Element5 - The Timecaster

[MikeW]

I was watching The 5th Element after I'd had a few. The next day I got to thinking and that's always trouble. Anyway, the way I see it is that the elements are supposed to immutable, unchangable, and have the same properties everywhere. Love couldn't possibly be the 5th element if that's so. It's the complete opposite of that; constantly changing. Anyway, I think TIME should be the 5th element.

I'd also been thinking about a new build and Voila! Inspiration! So, here's the concept:

Swamp Ash, contoured heel, Wilkinson VS100, JB Trembucker in the bridge, 59'er in the neck, Ebony over Canary with Abalone dots, LSR roller nut, Schaller locking tuners. I wanted to keep the controls simple so I went for a Charvel-style single-volume and single 5-way switch layout.

Here's a couple out of the box shots:

One thing I've got to say for it so far: I love the Canary. Soft and slick and effortless to move around on.

I ordered black Ebony, but it came a little browner than I was anticipating, but that's not a bigge at all.

The only problem I had during assembly is that while I was mounting the LSR nut, I stripped one of the screws. I'm assuming that I'll have to drill the top of the screw off so I can pull the nut to replace it, but I'm not in a hurry to get there either.

I've got a plain neckplate on it for now, but have worked up this as a concept. I'm not totally sold on it yet, so suggestions gladly welcome.

I totally dig the punch and clarity of the JB. I wanted this guitar to be a facemelter and the JB is just what I was looking for in the bridge. The 59'er on the other hand, I'm not thrilled with, yet. Admittedly, Element5 has only been together for three days, and I haven't had time to really open it up yet, so I may come to like it more, but my first impression is that it's a bit muddier than what I was expecting. I'm debating pulling that one and going with a Pearly Gates in the neck instead.

That's all for now. I'll post more pics tomorrow when I've got the setup finished.

 

[Cagey]

Well done! Excellent choices all around. Too bad about the 59er, but it happens. There are so many variables that impact how an instrument responds that it's often difficult to tell what's gonna work or not until you actually do it. Put the pickup on eBay; somebody will give it a home.

 

[MikeW]

Thanks Cagey. After I got it set up, I had a chance to play it with a real amp - I use a 9-volt powered amp for setup testing - and the 59'er was better. Not that I'm really stoked about it, but I think I can work with it. Without a tone control, I think the key to making that one sound good will be to cut the volume a bit. I'm also thinking that lowering it will help clean it up a tad too.

Here's a couple more pics of it completed.

I did run into one very disappointing issue though. I really like the Wilkinson. it's very stable and a more subtle bridge than the Floyd. You can't just dive bomb the thing, but it's much easier to control pitch with. More of a slide sound than a divebomb or drop sound. Interesting. And not having to reach over or have the fine tuners against the back of my hand is nice too.

The problem that I ran into is that when I do drop the thing more than a couple steps, the bridge block hits the back of the cavity! I'm pushing down and THUNK! The block hits the back of the cavity and there's still about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch left before the tip of the bar hits the pickguard.
I'm thinking WTF... :icon_scratch:

It seems more than a little funky to me to rout the cavity so that the bridge can't be used through it's entire range of motion. I've been thinking about what to do about that this morning. Rout it farther back? Not sure what else to do with it. I didn't take a pic of that because it was late when I discovered it but I'll post that when I get a chance.

Anybody else run into that or something similar? If so, what did you do about it? Leave it? I'm not sure I'll be happy with it like that since I really like to use the bar and knowing that I've got that limitation will just irk me.

 

[Cagey]

My Wilkinson bridge sustain blocks will hit the rear of the cavity, but by the time they do the strings are so slack they almost won't vibrate. Not hanging off the neck, but very nearly so. Almost no tension on them. So, dives aren't a problem. I can certainly go more than a couple whole steps. More like 3 or 4. Way more than you'd ever need or could practically use, in any event.

I have another Strat that's drilled/routed for a non-recessed Floyd, and while it also has a 1" deep cavity like the Wilkinson, the sustain block doesn't hit the rear of the cavity when the wang bar is fully depressed. With that one, you can drop the strings right off the neck. But, the way the block mounts to the plate must be different. It's actually a Schaller bridge that closely resembles a Wilkinson, but has roller saddles and Floyd mounting dimensions. Anyway, the block seems to be mounted slightly forward, so there's more room behind the block, leaving clearance to dive it further. Unfortunately, even though I have the thing floating, I really can't pull it up much at all because this one hits the front of the cavity. On the plus side, I avoid the noisy dead-stop issue you get by banging the sustain block or saddle plate into the body, but only by a hair.

A side and rear shot of your bridge as it sits on top of your guitar and showing the interior of the trem cavity might be helpful.

 

[Kei]

nice axe man

 

[DangerousR6]

Nice geetar...canary is awesome....and

I can do this for ya... :icon_thumright:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Is time immutable, unchangeable, and the same everywhere?
:icon_scratch:

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Fission, fusion, and decay happen all the time to the elements.  Not to mention the colliders we have made.  They change.  There are few constants.  A favorite irony is entropy is constantly increasing.

Nice looking guitar, looks like it would be fun to unleash it with a Plexi.
Patrick

 

[Badside]

What a Charvel SHOULD be
Non locking trem and gorgeous wood grain

I've got a Charvel-ish build in the works (tru-oiled 1pc mahogany body in my case, with no pickguard) and there's not a single doubt in my mind it will have a JB bridge pickup (decided to build it after playing a San Dimas but missing the tone control and wanting a single coil in the neck).
Never tried the 59 in the bridge position though...

 

[DangerousR6]

Of all the elements on the periodic chart there is one natural element missing...Any guesses? :dontknow:

 

[AutoBat]

The element of surprise?

 

[DangerousR6]

The element of surprise?

Ahhhhh, no....

 

[tfarny]

Your physics knowledge leaves a bit to be desired (hint: Bruce Willis movies are not the best place to learn science), but the guitar looks nice!

 

[MikeW]

Your physics knowledge leaves a bit to be desired (hint: Bruce Willis movies are not the best place to learn science), but the guitar looks nice!

I have a Bachelor's in Mathematics and a Master's in Computer Science. I think my knowledge of physics and science is probably okay, thanks. But it is fun to take an alternate view of the world every now and then.
(Yippie Kiyay Mother F&*$%!  :laughing7

Is time immutable, unchangeable, and the same everywhere?

Of course not. Nor is our perception of time. Relativity theory predicts (very accurately BTW) that spacetime will be warped by the presence of gravity. It's been observed that light will bend around stars and galatcic lensing is a proven fact these days. There are many dramatic images by Hubble, et.al. Check out APOD for some good views on it.

Nice geetar...canary is awesome....and

I can do this for ya...

Awesome! PM sent.

I'm totally diggin Canary. It's just so slick and smooth. I picked up my white strat and as nice as the Maple/Maple is, it just doesn't compare.

Of all the elements on the periodic chart there is one natural element missing...Any guesses? :dontknow:

I give up. What is it?
:icon_scratch:

 

[MikeW]

My Wilkinson bridge sustain blocks will hit the rear of the cavity, but by the time they do the strings are so slack they almost won't vibrate. Not hanging off the neck, but very nearly so. Almost no tension on them. So, dives aren't a problem. I can certainly go more than a couple whole steps. More like 3 or 4. Way more than you'd ever need or could practically use, in any event.

I was playing around with this again this weekend and found that I can push the bar down almost 4 1/2 steps on the low E before the sustain block hits the back wall of the cavity. At that point the strings aren't completely slack, but slack enough that there's little vibration left in them. As you say, that's probably more than I'll ever need so I'm just gonna leave it as it is for now. If it becomes and issue later I'll deal with it.

I did back the 59'er off the strings a bit and that did add some clarity to it. I'm still not thrilled with it, but it's good enough that I'll play it as it is, for now.

Thanks for all the responses and positive feedback everybody! I'll post some soundclips when I get my USB interface problem figured out.
:icon_thumright:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

My post was rhetorical.  What if cats were dogs?

 

[MikeW]

My post was rhetorical.  What if cats were dogs?

What if 6 turned out to be 9?  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[DangerousR6]

Of all the elements on the periodic chart there is one natural element missing...Any guesses? :dontknow:

I give up. What is it?
:icon_scratch:

The Human Element..It's kind of a trick question...

 

[Updown]

Of all the elements on the periodic chart there is one natural element missing...Any guesses? :dontknow:

I give up. What is it?
:icon_scratch:

The Human Element..It's kind of a trick question...

:doh:  A Floyd Rose Tremolo  :icon_biggrin:

 

[swarfrat]

If you want to be nerdy...

You did qualify 'elements on the periodic chart', which the human element does not appear on. Also, the title 'the fifth element' appeals to classical greek 'elements, Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, & Ether.  (Although these are not elements, but rather states of matter, of which there are far more phases - ice XV for instance).

Love the black hardware and sunburst. I'm surprised I don't see more of that floating around.