WBO 2023 - Bateries not included

[Crawforde]

Can you tell me more about this? I have a project right now that needs lights in a hollowbody 5 String bass and I could surely need a solution without a battery pack!

I wish, but I'm not an electrical engineer
It was just an idea that was bouncing around my head. I'm not sure if a pickup can produce enough to fire up an LED, but if it's possible it would be cool. if I works I'd bet there is also a way to store any extra to keep it lit for short pauses.

 

[Will_White]

Can you tell me more about this? I have a project right now that needs lights in a hollowbody 5 String bass and I could surely need a solution without a battery pack!

It's not really possible, pickups put out max 2v and LEDs have a turn on voltage of around 3-5v

 

[ardgedee]

I wish, but I'm not an electrical engineer
It was just an idea that was bouncing around my head. I'm not sure if a pickup can produce enough to fire up an LED, but if it's possible it would be cool. if I works I'd bet there is also a way to store any extra to keep it lit for short pauses.

If it could, wouldn't the LED be consuming the energy that would otherwise be used to make sound? Your bass would be very quiet.

 

[Max Bogosity]

If it could, wouldn't the LED be consuming the energy that would otherwise be used to make sound? Your bass would be very quiet.

The way I play, many would judge that to be an improvement.

 

[Will_White]

If it could, wouldn't the LED be consuming the energy that would otherwise be used to make sound? Your bass would be very quiet.

It would act as either a gate (with some voltage drop) or as a clipping diode. It's not really possible passively but I know some pedal builders use the LED clipping diodes as indicators.

 

[Reedt2000]

XLR jack, LEDs run on phantom power

 

[ardgedee]

You could install a little hand-crank dynamo. This one on Aliexpress claims 5.5V at 600mA, which should be good enough for an onboard preamp. Merely a few spins before each number should work, right?

 

[postalflunkie]

You could install a little hand-crank dynamo. This one on Aliexpress claims 5.5V at 600mA, which should be good enough for an onboard preamp. Merely a few spins before each number should work, right?
View attachment 4969391

Ha!
When I was a kid I had a hand crank dynamo out of an old army field phone. Wish I knew what ever happened to it.

 

[Crawforde]

It's not really possible, pickups put out max 2v and LEDs have a turn on voltage of around 3-5v

So maybe with two extra pickups?
One for the sound, 2 for the lights? That's starting to get heavy though.

 

[Will_White]

So maybe with two extra pickups?
One for the sound, 2 for the lights? That's starting to get heavy though.

Still not enough, I've got 4 hot single coils in series and it isn't enough.

 

[RichterScale]

I've got it!!
You know those little flashlights that you wind up to charge?
You take one of those winder mechanisms and build it into the back of the bass. Then you build a waist strap/belt buckle doohickie and when you spin the bass like ZZ Top, the LEDs light up!
Man, sometimes I forget how smart I am.

 

[RichterScale]

You could install a little hand-crank dynamo. This one on Aliexpress claims 5.5V at 600mA, which should be good enough for an onboard preamp. Merely a few spins before each number should work, right?
View attachment 4969391

Dammit! I didn't see this post.
That's okay, we can split the credit and profits. 60/40.

 

[postalflunkie]

I've got it!!
You know those little flashlights that you wind up to charge?
You take one of those winder mechanisms and build it into the back of the bass. Then you build a waist strap/belt buckle doohickie and when you spin the bass like ZZ Top, the LEDs light up!
Man, sometimes I forget how smart I am.

Dang it! Now I want to cover the whole thing in white fur

 

[ardgedee]

Dammit! I didn't see this post.
That's okay, we can split the credit and profits. 60/40.

Sounds good. You can take the credit and I'll take the profit.

 

[postalflunkie]

Ok, back to building this bass...
Today I got some coats of tru oil on the headstock, just enough to give a smooth surface for the waterslide decal to stick to.

As long as it adheres without any lifting I can start putting tru oil on the whole bass tomorrow. Of course, if it lifts any I'll have to sand it off and start all over (let's hope for the best)

 

[postalflunkie]

First coat of tru oil is on

 

[Crawforde]

Wow. That made the color/ grain pop.
The shape and the grain patterns go together nicely.

 

[Gary_M]

First coat of tru oil is on

View attachment 4970915

Wow, that looks so good. That color just jumps!

 

[Beej]

That first hit of finish is always the best.

 

[postalflunkie]

Well I was pretty happy with the first coat of oil until I noticed that I completely missed final sanding inside the lower horn

So, out with the sandpaper...
A little while later, after repeatedly checking with naphtha to make any sanding lines show up better, I was confident enough to get another coat of oil on.

Looks much better now

I really have to say, I wasn't sure how the purpleheart and padauk would look together, but it sure does make a nice "hippy sandwitch"