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Classical drop-D extension focused build

#82
reverendrally said:
This looks really good @JIO . Well done. Curious to see how you paint it. Would love to hear a sound clip if you can record one. #mediumscalelove :)
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Thanks man! :) I will do the body in the colour I did the hs face. It's a DIY finish I've worked out that alludes to the low-tech Teisco and Silvertone guitars of the 60's. I've done my last three builds that way and they are very controllable, look great and have a nice feel to touch - a satin smooth but subtly textured finish.

Will try and (finally) get together with a friend who offered to help me get some sound files going and once I do I have a backlog of basses to record. Could lead to a veritable mega-thread of bass sound-clips!
 
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#83
herndonbassist said:
I tend to stay pretty quiet on these boards, but I had to jump up and say "THAT'S AWESOME" to this build. Your builds always make me smile, you've got a unique design sense, and your execution is flawless. Well done! I can't wait to see the final product!
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:) Thanks so much for the kind words Rob! I'm glad I can share my passion with you and everyone here. I'm following through from my extended (XD) neck concept building it into a full bass as a working prototype to showcase the capo design (currently in R&D), and will hope to start offering it for any bass that has a bolt-on neck. Not as an addition to an existing neck, but as a complete neck (fretted/fretless/any wood) which fits the neck-pocket of a specific bass with my XD hs design & capo. This neck is an Eden maple/maple with a generic/Fender style heal, so it could essentially bolt on any Fender. (if it were a 32" scale) I chose 32" scale to start with as a nod to Phil Kubicki's X-Factors but I could also make an XD 34" scale neck. I decided to continue using the Teisco Del Rey style body for this prototype because it's cool and 'classic' (like a Jag/Jazzmaster) in it's design so it will give a Fender bass player an idea how the XD neck would look on their P or J or Jag. Of course there will be those who balk at losing that iconic (and TM'd!) Fender hs design on their P or J or Jag, but I'm also working on a version that is more "Fender-esk".

So to sum it up - a finished/playable bass is my first step so the fabricators I'm working with can help technically envision/create the automatic capo I see in my minds-eye. Hopefully by years end I'll have have a working prototype of the capo and go from there. I always want to think things like this move more quickly - but I've learned that time and reality have the final say! ;)
 
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#85
RBS_Johnson said:
I was trying to figure out throughout this thread if these were going to be offered to the public at some point. I'm glad to see that they are. If my job continues to go well, and they are priced reasonably I'll have to give one a go.
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Yes, good luck for your job continuing to go well! It's #1 need for us all! :thumbsup: The frustrating part about coming up with something like this idea/potential product is realizing how difficult it is to make it viable financially. Pricing it reasonably is the key; reasonably for the receiver of the product and for the producer of it. As an example, I could have the luthier I work with make a specific requested neck (say maple/ebony) for someones specific bass (Ibanez, Fender, MM etc) to my XD specs and he will charge a certain amount to do this. And that would be an unfinished neck w/a light seal-coat only. So w/o needing to extrapolate, a custom neck with the addition of the capo/ramp and specific finishing will result in a cost that many players will not find reasonable (for them), but would be reasonable for me financially. As much as I would like to make it happen, time will tell.
 
#87
RBS_Johnson said:
For me, a modified production neck like the Eden you're using would be fine. I'm more likely to do a semi-custom bass with it anyway, so the fender style heel would make it easier. I imagine it may be cheaper than a purpose built neck as well.
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Ok, we'll talk once this plays out - starting with an Eden neck will be more affordable for sure.
 
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#89
So the chrome switch plate arrived - I thought it was black, but I was mistaken. Chrome is ok. Used my drill and snap-blade knife & files to open the pg access.

fullsizeoutput_d5d.jpeg


fullsizeoutput_d5e.jpeg


Once the pg opening was there, a few forstner-bit holes and chisel followed -
fullsizeoutput_d5f.jpeg


Sorted - waiting for the pu and switches now - 2 white switches (pu's) and one blk switch (series/parallel)
fullsizeoutput_d60.jpeg
 
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#91
Jon Clegg said:
That just looks so right there. I just realized how you did the cut-out in the PG; you're a patient man @JIO !!
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I considered mounting it in a couple different locations to differentiate it visually from a Jag but decided that was in fact the optimal spot for it. I always prefer routing - but in the case of the pu rout on the pg, unless it conforms exactly to the pu rout in the body (which it didn't with this flanged pg mounted pu) - it's the next option that doesn't require cutting out a template/guide. I just put on some Miles and eventually it's done!
 
#94
Well, I routed the bridge pu cavity, cut the pg pu opening, and cut the pg so the switch plate sits flush on the body (not the pg). I did this after seeing a couple of Jaguars up close. So now I'm at that frustrating place called wiring. There are schematics on line for a Jag bass, but not for one minus the pre-amp and roller switches. So if anyone knows how I would wire this thing correctly - I'm all ears. The 3 slider switches are for; N-pu;on/off, B-pu;on/off, series-parellel and two pots - V&T. A tricky aspect is the 2 Teisco pu's - which have different colour wires from each other. One is GRN/RED/BLK, and the other pu is GRN/RED/bare (ground). I know both RED's are hot, I think GRN is ground, and I think BLK is also ground. ? At least the 1 pu version worked with both black and green being ground. I'm going to guess that black (like bare) is ground and both greens are what's wired to be series/parallel? It's frustrating that all makers of pu's aren't standardized in their colour coding.

Anyway, time to start finishing the body, so I have some time to work out the wiring. Hope someone out there can set me straight on it. :)
 
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#95
Best guess would be that red is hot (naturally), green is the opposite end of the coil and black is the case. An ohmmeter could verify it. I'd be curious what the resistance of these beasts are anyway. I could draw something up for how to wire it up in the morning. What do the switches look like? How many contacts? are on them?
 
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#96
Jon Clegg said:
Best guess would be that red is hot (naturally), green is the opposite end of the coil and black is the case. An ohmmeter could verify it. I'd be curious what the resistance of these beasts are anyway. I could draw something up for how to wire it up in the morning. What do the switches look like? How many contacts? are on them?
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Thanks Jon - they are 2-way Switchcraft slider switches with 6 poles each - the style that are in Jag basses. I guessed that the greens were the opposite end of the coil. They are pretty hot pu's but don't know the resistance. I have a multi-meter but since I moved last spring I can't find anything! Thanks for your help! :thumbsup:

slider switch.jpg
 
#98
Jon Clegg said:
I think this will do it:

View attachment 2758536

You might want to experiment with reversing red and green on one of the pickups for humbucking if hum is excessive.
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Excellent! Thanks Jon! :thumbsup: I'm in the process of finishing the body right now and once it's back together I'll give it a go! Will post pics of the finishing process tomorrow.
 
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