Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
5 string fretless showcase: Habanero V
- Thread starter adam.beauchene
- Start date
About pickups: if you want to make these stacked humbuckers, you have to stack the magnets too, inverting their polarity. With single magnets you'll have just big single coils with center tap...
I'll wind it tomorrow. Feeling much more optimistic about this one. Plus it reminds me of this:
So this pickup is now called the Red Baron. Hope it sounds as cool.
Me likes!
Wound late into the night, and early this rainy morning!
Top coil:
Bottom coil:
Close enough. Had to start over on the bottom coil 3 times, so this is a big win for me! Very excited to see how it works out.
I guess they look similiar, but this is a stacked humbicker, P90's are single coil, I believe. Plus, these are 1/4" x 1" neodymium magnets...don't think they had those back in the day!
The coils are wound in opposite directions, and leaded as individual coils for phase switching and parallel/series options in the switching. Scroll back a page, I put a schematic of how I plan to do that.
Top coil:
Bottom coil:
Close enough. Had to start over on the bottom coil 3 times, so this is a big win for me! Very excited to see how it works out.
I guess they look similiar, but this is a stacked humbicker, P90's are single coil, I believe. Plus, these are 1/4" x 1" neodymium magnets...don't think they had those back in the day!
The coils are wound in opposite directions, and leaded as individual coils for phase switching and parallel/series options in the switching. Scroll back a page, I put a schematic of how I plan to do that.
But you *have* to invert magnet polarity to do that, been there done that, you'll see too
The two coils will have the same amount of induced common-mode hum, if the source of the hum is significantly far away (overhead florescent lights, for instance.) The fact that the induced signals from each pickup are opposite in polarity means that they will be canceled out. This will also cancel a little bit of the signal from the strings, but that can't be considered common-mode because the string is much closer to the top coil than the bottom, so the signal in the top coil will be stronger. This has been discussed before:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f57/how-do-stacked-humbuckers-actually-work-449332/
I explained how this should work farther back, with a drawing that a certain member (ahem Jazzdogg) seemd to find amusing. :scowl:
I'm sure this will work, and I am curious to see how it is going to sound. But if it turns out that you are right, I will 1) be pretty bummed out because this thing took a while to build, and 2) concede. But I think it will work
In my experiences I've found that the cancellation affects not "a little bit of the signal" but actually much more. This was caused by continuous magnet poles which carry magnetic field variations very well to the bottom coil. That's why the poles are there in the first place - they conduct magnetic flow much better than air. To actually make this work, one have to integrate some kind of magnetic insulation between coils - some kind of air gap between the top and bottom magnets at least...
The magnetic lines of force go from the south to north poles, the non-ferrous coils themselves don't affect it, but where the coil sits in the magnetic field affects the signal induced in them. I banking on asymmetric signal generation in the coils based on:
-proximity of the top coil to the string vs the bottom coil
-1/8" middle bobbin separates the coils more than standard bobbin material
-coils are taller than they are wide
But like I said, we'll see. My predictions:
-In phase, parallel: more output, more treble, more hum
-In phase, series: little less output, more treble, more hum
-out of phase, parallel: still less output, more bass, less hum
-out of phase, series: lowest output, more bass, less hum
I guess they look similiar, but this is a stacked humbicker, P90's are single coil, I believe. Plus, these are 1/4" x 1" neodymium magnets...don't think they had those back in the day!
Oh I missed that before, sorry.
Got some paraffin wax while grocery shopping last night. Already had beeswax, from a bee removal expert while I lived in San Diego:
I've had this roll of friction tape for over a decade, I'm glad to finally have a use for it! I wrapped it before potting to slow the penetration of the wax into the coil. I want to try letting this thing be a little microphonic-I think it might make it sound more 'uprighty', and if I don't like it I can remove the tape and pot it longer.
Into the wax:
And all done.
I'm almost done with the electronics, and started applying KTM-9 to the neck, no pics yet though. I'll take lots of pics when I epoxy the fingerboard, though.
I've had this roll of friction tape for over a decade, I'm glad to finally have a use for it! I wrapped it before potting to slow the penetration of the wax into the coil. I want to try letting this thing be a little microphonic-I think it might make it sound more 'uprighty', and if I don't like it I can remove the tape and pot it longer.
Into the wax:
And all done.
I'm almost done with the electronics, and started applying KTM-9 to the neck, no pics yet though. I'll take lots of pics when I epoxy the fingerboard, though.
This looks wonderful. I'm curious how it will end up looking in the bass. And of course how it'll sound. I like the name Red Baron too 
Thanks guys- HammerHed, I'm stoked to see where you are on your pointy bass! And Rob, dude... your first build was amazing, when are we gonna see round 2?
Anyway, spent the evening inhaling rosin fumes.
Test fit
Did this the other night- abalone dots were left over from another project, I think thought they would look appropriate on this bass so here you go:
first coat of KTM-9 needs to be sanded back:
The whole shebang:
Yes, the pots are close together, but it works for me. I'm all about set it and forget it...I might as well mount them inside the cavity with no knobs
Anyway, spent the evening inhaling rosin fumes.
Test fit
Did this the other night- abalone dots were left over from another project, I think thought they would look appropriate on this bass so here you go:
first coat of KTM-9 needs to be sanded back:
The whole shebang:
Yes, the pots are close together, but it works for me. I'm all about set it and forget it...I might as well mount them inside the cavity with no knobs
Yeah, soon!
Seriously, been working on my new design for months now. Partly because I have less time, partly because I want to figure everything out before I'll start building. Apart from the headstock shape and tuner layout, my new design is finished. I'm also working on a new workshop ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]), isolated and heated part of the garage. So things are coming along - slowly that is.first coat of KTM-9 needs to be sanded back:
Wow, this neck is striking, I like the back with its laminates and wood combinations. Your work inspires me
.
A little progress... I bolted everything together, for a test run of the electronics. My Circle K strings should be here any day, but for this I only put on one old flatwound.
Photo is not accurate for the sound test, I used the D string. I plugged it in...and got verrrry little output. The pickup measured fine, good continuity through the switches. As I showed earlier, everything in the cavity has a molex connector on it, so I was able to rearrange in there to try and diagnose the problem.
I found it- this tone stack is too high resistance for a passive circuit. I had a feeling that might be the case, but I figured I'd give it a shot and see. I am working on making it active, I bought a much more docile opamp to experiment further. Might go unity gain into the tone stack, and gain 5 out. Gotta do my homework.
Anyway, I plugged the pickup into the phase/parallel switches, bypassed the tone stack, and went straight to the output jack. Wanna hear?
http://soundcloud.com/barnaclebeau/20110228-habanero-v-test
This isn't to showcase my playing skillz... just plunking on one string into garageband. You can hear that nothing is shielded yet. In the comments, I put which pickup mode is which. I'm stoked the pickup works! The output in series/out of phase mode is reduced, as we suspected it would be. Everything else is useable.
During the test, I realized that I didn't like the neck profile. So I fixed that:
And applying KTM-9 with a foam brush. I'll build a few coats, level it, build some more, level, then polish.
Photo is not accurate for the sound test, I used the D string. I plugged it in...and got verrrry little output. The pickup measured fine, good continuity through the switches. As I showed earlier, everything in the cavity has a molex connector on it, so I was able to rearrange in there to try and diagnose the problem.
I found it- this tone stack is too high resistance for a passive circuit. I had a feeling that might be the case, but I figured I'd give it a shot and see. I am working on making it active, I bought a much more docile opamp to experiment further. Might go unity gain into the tone stack, and gain 5 out. Gotta do my homework.
Anyway, I plugged the pickup into the phase/parallel switches, bypassed the tone stack, and went straight to the output jack. Wanna hear?
http://soundcloud.com/barnaclebeau/20110228-habanero-v-test
This isn't to showcase my playing skillz... just plunking on one string into garageband. You can hear that nothing is shielded yet. In the comments, I put which pickup mode is which. I'm stoked the pickup works! The output in series/out of phase mode is reduced, as we suspected it would be. Everything else is useable.
During the test, I realized that I didn't like the neck profile. So I fixed that:
And applying KTM-9 with a foam brush. I'll build a few coats, level it, build some more, level, then polish.
