Blue burst LP is basically done! Update - Better pics!

it would be funny if you came up to her and said "You're friend has a cool Les Paul." and walked off.
 
Great guitar, love to see it COMPLETELY finished. I really dig the pickups, but its so sad they dont work as you hoped. what pots were recommended?

the bbq/tx set sounds great. very allround. for me, it sounds like a hot, raunchy, dirty PAF-set.
 
hannaugh - I don't think you've mentioned what kind of music/what kind of tones you like to play?  If you have I missed it.
 
GoDrex said:
hannaugh - I don't think you've mentioned what kind of music/what kind of tones you like to play?  If you have I missed it.

Yeah she did in the first post.

"I play mostly rock and bluesy stuff, with a little exerimental stuff thrown in.  Let me know what you guys think." 
 
doh!  :doh:

I still say go for the '59's - they'll be more versatile than hot pickups.
 
Thanks for all the tips, guys! 

Yeah, Tonar, I'm considering zebras.  I was originally thinking chrome covers, but that would look great too.  I'll have to do a mock up on photoshop to see which I like better.  I'm so exciting to have that crazy wiring setup.  I was looking at this tutorial about it, and it looks like this guy was able to figure out what the weaknesses are of the wiring and fixed some of it.  I only wish his diagram wasn't so scribbly and disorganized looking. Perhaps I will do a Vectorworks version of it and send it to him. 

http://www.blueskillet.com/Jimmy_Page_Wiring.htm

The pots and caps recommended for the Alumitones are 250k and .22mfd caps.  I have 500k and .46. 

If you guys are curious about what the Alumitones sound like, I can get them in a normal tonal range if I put the treble way up on my amp, then I can do some recording today and post sound clips so you can hear them. 

If you want to read about the design, here's an explanation of it here: http://www.agi-lace.com/electric_pickups/alumitone/alumitone_article.php
 
Hi Hannaugh,

If you have some more o those 0.46uf caps, you can create caps that are in the 0.22uf range by putting a couple of 0.46uf caps in series.  That will effectively half the capacitance.

Also, if you want to try it out with 250K pots, get some 500K half watt resistors and solder those across the outer terminals of the pots.  This will drop the resistance of the pot by about half to 250K - although it will screw up the taper.

Might be worth a try just to see what those pickups are supposed to sound like before you spend money on something else.
 
I think I'll just go to the electrical store down the street tomorrow and grab some .22 caps and stick those in there so I can enjoy it for a while as I look for different pups.  I am definitely going to get different ones so I can do the JP wiring. 
 
DocNrock said:
Looks great there, Hannaugh.  Totally class build.  Too bad the pups didn't deliver for you. 

Since I'm a DiMarzio guy, I'll plug for the PAF 36th Anniversary set, like Max said.  Alternatively, the Air Classics might be da bomb.  Also, Air Zone bridge with Air Norton neck is a great combo for the tone you describe.
I'd have to agree with Doc, the Air Zone and the Air Norton are the pups I have for my Spalt. From all the clips I've listened to I think they would be an excellent choice. Also I'd have to say the the SD Pearly Gates would be a badass pup for that LP too... :icon_thumright:
 
hannaugh said:
Thanks for all the tips, guys! 

Yeah, Tonar, I'm considering zebras.  I was originally thinking chrome covers, but that would look great too.  I'll have to do a mock up on photoshop to see which I like better.  I'm so exciting to have that crazy wiring setup.  I was looking at this tutorial about it, and it looks like this guy was able to figure out what the weaknesses are of the wiring and fixed some of it.  I only wish his diagram wasn't so scribbly and disorganized looking. Perhaps I will do a Vectorworks version of it and send it to him. 

http://www.blueskillet.com/Jimmy_Page_Wiring.htm
That wiring diagram looks ok to me, I mean it's fairly realistic, that's what it's going to look like in the control cavity.... :icon_biggrin:
 
strange...the higher the pot value, the more high's you should retain. and if you're tonepot is on 10, you'd get the same sound, no matter what cap, since, its the resistance of the pot that matters (when the tone is on 10).

strange...strange...

I have a set of air nortons in a les paul, and that sounds great. lots of mids, nice round highs, tight lows... but I find them, and all dimarzio's now, a bit 'flat' sounding.
 
Yeah Orpheo is right. You're getting more treble than Lace recommends if you're using 500k pots, swapping them isn't going to help you. All the new cap is going to do is affect how much treble is rolled off (more with .047 cap). I would triple check your soldering to make sure you're not accidentally wiring in the equivalent of '1' on your tone knob.
If you can trace a path from the LP switch output to the cap and then through that to ground, without forcing the current to run through the tone pot, that's the equivalent of the tone pot at '1'. If moving the tone knob has no effect, you've definitely got that problem.
If you've definitely wired them in right, then the pickups are defective.
 
tfarny said:
Yeah Orpheo is right. You're getting more treble than Lace recommends if you're using 500k pots, swapping them isn't going to help you. All the new cap is going to do is affect how much treble is rolled off (more with .047 cap). I would triple check your soldering to make sure you're not accidentally wiring in the equivalent of '1' on your tone knob.
If you can trace a path from the LP switch output to the cap and then through that to ground, without forcing the current to run through the tone pot, that's the equivalent of the tone pot at '1'. If moving the tone knob has no effect, you've definitely got that problem.
If you've definitely wired them in right, then the pickups are defective.

Interesting - Hannaugh, can you post a pick of your control cavity?
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP9aLgMTiUI

this doesnt sound muddy at all, to be honoust. kinda harsh, metallic, mushy, but not so warm that it's muddy. its not tight, yeah, thats for sure. but that can be the playing too, or the amp (I put my money on the amp...). I think the wiring is not ok, by reading through what you posted.
 
The BKP Riff Raff set in my VW has a really nice sound.  You can get them with 4 wire connector and split them. 
 
God, that is a horrible tone on that vid! Of course like Orph said you don't know whether to blame the amp or the pups or the recording setup.
 
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