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KeithHowell

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Posts posted by KeithHowell

  1. A burnt out resistor would be indicative, to me, of something else wrong which caused the wattage rating on the resistor to be exceeded hence burning it out.

    I would suggest you check the voltage across the resistor once it has been replaced and see if it is within spec.

    Keith

  2. Unfortunately, things didn't seem quite right when I tested the neck height and everything with a string hooked up to the top tuner on the neck, which was clamped to the body. The string was touching the fretboard to a decent extent and I thought I should try to incorporate a very small neck angle...

    Am I missing something? If the string was touching the fretboard with no neck angle why would you want to add an angle? This would only make the problem worse. Raising the bridge slightly would alleviate the issue. Lowering the neck would also work as long as the angle was not changed.

    Keith

  3. You are reaching answers identical to everyone else with a different calculation.

    It is not even a different calculation! It is the same one just expressed differently.

    The mathematics is as follows:

    Scale Length (SL) / 21/12 = Fret to bridge distance (F2B)

    The Twelfth Root of 2 is 1.0594630943 to 10 decimal places

    Therefore SL/1.0594630943 = F2B

    or SL * 0.943874312 = F2B (taking the inverse of twelfth root)

    therefore SL *(1 - 0.943874312) = Fret Distance(FD)

    or SL * 0.05612256 = FD

    or SL /17.81715374 =FD (Taking the inverse of 0.05612256)

    Which is the same as SL * 5.612256/100 = FD if you want to express it in terms of a percentage.

    So yes we have all used it.

    Keith

  4. Willow, to me has a very nice ring. Listen to a good quality cricket bat every time the batsman plays a stroke. It can take a huge pounding as well without noticeable damage. (Fighting of the unhappy audience in dodgy pubs??)

    I have spent many an hour knocking in cricket bats. (Bashing them with a round headed mallet to mimic a cricket ball and compress and strengthen the playing surface, doesn't always work though. One bat my father used, after weeks of preparation, lasted one ball and split in half from handle to toe)

    I have always loved the sound of a good piece of willow.

    Keith

  5. Interesting. I've never heard of this in the eight years I have been on various guitar related forums.

    In the old days of crystal radio sets this effect was used to form the diode in the receiver. The "crystal" was a lump of something, can't remember the details now, with some impurities mixed into it. You scratched on the lump with a piece of wire,called a cats whisker, until you found a spot which gave you reception.

    When valves/tubes were invented diodes became available and the need for the crystal and cats whisker fell away.

    This is not first hand knowledge, I'm not that old, but we learnt a bit about the history of radio in Radio 101 at Technikon.

    Keith

  6. Sounds like a case of a cold solder joint. Interesting that it can have that effect. I will store that one in long term memory.

    Cold solder joints and especially those that have bit of flux still in them can act like a semi-conducter and give a diode effect. Causing untold problems most often noise but can demodulate radio stations. Often the reason you get this in effects pedals or badly built amplifiers.

    When I worked in the telecoms industry the analogue equipment was very prone to bad soldering especially the older tube/valve stuff.

    Keith

  7. Most people don't know that most, if not all, sealed tuners can be taken apart. (in case one would want to bend a bent shaft straight by itself). But if it still works, might be best to leave well enough alone.

    I've got a sealed bass tunerGotoh Tuner I would like to make a small mod on. Any tips for taking it apart and putting back together without damage?

    Keith

  8. If the wiper to track goes open circuit the resistance will go to infinity (theoretically) This could be a bad thing depending on circuit design. For example in radio type circuits you now have an antennae waiting to pick up noise.

    If the one end is connected the highest possible value will be whatever the track is and no (or minimal) possibility of an open circuit.

    Keith

  9. The main problem is mains 50 or 60 hertz hum which has a huge wavelength, far greater than any gap you could have on a guitar. It is only when you are getting radiation in the Giga Hertz range (microwaves) will the wavelength be down to centimetres and will get through the "gaps".

    But yes a good shielded wiring job is better anyway.

    Keith

  10. Bore it out to fit your saw. If you need to use it in a saw with a smaller spindle you can get an insert to put into the 25mm hole.

    I have an old 5/8" spindle De Walt radial arm saw but my blade has a 20mm hole in which I use an insert in to adapt it from Metric to Imperial.

    The blade was made up for me by my sharpening service for around $25USD a lot cheaper than Stew-Mac.

    I sure whoever bores it out for you can most probably make an adapter if you need it.

    Keith

  11. I guess you could try something with a transformer

    Transformers only work for AC. You would have to use an inverter circuit not what you want in a guitar!

    Have a look here:Variable regulators

    Should do what you want.

    You can also get the lower current versions of the regulator IC's I think they are 7805L, or 7809L if my memory serves me correctly. They are much smaller, around the size of a plastic transistor or FET and will handle the currents required for preamps.

    Keith

  12. It's not such a great idea to put batteries in parallel without interposing some diodes berween them. What happens is the "stronger" battery, and one will be, will try to "charge" the weaker one and probably dropping the resultant voltage, hence the worse sounding result mentioned above.

    Of course putting diodes in will have a voltage drop of 0.7v giving a nominal 8.3v but they should last longer. Parallel batteries wont give you anymore voltage "head room" only more current.

    Keith

  13. depends on whether you are calling the side of the neck with the strings the reference point or if you are calling the back of the neck the reference point,now doesn't it?I would bet you are both saying the same thing,but with different reference points in your mind.

    Yes quite correct. He did say he had removed the fretboard though so I presumed reference was being made from the string and fretboard side. If there is indeed a concave fillet applied from the fretboard side this would most definitely be "made wrong"

    Keith

  14. It depends on the design of the rod. The Fender/Gibson design requires a curved channel, the lowest part of the curve (ie furthest from the fretboard) being about 6mm (1/4 inch) more than the ends. The rod is then covered by a curved fillet which pushes it into the shape of the curve.

    The stew-mac hotrod and similar designs as well as the double rod designs ( the rod is bent in half and the adjstment nut acts against the rod not the wood of the neck) require a flat channel.

    I have seen a design, by Yamaha I think, where the rod (Fender/Gibson style) is put into a straight channel, however the nut end is shallower than the body end. Ie the rod is the hypotenuse of a triangle with respect to the strings and gives a counterforce on the neck when tightened.

    Hope that helps.

    Keith

  15. There should have been a concave piece of wood over the truss rod?

    NO! there should be a CONVEX piece of wood over the truss rod forcing it into a curve with the centre of the neck lower than the two ends. Thus when you tighten the nut, the rod attempts to straighten and puts upward force in the middle of the neck counteracting the force of the strings.

    What is happening now is that longitudinal force is being applied just under the fretboard , like an extra string!

    Keith

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