One more project done!

[newey]

Here are some photos of my latest build. However, they are not very good photos since my camera seems incapable of handling an all-white subject.





My tale of woe attempting to put a rotary switch into this is recounted here:

guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=wiring&action=display&thread=1801

A few weeks ago ChrisK posted photos of some Graybill sealed rotary switches which would have fit just fine for this job, but I was already on to Plan B, which is just a push/pull for series/parallel between the two coils. For the brief time I had it working with the rotary (with the guard off the guitar), I could tell that the single coil split on this pickup would have pretty low output, not really a useful setting. So just having the series/parallel is fine.

It plays beautifully, strung it with 10s, holds tune well and sounds great. The parallel coils setting is nice and chimey, the series sounds . . .well ... like a HB. Adding the Tone control helped immensely, the sound would be a bit too bright without it.

I'll try for some better pics of this soon.

But thanks to all who helped me with this project, which dates back to the start of my involvement here. JohnH's rotary on a single pickup scheme will be implemented- just not on this one. But overall, it came out very well.

It has all gold hardware and a GFS "Double lipstick tube" HB, Gotoh heads, Wilkinson Vintage TremeLeo, maple neck w/ rosewood board.

[newey]

More photos, quality no better . . .

[andy]

That's one spanky looking axe, Newey! I can't imaging anyone playing that without a tuxedo on.

And the lettering on the headstock looks pretty professional too. How did you apply it? And does that say Kent, Ohio there? I'm often accused of coming from the county of Kent, England, although my real home county is just next door, East Sussex, for what it's worth.

I can only imagine what that lipstick-humbucker sounds like. The COOL tone in my head may or may not be what it actually produces, but I'm going to keep that thought for future fantasy playing!

[newey]

Thanks, Andy! Although I'm wearing cargo shorts and a "Lola Cars" Teeshirt I don't fell at all underdressed. ;D

The logo is a waterslide decal, it reads "Newey Guitars, Kent, Ohio USA"
I don't live in Kent any longer, I moved about 8 miles away a year or so ago. But I still have 3 sheets of the decals . . .

I bought the decal paper on the net. You just design your logo, make up an 8X10 sheet of numerous clones therof, and print it on an inkjet printer. The sheet then has to be sprayed with a clear acrylic finish, I use the same stuff I'm going to use on the headstock for compatibility. Couple of coats on the sheet. Then the decal is cut out and applied to the headstock, here to the painted surface, but shouldn't be on bare wood even for a natural finish.

You then have to "bury" the decal under multiple coats of clear finish. After you've built it up about 4-5 coats, lightly sand between every 2-3 coats. It takes 15 coats or so to really get it so the decal doesn't protrude.

The lipstick HB is not a real "hot" HB, has a nice mellow sound to it. I'm not a big fan of most HBs, but I like this a lot.

BTW, Kent Ohio has some real rock credentials, a great town for music. Joe Walsh and the James Gang, Devo, and we'll also claim Chrissy Hynde, too, as her brother plays in a Kent-based band, "15-60-75"

[lpf3]

That's one spanky looking axe, Newey! I can't imaging anyone playing that without a tuxedo on.

Ditto from me newey- that is one sweet lookin' guitar . I can only imagine that it plays as good as it looks .


-lpf3

[kuzi16]

8 miles from kent... sounds like the falls to me.

[ChrisK]

Well, it does look shiny and pretty. And you did say TremoLeo....

+1


It seems to be lacking some thing(ssssss).

No extra buttons, knobs, or power shifters. You probably didn't use more than a foot of wire.


Sort of like driving a car with an automatic transmission.

Maybe you could use a pp pot to reverse the phase of the guitar or sumpthin...............................



Really, it's a great job.

[newey]

Maybe you could use a pp pot to reverse the phase of the guitar or sumpthin...............................

Well, I do have push/pull on the Vol pot for series/parallel between the coils, FWIW . . .

My original conception, furthered by JohnH's diagram with the cap bleed off one coil, seemed to realize about all the tonal variations one could get out of a single HB. But after getting 3/4ths of the way into the project, I realized that if the 2 coils don't vary significantly, there's a limit to what can realistically be done.

This is a low output HB with 2 (so far as I can see) identical coils.

As I said, with the appropriate rotary switch, and, say, something along the lines of a P-Rails pickup, (Heads up, Chris!) I think the original idea here would be a worthwhile project. But, for now, I'm enjoying a nice player added into the collection.