digi2t

I just rewired my Ibez RG, and it's 5 way poles are actually configured as 2 switches in 1. There are 8 poles in total, the 2 center ones are the outputs, 1 for one half of the switch, and the other for the other half. The way the switch is set up, the first position the bridge, second position bridge and center, third position center, forth position center and neck, fifth position for neck. Unless I'm having a brain fart, you could wire it as follows; HB on pole 1, center and neck PU on pole 2, 4 pole to the volume pot. That should give you the following setup; Position(P)1:HB P2:All Pups P3:2 singles P4:2 singles P5:No output I have a Franken-Mustang with a variation of this setup. I like the 5th position (neck) "No output" because it acts as my kill switch. Cheers

There is a little hole in the oil cap, and there is a leak coming from there only when the compressor is turned on, but doesn't let air out when switched off. Is there a way to fix it or is it totally screwed? The hole is there as a breather. As the piston goes up and down, a certain pressure/vacuum cycle is created in the crankcase. If the breather hole wasn't there the oil in the crankcase would foam up and not provide efficient lubrication and would also end up blowing the oil into your air system. When you say air "leaks" from the hole, a small amount of air coming from the hole is quite possibly normal. Excessive air would probably blow some oil out of the crank as well. If this is the case, then I would be tempted to say that your piston ring(s) are at fault. Refer to my oil in the intake test in my previous reply to determine if it really is the rings that are at fault. Just out of curiousity, how old is this compressor, and how much action has it seen. Also, do you live in a humid climate? Albeit long-distance, I'm brainstorming your problem. It's getting personal now . Cheers

No, THANK YOU Vinny.

If your just a weekend warrior I guess that would work, but if I was painting my (or someone elses) prized guitar, I wouldn't trust those things as far I could throw a city bus. Here is a link to what a real water seperator looks like; Water seperator and a dessicant dryer; Dessicant dryer the dessicant dryer has a sight glass through which you may observe the color of the media. When a certain color, you change it. I mounted mine on the wall of my shop beside my compressor. The seperator has a drain on the bottom of the bowl. You just drain it occasionally. My setup is; compressor - seperator - dryer - tool. Also, when considering this equipment, ensure to size it to the capacity of your compressor. If your compressor puts out 10 CFM at 90 PSI make sure that the seperator a dryer meets or exceeds that rating. If they don't, then they won't work to their maximum effectiveness i.e. moisture will still make it to the end of your line. Again, use the 50% rule. 10 CFM @ 90 PSI compressor, go for a seperator and dryer that can handle 15 CFM. My compressor puts out 15.8 CFM at 90 PSI, mounted on an 80 gallon upright tank (5 HP @ 230 volts). Cost me 900$, but it was one of those things that I only wanted to buy ONCE in my lifetime. Plus the upright tank takes up less space in my shop. I actually went the extra mile and installed an automatic tank drain. Everytime the compressor comes on, it momentarily activates my drain as well so my tank stays nice and dry. Figure that a conventional paint gun can use anywhere from 5.5 to 9.9 CFM at 40 PSI depending on what your spraying. I hedge my bet with the lower pressure requirement of the gun, so I exceed my 50% advantage. The biggest air hog in my arsenal is my orbital sander at 17 CFM at 90 CFM. I bought it when I was working in a body shop, so air supply there wasn't a concern. With my compressor, for the few times that I've used it, I have to work in spurts. If I go hog wild on it, I know my rig won't be able to keep up. I've only used it 2 or 3 times in the last 5 years at home, so no big deal. Ideally you want the compressor to be able to work up a charge and take a break while you work. The LAST thing you need while painting is for your compressor pressure to drop below your required operating pressure during a shoot. I garantee you will throw the gun further than a city bus. Cheers

I'll be happy to provide the link to the donuts for wood scheme; Donuts for wood... Click here I spotted a cabinet shop on my way home from work the other day. Snagged myself a nice piece of maple (fretboard) and a mohagany board (maybe laminate, don't know yet). The guy is really into the strawberry jelly filled topped with the powdered sugar. Thank you Tim Hortons. Cheers

Well, if your going to be painting keep this in mind- CFM. Cubic Feet per Minute. Make sure your next compressor will produce about 50% more CFM than what your highest consuming tool uses. All air tools have their CFM ratings on the packaging. If your not sure, Google it and you'll find out quick enough. A larger resevoir helps tremendously as well. No use having a big compressor on a tiny tank. What you want to avoid is the compressor constantly running. It should cycle to recharge the tank while your consuming air. If your on par or exceeding the capacity, the compressor will run continuously. Faster wear, and more moisture in your tank since the compressor will be running hot. For painting, invest in a good water separater and air dryer. For a small shop, a dessicant type dryer is relatively inexpensive and effective. There are types that you simply change the dessicant when it becomes too saturated, and others that are in cartridge form. You dry out the cartridge in the oven. Both type are colored, the color changes to inform you of their condition. These two items should be top of mind when shopping for your next compressor. Cheers

If you look carefully at the picture, the valves are visible. Darker rectangular objects, one on top of the cylinder and the other on the head. These "valves" in some cases don't have springs, but rather use the air pressure to flop back and forth between intake and exhaust cycles to open and close the ports. Like reed intakes in 2 stroke motors. Cheers

OK, didn't realize it was direct drive. No biggy for the gasket, get a roll of gasket material at the local auto parts shop (same thicknes), and just cut a new one. Put a TINY BEAD of sealant such as LocTite 515 on both sides around the edge inside the bolt circle, and down the middle between the 2 openings before reassembly. You don't want any sealant to squeeze into the head valves when you retorque the head, so keep the bead as small as possible. The small spring valve that you disassembled is the anti-return valve. Allows the air to go to tank, but not escape back to the cylinder. The small tube leading away from the valve I believe goes to your pressure switch. There should be another piece to this valve that fits on the end of the spring, somewhat like a disc or a fawcet washer minus the hole. Make sure this is all very clean, put a few drops of air tool oil on the parts and reassemble. The "black square thing" is the cylinder head. The 2 rectangular pieces are the intake and exhaust valves. Before you throw the head back on, inspect the inside of the cylinder. Use a flash light if required. The bore should be fairly shiney and smooth. If it's badly scratched or scored, it's toast. Inspect the intake/exhaust valves as well. They should be clean, flat and smooth. If they are "embossed" with the pattern of the port which they cover, highly likely that they don't seal properly anymore and are leaking by. If everything seems OK, put the head back together (don't forget the gasket), and ensure that you evenly tighten the bolts which secure the head. Work in an "X" pattern, and go in stages. A little tighter each time around until all of them are tight. Use your experience removing them to judge how tight to torque them. Now do the following test. -Leave the air filter off and prepare a small squirt bottle with about 2 oz. of air tool oil handy -Empty the tank of air -Run the compressor. Place your palm over the intake while it's running. If you feel a constant suction while the comperssor is running, this is good. Let it run until it gets to the pressure where it stops charging but keeps running (30 psi in your case) and place your palm over the intake again. If you feel your palm popping off the intake in sync with the compressor, or it doesn't seem to be sucking as hard as when you first started it, then one or both of those rectangular valves is at fault. If your palm is being pushed and pulled on the intake, it means that the compressed air which should be going to the tank is blowing by the valves and back out the intake. You can take it a step further, and while it's running, squirt some oil into the intake and watch your pressure guage. If the pressure begins to rise and then fall again, it may mean that the piston rings are stuck, dirty, or toast. The oil artificially serves to seal the blowby. Let me know what comes up. Cheers

I did not mean it like that. Just curious as to why or how people prioritize elements of importance when it comes to what makes an instrument sound good. Nothing more. I DO appreciate the reply. I was not intending to get into any kind of argument, just wondering, so sincerely thank you for answering. -Cheers I apologize if I came across too harsh, just trying to squelch a flameing session before it starts. Mattia actually puts it best. Crunch all the hard numbers, the solid stuff first. Everything else after that is like figure skateing... purely subjective. My nephew loves the sound of his Mex Strat, I'm like the Russian judge - I give it a 2.5. But I guess thatès what seperates all of us from the guest stars on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Cheers

OK... before we get into a pissing match, I'll elaborate. I will not belittle ANY of the elements that you brought up since they are ALL vital. The only reason why I mentioned scale length first is because I tried my hand at building my first guitar when I was 14. Had an old neck, and a big chunk of mahogany. Saw Bo Diddley's rig and thought "Cool, I'll build one". Routered the mohagany (poorly I might add), glued in the neck, and threw the bridge and tailpiece on... YEAH, right there looks good! Slapped some strings on, and tried to tune it. DUOH!!! In a nutshell, he mentioned that he didn't have a clue, and I mentioned that it was only my opinion based on experience. I'm 43 now, so at that time I was clueless as well. We didn't have this wonderful resource called the Internet back then, but I'll be damned as a contributor to this forum if I let someone else make the same mistake. This forum and it's tutorials have bailed my a$$ more than once, I was only trying to return a favor to someone that is at a place now where I have been before. Just human nature. When you get stung once, it becomes top of mind after that. Besides, you could string a 2 x 4 and play it. But if the scale length is not correct, you'll never be able to play it in tune. I dunno, but it sounds pretty rudimentary to me.... Rock on brothers

Anderekel is absolutely correct. Compressors naturally produce moisture due to the fact that the air, having been compressed, also rises in temperature. Once in the tank, it cools and the moisture condenses out. It's important to remember to drain the tank at regular interval. This won't stop the tank from corroding, but will go a long way in extenting it's life span. Due to the fact that compressors will naturally produce moist air, it's hyper important to have a good air drying system downstream of the tank if you ever decide to use paint spraying equipment. If you don't, the moisture in the tank will kill your paint job. A good water sepatator will also go a long way in extending the life of your air tools. But even then, respect the maintenance procedures of the particular tool i.e. 1 or 2 drops of air tool oil after use, etc. Thanks again to anderekel for the note on the tank. Cheers.

Thanks a bunch Al. First time I've seen that page. Very useful, saved it to my HD. Thanks again. Cheers

Sounds like the anti-return or unloader valve may be stuck or damaged. The anti-return valves function is to open during the compression stroke, allowing air to go to the tank, and close when the piston is in the intake stroke. This give the piston a chance to pull in atmoshpheric pressure and prevent the air in the tank from escaping through the cylinder. It's generally located on the head, right where the pipe that feeds the tank is located. The unloader opens only when the compressor come to a stop. It releases any compressed air in the cylinder to atmmospere, thus the piston is not in compression the next time it starts up. If it were, the motor would not be able to generate enough inertial force from a dead stop to turn the compressor. One way to check it is as follows; WARNING: This test involves removing the belt guard. Please take adequate safety precautions. Also, compressed air can injure. Wear safety glasses and gloves. -First, remove the belt guard. -Run the compressor until it charges as much as it will (30 psi in your case). -Stop the compressor, AND UNPLUG IT. -Listen for any leaks and note where they are coming from. -Ensure that you have some pressure in the tank. With a gloved hand, holding your hand open, and only with your palm gently and slowly try turning the large pulley of the compressor through 2 or 3 revolutions. As you do, listen for any escaping air from the intake. DO NOT AT ANYTIME CLOSE YOUR HAND ON THE PULLEY OR BELTS. If there is any compressed air trapped in the cylinder, the flywheel may jog under the power of the trapped air, taking your hand with. If you hear air coming out the intake, it's the anti-return valve. If not, it's the unloader stuck open. NOTE: The unloader is the valve that make a sudden hissing sound just after your compressor stops. If your not hearing the telltale blast of escaping air after the compressor stops, it's a good sign that the unloader is stuck open. Their location on compressors generally varies, but they are usually directly or indirectly connected to the crankshaft in some manner. When the compressor starts, the inertial force closes it, when it stops, it opens. If you have a manual, they sometimes provide a parts breakdown drawing. Should be on there. Let me know what you find. Finally, if you don't feel comfortable in any way shape or form about the above test, take it to a shop. I'm an industrial mechanic by trade. I get paid to fix things like this, hence my livelyhood is insured. Yours isn't in this case. After 25 years in the business, I still have all my fingers and limbs. Unlike some poor fellows that have crossed my path during my career, I love to play guitar and that love is top of mind on every job I do. Get my drift. Cheers

Learned a lot (if not most!!!) from this site and here is another one that isn't too bad either, MIMF (Musical Instrument Makers Forum). Link is here. I personally prefer this forum, very friendly and no one gives you the impression that you've asked a stupid question. They're a bit snobbier over at MIMF, but the information to be gleened over there should not be overlooked. The tutorials here at PG are top notch. My West Highland White terrier is doing level and crowns now thanks to this site. In any case, the only piece of real advice that I can give you is don't be afraid of making a mistake, and don't get too tied up with opinions. Go with what feels and looks good to you. We'll just try and help you with the rest. Most of all... TAKE YOUR TIME!!! From my own experience, the first thing you should read up on is scale length, it's reason for being and it's effects. Google it and read up. This in my opinion is the first building block in ANY guitar construction. Again, my opinion, that's it, that's all. Cheers

Thanks kill, I'll try that on the weekend and see how it sounds. Cheers

I have a single cut and a couple of double cuts, but I'm genetically programmed for wierd shapes. Explorers and V's all the way. But I love the Destroyer II's as well. Bought my first Ibanez, a Destroyer II, in '86. Remember seeing it in the window of a guitar shop in Seattle. Something just snapped. I lost it. Never been the same since. Had to sell it to pay off debts in 91, but it really defined what I liked in guitar shapes. That Destroyer was like the mature woman popping the cherry on the young lad. BTW, I'm actively searching for drawings of the Destroyer body, but so far I'm SOL. Cheers

Yeah, and he worked for peanuts -Vinny OMG!!! It's not very often that y'all can get me to LOL here in my office, but that did it! Funny stuff. Avengers63, glad we brightened up your day dude. Vinny, kick a$$ comeback... I am not worthy, I am not worthy... Cheers all

Isn't that how Carter made his way to the White House? Cheers

Have to agree with Martinedwards, recently completed a maple V, with a graphite neck (rosewood fretboard) to boot. I thought it would be super bright. I used the electronics out of my basswood V just to see if there would be a difference, but it was absolutely minimal to nil. Actually, tweaking the top 3 EQ bands and closing my eyes put me back into the basswood and maple neck zone. The only real difference was the weight. Got a wider strap. Problem solved. I say go for it. You can adjust the root tone by playing with different caps. Besides, FWIW, I love maple . Cheers

Just so I understand the jist of what your trying to do; Do you want the phaser and the wah working together, or one mode phaser and another mode wah? Cheers

Hi Guys, Does anyone have the diagram for wiring the NEW Mighty Mite Motherbuckers? Just got a set, but no diagram. Sent 2 emails to MM but no reply, and nothing on their website. Cheers

Just a word of advice... and this is no joke. My sons former t-ball coach is a driver for UPS. Great guy. Super coach. He told me once, that the guys at UPS have their own acronym... Use Purolator Stupid. Personally, I have completely boycotted UPS insofar as their "administrative" cost for Customs clearance is concerned. I ordered a 60$ PU for my guitar from the States about 2 years ago. Got it quick. Got a bill for 50$ "administrative" charge for brokerage 2 weeks later. Never paid it, and never will. As far as I'm concerned, they can take a flying f**k at a rolling donut. Since then, I Use Postal Stupid. If it only ships UPS, I just don't buy it. Period. Excuse me, now I have to go lie down. Just got a head rush from being so militant. Think I'll have a cigarette too... Cheers.

Have done it before. Used 22 AWG wire, and as aidlook said, heatshrink the connections. I personally prefer the heatshrink with the glue in it, but it doesn't really matter. Cheers.

Are you sure you know what you're in for? Will you be vacuum bagging? Have you ever molded before? The reason I ask is because I worked in composites (marine and aviation) for close to 8 years. Firstly, your "mold" will have to be gelcoated, sanded and polished. Also, you will have to calculate rather precisely (understatement) your pre and post layup thicknesses. These figures will have to be transfered to your mold. Shrinkage is an other factor. This will depend on your matrix (resin). A "solidbody" CF will be prohibitively expensive, not to mention that it will require an overhead crane to lift, but a hollow bodied guitar will still need to be gusseted for strength, attachment points, cavities, and tonal reasons. Stengthwise, easy to figure out if you have stress analysis software such as Cosmos DesignSTAR. Sorry, can't have my copy. Tonally, I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how it would work out. Resin to fiber ratio will also be critical. Too high on resin, you add weight, and risk stress fractures in the resin. Too low, and your looking at delaminations. Of course, this isn't a problem if you decide to use prepreg, in which case you'd better start building an autoclave first . Keep in mind as well, any defects in molding in stressed areas will not react kindly to "dressing" i.e. sanding it out. Doing so will cut into the fibers, and CF does not take kindly to that in stressed areas. The reason for this is that when CF fails, it does so catastrophically. If you stay within it's bend modulus for a given structure, no problemo. If you weaken the structure, or exceed the modulus, SNAP. If you plan to use the wood as a core, you can forget that. The CF layers will absolutely destroy any tonal qualities of the wood. Kind of like those cheap plywood Les Paul knockoffs with 50 coats of buffed polyurethane. I know graphite works quite well for necks, I currently have a Flying V with one. But graphite necks are monoblock injected, so density, structure, and strength are predetermined and stable. Insofar as the trem is concerned, Floyd Rose's website has all kinds of template drawings to choose from. Look there and choose the one that fits your needs. For the nut, it depends on the neck. If it's a Strat style neck, Floyd has different types of locking nuts available to fit. Again, consult their website, all the info is there. Cheers

Try McMaster-Carr. As far as I'm concerned, if you can't find it there, it doesn't exsist. Here's the link; http://www.mcmaster.com/ You can shop online. If memory serves me, no minimum quantities. The problem with hardware stores is that generally if you do find something similar, it's Robertson and not Philips heads. I find this very annoying. Makes your axe look like, well, shelving. As a sidebar, I drove by ONE of their warehouses in Atlanta one time. Close your eyes and imagine this; Take a Lowes, a Home Depot, an Ace, and whatever other Big Box I missed, put them together, and multiply by about 50. OK, now sit down, your nose is starting to bleed. Cheers