Chambered Korina Paulocaster Jr

[swarfrat]

No charge has yet appeared on my credit card, but available balance shows someone has just today put a charge in the ballpark of my neck plus shipping.  :blob7:

And finally ordered the last of the parts... Earvana shelf nut, Acousti-phonic preamp, and alternate 13 pin DIN jack which mounts in a niceround  drilled hole, no carving of massive square holes.

 

[Updown]

and alternate 13 pin DIN jack which mounts in a niceround  drilled hole, no carving of massive square holes.

Hey did my mate send you the MkII of the 13pin jackplate, as the 1st version didn't lock in properly.
Just test by inserting the 13pin cable & pull on it !!

I sure hope he did !!

He's made adjustments to the new improved MK II version.  :icon_biggrin:

Sure dose make things easier than what I went though .... Not as much wood to hack out too.

 

[swarfrat]

I went the HAM radio route, just ordered tonight. Will have to see if its locking. Right now I'm pondering control changes induced by the Acousti-Phonic / Hexpander. I'm still wanting an extremely simple interface - no telephone switchboards or embedded microcontrollers. I'm thinking about adding the 2nd tone knob back, but what to use it for I'm not postive.

My first thought was MIDI volume. But if I stack Piezo & Magnetic volumes, I'll always have blended unless I use a stereo cable. I don't want mini toggles, but I might consider putting in a 4P5T switch if it makes sense. (It's currently a 3 way switch) If I make the 3rd pot Piezo volume, then I can blend. I can see using piezo live. I don't plan to use MIDI live, and I can do patch changes from an FCB1010 or something if I did.  For that matter it will do MIDI volume as well.  Add to that the MIDI converter will likely be spring or summer - I have a road map now for my studio on the budget I set up, and there's other stuff like monitors & power amp in between.

 

[Updown]

Be interesting if the HAM radio 13pin is locking.
If it's NOT will have problems in connectivity, I kind of got the feeling it's NOT.

Please let us know which it is .... thanks  :icon_biggrin:

The latest one I have is defiantly locking in tight, we're the 1st proto type was like the HAM ones I believe.
Pulled on the cable & it pulled out by about 3mm 

Just don't want you to put something in that won't do the trick properly.

 

[swarfrat]

If not, I have the the Panel Mount Circular Din Jack Locking Conversion Tool.

 

[swarfrat]

Decided to try running the saddle wires through the baseplate rather than under the pickguard. Not only does it look better (tons better), but more importantly - it lets the wires have some flex room / geometry - rather than yanking on short little tidy wires run between the saddle and the pickguard.

All my tools are in storage, and I sold my mill  :sad: But it occurs to me that the block is probably softer than the baseplate (which I know is hardened). If there's room in the existing baseplate slot for the wire and the string, then I just need to notch enough out of the block to run the wires out the front of the trem block. And since they're moving as a unit - there really shouldn't be any contact/rubbing between the string and wire. (Forgive the quick and dirty image editing - I was just trying to concentrate the items of interest, not make it look like a credible UFO sighting)

The red line on the trem base plate is what I'd need to remove in order for the wire to clear the block. The red line on the trem block is what I'd need to remove there to let the wire pass out of the hole in the baseplate if the baseplate hole doesn't extend beyond the block.

 

[swarfrat]

Did some test fitting tonight. Hexpander/Acousti-phonic works well up against the bridge side of the control route. Battery looks like it will tuck underneath the "tone" control (now going to be piezo volume). I've decided to mill the bridge to run my saddle wires out in front of the trem block  - where they'll be taped to the block, and I'll have a nice gentle flex loop for the wires to wiggle. I'll need to expand the ground wire hole from the trem cavity to run the connectors into the control cavity.  I'll probably need to wait till this weekend, but the guy I sold my mill to lives in the neighborhood and is a friend. I think I got some teeny tiny endmills in storage. I'll have to give him a call.

But the part I don't think is going to work is my hidden 13 pin jack setup. There just does NOT appear to be enough room in the standard top route control cavity for the factory 13 pin board and a blade switch too. It's top routed, so I could remove some wood, but I'm a little reluctant to since the body is chambered. I might be looking at a traditional Graphtech 13 pin mount after all.

 

[swarfrat]

I did it! I took it back down to bare wood. Also, the Acoustiphonic and 13 pin jack/plugs are in, and I'm doing some test fitting and head scratching trying to figure out if it will all work. There isn't enough room in the control cavity for 2 pots, blade switch, 9v, acousti-phonic + hexpander, AND the internal 13 pin jack+plug to go to the external jack.

But the internal jack+plug will fit on edge in the jack route. That's with no cables, so it'll likely be tight.

 

[nexrex]

I guess if its really too tight to all fit in, you might be able to get away with routing away (enlarging) some of the upper control cavity. This would give you some more space under the pickguard.    :icon_scratch:

 

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Ar ha .. this is why I use rear routed bodies when I'm installing any internal GK-3 kits.
Just has a lot more room than top routed bodies.

Pretty tight fitting or more needs to be routed out under the pickguard.
I did notice with my Mex RR strat (with pickguard) has a separate routed area on the back for the GK board. 

 

[swarfrat]

I think I will likely move the 13 pin jack board into the main control cavity after enlarging it. That's a lot of wires that have to go between it and the external jack, plus the ribbon cable. It's always hard for me to figure in my head how much volume wires takes, but once they're done bending, they're not compressible, so .. they still gotta fit.

I probably won't mount the hexpander/preamp where I have it mounted here - because when the pickguard is removed, the magnetic system wiring stays on the pickguard, but the piezo system stays mounted to the guitar. Sticking it to the pickguard will make it fun to change the battery. But it does mean that there is vertical space between the pots to mount it and the headers & wires there. I already enlarged the middle single coil slot - it's not deep enough for the graphtech stuff, but it would hold the battery.

 

[swarfrat]

Two words for the next update:
Quantum View
:hello2:
I just new as soon as I stripped the finish off that they would ship my neck.  And now I'm moving in 2 weeks. This might stretch into a 3 calendar year project.
Oh yeah, Earvana came today too.

 

[swarfrat]

In other news...

Attention folks ordering unfinished BK bodies. Please!!!! Just do the oil finish. It's stupid simple and looks lovely.  IMO the best of any finish for this wood. First coat is drying tonight.

 

[swarfrat]

First coat looks sweet. Dry already (Formby's, not pure Tung oil), buffed w/ 0000 scotchbrite and second coat drying now.

Also - the pickguard fitting I showed above will not work - the pickguard is significantly wider than the rout. BUT wire the wires removed from the header (since I still have some trimming to do under the hood) - it looks like both the Hexpander/Preamp and the 13 pin jack board will fit along the wall below the two pots, and in fact I believe the headers space out nicely with the volume pots. (Tone is going to be Piezo Volume, and Piezo will always be blended with mono plugs)

 

[swarfrat]

3 coats, looks awesome, not even sure if I'm going to take it any further... spending a couple nights away from 'home'. I'll get pictures soon.

 

[swarfrat]

Body & electronics are still at home, but I was able to enlarge the string holes in the bridge plate to pass the wires through with the block installed.

Anyone else considering this be warned, its time consuming, but do NOT file the block. That will change the string angle and will work against you in trying to keep the strings from cutting the wires. You need the block to hold the strings off the wires. You need to enlarge the hole in the baseplate - but you really don't need to go any larger than the taper in the existing string holes.

I did this with a diamond file from Harbor Freight. It took me three evenings, and I felt like I was trying to break out of jail using a bobby pin to file through the bars.

But I eventually got through, and there's enough wiggle room to adjust intonation without crimping the wires.

Sorry for the cell phone pics.

 

[swarfrat]

Drilled the hole to run the ghost wires into the control cavity from the trem cavity. Looking at the springs - thinking about spacing them assymetricly to make certain the ghost wires don't get pinched by the springs. Working it a bit, it doesn't look like a huge problem - and there's actually very little flexing going on  - so maybe some heat shrink or tape would be paranoia enough.

Oh yeah, Quantum View finally updated and the neck made it to my town this morning too late to make it on the truck.

 

[swarfrat]

:redflag:
On truck for delivery!

Delivered and I'm stuck here at <cough><cough><think I have a fever/stomach ache> work.

 

[swarfrat]

sadly, this is going back in the box.... we're moving this weekend, and no time to play.

Some lovely Black Korina, Wenge and Ebony, plus an evil but pretty calico that's about to get in heap big trouble for getting multicolor cat hair on my black velvet backdrop.

I think some ebony dye will take care of that nasty streak there

 

[m4rk0]

awesome!! I like everything about this, even the streak! just my kind of guitar!