First Build, First Blog

[Jumble Jumble]

Skip the locking nut, and find a new gimmick - any ol' goofball can divebomb.  Make an original statement for a change.

Well given that I'm not going to be designing and building my own completely new bridge assembly from scratch, aren't all my options about as "original" as each other?

Anyway, as I've explained, I'm not going for originality with this project. I'm going for an 80s-style customised strat, in the vein of EVH, Bon Jovi, that kind of thing.

 

[bagman67]

I hear ya, just crackin' wise.  If I were going with a Floyd and planned to engage in guitar-abuse thereby, I'd probably go with the locking nut, myself.

 

[Cagey]

Could just put the locking tuners on and if they turn out to be inadequate, have the locking nut installed later. Wouldn't have to change the tuners, and might end up with an unmolested neck.

 

[bagman67]

unmolested neck.

 


You're putting me in mind of the desperate thread inquiring whether it's okay to sleep with your new Warmoth neck.  I don't even know what to make of that discussion.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

There's been a few updates to the blog now (see sig for link). The plan is starting to come together...

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I've just done another one, which might be interesting to some of you. It's about using a 500K pot for both single coils and humbuckers but trying to get it to only present a 250K load to the single coils. It's got some stuff in it that I couldn't find anywhere else on the internet, specifically graphs to compare a 250K pot with a 500K pot and 500K resistor in parallel throughout the taper.

It's pretty nerdy stuff but that's why we're all here right?

Also - I've got a bit of a question re rear routs. I've had a look at photos online, and where the 5-way switch is, there's an extra bit of routing - I guess at that point it makes the wood as thick as a pickguard so that the blade lever will fir through properly. So my question is, can that thin piece of wood be extended a bit by Warmoth? I'm going to be using a larger blade switch than normal and the surface that would be in contact with the pickguard is bigger.

If they wouldn't do it, how would I go about sorting that out?

 

[Updown]

Also - I've got a bit of a question re rear routs. I've had a look at photos online, and where the 5-way switch is, there's an extra bit of routing - I guess at that point it makes the wood as thick as a pickguard so that the blade lever will fir through properly.
So my question is, can that thin piece of wood be extended a bit by Warmoth?
I'm going to be using a larger blade switch than normal and the surface that would be in contact with the pickguard is bigger.

If they wouldn't do it, how would I go about sorting that out?

I gather you are using a pickguard.

Not sure if Warmoth would do what you are asking... Best to email / call them direct.
Or Dremel yourself I suppose ....

Just measured for you the switch rout and there is 4mm left.
So not a lot of room left.

:icon_scratch: What switch are you using ?
You say it's larger.
Can you post a pic ?

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Nope, no pickguard. I'll post a pic of the switch in a little while.

 

[Updown]

OK got ya now.

That 4mm was the thickness left between the cavity and the top.
You wanna enlarge the area around the switch slot.
To fit some U-Beaut bigger super duper switch.  :icon_jokercolor:

Have a look at this pic, can see I used a Dremel with a 15mm stone and did a little grinding  :icon_biggrin:
I haven't done the switch area, but have done on other bits down to the same thickness as the switch rout.
Can also see there isn't a lot of room against the cavity wall near the switch.

Pic's to give you an idea  :icon_thumright:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

That's really helpful, thanks. Looks like maybe I could just Dremel away some of the stuff. I'm not having the first pot location drilled, only the second, so it looks like I'll have room. The worst that can happen is I'll need a mini pot maybe.

Here's a pic of the switch.

 

[Mor Paul]

That looks like it could be a pain to solder to

 

[Cagey]

Not really. You just run the wires into those drilled pads you see along the top of the switch, or you can get an edge connector for the bottom side. The real problem with those is life expectancy. Wiping contacts across PC board traces to do switch duty is poor practice unless it's a very low-duty switch, which isn't the case in a guitar application. But, OEMs like them because they're much less costly than the typical Switchcraft parts. When you're only getting $2,000 for a guitar, you can hardly afford to spend an extra $.55 on a switch.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Good point. I'll let you know when it breaks!

 

[Jumble Jumble]

The new post went up with an animation to show how the poles on the switch work. That is gonna be weird to wire up.

 

[Updown]

Yep I was right.
A U-Beaut Super Duper Mega Switch  :icon_biggrin: 

I know your building a Strat, But have a look inside the Control cavity of a Tele.
ie: the control switch area.

Seems bigger routed area, just like what you want.
Wonder if Warmoth will do that on a strat ?
Contact them !!

If your having a custom built body ..... may-be they could  :dontknow:

Pic attached  :icon_thumright:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

You're right - that looks perfect. I'll ask them about it.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I've just put up the latest post, which has what I currently think will be the final wiring diagram that I work from when I do the build. Looks easy enough I think (famous last words).

 

[Updown]

Looked at your shopping list.

Ummm ... If your having a contoured heel (not sure if you are)  :dontknow:

You will need the contoured neck screws or cut those ones you have down to the correct lengths.
Top row in link ...
http://www.warmoth.com/Neck-Screws-C847.aspx

I've never done it  :icon_biggrin:  But I'm sure somebody must have gone into the fretboard at some time  :doh:

So with that switch and wiring ......
Just how many different combos will you have  ?

If it's going to have heaps of combos, you will find out that many are going to be very similar.
I've done some different wiring / switches.
Now I usually just stick to basic's.

But of cause it's your build  :icon_thumright:

I always use the plastic neck pads too.

P.S ..... Your switch display is flashing to fast for me, I end up spinning out  :laughing7:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for by starting the blog!

Nope, not having the contoured heel so I should be good. I just decided that I like my existing Strats how they are.

As for pickup combinations - there are only five! They're basically the standard 5 strat sounds, the only difference being that the bridge HB is split when it's combined with the middle pickup, in an attempt to get quack.

I don't really do lots of combinations. I'm not even going to bother with a pull pot to add the neck pickup (to give me N+B and N+M+B) because I've got that on another Strat and I literally never use it. In fact without going and checking, I wouldn't even be able to tell you which pot I put it on. I'm the same as you - I've done a 17-combination setup before and a few other wiring things, and now I like to keep it simple. I'm find with complexity under the hood, but when I'm actually playing the thing, I just like a single switch without too many options.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I've just put up another post. This one was a bit complicated but I found it quite interesting.

There are lots of threads, here and on other boards, about shimming a 12" Floyd Rose bridge to match the Warmoth compound radius. Most of the time the figures are posted up and then taken on faith. I wanted to try and understand the logic behind the numbers, so I worked my way through it. This post shows what I got.

I didn't completely agree with the accepted wisdom, but I've checked the maths a lot of times. I'd be interested to hear if anyone knows where any of the other numbers came from, but for the time being, I'm going to work from my own calculations.

Hope you enjoy it (you will if you like maths, probably not otherwise).

Oh:

P.S ..... Your switch display is flashing to fast for me, I end up spinning out

Hehe. Yeah, it's not actually usable as an animation. When I made the wiring diagram I was controlling the switch manually through the app I wrote.