avengers63 Posted November 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2021 So....... I had my multi-meter set wrong. All of my previously described outputs were radically off. Like the tele neck I thought was 12? It's closer t0 5.5. WHOOPSIE! The mini HBs might have been just fine afterall. Too late now! So here's what we have: Given that these are Artec, they appear better than I expected. The baseplates are nickle, rather than the cheaper gold-toned bases we usually see in cheap pups. This is a pretty good sign to me as the nickle are a more expensive plate. (I've been doing my research on pickup construction and magnet differences.) They're supposed to be anlico II magnets, which make a more single-coil sounding HB. The listing had them at 7.2K/12K, which is about what my meter reads now that I have it set up right. For the actual sound, I don't have extremely high hopes in a $45 set of HBs, but the Artecs I've had in the past were pretty decent, so we'll wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 19, 2021 Report Share Posted November 19, 2021 4 hours ago, avengers63 said: The wifey wants me to cut off the f/b and keep it for art purposes. I put a shit-ton of work into it It looks to me like you could cut the heel off of that neck and fashion a more conventional heel with a tenon to glue onto that neck and use it for a future build. Possibly even re-route the neck pocket on the RK to match the new heel and tenon and correct the angle? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted November 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2021 3 hours ago, ScottR said: It looks to me like you could cut the heel off of that neck and fashion a more conventional heel with a tenon to glue onto that neck and use it for a future build. Possibly even re-route the neck pocket on the RK to match the new heel and tenon and correct the angle? SR Once I'm done with it, I'm done with it. If it means that much to you..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted November 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2021 My wiring is always pretty ugly, but always seems to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 20, 2021 Report Share Posted November 20, 2021 16 hours ago, avengers63 said: Once I'm done with it, I'm done with it. If it means that much to you..... Nope--belongs to your wife now. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted December 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 I went in for the final assembly this morning. I decided to rout out the area underneath the switch to make room for it. Anyway, there were even more roadblocks. Color me not surprised. It turns out that I do NOT have a black jack plate or strap buttons. With all the crap I have sitting in drawers, I never considered that I wouldn't have them. Then the neck joint is a lot more narrow than that of a standard sized neck, so the neck plate I have is just too wide. Even if I used it anyway, the screws would hit to far out on the neck. I'd be VERY concerned that they'd even pop out the side of the neck if I tried to screw them in. So I ordered buttons, jack plates, and a set of ferrules. Hopefully it'll all be in next week. If not, I could be screwed for timing. At least it looks great. I'm glad I made the p/g imitate the back end of the body. I don't think it's a feature you'd notice right away because it just feels right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 I'm not the most observant person in the world... so that probably explains why I had not noticed the pickguard mirrors the rear edge... but now that you mention it... looks good. nice work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 I got it all together and Christmas went off without a hitch. She was damn near in tears when she got it. That's totally not true. This is me. There's ALWAYS a hitch. Everything behaved as it should have... and then I put the p/g on the body and plugged it in. There is absolutely no sound whatsoever. It's gotta be grounding out somewhere. Ima try and put a layer of blue tape on top of the shielding foil and see if that does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 7 hours ago, avengers63 said: here is absolutely no sound whatsoever. It's gotta be grounding out somewhere. Ima try and put a layer of blue tape on top of the shielding foil and see if that does it. To save your precious time, small bits and pieces here and there should do the trick as well without having to unscrew everything. My primary suspects are the pot lugs and the jack. Speaking about the latter I foolishly put copper tape into the jack cavity of a strat. All was good until I fastened the boat: The plug bent the tip connector to the foil. Loosening the screws of the boat fixed it but as you know it's not a permanent solution! I've also seen a single thread of wire connecting the two jack prongs. In my age that is almost impossible to see without a magnifying glass and reading glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 Today is the last free day I'll have for a while. Tomorrow I start a new job. I'll be out on the road 5 days/week driving a semi, but I'll be getting about a $35K/year raise. This much of a raise is life altering, so I REALLY can't turn it down. I decided to take the opportunity to rip the wiring completely apart and re-assemble the whole thing. IDK what was different about it, but it all worked exactly as it should have this time. But wait.... there's more! The inside 4 strings fret out from about the 3rd to the 20th. The bridge saddles are all the way up, so I'll have to shim up the bridge. To do that, I'll need both warm weather and an entire day to screw with it. But at least the electronics are sorted out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 19, 2022 Report Share Posted January 19, 2022 15 hours ago, avengers63 said: This much of a raise is life altering I don't make that much in two years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2022 On 1/19/2022 at 7:54 AM, Bizman62 said: I don't make that much in two years! The pay for driving a semi in America has gone up a LOT in the last 2 years. When I got my license, pay at my level would have been around $50-55K. It's gone up $15-20K since the world went to Hell. Lack of people willing to just go to work is a big part of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 21, 2022 Report Share Posted January 21, 2022 17 hours ago, avengers63 said: The pay for driving a semi in America has gone up a LOT in the last 2 years. When I got my license, pay at my level would have been around $50-55K. It's gone up $15-20K since the world went to Hell. Lack of people willing to just go to work is a big part of it. We make graphics for some of the largest transportation fleets in the country. Literally every decal kit we've shipped to them over the last three years have included driver recruitment statements. Some of them are wrapping entire trailers with "come work for us" messages. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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