care what kinda music you wanna play, that setup will get the job done!  That's three pieces - your axe, a receiver, and the VG unit. No cabling, except for some AC power on the floor. I do believe that you are now ready to Rock The Nation! Good luck! ;D sumgai |
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Post by cynical1 on Apr 16, 2011 13:19:35 GMT -5
So, this is a nascent idea at best. What I'm thinking of is what we'll call a "Stealth Strat"- a regular Strat body with a blank matching pickguard, no visible pickups, knobs or switches. The idea is mostly an aesthetic one, I want to emphasize the modernist lines of the Strat with a sleek, uncluttered look. Well, with all the narrow contours you couldn't have picked a more challenging candidate body style. And why have a pickguard? Why not chamber the body and rear access everything. Drop the standard Strat trem-leo with a Kahler and you have the entire center of the guitar available to you. Simple enough. I assume, based on you proclivity for the bridge pickup, that there's only one pickup, aside from the piezo's, going into this guitar. See note above regarding a Kahler style trem. With a chambered body you could do most of the routing and control\board locating prior to assembly. This would allow you to determine access locations and wireways as well before you're down to the single chunk of wood. A Strat body is tricky to do side mounting of controls because everything is contoured and relatively slim. Mini pots can be used, but mini pots with long stems might be harder to find. More research is required here. You made your best argument against this one in your question. I'd write this one off first. See above notes on this. I really need to stay in sequence here... This falls under the "additional point of failure" consideration in design. Generally assumed best to avoid... You could work out footswitch controls, which would be more practical. Not sure of the design limitations and other considerations, but I would assume the reason you don't see this employed more often is that is just doesn't work very well. Need more coffee to research this one... I've never been a fan of painted necks...especially on bolt-on necks...but that's just me... [Aside] Another idea on how to "hide", or minimize the appearance of the controls is a stunt we did years ago. It works best on chambered bodies. It requires a drill press to work and only works on pots and rotary switches. Take your 1/2" top, a standard 3/4" or 1" diameter hole saw and a drill press. Use a drill bit about 3/8" shorter then the length of the hole saw. Drill all the way through the body top in the locations you want the pots or rotary switches from the back of the body top. Drill slowly with light pressure and have another piece of wood under the body. Mark the hole saw so you know when you've cleared the body top so as not to go all the way through your plug with the drill bit. The 3/8" recess will place your pot/switch stem hole in the center of the piece you're cutting out. Since the plug is coming out of the body top the grain will match perfectly, even less of an issue if you're painting said guitar. A set screw may be necessary to keep the knob from self-ejecting at a future inappropriate moment.... Then take a brass plate and mount your controls to it in the cavity. Wood glue and some #4 screws will hold it in place forever. You can get tricky and place a small fret MOP side marker on the wooden knob to locate "0". Done correctly this will put the top of your wood knob flush with the top surface of the guitar, with the grain matching perfectly at "0". You can sand\Dremel a small depression in the knob to allow a finger to move it. [/Aside] This is an interesting concept. Too bad Lightwave doesn't sell their system as a one off. I'm curious what everyone else chimes in with. Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by sumgai on Apr 16, 2011 13:47:08 GMT -5
A Strat body is tricky to do side mounting of controls because everything is contoured and relatively slim. Mini pots can be used, but mini pots with long stems might be harder to find. One word: sliders. One more word: radio. ChrisK's version of a final word: Done Is. sumgai |
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Post by newey on Apr 16, 2011 14:55:53 GMT -5
Well, the reason I spoke about blocking the trem is that I decided against having the body custom made for cost reasons. No, I'll go with a (relatively) cheap Strat body, it'll be Ash at least, but I'll live with the visible outjack in the Strat "canoe" in return for the cost savings. The cheap ones all have trem routs, so I'll live with the trem bridge blocked. It will provide mass for the piezo install, just as JohnH did on his piezo project. It needs a pickguard so that the mag pickup can reside beneath it. The MotherBucker was just an idea, I've never "knowingly" heard one. If they're too crunchy, I'm open to suggestions. I thought the high output would work better for the longer distance when mounted under the pickguard, and that the extra distance would help ameliorate any extra harshness. I'm still thinking the switch locations, Cyn is right, no shifting on the fly if they're on the trem cavity cover. Maybe I just need to put them, Mustang style, along the upper edge of the pickguard. If I used the micromini slide switches (as are used on a lot of pedals), they wouldn't be very obtrusive at all, as long as they were the same color as the pickguard. The control layout was chosen to give me some options on the mag tone using just the slide switches. I need to have an "off" setting for both the piezo and the mag, so that the other can be used independently. But again, I'm open to suggestions. although an onboard hexaphonic system and an RF transmitter are probably not on the program. Guitarfetish has 2.5 pound unfinished Paulonia Strat bodies for $50. www.guitarfetish.com/Unfinished-LIghtweight-Stratocaster-Style-HS-Body_p_1275.htmlCustom-made, I'm looking at $300 or so. That $250 difference buys a nice Strat neck. I'll get a wood pickguard, shave it thin where the mag pickup resides, and then stain the body to match the pickguard. Cyn, the "stealth knob" with matching woodgrain is a heckuva cool idea, that would look phenomenal if done well. I have neither the woodworking skills nor the tools to even attempt something like that. Since folks seem to play with the guitar knobs set to WFO most of the time, you'd want the grain to line up in that position. Come to think of it, the angle of the grain would provide a sort of index for the knobs, just like numbering them.  |
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Post by JohnH on Apr 16, 2011 15:44:58 GMT -5
Nice to see you back into a project newey!
Beyond what you've seen from me before on mag/piezo stuff, a few more comments:
Slide switches: When I put two of them round the back of my LP, I initially thought I'd be using mini ones, but went instead for full size. They are nice and positive in their action and feel simple and robust. You can set them so the top of the switch is barely projecting above the back plate, and then you have a reasonably sized ridged surface on the top of the slider to feel for and move with your thumb tip. One concern however is that whereas the LP switch cavity where I put them is off to the side and free of body contact, a Strat trem cover is right where 50+ years of meat and potatoes sits. Hence having switches recessed so they dont get moved is a concern.
Buffering: Buffering both piezo and mag would be much better and more consistent, but if you only want to do the piezo, you might get away with it with a resistor in series with the piezo buffer output. This will raise its output impedance so it does not squash the mag signal when passively mixed with it. Not first choice though...
Mag pickup: Instead of pushing the mag right down under the pg, which might result in a weak sound, how about using an active mag pickup? ie the type such as EMG which comes in a plain looking rectangular block with no poles showing. Then spray it to match the pickguard and it will still look enigmatically minimal. This also sorts out the buffering issue above.
cheers
John
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Post by sbgodofmetal on Apr 16, 2011 21:40:21 GMT -5
this pup switch is simple, one of jimmy page's lp's had pressure switchs under its pickguard for coil tapping surely this same method can be used for your stealth strat, as far as your volume and tone try a volume pedal and try this on for size  i call it the AX'anator deluxe passive tone gate |
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Post by asmith on Apr 17, 2011 13:40:36 GMT -5
You beat me to it.  Stick some switches above that and the jack plate beneath it, perhaps? |
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Post by sumgai on Apr 17, 2011 14:07:26 GMT -5
I've never been a fan of weakening the edge of a guitar with an output jack. Worse, most players nowadays tend to wrap the cord back up under the strap, and this puts a lot of sideways pressure on the jack's mounting plate, as well as the solder joints inside the plug. Bad ju-ju.  I've always thought that Leo's recessed Strat jack was the best design. Even when players put their cords behind their straps, the only thing suffering is the plug/cord, the jack is very secure against pressures from any direction, and probably will outlive most players. However, Brian Moore went the direction of a newey, and opted for "clean" on the front, vis-a-vis the output jack*:  As shown, this sits in the upper bout, under the arm, but on the back of the axe. The strap helps to hold the cord in place, at least for a few inches. Just an idea that may present itself as possible. I'm thinking that if a battery box is gonna be installed (the flip lid on these things makes stripped screw holes a thing of the past), then one might be able to combine the two ideas into one route. And since this is gonna be a solid-color finish anyways, there's no harm or foul in filling the standard output hole with a plug. Even closer to the "clean, minimalist" look. HTH sumgai * Visit Brian Moore Guitars to understand why I qualified that "simple, vis-a-vis the jack". |
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Post by JFrankParnell on Apr 17, 2011 15:49:35 GMT -5
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Post by newey on May 19, 2011 23:06:57 GMT -5
Well, I've been on the road so much lately that actual work on projects has taken a back seat. But, hey, with 3G technology, I can always go shopping for guitar parts no matter where I am. The boxes just show up on my doorstep . . .
So, I bought a surf green Strat body from GF ($50) and a mint green pickguard from Warmoth with no pickup or control openings in it. Also a Wilkinson 6-screw trem.
I also bought a quad-rail motherbucker pup and a bunch of different switches. The pickup is a 4-wire only, so the individual rails can't be split, but that's OK, these rail pickups aren't much in SC mode anyway. It's a super high output, so hopefully it will have a reasonable output level, even at a bit of distance under the pickguard.
Some body modifications will be needed to get the pickup to fit under the pickguard.
And, I do plan to have the mag pickup and the piezo meet at the buffer/preamp board.
I've pretty well decided to go away from the strict "Stealth Concept' and allow for 3 toggle switches on the pickguard, as small and inobtrusive as possible, but nonetheless reasonably accessible. 3 DPDT On-On-On switches would give:
1) mag pickup series / parallel/ half rails
2) Piezo/ piezo + mag/ mag
3) 3-position "hard cap" tone control (mag and piezo)
But the big question I have is this: JohnH's mag/piezo mixer/buffer is going to be the basis for the active electronics. But since I've bought a nice shiny new Wilkinson tremolo, I'd like to use it. This means not blocking the trem, which is how JohnH got his piezo tone.
Is there a possible alternate mounting for the piezo which will sound the same, more or less? One that leaves the trem? Coud I still mount it to the trem block and let it "float" with the trem?
JohnH put his board in the trem cavity; if I'm gong to keep the trem in a useable form, I'll need that space for the springs as usual. But the control cavity won't have any pots taking up space.
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Post by JohnH on May 20, 2011 16:41:12 GMT -5
Newey - Id say that if the trem is to be maintained, the the trem block would probably not be a good place for it, since the tone would change drasticly whether or not the block was in contact with the body. You can put the piezo anywhere and it will pick something up, its just a matter of then figuring out how much gain and tone shaping is needed and whether the solid body and plastic pg are providing something workable.
I suggest starting by taking your nearest similarish guitar and stick the piezo to the outside with double sides tape, maybe to the pg just in front of the bridge, and then try it passively. the question is, do you get any worthwhile signal and does it have the full range of tones within it, even if the tone shape is skewed?. Then you can record it and play with eq on the computer to find out what it needs to make a good sound.
John
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Post by newey on Aug 31, 2011 22:58:32 GMT -5
I've begun working on this a bit. Got the piezo glued into place, a wooden block will be screwed down over the top of it so that it is somewhat encased in wood.  I bought a Lace Alumitone HB. It's the "lowboy" model, which I discovered would fit under the pickguard without added routing. All the other HBs I found would have required routing the cavity, in front of the bridge, down a bit, about 1/4" or so. I worried that I'd end up breaking through into the trem cavity, or perhaps weakening things too much. Both the mag and piezo will be fed into an active preamp/buffer. The 9V battery will fit between the 2 trem springs in the back cavity, so the battery can be changed without destringing. The battery harness is already in place, and runs with the string ground through to the front cavity where the preamp board will reside.  Instead of having to rout wood out, I'm going to have to add some wood under the ends of the Lace P/U so as to have something to screw the pup down into. Two DPDT On-On-On switches will handle the control duties, although the exact arrangement is still an open question. I'm debating using one for each pickup as "On/Off/Low Vol", or perhaps through a fixed tone cap in one setting, versus using one switch to do the pickup combos, i.e., mag/both/piezo, and then using the second switch for some master tone or volume settings using resistors or caps. Suggestions welcomed.  Here's what the whole deal will look like when it's done. I'm debating trying to paint the nuts for the switches white so they blend in better. Overall, it's not as "stealth" as I first envisioned, but at some point a measure of practicality intruded so I put the switches where I could easily access them.   |
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Post by newey on Aug 31, 2011 23:07:26 GMT -5
I should also mention that JohnH's idea of testing the piezo placement is a good one and I may need to do that yet, although I've already affixed the piezo.
I note that 4real has reported good results with mounting one in the neck pocket, sandwiched between the neck and the body. I figure what I'm doing here should be equivalent to that, more or less.
Luckily, these piezo discs are dirty cheap, so I bought a bunch for experimenting back when I made my "stomp" box. I still have several.
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Post by irwired on Sept 1, 2011 14:23:11 GMT -5
WOW!
That is one cool looking guitar Newey.
;D
Can't wait to hear how it sounds
Cheers
Wirey
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Post by 4real on Oct 5, 2011 17:13:23 GMT -5
Hey..nice looking guitar... The neck pocket thing works but it tends to puck up the sound of the fretting hand, especially at the higher frets. I have seen it added to a working strat trem a few times and apparently it works ok, you can sometimes get a bit of the 'spring' noise from it so perhaps you could quieten that or not use the trem too much with the piezo thing. The low pickup under the scratch-plate was tried by fender at one time I think, it should at least provide some output and given the qualities of the guitar (acoustic like) having this kind of output and the LACE's acoustic like quilities is not a bad choice...I'd have been dubious abut the motherbucker option. You can put those piezos anywhere on the body really, and you can wire them together in as many as you like. On one guitar, I found that around the jack socket was a kind of sweet spot and was able to stick one in there. Some people don't mind cutting them too, stay away from the wires, but a sharp pair of scissors will do the job. Experimentation is the key. Such things can be sensitive to handling, picking up knocking on the body and such...could be a useful device, but something I'd tend to avoid especially if it were affected by palm damping on the bridge. My new project has an extensive piezo mag layout, I think the majority of the sound will come from the neck mag to provide body and bass, the piezo is to provide a percussive 'edge' to things and will be likely set low and in combination...and to provide access to an onboard tuner set into the side. The piezo is an undersaddle type for an acoustic and am working on the bridge thing for that. I was almost going to adapt a tremolo for that, possibly will on another project down the line. My hope is to develop a bridge/piezo thing that will pickup mostly the actual string vibration and not so much the guitar body vibrations in fact. The idea for me was influenced by a player i am learning from at the moment, Jake Reichbart who in GN fashion has modified his working guitars with a piezo...and a bit of tape...not exactly 'stealth' but a great sound for what he does...  This might give an idea of his laid back jazzy sound from it... www.guitar-tube.com/watch/something-the-beatles-solo-jazzHe tells me that it is mostly magnetic pickup, but you can certainly hear that acoustic edge and percussive sound...funny that his working guitar has so much tape on it and a battery stuck to the tailpiece and all! I can see this guitar though being really good for those surf rhythm sounds that are often neglected and certainly will look the part. Having a working trem is a good choice as this too s an important part of that style...I'm going to be missing it in my new instrument, still there are compensations I am sure... Nice work, too good to be hidden in the coffee shop ;-) |
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Post by newey on Oct 5, 2011 18:10:34 GMT -5
Thanks, 4real! I'll put a post up in the gallery eventually, and probably I'll have some wiring questions, so a separate thread for that is likely down the road.
Right now, work has intruded and prevented much progress, but the next step is drawing up a version of JohnH's mag/piezo buffer, with an easy-to-follow stripboard diagram, hopefully, as this is uncharted territory for me.
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Post by 4real on Oct 5, 2011 18:35:55 GMT -5
Thanks, 4real! I'll put a post up in the gallery eventually, and probably I'll have some wiring questions, so a separate thread for that is likely down the road. Right now, work has intruded and prevented much progress, but the next step is drawing up a version of JohnH's mag/piezo buffer, with an easy-to-follow stripboard diagram, hopefully, as this is uncharted territory for me. Cool...will be soon joining you with a piezo buffer kind of thing from johns designs too. If doing layout stuff, I can recommend this free program... diy-fever.com/software/DIY Layout creator. It was developed for the stompbox forum and is easy to use and guitar oriented, it also has a lot of stompbox designs transcribed into that format. (there is even a tutorial on making a version of my sustainer thing on that site). I had a little trouble with it on my new win7 machine, must try it again, but have used it for years without any hassle on the old win98 comp. A couple of weeks and I suspect I will be doing similar things adapting Johns little buffers and blenders with my commercial piezo/tuner system |
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Post by newey on Oct 5, 2011 23:26:29 GMT -5
Thanks for the download tip, but your link is no go. I downloaded the beta version of his latest, 3.0 I believe it is. Played with it a bit and it seems to run OK in Vista. Very helpful!
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Post by 4real on Oct 5, 2011 23:48:39 GMT -5
Cool, fixed the link...it's pretty intuitive for working out layouts, makes for easier checking and the learning curve isn't too bad...
After reading this thread and playing around with my guitar, I'm thinking I want super stealthy too!
Considering 4 thumbwheel pots hidden in the F holes LOL...will further the illusion of this thing being an acoustic even though there is an increasing amount of electronics going in it...I already have a tuner and 4 band tuner built into the side of it for the piezo.
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) Not sure what they're called, but I think you get my idea... So maybe mount them to the left of the jack (orientation would be guitar on shoulder, looking down) for easy wiring, and use them for wtfever you want. Pop out to adjust and then hide 'em away after.
