Winter Build Off 2023 - Lieutenant Cushing

[Reedt2000]

It happens, but keep building, we're still watching

 

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Gotta ask Freeway about 10 way switch wirings for 2 humbuckers again! They offered one interesting diagram, but not what I wanted...

 

[Jon Clegg]

Gotta ask Freeway about 10 way switch wirings for 2 humbuckers again! They offered one interesting diagram, but not what I wanted...

I used one of their 6-way switches with push-pulls on the volume/tone for coil splitting.

 

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Finally got back to this, couldn't sleep last night, got up and cut a control plate cavity cover, sanded it to fit, stained and installed it:

'scuse the fuzzy spotty pic, this is the phone with the busted camera lens cover, sorry...

 

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Got the switch in, tried installing it, top is too thick, needs a tweak. I couldn't sleep, so I got up - the bass vi isn't wired up yet, needs some work, but close enough to string it up. Dummied up the switch and knobs for another "dress up" pic, almost complete looking. I'll hardwire the pickups to the output jack today so I can hear it.

I give you the "Lieutenant Cushing":

'scuse the messy desk - I'm actually working on it!!

 

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Threw a new set of light gauge Bass VI strings from Kalium (thanks, Skip!) - unlike my other VI types, I can actually bend on this one! (I think my other VIs have the heaviest string sets I could find, this is the lightest).

 

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Will have to remove for some routing and drilling when I add the piezo bridge saddles later.

Actually, the piezos are for the other project (Jon Snow Targaryen StarkBastard), not using them on this one (no room).

 

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And here's what it sounds like - no controls yet, just hardwired the pickups wide open in parallel to the output jack, just to hear it.

Low and Twangy.

Please forgive the incessant buzz. I don't have the bridge grounded properly yet, but I don't think that's it, I have some static gremlin in the circuit ruining my recordings...

 

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Still needs some string retainers, and a bridge ground, and need to finish the wiring. I should be housecleaning, but I'll probably spend this evening installing the Freeway 3x3-03 6 way switch. Haven't decided 100% on the pots, and I think I want to add 2 3 way microswitches for parallel / single / series coils.

 

[Flamingo21]

I love it! Both the looks and the sound.
Now go kill that gremlin.

 

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Was just reading up on the guy it's named for again - Alonzo Cushing - Wikipedia - I hadn't realized he was buried next to General Buford - one chose the ground, the other died defending it. Salute.

 

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2 rough buzzy tracks of noodling on it:



Got the 6 way Freeway switch wired up, seems to work, makes 6 different sounds, but I'm having trouble mapping them to how the diagram says it's supposed to work. Hmmmm...

 

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In addition to the string retainers, I need to widen the nut slots enough for the strings to drop in - they appear deep enough, just not wide enough for the big strings. Also makes thee action kind of high on the first several frets.

 

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I just did the "clicking polepieces with metal object" test to determine which coils were actually active in which position, and I've got part of my confusion solved - the switch is installed backwards from the way I want it! Oops! I think that explains it, but I still need to know about the magnetic pole orientations before I can add the coil splitting wiring.

 

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Just sent this off to TV Jones:

Further detail - got my magnetic polarity tester in the mail today, so I checked the pickups. Unlike the Freeway diagram, they're oriented north/south north/south, so to make a "split coil net humbucker" I want to match outer or inner coils, correct? I could still use any advice on whether / how to change the wiring given that the pickups are oriented differently than those in the diagram. Could that be the reason I'm getting more noise from the neck pickup solo? The neck solo and both together are both quiet, fwiw.​

 

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Holy Sergeant Buzzkill, Batman!! I think I got my buzz!

Still got a touch at the very beginning somehow, but pretty clean otherwise - what a relief! Will continue to try to get rid of the remaining noise...



(left the flubs in so you'd know it was me!)

 

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oh and Freeway confirmed that pickup magnetic orientation makes no difference for the options in the diagram I'm using, only when coil splitting. But my new polarity detector solved that mystery too, so I can add my coil switching when the micro switches come in...

 

[Flamingo21]

(left the flubs in so you'd know it was me!)

Flubs or no flubs, I honestly enjoy your sound files. There's something about the vibe.

 

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Flubs or no flubs, I honestly enjoy your sound files. There's something about the vibe.

Thanks! I sure enjoy making them, and i do tend to listen to my own stuff a lot. Always looking for little gems worth repeating...

 

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I wrote up a big long update on today's progress but it seems to have disappeared....