xeroks
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Post by xeroks on Mar 18, 2009 5:16:25 GMT -5
Hi
this is just an up-for-discussion question: are DIP switches suitable for use in guitar circuitry?
I can see from specifications that there is a measurable capacitance between the switches - is it enough to change the sound? They're designed for digital applications, so the designers probably aren't too worried about that kind of thing.
And before you say the obvious - no I wasn't thinking about having a set of tiny switches on teh front of the guitar, and the player having to think to themselves: OK i want to launch into a searing solo, so that's on-on-off-off-off-off-off-on-off-off-off-on
I was more thinking about a more familiar 5 way switch, where the 3 middle positions could be programmed using a bank of dip switches in a panel in the back.
xeroks
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Post by cynical1 on Mar 18, 2009 10:09:47 GMT -5
When you mentioned dip switches this one came to mind immediately. This is from Santellan Sounds. I have no marketing affiliation with these guys, I just remembered the link... There are others out there and a Google search will yield more then a few results. This is a pretty ambitious project. Keep us posted if you decide to DIY one of these. Happy Trails Cynical One
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xeroks
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Post by xeroks on Mar 18, 2009 11:08:20 GMT -5
I won't be doing this - not for a while - ie years!
it's more of a concept thing - at this point the only way i can think of doing it for real is to use one of chris's massive 4 decker switches! I don't even know if one would fit in a guitar.
I was just wanting to see if anyone had any ideas whether it was actually possible, given the specifications of the components.
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Post by sumgai on Mar 18, 2009 17:31:18 GMT -5
x, Yes, what you envision (and queried) is indeed possible. Santellan is a member here, and has contributed in the past. If you do make further inquiries of him, be sure to mention that you're also a member of the Nutz House. HTH sumgai
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xeroks
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Post by xeroks on Mar 22, 2009 17:41:46 GMT -5
I do like the idea of that Santellan board - it's like a lot of the more useful schematics from this site rolled into one.
It's not quite the same as i was thinking, but it along the same lines, and it does show that it's possible.
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Post by ChrisK on Mar 22, 2009 21:56:13 GMT -5
That's because it is.
He did some "idea fishing" here, and has recently removed as much evidence thereof as he could, which might be related to some of his current business ventures and distribution agreements.
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Post by cynical1 on Mar 23, 2009 0:05:36 GMT -5
That's because it is. He did some "idea fishing" here, and has recently removed as much evidence thereof as he could, which might be related to some of his current business ventures and distribution agreements. I wondered about that. I couldn't find his postings around here in a search, so I pulled the image off their website. Well, the great ones create, the rich shtik drek steals. Guess I can wipe that bookmark outta the old browser... Happy Trails - Cynical One
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xeroks
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Post by xeroks on Mar 23, 2009 7:22:38 GMT -5
ah that might explain people's reticence when I mentioned the "DIP" word. I suppose when you start thinking about circuit boards, you start to head towards the realms of "perhaps I could sell this"
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santellan
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Post by santellan on Mar 23, 2009 12:11:48 GMT -5
Ouch, I understand the appearance of non appreciation by myself with regards to this site so I would like to thank the admins and everyone who has made this forum a generous contributor to educating the masses with what is possible with wiring and shielding mods. For myself this site is a great touchstone for determining what the popular desired wiring combinations are and how passionate many players are to find their signature sound. Santellan Sounds is my own little R&D venture. On my site I have a link to Guitarnutz2 with thanks for their input. I hope this helps draw more contributors to this website making it even stronger. As for the removal of all my previous posts, my original design was named Serenity during the development stages. It now belongs to Toneshaper Inc and as such I was required to remove all references to the old design on mine and others website to avoid confusion. I hope this addresses some misunderstanding since I would like to have your feedback on the current strat product and the new products I am designing. As a beginning has anyone noticed that the blender pot has an additional lead extending from it? santellansounds.com/images/ts_str1_back_det_1280.jpgIt acts as a switch which lets me in position 10 tie it to a signal while in 1-9 be floating. That why I can get away with no switches on the strat in one setup and how I can join positions 1-10 in another configuration. Best Regards to all, Santellan
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Post by newey on Mar 23, 2009 20:22:33 GMT -5
Santellan- From the start of your previous posts, you were up front with all of us that you intended this to be a commercial endeavor. This was appreciated, as all who responded were then on notice of your intentions. There are others who are not so forthcoming. And we appreciate your linking to the site. However, when you deleted your prior threads in their entirety, without any explanation, you impair the history of the board. This leaves members, like Cynical1, scratching their heads as they search for a reference they no longer can find. This is time-consuming and frustrating for others, and it makes the board less valuable as a resource. I noticed your deletion at the time, and I assumed it was done for business reasons, but it would have been better if you had notified the staff, either ChrisK or myself, before doing so. Alternatively, you could have left a message in place of your thread stating why it was summarily deleted. We ask all members to give notice when a thread is edited so that historical continuity is maintained, and deletion is a type of editing. This is not meant as a criticism, just something for future reference of all involved here. You are certainly welcome to participate in the future. Personally, I hope you do so, as you clearly are knowledgeable and have many good ideas. BTW, when you deleted your prior threads on the topic, I believe you mentioned that a version of this for rear-routed guitars was in the works. I think that makes a lot more sense than on a std Strat pickguard, as a rear-rout gives easy access to the DIP switches. For use on a std Strat guard, I think it would be more useful if a two-piece guard was used, with a separate section for the controls which could be removed so the DIP switches could be easily accessed without removing the entire guard. You could even hinge the control section of the guard so it could swing up to allow access.
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santellan
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Post by santellan on Mar 25, 2009 12:04:56 GMT -5
Thank you Newey for your comments. I will take them to heart and follow the proper protocol.
santellan
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Billw100
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Post by Billw100 on Mar 27, 2009 15:10:34 GMT -5
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Post by newey on Mar 27, 2009 16:57:20 GMT -5
billm90- Hello and Welcome! Did your test rig ultimately lead to any use in a finished guitar? We've had a bit of discussion of DIY piezos around here in the past few months. Check out JohnH's post on the topic for wisdom and inspiration if your project is still in the works.
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xeroks
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Post by xeroks on Mar 28, 2009 12:49:20 GMT -5
I like it!
did you put it together for a specific purpose? or was it a try it as see job?
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Billw100
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Post by Billw100 on Apr 24, 2009 17:55:24 GMT -5
I need to set up an email notify when someone replies. I attempted it on another guitar. a LP copy flat top. I found I had different balance issues, some were not as loud as others. I must have built 10 different bridges (cut, wire, and epoxy 6 piezos to a bridge/popsicle stick/plexi glass/whatever fit). I was getting tired so I let it slide for a bit, but I will be back at it soon enough. My real mission was to try and use midi on a nylon guitar. I was going to my gk-2 pickup as a global midi converter, but wired in the DIY piezo in place of the magnetics. I got varied results. mostly not good. I also installed 2 sets of phone jacks/cables. this gave me 8 outputs. (midi needs 7) I was trying to make it as simple as move the gk-2 housing from guitar to guitar, without moving a pickup. Or making a gk-2 station, and the cables would run to it. I was later informed I may need a pre amp on each string/piezo... I have not been motivated to jump into preamp poroduction yet. here is the LP. im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cc39b3127ccec2b10cf22fe200000010O08CbNWjJwzag9vPg4/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cc39b3127ccec2b18e0f2f5e00000010O08CbNWjJwzag9vPg4/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/I plan on terminating the ugle SG copy to do some other project,.
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Post by lpf3 on Apr 24, 2009 21:30:07 GMT -5
billm90- As a coincidence I just happened to see these guitars last night . They're right up the freeway from you . ( right down the freeway from me ). Might be simple enough to get some ideas from one of 'em . www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=ns1Ya gotta scroll down to the video demo- that guys a darn fine guitarist, to boot -lpf3
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Post by sumgai on Apr 24, 2009 22:21:34 GMT -5
bill, Sorry, but you can't just ram the output from any ol' piezo into one of the inputs of a GK wart. You need to use separate elements for each string, and you need to apply filtering for each string, separately. Otherwise, the results are vastly underwhelming. Just one of the reasons Roland units cost so much - there's a lot of engineering under that hood. HTH sumgai
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Post by gumbo on Apr 25, 2009 3:22:17 GMT -5
..and from what I read, Gibson's DarkFire RIP box has a few teething problems as well.... ....although I must admit it would be fun to see what one could accomplish with one of them, a soldering iron and too much free time...
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Billw100
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Post by Billw100 on Apr 27, 2009 14:59:37 GMT -5
bill, Sorry, but you can't just ram the output from any ol' piezo into one of the inputs of a GK wart. You need to use separate elements for each string, and you need to apply filtering for each string, separately. Otherwise, the results are vastly underwhelming. Just one of the reasons Roland units cost so much - there's a lot of engineering under that hood. HTH sumgai I am running individual piezos (each string) into the slot where the magentic coils would have been on the gk-2. im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cc39b3127ccec2b10cf22fe200000010O08CbNWjJwzag9vPg4/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/the shiney bits glued into the bridge. each one is a DIY piezo I built. there are 6 of them. I even have it all layed out color coded per what string is what color. this way string 1 is string 1 in the midi converter. I have the gk-2a pickup tore down to the bones. it did work, sound came out, just not flawlessly like one would want. tracking was bad, and some had weak signal. I was hoping any filtering was done in the unit, and I was getting the signal in before the filtering was occuring. Is there more about this little unit I should know about? I was under the impression I just needed to set up the piezo output, similar to a mag pickup impedence, thus the need for 6 preamps (fet or op amp) before the signal came in contact with the gk-2.
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Billw100
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Post by Billw100 on Apr 27, 2009 15:02:12 GMT -5
billm90- As a coincidence I just happened to see these guitars last night . They're right up the freeway from you . ( right down the freeway from me ). Might be simple enough to get some ideas from one of 'em . www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=ns1Ya gotta scroll down to the video demo- that guys a darn fine guitarist, to boot -lpf3 ;D Steve oliver is what started all of this for me.
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Post by lpf3 on Apr 27, 2009 15:40:21 GMT -5
billm90-
That's cool, you're sure in some fine company.
BTW- Is that an oak top ( soundboard ) on that LP copy that you're working on? Sure is a pretty piece of wood - how's the tone?
-lpf3
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Billw100
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Post by Billw100 on Apr 27, 2009 16:31:21 GMT -5
billm90- That's cool, you're sure in some fine company. BTW- Is that an oak top ( soundboard ) on that LP copy that you're working on? Sure is a pretty piece of wood - how's the tone? -lpf3 yes, that is oak. only piece of wood that looked workable I happened to have laying around. I threw this together on a saturday afternoon. (the piezos took many evenings, for many tries) the LP was a flat top copy I got off ebay. it was in real bad shape. dual humbucker holes, but 1 pickup. routing for the wires in the front of the body. really bad home made pickguard, so being semi hollow, I decided to throw the top on it and have a go. the bridge I built as well out of red oak. as for tone, it is okay, being all electric, I dont think the oak offers or removes any tone. I have an artec piezo mounted under the saddle as well, this has the endpin pre amp too. I was comparing my piezos to the artec. my findings, individual piezos are small, so the output is variable, and you wont know till it is together (I tried pre testing, they all seemed fine on a tap test) I have one of those goofey nylon electrics from ebay, like the silent guitart by yamaha, the electronics were terrible, so I have 1 piezo cut in half, both halves glued to the saddle. very balanced output.
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