ScottR Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 And now I need to clean my yard...it looks horrible in these photos... I have a similar reaction upon seeing myself in photos. Looking at multiscale necks always messes with me. The changing angles of the frets creates the optical illusion of a twisted neck. I got nothing on the volume control issue; I've never done two. I do hope you get it sorted soon. I'm intersted in a few more details on the sound of those pups. Oh, and the build looks first rate, excellent craftsmanship. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I'd love to give you some sound details,but I can't seem to get this crap sorted out.I am starting to think I have a faulty pot....I can't even get a good sound out of the bridge pup right now,it sounds like it's weak as hell,but I know it isn't because I had it going good earlier. Tomorrow i am going to swap out the pots and see what I get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Well,I got tired of waiting and I swapped out the pot.Now it works fine,but I am getting a **** ton of squealing I need to get rid of.Tomorrow I will have to shield and star ground everything.i hope that will take care of it because I can't deal with the microphonics. This guitar has been a real headache the last week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Alright. Now ship it to me so I can play it. I've got a board just like it from Doug and wanna know how that drastic first fret feels. K, thanks? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 The first fret is strange,no denying it...it's important to keep the nut as low profile as possible so your hand will slide right over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 By the way,I figured out the stupidity of what I was trying to do with using volume knobs as switches.No matter how it's wired,the hot signnal shoots right through both volumes,and when one is turned off that signal goes straight to ground. As far as I can tell,it's impossible to do this properly without a switch.So I have to put in a low profile switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Cavities shielded and grounded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 you can use a blend pot instead of a switch. My Octobass doesn't have a switch so I know it can be done. .... try wiring one pot with both pups. The two outer lugs would get the hot signals and the center lug would be the output. Wouldn't really work as a volume pot anymore tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Yeah but that's not what I want.It's okay though,I ordered a 3 way switch that will fit and I'll just run one volume and put the 3 way into the hole of the second volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 I understand now why some people consider SS frets a PITA...i got sloppy on the fretting of this guitar and needed a fret leveling,and recrowning and polishing really,really sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I did one SS fretjob a few years ago. All i have to say is, Never again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I am going to revisit nickel fretwire for a little while.I have some of it sitting around,and I want to streamline my building process to rely more on craftsmanship and wood selection and less on flashy things like SS fretwire and expensive ass hardware. If I can't make a guitar somebody will want to pick up and play just by the quality of the craftsmanship,then why bother. I have been sort of being drawn towards a different sort of thing lately though...sort of an "industrial" type look...matte finishes,sleek profiles...stuff like that..sort of "steampunk" without all of that weird stuff thrown on it.. I saw some antique bronze screws up at my local ace that really got me thinking about that sort of thing Like antique furniture sort of 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 <rant> SS frets suck. They add weird overtones and are brighter than nickel. They are a PITA to level, crown, and dress. The best part has been blind taste tests where "guitarists" who insist they know the difference can't actually tell the difference in feel between polished high nickel content frets and SS frets. Personally I can here the difference when the guitar is unplugged.... those overtones. </rant> I think I am ok now... did I mention I really like high nickel content frets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I think what threw me off to think the neek was in deeper was the distance from the bridge to the end of the guitar. On his it is smaller. Guitar looks great together, can't wait till you get all sorted out and give us your last impression on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 They add weird overtones and are brighter than nickel. Yeah...that is less so if you use the tiny frets I use.I was using SS so that I could use smaller frets and not have to ever recrown them..but Maple really seems to make those harsh overtones jump out at you,while bubinga and mahogany type woods seem to swallow them up so you don't hear them. But I know exactly what you are talking about That beast I made years ago with a mahogany neck and mahogany body sounded nice and smooth,even with the SS frets.My personal "tone voodoo" says that there may be a rip in the time space continuum of woods with large pores,and that those harsh tones go into the pores and reappear in another dimension to plague an entirely different species of humanoids.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Guitar looks great together, can't wait till you get all sorted out and give us your last impression on it. Thanks,I hope my last impression is good.I really don't like the multiscale thing right now...the bridge feels weird under my picking hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 My 3 way switch just came in.One of the sideways ones for SGs.It fits,but just barely...Stewmac ships so quickly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 This guitar has a MFing curse on the f-ing thing.I think another pot went bad on it.i am so sick of this f-ing thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Oh well,some F-ing moron switched the hot and ground on the jack,that might have something to do with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 If I ever get this guitar working properly I am going to call it Murphy's Law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 You know the cursed ones are the most fun.... after you get past all the aggravation from the curse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 I hope so,but I must admit I am not impressed with the multiscale thing.I already have my fretting hand partially over the nut while playing the lower frets on a standard guitar,and the angled nut puts my hand so far back that I hit the part of the headstock that turns out... I suspect once I get it sorted out it may find itself a new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 So the multiscale thing is not so bad when the perp fret is 7, 8, or 9th. That makes the lower register chords feel almost the same. Then as you get into the upper registers the frets slant more. So here is my thing when the 8th is the perp why bother? with 8th as perp and only a 1" diff in scales it feels so much like regular scale why bother. Honestly I think the best use of multiscale is the Kubiki idea where the E and A are on a 27" scale and the DGBE are on a 25.5 scale (all this is approximate as I can't remember the exact scale things) and the frets are normal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Yeah.."what's the point?" has been running through my head the last couple of days.I played it for about 1/2 hour last night and then picked up my main guitar and it was like 1000% more ergonomic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 As stated earlier, the feel of those particular scales and perp that location might feel odd. That thing has some wild looking pitch at the first fret , i could see how your hand wouldn't cooperate. FWIW i use a 25.5" on top and a 24.75 inch on the bottom because I like the feel of a Fender for rythym strings and Gibby's for lead silkiness. The combo of those and a 5th fret perp allows me to use a regular Floyd Rose base for a bridge and my finger sits parallel to the 0 fret in the first position, and all the way down the neck it follows the contour of the slant. multiscale has its purpose ,but there are soo many varieties, finding one that works for you might not be worth the effort. but hey- you built a nice looking guitar and gave some business to a few forum members. Not a bad deal at all, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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