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Special Edition Build-off - 4003w new build
- Thread starter 41hzthunder
- Start date
Worked on the final sanding with 2500 wet/dry and that's going well. Things look good, but I wanted to put it down until tomorrow and check it one more time before polishing.
With a little time on my hands, I turned to the pickups. I'm just using vulcanized fiberboard and the magnets for the bobbins. Here's a couple pictures of what they look like so far. They are just fitted together for now. I'll make spacers and use "super glue" on them. Then wind the coils. This is actually a fun part of the project for me!
I'll be covering the tops with a thin veneer of walnut, so didn't bother making tops/bottoms for the bobbins.
I have been thinking of making a walnut "toaster" style cover for the neck pickup and matching walnut knobs. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
With a little time on my hands, I turned to the pickups. I'm just using vulcanized fiberboard and the magnets for the bobbins. Here's a couple pictures of what they look like so far. They are just fitted together for now. I'll make spacers and use "super glue" on them. Then wind the coils. This is actually a fun part of the project for me!
I'll be covering the tops with a thin veneer of walnut, so didn't bother making tops/bottoms for the bobbins. I have been thinking of making a walnut "toaster" style cover for the neck pickup and matching walnut knobs. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
I think I'm finally done with polishing and buffing the finish!
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,024
- 1
- 31,754
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Some shiny maple in there too but....I'm all about the walnut these days. Got a few big boards that used to be walnut stair treads, waiting for me shake off my sloth.
I was able to get two bobbins wound. I built a CNC winder about a year ago and it did a really good job. 6500 winds on each bobbin of 44 AWG wire. The spacing on the poles of the two are slightly different, so 7.83 k ohms on one and 8.32k on the other. The two other pickups in the photo were done about 8 years ago and are 9k and 10.2 k. All are reverse polarity and reverse wind, so humbucking when run in parrallel. Some choices for PUPs!
Video isn't an option, otherwise I would have put a short clip of the winder.
Tomorrow the leads will go on and "potting" the PUPS! The rest of the electronics parts, except the mini switches are here, so getting close to completing this project!
Video isn't an option, otherwise I would have put a short clip of the winder.
Tomorrow the leads will go on and "potting" the PUPS! The rest of the electronics parts, except the mini switches are here, so getting close to completing this project!
Attachments
Dang, that's cool. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the woodworking, but I'm purely Paint By Numbers when it comes to electronics. I can solder well, and follow a wiring diagram, but not read schematics. I've been trying to find a good (free) on line course in basic guitar electronics. Are you self educated on that, or did you get some training someplace?
Self educated, but leveraging the experience and knowledge of others. Its a work in progress for me. I read a lot online and a couple books before my first venture into winding. That was about 10 years ago. It was "Paint by Numbers" mostly. A lot more reading since then and I've got a handle on inductance and capacitance. There's a lot more information available now. You could probably get enough information to get started from Youtube in a couple evenings. The practical side isn't complex: make a bobbin and wind wire around it. "Scatter winding" is the simplest and you can get a decent product, but by nature its a one-off. Early Fender and Gibson pickups were done that way. All you have to do is control the number of winds. My experience in programming led me to building the winder so exact duplicates would be possible. At some point, you still have to find what sounds good to you. Like woodworking, you just have to build a bunch to get there.
I can read schematics, but not like an engineer. The "build your own amp" thing was interesting to me, until the actual danger of high voltage sunk in. Seriously scared me, actually. Spent a lot of time at 12AX7 project web sites, but never built an amp.
Maybe a thread on pickup winding is in order after this build.
Does anyone use bone nuts? I was going to use a bakelite one that I have, but it won't fit. Ordered a bone blank and got it the other day. It has a nice density, color and weight. This may sound stupid, but I think its real bone. I thought they would be a synthetic material! 
Maybe it is. I don't know. Maybe someone has some knowledge they could share.
Maybe it is. I don't know. Maybe someone has some knowledge they could share.
Bone nuts are usually bone. 
You can tell by the vomit-inducing smell when cutting and shaping it...
You can tell by the vomit-inducing smell when cutting and shaping it...
Bone nuts are usually bone.
Something to look forward to.
I will begin my procrastination . . . now!
When Tusq nuts first became widely available, my whole outlook on nuts changed. 
Well, since we're talking nuts, I'm thinking of trying my hand at some brass ones. Don't have much experience. Should be fun. Also never heard that bone nuts smell bad when cutting them. Somehow everyone's left that out.
Yeah, bone STINKS, I don't see any advantage over synthetic. I've done bakelite, brass, and tusq. I actually like the stock Ric bakelite blanks, it polished up nicely, and it has a waxy consistency that sort of self lubricates. What nut width? I'm surprised the bakelite blank won't fit. They come over length and pre slotted, worked on my Jetglo build with some trimming. Brass looks cool, but it doesn't sound any different to my ears.
The bakelite nut I had was already filed for the string height on another bass and looked a little low on this one. I looked at buying one from Ric, at the boutique, but they were out. Also, was watching Paul Reed Smith talk about bone on youtube and thought, "I could try that." This seems unplanned when I talk about it. 
I am curious to see how the bone actually works out. Hopefully, tomorrow! Working on electronics today.
I am curious to see how the bone actually works out. Hopefully, tomorrow! Working on electronics today.
Corian is supposed to have similar functional qualities to bone and you could probably go get a couple samples from the big box home stores for free, enough for multiple nuts...The bakelite nut I had was already filed for the string height on another bass and looked a little low on this one. I looked at buying one from Ric, at the boutique, but they were out. Also, was watching Paul Reed Smith talk about bone on youtube and thought, "I could try that." This seems unplanned when I talk about it.
Free is a good price! And so many color choices! Actually, I'm going to check this out.
Corian works easily enough to make a nut out of. It can be a little brittle and is probably a little softer then bone so it will wear a little faster. It probably won't wear faster in a way that makes much difference in the real world. Smells mildly better then bone when cutting it also.
So, the pickups (got) tested on another bass, just connected to the cord and set on some blocks above the strings. The surprise? The lower resistance pickups sounded just as loud, but better highs. Not a total surprise, as lower inductance = more high frequency. The punch was a surprise. The higher resistance/winds on the one set were expected to be the punchier sounding, but, no. That did not happen! The 8 pole did have slighty more punch and highs than the 6 pole, but just slightly. The 8 pole one will go in as the bridge PUP. I "potted" them with laquer rather than wax and don't have any microphonics going on. Still a bit to go on covers and mounting.
Got around to cutting a pickguard and truss cover. The tone and volume pots will be moved forward about 1/4" to make sure the barrel jack has room. So, I'll get to that after a break. I know there's a beer around here somewhere!
The logo will not be going on the trussrod cover. I was just goofing around.
Got around to cutting a pickguard and truss cover. The tone and volume pots will be moved forward about 1/4" to make sure the barrel jack has room. So, I'll get to that after a break. I know there's a beer around here somewhere!
The logo will not be going on the trussrod cover. I was just goofing around.
