First build: Warmoth Bass6 Parts Arrivals

[Sovereign_13]

So, after fighting with life a bunch (because it keeps getting in my way), I've decided to take a more piecemeal approach to my first Warmoth build.  I'm also doing it sort of backward because, by the time I have all the funds set aside for the body and neck, it will be a coin-flip as to whether they should be shipped to my current address or the address we'll be moving to in July. (First house! Wooo!  :headbang

It's not the most efficient way of doing things, nor the cheapest, but having parts coming in will keep the project fresh and let me make some progress each month.

The first W box arrived this weekend.  Haven't had a chance to assemble anything, but here's a phone pic with all the parts laid out:

In that photo we've got a Bass6 matte black .09" pickguard, 5-way switch w/tip, the lower 3-switch control plate, the 3 on-on DPDT switches, neck plate, pickguard screws, neck screws, Switchcraft jack and Schaller strap locks.

Next month I plan to source the pots and caps (and some other odds and ends for other projects) from Mouser.  Depending on how that works out, I may also source the pickups - I plan on starting with GFS Li'l Killers.  Even if I have to modify them* or end up hating them, $75 for a set of pickups is too good of a deal not to try.

*GFS recently went all-in on their "Kwikplug" system.  Makes installing things easier, no doubt, but it uses a 3.5mm TRRS jack.  The problem is the female end doesn't break out all four leads - it's designed to allow a coil-split only.  Bit of an oversight, IMO, since all the leads for coil split/series/parallel switching are there.

I'll be updating this thread as more stuff comes in.  I'll probably also start a build thread on the "In Progress" board when things actually start getting assembled.  Lots of photos to come!

 

[rgand]

Very cool. Congrats. This will be fun to follow.

 

[Sovereign_13]

Thanks Rgand.  I'm pretty excited to get this ball rolling after planning it for so long.

As a bit of an aside, GFS says on their website that "You will probably have to slightly open up the cutout on your pickguard to accommodate the Killer's body- but not much."  Does anyone have any experience with the Li'l Killer and how much bigger it is than a typical Strat pickup?

 

[stratamania]

It's not a bad way to go about things. I started a Strat build with a Gotoh 510 tremolo that I got a good deal on. I think it took the best part of a year to gather the parts and assemble it due to travel etc.

I've got a couple of ideas for new builds brewing and have a folder of bookmarks in the browser for parts and so forth.

Look forward to seeing your parts come in and see it come together.

 

[Cagey]

As a bit of an aside, GFS says on their website that "You will probably have to slightly open up the cutout on your pickguard to accommodate the Killer's body- but not much."  Does anyone have any experience with the Li'l Killer and how much bigger it is than a typical Strat pickup?

I put some in a Strat a couple/few years ago. The problem isn't size so much as shape. The dual coils of the Li'l Killer make the end sorta squared-off, while typical single coils have a round end. All you need is a rat tail file (less than $5 anywhere) to reshape the ends of the openings in your pickguard a bit, and you're there. Very minor adjustment.

 

[Sovereign_13]

I put some in a Strat a couple/few years ago. The problem isn't size so much as shape. The dual coils of the Li'l Killer make the end sorta squared-off, while typical single coils have a round end. All you need is a rat tail file (less than $5 anywhere) to reshape the ends of the openings in your pickguard a bit, and you're there. Very minor adjustment.

Ah, okay.  That makes me feel better.  Incidentally, did you like the sounds you got from the Strat?

 

[Cagey]

Yes, I did. Sounded like Duncan's Hot Rails, as I recall. Hot, but mostly clear unless they were dimed out, and noiseless. Happy results, in any event. GFS' pickups are some good parts; I've never had anything from them disappoint me.

 

[Sovereign_13]

That's great to hear.  In the world of pickups, $75 for a set is nuts, but perfect for an oddball instrument like this where you don't really know what you're after or what to expect.

My plan is to use 6k pickups in the neck and middle and a 10k in the bridge.  That's on deck for next month, along with the pots and caps, and then I can post some wiring pics.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

The GFS NEOVin Tele pickups are top shelf, really nice stuff, passes the blindfold test with the cork sniffers.

 

[Cagey]

That's great to hear.  In the world of pickups, $75 for a set is nuts, but perfect for an oddball instrument like this where you don't really know what you're after or what to expect.

Actually, it's a reasonable price. It's the ones that cost more that are the ones that are nuts. I mean, it's a coil of wire wound around a some pole pieces pressed into a coil form. There's nothing to them, and the automation exists via large multi-station winders to make 'em quickly and in large quantities.

That machine makes 24 pickups at a time in a continuous process that lets you unload a batch of 24 as the next 24 are winding. Put a batch of those on a factory floor in Taiwan or China and by the time you solder lead wires on, slap a cover over the thing and box it up, you're making pickups for $1.50/ea. The "big guys" who are getting $200/set are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Actually, it's a reasonable price. It's the ones that cost more that are the ones that are nuts. I mean, it's a coil of wire wound around a some pole pieces pressed into a coil form. There's nothing to them...

I dunno, I’ve wound and assembled more than a few pickups myself and it is a surprisingly time consuming task and requires a lot of attention to a lot of details. Especially covered humbuckers with multi-conductor leads, egad.... I would have difficulty selling them at the price I felt the hassle warranted  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

I agree, if we're talking about making them by hand. I know I wouldn't be able to charge enough, either. But, automated production makes it fast and simple.

 

[Sovereign_13]

Here's a link to the brand-new "work-in-progress" thread, although it's only the smallest bit of progress:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=29219.0