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Post by b4nj0 on Sept 28, 2013 5:12:25 GMT -5
Warmoth state that you can forget about any warranty if you insist on using an oiled finish. The two Warmoth necks that I have used in projects contained printed disclaimers within the packaging to that effect.
Originally, "hygrostats" in old fashioned mercury banjo-wheel barometers used grains of wheat to drive a tiny pointless humidity / moisture content / percentage saturation "dial". This was due to the half-baked linear response to humidity changes that such a morsel afforded. Your neck, being similarly organic in nature will eventually (when you've forgotten to re-apply the oil in a timely fashion) duplicate that unwanted characteristic.
Am I allowed to say banjo on here.... ; <D
e&oe...
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Post by b4nj0 on Sept 4, 2013 8:32:46 GMT -5
This is indeed a classic. It's flexible in its tone pallet, intuitive in the way that it goes from series to parallel, meaty in the series settings- especially all 3 together- and the only real compromise is swapping the middle for a neck and bridge "Tele" arrangement. I was impressed enough to wire a second "Strat" that I had the same way, but I recall that some Nutz had a degree of trouble with it... It deserves to get another airing.
e&oe...
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Post by b4nj0 on Sept 2, 2013 1:27:06 GMT -5
Looks as though they are all right hand strung?
Nice little group by the way GD.
e&oe...
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 19, 2013 7:15:12 GMT -5
Hi Ron, wouldn't a push-pull (or even better a push-push) pot be better than a toggle switch? Steve.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using proboards
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 1, 2013 12:31:30 GMT -5
I meant just to connect a wire temporarily to the (hopefully metallic) bridge because that is by definition connected to all of the strings, and then connect the other end to a known earth connection that is independent of the guitar / amplifier combination (a central heating pipe for example) If the noise source is environmental, that should have an immediate effect. Then we could begin to think about ways in which to deal with the noise if possible.
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 1, 2013 11:52:55 GMT -5
Obviously it makes the same noise with another amp / cable combo right? So, moving straight on, what about actually grounding the strings- say by clipping onto the bridge or a machine head. This is distinct from touching the strings. Need to be aware of PME (protective multiple earthing) at least here in the UK anyway. With PME, the ground is not earth until it gets back to the sub-station and hence there is a finite voltage drop which can lead to an unwanted current flow in the event of a fault on the mains which would want to go to deck via your axe...caveat emptor, put on some wellies! If that reduces the noise, it begins to look like environmental as you suspect. In particular- a horizontally polarised noise source. That would explain why you get a reduction in noise when you point it to the heavens, the cross polarisation would effect a 20 db reduction in the noise if the strings are acting as an aerial (antenna) If you have an AM portable radio, you could wander around the house and your neighbourhood looking for the noise source. Remember the figure of eight radiation pattern from the internal ferrite aerial if you do this. You did not state whether it affects both pickups, or just the one that you replaced. If it is the latter, the first thing I would do is to check the manufacturer's pick up lead colour code, just in case you have accidentally wired up using an incorrect arrangement that means you are only using the north or south coil alone. That might well explain why it disappears in the middle position- you may have a quasi humbucking arrangement in that position. That's enough armchair theorising for now! Steve.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 31, 2013 7:25:03 GMT -5
I think that it all depends upon provenance? Everyone knows that ivory is banned but it is seen on a regular basis in "antique" shops in the UK. Old ivory is not illegal- I have an ivory dominoes set- I thought that it was bone when I purchased it. New ivory is nothing short of disgusting, as are the individuals who perpetuate the illegal trade (which includes the buyers that provide the ready market) I also have an ivory knob on my banjo wheel mercury barometer. Again, it's not illegal to buy or sell in the UK, but I wouldn't want to take it beyond these shores (a logistical problem in itself) Here in the UK, some small volume luthiers do hold small and dwindling supplies of protected species of timber and charge spiralling amounts for it too. This is not illegal provided the provenance (age in this context?) can be established, but I would not want to cross an international border with such an instrument, whether illegal or "legal". This is presented as received wisdom on my part and I am ready to be shot down in flames by anyone with direct experience or knowledge.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 27, 2013 13:46:33 GMT -5
I cut down an over-length push-push that I purchased a good while back for an Esquire project (don't ask!) It was just a case of being gentle with a junior hacksaw through the threaded part (left a nut on so "restoring" the thread after the cut was straightforward) and then reducing the length of the shaft to suit. Unfortunately, I was not gentle enough while cutting down the shaft. Everything still works, including the P-P, but there is now some slack in the rotation, rather like play in gears. You could easily do better than this armed with my caveat over being "gentle"...
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 25, 2013 13:16:44 GMT -5
Sorry, I figured from your OP that it affected all of your stompers. I enjoyed the puzzle though. Great that you got it sorted!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using proboards
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 25, 2013 13:11:47 GMT -5
A bit of a "me too" this one... In my first (desk based) job after leaving college (1975!), they sent me down onto a construction site for six weeks experience. There they had an off road (ie, not licenced or anything) panel van that belonged to the pipe fitters. Once a week on a Friday, the "boss" used to visit the site and he would take us down to a local transport cafe (roadhouse) for breakfast in that panel van. One week, the pipe fitters flame-cut the back off to make it into a flat-back pick up (easier to use on the construction site for hauling gear around) but we still went down to the cafe for breakfast with us all holding on as best as we could to what was left of the cab roof. Then one week, the steering wheel was robbed by someone and the pipe fitters substituted a "mole" grip (wrench). It didn't stop the Friday trip to the cafe...As I said, that was in 1975. Happy times, no one would do that these days! I didn't want to go back to the desk job...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using proboards
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 22, 2013 11:23:23 GMT -5
I reckon you stand more chance of bass players going over to MIDI 100%. Guitarists are so conservative. Also, take vintage guitars, valve amps, effects that eschew digital. Hey, even the Fender "Roadworn" series! (Distressing guitars in general actually) We could all see digital photography and video coming but I reckon (and hope because I'm a card carrying luddite too!) That guitars will stay much the way they are and will co-exist with MIDI and also whatever supplants MIDI in time. But this should be for another thread and the OP was about implimentation of MIDI rather than its prospects.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 20, 2013 14:19:21 GMT -5
Does it with all effects boxes, so it's not going to be down to them, but ash's hint about the psu is germaine. Does it even if you bypass the preamp so it's not that. I don't suspect the power amp stages because they are soundly buffered from the input by the preamp circuitry, which as I said is probably not to blame. Capacitor from chassis to ground terminal will do nothing except invalidate any warranty that you might still have. I'm sure that signal to chassis ground is what you meant, but that might also roll away some shine off your tone and is probably a red herring. My questions: once it starts to make the noise, even if you turn the effect off, does it still do it if you turn off the amplifier and then turn it on again with the effect(s) still turned off? Also, does it happen with the guitar left on a stand as you stomp on and off (ie!, no cable movement at all) and then again, what about with just the effects connected and no guitar and lead plugged in? All probably irrelevant, but it helps to rule out as Sherlock Holmes is supposed to have said because that which is left must be the culprit! I'll go with ash for now, focus on the cable first, but it does seem illogical.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 2, 2013 1:33:23 GMT -5
Well, anything is better than Leo's 57mm. I have Warmoth neck on a one piece Schecter Koa "Strat" body. This is the one with the Mike Richardson wiring (thanks again Mike) It used to have a '70s made Roger Giffin neck that was about 3/32" too narrow at the high E side at the neck pocket (thanks Roger!) and a '70s Fender pot metal vibrato at 2.4375" string spacing , the same as my '73 Stratocaster, The memories of balancing the strings on the edge of the neck linger... Along with the Warmoth, I put a Wilkinson two point VG300 on and due to those same bad memories, I positioned it slightly off centre. Thus has not really worked because it has brought the whole low E closer to the bass side and now that one drops off from time to time yet the high E still drops off too. The Wilkinson has a 2.0625" spacing. As has been indirectly indicated, you only get around 1/2 of the reduction at the top of the neck, and only half that again on each side. I reckon that despite what I have written, anything you can save on width is worth the effort, but at least as important is to review your technique and adopt a more gentle approach / attack. It would be all well and good if I took my own advice here!
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 17, 2013 7:19:18 GMT -5
OK, for the purpose of a show of hands time; I would be happy to contribute depending upon how much it works out to be. I once paid out to treat another PB forum to one month without advertisements, but it turned out that only the moderator could apply the donation, and since that would have reduced the altruism if I had asked for the 7 bucks to be applied, the cash went down the plug hole. At least this way one could be confident that the money would be used as intended? Hosting your own images is all fine and dandy, but it could very well take big bites into the bandwidth. If I understand correctly, failure to keep up annual contributions would result in (temporary?) exclusion or read only access / withheld search facility / no viewing of hosted images? I gather that some of the main contributors are well up to this task... I hope it takes off and is a success.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 17, 2013 4:21:53 GMT -5
So, not way to go then, back to greasebucket tone trickery...
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 16, 2013 16:58:22 GMT -5
I held the yellow jersey for resurrection back in 2007, but 7+ years sure is a doozie...It would be easy to trounce, but not very sporting n'est ce pas?
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 2, 2013 4:02:31 GMT -5
Took me 3/4 of an hour on another forum deleting cookies and clearing cache before I could even see the forum from a browser search and it was "network error" with no log in option on the Android through the same lan. This meant that I was forced to delete the Android account and could not then find that other forum at all. Then I was able to find the forum in the browser from a Google search and the login "upgrade" via the browser then log in yet again. Then back to the "smart" 'phone and find the forum again and finally log in in the Android app. Having done that on the other forum, I was straight into this forum, so it would appear that the log in is global across Proboards because I did not need to re-enter my password. I hope that fellow forumites have enjoyed a more pleasant experience...
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 1, 2013 4:04:09 GMT -5
It irks me when highly trained (practiced?) classical musicians cannot play jack without a manuscript before their eyes, yet a bedroom noodler can mash along to most things, if not too well on (most?) occasions. My 14 years old nephew is already grade 5 piano and grade 3 violin. I can play along with him, but he's cattle trucked without sheet music. I say to him, "can you play these chords?" and you can see the blank expression on his face. He practices over and over, and now that he has a sense of timing and rhythm, it's listenable. OTOH, he can sight read, and I am too lazy to translate the dots, and cannot do it on the fly anyway. Then again, practice suggests repetition until approaching some degree of perfection, while inate ability implies being able to turn one's hand to whatever comes along. A bit like me really- jack of all trades...! Danny Gatton always claimed that he never practiced, yet he played constantly (when he wasn't wrenching vintage autos) and I'd not cavil with his prowess! I guess there's room for everyone though. Fancy a jam!
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Post by b4nj0 on Jun 1, 2013 3:15:14 GMT -5
Not sure whether you have the facility, but Armstrong HeliCoils are the best way to repair the damaged threads. These are tiny threads though, and therefore an interesting proposition to lash up an insertion tool of your own device...
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Post by b4nj0 on May 31, 2013 18:40:27 GMT -5
Can't beat a freebie! Even better when the pitch of the posts matches. I had to plug and re-bore for the Tonepros. The original wound third string fixed intonation effort had to go at any price...
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Post by b4nj0 on May 29, 2013 17:10:04 GMT -5
Yup, they are expensive. OTOH, on the Gordon Smith the cost is justified (in the UK they are known as the British Gibson and with good reason) I saw the Stewmac one that you linked to. There is a company in the UK called AXESRUS that does the same thing (or very similar) for about 25 bucks, but the despatch is only free within the UK. Hope you get sorted.
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Post by b4nj0 on May 29, 2013 11:57:11 GMT -5
I have the Tonepros intonatable wrap-around design on an English "Gordon Smith" double-cut slab hog type. I can only report that I am very satisfied with it. There is supposed to be some issue with the Tonepros design regarding how the ball end of the string is allowed to seat in at least some of the six positions, but I haven't experienced any problems thus far. As you are already aware, there are alternatives available.
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Post by b4nj0 on May 19, 2013 15:26:52 GMT -5
In addition to SG's remarks, P90s from any particular manufacturer should display different string spreads (and winding resistances) for neck and bridge models.
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Post by b4nj0 on May 1, 2013 17:30:46 GMT -5
Are those Axesrus vibratos really Wilkinsons? The Wilkinsons do have the name engraved or stamped on the saddles. I have a Wilkinson on a 1973 Stratocaster and for around €30 I highly recommend it. At the end of the day though, it's only there until I get around to stumping up for a Callaham or whatever. At the price point of those Axesrus ones, I'd plump for a Wilkinson (probably also available from Axesrus? I got mine from them. BTW- decent outfit to deal with.) I became so hacked off with the string spacing of the hideous cast mazac Fender poo that a 52.5mm string spacing was the primary objective. Check out "Wudtone" on eBay for a different take on the Strat vibrato. I haven't tried one, but it looks to be really well made and conceived. I think it's around half the price of a Callaham (No connection etc).
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Post by b4nj0 on Apr 20, 2013 14:55:44 GMT -5
Shielding does work, there's no question about it. "ye cannae change the lozaphysics" as Scotty said. If it were otherwise, then we would no longer need to use co-axial cable for guitar leads in an unbalanced configuration. A twisted pair would both suffice and make the bean counters smile.
My only concern regarding the use of screening, is that of the effect of stray capacitance on the output. Of course, we are only talking about a few picofarads, but capacitance does have an effect over longer guitar leads so I'm not going to ignore it as inconsequential even if it is slight. All guitars are equiped with (at least) six antennae. They are (or should be) grounded, but some interference is always going to find a way through. It's an example of the law of diminishing returns.
I finished a "tribute" (copy!) of a Danny Gatton Tele last year complete with original Joe Bardens. I screened every cavity with self adhesive copper foil and I don't know whether it's the screening, the Bardens or a happy combination of the two, but it is as quiet as a church mouse, even if I hold the guitar right up next to a dimmer switch doing its thing.
Screening works for sure, how you implement it is the wild card. Half inch aluminium plate? Jeez!
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Post by b4nj0 on Apr 18, 2013 13:11:30 GMT -5
Maybe it's worth pointing out here that Proboards does offer options of colour scheme. I have used an image of a signature and set it as white writing on a black background so it blended into the dark scheme of the forum. Then I noticed that it looked daft on a white scheme. This is similar to webmasters having to take into account all the different ways that various browsers render their creations. It follows that your carefully created diagram may not display as you intended on all contributor's computers. I haven't tried it, but perhaps <alt-shift-255> would work for spaces in all cases?
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Post by b4nj0 on Apr 13, 2013 11:16:58 GMT -5
AFAIK, to this day, all Gordon-Smith guitars from Partington in the north west of the UK have brass nuts. They are known as the British Gibson and not without good reason. My own 1980-ish GS Gypsy 1 (like an LP Junior double cut with one HB), serial number in the low 300s, has a stainless-steel nut, it was a special request. There has to be an exception to prove the rule! I have never heard a single complaint regarding the sound of a GS in the 33 odd years that they have been trading. OT I know, but for interest, check out how John Smith (of Gordon Smith Guitars) fits truss rods into one-piece maple necks, it's a trade secret, but I've got an idea how its done... Bottom line, I agree with C1 regarding the use of brass, but I cannot ignore the (conflicting) evidence of Gordon Smiths (and then there's my sustain-forever Yammy SG2000 with the brass "sustain" block under the "Tunamatic" style bridge!)
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Post by b4nj0 on Apr 12, 2013 8:58:27 GMT -5
Newey is on the button (as usual) The loss through holes only becomes significant as the size of a hole approaches a quarter wavelength at the troublesome frequency (and that would need to be a very big hole indeed at mains hum frequency) A little bit like an open waveguide (at the other end of the frequency spectrum) Well, that's what was inculcated into me when doing the "ham" exams.
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Post by b4nj0 on Apr 4, 2013 12:20:44 GMT -5
As a radio "ham" , I am forbidden by criminal law in the UK to discuss race, politics or religion over the air. I can see why now! God I cannot do, but I certainly wish you peace and a happy solution to your predicament. 73 de g4vrr!
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Post by b4nj0 on Mar 31, 2013 5:07:38 GMT -5
Three pole switch... Of course you are spot-on. I blame it on jet lag because the clocks had just leaped forward! The number of digits on a meter has no direct relation to its accuracy, but for the type of relative (ie, comparing one pick up to another) readings that we are concerned with, the more the merrier? I shall try to engage brain before posting in future.....
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