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Post by geo on Oct 25, 2012 20:15:23 GMT -5
This is my first rewire, so go easy on the craftsmanship. I haven't got a hand for writing music, but it's fun to cover other folks' stuff. Thing is, I'm really picky about certain aspects of the sound (mostly the way the distortion breaks up), so I rewired my strat for the most flexibility I could get out of it. I started with a Standard Mexican Stratocaster, got the pickups from an Eric Johnson strat, and did the three modifications listed below. I switched the positions of the neck and bridge EJ pickups to suit my tastes. Double-Barrel SwitchingOzBoomer's Modified Legacy G&L Tone ControlClapton Active Mid-Boost kitExtra special thanks to everyone in those posts, I would not have been able to pull this off without you folks. The vinyl decal was an extra special treat from you guys. Anyways, here's the result: "Mockingbird" Stratocaster PickupsNeck - EJ Stratocaster Mid Pickup ('63 strat-like) Mid - EJ Stratocaster Neck Pickup ('58 strat-like) Bridge - EJ Stratocaster Bridge Pickup (Hot '58 strat-like) Neck pickup is reverse-wound, reverse polarized with respect to the others SwitchingN, N||M, M, M||B, M+B, B, N||B, N+B, N+B out of phase + for series, || for parallel PotentiometersVolume knob does not affect tone Treble converted to no-load potentiometer (500K log, 0.01uF) Clapton Active Mid-boost Bass-cut (500K linear, 470pF)
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Post by newey on Oct 25, 2012 22:45:22 GMT -5
Very sweet, geo! +1! The pickguard came out great. I assume you implemented Lunaalta's vinyl decal idea?
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Post by cynical1 on Oct 25, 2012 23:24:38 GMT -5
I've got to give you a +1 here as well. That graphic you chose really sets off the guitar.
Happy Trails
Cynical One
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Post by geo on Oct 26, 2012 1:39:24 GMT -5
neweyThat I did! I took a picture of a "bubble chamber" (think antique particle collider, back before we had the Large Hadron Collider or the Tevatron), inverted the colors and stuck it right on like the video in the thread I linked to.
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Post by asmith on Oct 26, 2012 3:33:25 GMT -5
Georgeous.
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Post by 4real on Oct 26, 2012 5:10:39 GMT -5
Very, Very cool...especially like the scratch plate detail, sets it off great. Good choices all round, white pups, chrome and maple neck stop this 'black' guitar being indistinct while being classy.
Plus two selectors is a great idea for this kind of thing...well done!
+1 from me too, a great addition to the GN2 Gallery!
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Post by lunaalta on Oct 26, 2012 13:14:35 GMT -5
That's nice........ I really must try that myself......
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Post by geo on Oct 28, 2012 19:44:03 GMT -5
So a word of warning to anyone that replicates this:
The Clapton mid-boost was intended for single coils. When you run pickups in series it's possible to get a good sound out of it, but there are very many combinations that make bad sounds.
So while this lets me get a lot more good sounds than a regular strat would, it also produces some very bad, bad sounds if you dial in a bad setting.
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Post by 4real on Oct 28, 2012 19:53:40 GMT -5
I really think that things like this would be far better off in a pedal or something. The idea seems to be to get a more midrange HB like sound on a strat, but then, that is also the point of passive series combos...so would imagine many things could go to mud.
Personally, I'd tend to leave that part out and the control layout simpler and less cluttered.
I have similar kinds of options on my strat with push pulls but rarely use the series sounds myself. An option for neck and bridge is a great sound as is the all three parallel for something a bit 'acoustic' or all three series for a thick 'jazz' like sound. I'd never found the middle pup alone to be a great or at least distinct sound.
Of course, the types and variances of pickups makes a big difference. A combination of unlike pickups also gives a good sound too.
Nevertheless, the end result in this case is tasteful and practical and with lots of options!
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Post by geo on Oct 28, 2012 21:55:17 GMT -5
I'm very happy with the series switching in this, since I'm not particularly fond of humbuckers in general. The neck+bridge gives me a muddy humbucker sound and the middle+bridge gives me a bright humbucker sound. When it comes to humbuckers, that's about as picky as I get. I had a PRS Paul Allender that I got for ~$400 (great buy, the list price was about twice that), and it was a charm to play, but I really didn't use it all that much. Now that I've got series switching to fake humbuckers pretty well I gave that one to my brother.
The real value to having the midboost integrated instead of on your pedal board is that adjusting the volume from your guitar doesn't change the tone. (Well, it's still a tube amp, so you're going to hear some changes, but there's one age-old problem gone.) Personally, I'd love to see all the switching done on an IC so we can all save ourselves a lot of space.
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Post by sumgai on Oct 29, 2012 2:56:53 GMT -5
geo, ..... Personally, I'd love to see all the switching done on an IC so we can all save ourselves a lot of space. Now there's a topic that's been debated before. The main problem is, economy of scale. It's a given that in order to recoup the development costs, a certain number of units will have to be sold at X dollars. Sadly, the predictions are, only 3 players will ever have big enough cajones to actually give this idea an honest trial run - and it's a sure bet that they won't want to pony up that many pesos for something like this. For the rest of the crowd, the rallying cry will be "I'll be damned if I'm gonna put anything digital in my signal path - that'll muck up the tone for sure!" Sadly, outside of a few EE types like ChrisK and myself, no one has bothered to test for himself just how far from the truth that last statement is. Shame, that. A long time ago, newey posted a thread on this topic, ask him to find it and dust it off for you. HTH sumgai
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Post by 4real on Oct 29, 2012 5:36:35 GMT -5
Digital switching is not going to really put anything in the signal path, it's just a switch done electronically, or can be. However most of these things can be done passively and you will need some kind of switch to activate the electronic one anyway, though I suppose you might be able to be a bit more clever with it, it will take space and require power. My strat above has a tiny control cavity and yet I have over 30 combinations I think, variable HB control and three push pulls and a supersitch and intuitive layout. It won't do middle pickup alone, but it does have series and parallel modes and the neck+bridge. A phase switch for the neck completes the controls, though you'd not know that it is there and with careful wiring all fitted in and shielded too. I'm not sure really want one could do 'extra' with digital switching particularly and the battery to run it alone might be harder to fit in. One would still need some kind of switch bank to activate things regardless. What I liked about this was not really the switching options, though the dual selectors is well done, it is more an aesthetic thing for me. You seem to ahve a good eye for it and the options are stealtherly enough for my liking...bodes well for future projects and influencing others who might come across it...
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Post by geo on Apr 12, 2023 8:14:53 GMT -5
Okay, so I wanted to touch this up for a long time, since the vinyl sticker didn't really hit the note I was going for, the rest of the plastic hardware was mismatched, etc. But hey, I was a college kid; I did what I could wit the tools I had. Anyway, a few months ago, I went to Axetreme Creations and they were FANTASTIC about making a custom pickguard. One of the best customer service experiences in my life. The pickguard came out super cool, too. Got some black pickup covers to match, and the thing's looking sharp. Thought I'd share some photos, give them some good press. The pictures don't quite do it justice; it's silver on black, and the silver part is laser etched, so the lines are tactile grooves in the black material. The cyan/blue hue in the silver is from the ambient lighting and the camera being weird; it's just gray/silver in person.
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Post by newey on Apr 12, 2023 12:18:20 GMT -5
Very nice, geo. I see you had them replicate the bubble chamber graphic, but it definitely catches the eye more now. And, I'm old enough to have used a bubble chamber in a college physics class 40+ years ago . . .
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Post by geo on Apr 12, 2023 21:06:16 GMT -5
And, I'm old enough to have used a bubble chamber in a college physics class 40+ years ago . . . That's so cool!! We only had pictures of those. Extremely jealous.
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kitwn
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Post by kitwn on Apr 13, 2023 20:06:06 GMT -5
I hadn't noticed the age of the original posts, you obviously still like the guitar to be giving this much attention. As a science nerd of many decades standing, I love the pickguard. Are there any recordings of the guitar available online?
Kit
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Post by ozboomer on Apr 15, 2023 21:35:39 GMT -5
Another +1 on the updates. Now, to give it the full 'goth' treatment, all you need is a graphite neck (link page seems broken somehow) ... but I still wouldn't change the 'metal' hardware, as the silver 'highlights' key with the particle trail pickguard, IMO... ...and I thought I was kinda silly to keep on with 'mod projects' for 15+ years...
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Post by sumgai on Apr 16, 2023 13:53:35 GMT -5
Another +1 on the updates. Now, to give it the full 'goth' treatment, all you need is a graphite neck (link page seems broken somehow)It's broken because Moses ceased production of any guitar/bass items in 2018. They're focused strictly on parts for the violin family, and SonusSphere speakers. Sad, that. I once played a P-Bass sporting a Moses neck, and I would've sold my soul right then and there to have one of those babies for my own instrument. Back then, ca. 2008 or 2009, such things went for north of $300... not for the faint of heart, nor faint of wallet. Why they left our favorite industry is anyone's guess, their website isn't telling the answer to that question. HTH sumgai
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Post by cynical1 on Apr 16, 2023 19:25:00 GMT -5
Why they left our favorite industry is anyone's guess, their website isn't telling the answer to that question. But they show up used on Reverb...typically attached to something... HTC1
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Post by geo on Apr 21, 2023 15:17:03 GMT -5
I hadn't noticed the age of the original posts, you obviously still like the guitar to be giving this much attention. As a science nerd of many decades standing, I love the pickguard. Are there any recordings of the guitar available online? Kit Ahahahah, I like it so much because... it's my only guitar! I'll try to record a demo this summer when I've got a proper amp set up instead of a headphone amp. If I were to go back and do this again, I'm not sure I'd do the bass cut; it's an interesting toy, but the circuit I used for that really kills the tone if you crank it. The mid-boost kit is really nice because it's a little fuzz you can dial in right on the guitar, rather than futzing with pedals. The buffered output also makes this pretty reliable tone-wise, although I sometimes miss being able to back off the volume to dull the tone a little. When I finish my next mad science project, maybe I'll decide I liked the buffered output more! The grass is always greener, right? Edit: Damn, looks like we lost the double-barrel switching mod diagram. Basically, you add a super-switch with 5 modes: 1) Passthrough to standard 5-way hat switch 2) Neck+Bridge in parallel 3) Mid+Bridge in series 4) Neck+Bridge in series 5) Mid+Bridge in series and out of phase
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Post by geo on Apr 21, 2023 15:28:08 GMT -5
...and I thought I was kinda silly to keep on with 'mod projects' for 15+ years... Heheh, think I owe you thanks for designing the tone control circuit I used!! Gotta have a real light touch with that bass cut, but it adds some real range!
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kitwn
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Post by kitwn on Apr 23, 2023 23:19:48 GMT -5
I hadn't noticed the age of the original posts, you obviously still like the guitar to be giving this much attention. As a science nerd of many decades standing, I love the pickguard. Are there any recordings of the guitar available online? Kit Ahahahah, I like it so much because... it's my only guitar! I'll try to record a demo this summer when I've got a proper amp set up instead of a headphone amp. If I were to go back and do this again, I'm not sure I'd do the bass cut; it's an interesting toy, but the circuit I used for that really kills the tone if you crank it. The mid-boost kit is really nice because it's a little fuzz you can dial in right on the guitar, rather than futzing with pedals. The buffered output also makes this pretty reliable tone-wise, although I sometimes miss being able to back off the volume to dull the tone a little. When I finish my next mad science project, maybe I'll decide I liked the buffered output more! The grass is always greener, right? Edit: Damn, looks like we lost the double-barrel switching mod diagram. Basically, you add a super-switch with 5 modes: 1) Passthrough to standard 5-way hat switch 2) Neck+Bridge in parallel 3) Mid+Bridge in series 4) Neck+Bridge in series 5) Mid+Bridge in series and out of phase OK, that's a good reason! I'm interested by your bass-cut comments. I put a passive one in my build for GGBO last year but haven't fully explored the effect in detail. The thinking is that an overdriven amp will be swamped by high amplitude, low frequency signals and a more controlled tone achieved if they are reduced. Think Carlos Santana. The tone controls in almost every guitar amp (some Mesa-Boogie models being an exception) are after the pre-amp distortion and so have no effect in this regard.
I have at least three different sets of ideas for my next mad scientist, active electronics, own-design pickups guitar but have no idea when I'll actually have time to start building anything.
Kit
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Post by sumgai on Apr 24, 2023 11:38:25 GMT -5
..... but have no idea when I'll actually have time to start building anything. Said the freshly minted retiree. Sadly for me, I also know that exact feeling. sumgai
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Post by geo on Apr 24, 2023 17:52:47 GMT -5
I have at least three different sets of ideas for my next mad scientist, active electronics, own-design pickups guitar but have no idea when I'll actually have time to start building anything. Kit
That sounds fun! I really want to see a mahogany neck-through semi-hollowbody with three active humbuckers and a piezo, with crazy wiring that lets you split the coils, switch in series/parallel, swap phase, etc. all neatly and easy to use... but I don't think I'd ever play that instrument, so I haven't tried to put it to paper. It's not easy to picture how to do that without some nasty Red Special style switching.
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kitwn
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Post by kitwn on Apr 24, 2023 18:07:18 GMT -5
..... but have no idea when I'll actually have time to start building anything. Said the freshly minted retiree. Sadly for me, I also know that exact feeling. sumgai My dad always said he was busier after he retired, and now I know what he meant! Moving inter-state to a bigger property and implementing The Head Gardener's plans, looking after the same Head Gardener after her major back surgery, trying to get an exhibit for a woodworking exhibition made by August plus actually practising and playing my existing guitars to a level I'm not embarrassed to show off in public all take their toll. It keeps me out of mischief though...there's always a downside.
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kitwn
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Post by kitwn on Apr 24, 2023 18:27:31 GMT -5
I have at least three different sets of ideas for my next mad scientist, active electronics, own-design pickups guitar but have no idea when I'll actually have time to start building anything. Kit
That sounds fun! I really want to see a mahogany neck-through semi-hollowbody with three active humbuckers and a piezo, with crazy wiring that lets you split the coils, switch in series/parallel, swap phase, etc. all neatly and easy to use... but I don't think I'd ever play that instrument, so I haven't tried to put it to paper. It's not easy to picture how to do that without some nasty Red Special style switching. Funny you mention the neat and easy to use conundrum. My plan for working round that is to implement the switching using electronically operated switches, either solid-state or (for those who believe that passing their precious signal through any active device that does not contain a vacuum will permanently destroy all musicality in may have contained) latching relays. The actual driving of the relays can be be done using an Arduino microcontroller or a hard-wired diode matrix whichever you're happier building. The latter is less flexible. These ideas were discussed here some years ago but my innovation is what I've called the 'song switch'. Actually operating a heap of different knobs and switches during playing a song, or even between songs at a gig is not practical so the thinking is you just have a 3 or 5 way switch which can select a set of tones you want for the particular song, just like Jimmi or Jimmy used. But then add on a (say) 12 way rotary switch, the song switch, which gives you a complete new set of 3/5 tones to suit the next song. You just need to know which song switch position you need for each number and away you go. The front of the guitar has one switch and 3/4/5 knobs just like any old-fashioned axe you have lying around.
Programming in a simple and effective way requires some care and a bespoke body design but I'm not giving all my secrets away in one go.
Kit
PS The through neck would probably be Jarrah, though it's a bit heavy, the three humbuckers would be my own design based on what I know about the Langcaster pickups and the semi-hollow body (which you need to fit in all the gubbins) would use some of the steam-bending techniques I've just learned at my local woodworking guild. I hadn't though of adding a piezo but it's an obvious addition now you mention it.
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Post by geo on Apr 24, 2023 19:13:16 GMT -5
Yeah, the piezo makes a lot of sense if you've got a semi-hollow body with active pickups already! I wanted to sneak one into my latest design (although not a hollow or semi-hollow body), but with passive circuitry it was just too much of a leap.
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Post by sumgai on Apr 25, 2023 11:03:06 GMT -5
electronically operated switches.... .... latching relays.... .... I'm not giving all my secrets away in one go. Keep going. You're not gonna escape that easily. And do note that some of us here are in your boat, that of an EE, whether currently practicing or retired (which is also your boat, we understand). But while you're at it.... that piezo trick? Why not just forego the standard pickups altogether and simply insert a hex piezo pup, then use a modeler? Lots of different companies out there, with various capabilities and at various price points. If you're worried about achieving "that sound" or "that tone" (or in c1 parlance, "that voice"), then just ask asmith how unbelievably close to a stock Strat a VG-88 can come. He visited the USA just over 11 years ago, and when he stayed at my place, I plugged it altogether, that is, a hex pup on my bog-stock Strat Deluxe. Switching back and forth between mags and piezo (through the same amp, of course), he couldn't tell the difference. We took that rig up to visit JFrankParnell, and he also could not tell the difference. It was that good back then, and it's even better now. And for sure, Roland is no longer the only game in town. HTH sumgai
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kitwn
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Post by kitwn on Apr 25, 2023 17:12:29 GMT -5
electronically operated switches.... .... latching relays.... .... I'm not giving all my secrets away in one go. Keep going. You're not gonna escape that easily. And do note that some of us here are in your boat, that of an EE, whether currently practicing or retired (which is also your boat, we understand). But while you're at it.... that piezo trick? Why not just forego the standard pickups altogether and simply insert a hex piezo pup, then use a modeler? Lots of different companies out there, with various capabilities and at various price points. If you're worried about achieving "that sound" or "that tone" (or in c1 parlance, "that voice"), then just ask asmith how unbelievably close to a stock Strat a VG-88 can come. He visited the USA just over 11 years ago, and when he stayed at my place, I plugged it altogether, that is, a hex pup on my bog-stock Strat Deluxe. Switching back and forth between mags and piezo (through the same amp, of course), he couldn't tell the difference. We took that rig up to visit JFrankParnell, and he also could not tell the difference. It was that good back then, and it's even better now. And for sure, Roland is no longer the only game in town. HTH sumgai If/when I eventually get round to building this thing (lot's of stuff nearer the top of the ToDo list including a parlour acoustic build) you'll be the first to know. Re the modelling: I take your point, but the easiest way to achieve that would be to buy the whole package in something from GTRS for example (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXoU3p1B8PY&t=906s). Actually I'd quite like one of those, but it will be oh-so-obsolete in no time flat ("USB-C darling? That's soooo 2020s!") Thing is, I can't write modelling software and I'm not going to start learning now. I want to build MY guitar with MY pickups and MY switching system driven by MY Arduino (I can write software for one of those) for no better reason than I can.
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Post by ozboomer on Apr 25, 2023 20:31:54 GMT -5
So much to say... but it all boils down to 'horses for courses'.. and it's a lot less $$$ to go 'outboard' with the 'sound manipulation' these days... IF! you have a computer (I still balk at trying to do anything meaningful on a phone/tablet version of a DAW... Ugh!). I remember our dear sumgai was very much into his 'external mixer-dohickey' (I can't remember the name of the dashed thing) but it was a mixer/effects/etc all in one (much like my Micro BR BR-80, which I love to bits) but was more of a 'desktop' box... and he swore by it (or at it)... Still, I spent hours'n'hours and hacked my way through 3 or 4 guitars, with a dozen or more 'voice transplants' and ended-up with one of them as a guitar I really like to play (see The JJG Modified Affinity Strat)... as well as another that has the same internal arrangement (but different pickups, which to me is the overriding 'essence' of the sound) - see an earlier incarnation of the guitar... but I'm still trying to get myself sorted to make MY version of a Fender Parallel Universe II Jazz Strat (much to the amusement of many nutz around here )... as I really like the Jazzmaster pickups.. and the Stratocaster body+trem are things I'm comfortable working with... and I really don't feel like spending A$4,500+ on a 'real' Jazz Strat, if I could even get one here in Oz. It's all about learning what's important... to you... but y'still haveta 'walk the walk'.. and don't just accept that 'everybody knows' something or other. there's waaay too much hype in the guitar / amp universe and the ultimate measure is always what your ears tell you... IMHO o'course... Thus endeth this rant...
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