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Squier Jazz / T-40 frankenbuild

#81
pnut166 said:
lol - me too :) I did the shielding / electronics transplant to the PG last night. The knobs I ordered are too small for the shafts, however - any suggestions ? And I ordered a side-mount jack - wow, it needs a big hole to fit, so I hit a bump in the road. Gonna try to keep the newfound momentum going, though
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I have had that problem with almost every knob I have ordered online for some reason. The brass they are made of is pretty soft. I have never had a problem just drilling them out with a 1/4" bit.
 
#84
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#86
Update: I got so OCD over everything, the project ground to a halt. The finish had some imperfections, so I was on the verge of sanding & starting over. The PG was still rough in spots, so I was on the verge of ordering another sheet and starting over. I worried myself silly over the wiring. So I just finally decided it`s never going to look like a pro job...cause I`m not a pro ! In two sessions, I just went with what I had and finished it up. It is what it is. Which now that I see the finished product, isn`t half-bad ! Not the work of art I had envisioned, but hey - not too shabby for some spraypaint and a sheet of PG material. Still have to set up, but that will have to wait till another day :)
 
#88
This project was a HUGE learning experience for me. And I think the biggest thing I learned is... I don`t think I want to graduate up to true luthiery anymore haha ! My respect for you scratch-builders went up, like, a thousand percent :)
 
#89
....aaaaand, I plugged it in, and nothing on the bridge or middle (both) switch setting. Wiring help, anyone ? Hugely bummed out; with just the neck pup, even though it`s at an unplayable state setup-wise, it sounds epic !
 
#91
The only thing I did, Stealth, is cut the pup wires and resolder them. I left the wiring between the pots & switches intact and just transplanted all of that straight out of the T-40, but you never know - something could`ve popped loose. I`ll open it back up and take a look and see if there`s anything obvious that jumps out at me, but if someone could point me in the right direction, I`m all ears.
 
#94
Setup progresses. The neck pocket had a bit of a slope, so a shim on the front end of the pocket helped greatly. Curiously, even with the neck slightly raised due to the shim, even with the saddles bottomed out, action could still be lower. Not sure what the best way to approach that. The saddles are solid ingots held in with a set screw - grind the bottom of `em off a bit, or add another shim to bring the neck up ? Haven`t peeked under the hood yet, but the problem is definitely in the switch. While pulling up on the toggle, both pups engaged, but as soon as I let go, the middle and bridge setting went dead again, and in fact, after fooling with it awhile, the neck pup quit too. Odd, since it worked fine when I removed everything, but I guess a switch replacement is in order. Am I on the right track with all of this ?
 
#95
pnut166 said:
Setup progresses. The neck pocket had a bit of a slope, so a shim on the front end of the pocket helped greatly. Curiously, even with the neck slightly raised due to the shim, even with the saddles bottomed out, action could still be lower. Not sure what the best way to approach that. The saddles are solid ingots held in with a set screw - grind the bottom of `em off a bit, or add another shim to bring the neck up ? Haven`t peeked under the hood yet, but the problem is definitely in the switch. While pulling up on the toggle, both pups engaged, but as soon as I let go, the middle and bridge setting went dead again, and in fact, after fooling with it awhile, the neck pup quit too. Odd, since it worked fine when I removed everything, but I guess a switch replacement is in order. Am I on the right track with all of this ?
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Is it possible the switch is touching inside the cavity and shorting out? You could lightly put a piece of electic tape around the switch to test the theory. Love this project by the way! Just awesomeness.
 
#96
jloftin1 said:
Is it possible the switch is touching inside the cavity and shorting out? You could lightly put a piece of electic tape around the switch to test the theory. Love this project by the way! Just awesomeness.
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After my post, I had the same thought ;) And ty for the compliment ! I`m anxious to get this thing up & running and share some clips. While I wanted to duplicate the T-40 sound, from what little I can tell thus far, it has it`s own sound. Not surprising, though, all things considered.
 
#100
Clips are coming, guys. Gotta sort out the setup issues. I`ve got some maple, and am going to make a neck shim tonight to correct the angle of the pocket and raise the neck a bit. Even with the saddles at the lowest, action is still a bit too high to be comfortable. Once I fixed the pup problem last night, I only had a few minutes to fool with it. Tried a little of several things; sounded great on everything I tried, from Michael Jackson to metal. Sounds a bit different than the T-40. A bit thicker, maybe ? LOVE IT ! My T-40 had a fair amount of static; I shielded everything in the new bass, and it`s much quieter now. I just don`t have a lot of time; have to tweak it here & there. Not much left to do, though - clips soon :)
 

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