Dugz Ink

I couldn't find a fretless electric bass that had the options that I wanted, and when I mentioned that to a friend he said "You have a nice woodshop, and your a talented builder, why don't you learn to build guitars?" I didn't have a good reason to not build guitars, so I started learning. And because my wife supports this new hobby (she thinks that building guitars is a perfect match for my love of music and my love of woodworking), I don't have to sleep in the shop after I buy $300 worth of parts. D~s

Good shielding is nothing more than a solid antenna that "catches" all of the RFI/EMI before it can get to your low-voltage wiring and controls. However, you have to do something with that RFI/EMI, otherwise the shielding will collect more RFI/EMI (than the little components) and surround/saturate the components with RFI/EMI. So, you connect the shielding to a "ground"... or a connection that eventually leads to a post in the ground. Do NOT "chain" the ground wires in your guitar. Let's say you're going to ground your bridge; if you attach that "ground" wire to the casing around you pots, then you are adding the RFI/EMI that is picked up by the bridge to the casing around the pots, which can actually lead to the bridge's RFI/EMI bleeding into pot. It's better to run the wire from your bridge to the final "ground" point on your jack... along with the "ground" wire for the shielding, and the "ground" wire for your pots, and so on. That's what we call a "star ground"... and, yes, the grounds in the schematics are connected... unless they specifically say otherwise. (That's not very common with consumer-grade equipment... I can't even think of an example.) BTW: If your equipment does NOT have a three-prong cable, then it's not grounded to the wall outlet. For instance, the little pre-amps and guitar effects that use the external power converters (the ugly boxes that plug into wall outlets) are not grounded to the wall; they pass the "ground" through the audio cable to the next component. D~s

Your hurting me, Big D. I know I can't do this right now, but I'm torn by temptation. D~s

There are MIDI "pickups"... and then there are devices that do things with MIDI. The MIDI Converter System (by Shadow) allows you to send MIDI sinals to the computer, but I have not had a chance to work with one (a little pricey for a play toy) so I cannot personally say how well it works with other MIDI gear. Using the Roland GK3 with the Roland GR20 gives you both worlds. Using the switch on the GK3, you can send MIDI and/or audio to the GR20 pedal. However, I have not seen any product information that leads me to believe that you can plug this into your computer. Just something to consider as you're looking. D~s

i wanted to by me one to (this 1) but i cant figure out how to git the gitar body in the top of that thing. gosh dang big d you gotta be alot smarter than me.

If you want ground shaking bass, you need something bigger than 5" cones... usually 10" or bigger. However, if you just want screaming lead guitar, 5" cones would probably sound fine... although I'm not a big fan of paper cones. I've read some interesting stuff on reversing the polarity of 1/4 or 1/2 of the speakers in setups like this. The general consensus is that it provides better air-balance in the box, allowing the use of less (or no) porting. Some people say it results in too much phase-cancellation, others say it's no more likely to create phase-cancellation because the distance between the speakers blah blah blah blah blaaah my eyes feel like they're gonna bleed. D~s

Certain lengths promote certain frequencies... I know that... but I overlooked it. Thank you for bringing that to my attention! Back to the drawing board. D~s

Yeah, I've done something similar, but I use the ½ bath that's connected to my song writing studio. One thing to consider; if you 1) only use one mic, and/or 2) use too much sound treatment, then the recording won't sound like what you're used to hearing. Most people get their best results by putting a mic on the amp (that handles high SPLs) and another mic 3, 6, or 12 feet away (to pick up the ambient sound) then mix the two... sometimes with some slight stereo panning. Here are two great sites: Acoustics 101 (details on sound treatment) Studio-Central (home recording forum) D~s

It's been a while since I last added to this thread, but a lot has happened. Let's see... where was I, before I was so rudely interupted by a bad guitar neck? Oh yeah... working on the body. I decided I needed a nice, stable rig with a sanding drum, so I put together something, using my multi-speed drill press. First, I cut some pieces of wood, for a base. I don't want the base to warp (for obvious reasons) so I attached two pieces of wood down the edges, with wood grain going in a different direction than the base. Next, I used the router to cut an indentation (starting at the back and extending to the middle) in the base, so the sanding drum could extend slightly below the surface of the base. This ensures that all of the wood (that I'm sanding) makes contact with the sanding drum; otherwise, part of the wood could be slightly under the drum. I also cut a hole in the base, so the sawdust would have somehwere to go, instead of piling up. (The base bolts on to the metal drill press base.) Here's how it looks: This allowed me to do some very nice work on the edges of the body I've been applying coats of commercial-grade Tung Oil to the body, as a pore-filler. (I think that really helps to bring out the various characteristics in the wood.) One of my favorite "inventions" for finishing is a piece of metal conduit; it hangs from the overhead tracks for the garage door, and I use it for hanging everything from my Dremel tool to wood that I'm finishing. I usually use a large "S" hook (on the conduit), a metal swivel, then another "S" hook. The project that I'm finishing hangs from the second hook, and the swivel allows me to turn the project... which allows me (and my can of finish) to stay in the spot that provides me with the best lighting. (Behind where I stand, I have two large spotlights that shine towards the center of the conduit.) For multiple small projects, I have a 4-prong rig that I found at a saddle shop, many years ago. Here are a couple pics: Finally, it's time to decide on a wiring plan. I pull out and old terminal strip, a 1/4" TS plug, a hand full of blade connectors, and a bunch of wire, then make a poor man's patch panel. Since my humbuckers have split-coil wiring (4 leads, plus outer ground shield) I start trying all of the different options that I can, playing strings and listening to my practice amp. I finally decided to wire the coils (on each humbucker) in series, and decided to put in a switch that will allow me to reverse the polarity on the bridge pickup. Here's what that mess looked like: Yes, you will get a lot of hum by doing it this way, because you don't have any shielding for the connections... but you can get a pretty good idea of what your project will sound like before you pull out your solder. So, there you have the latest pictures. The body is currently on a truck, headed to Soul Mate Guitars; Doug is going to fit a new neck to it. My wife was teasing me about "seperation anxiety" as we left the UPS office, because she could see the look on my face. It's not the most incredible guitar on the planet, but I already love it. * SIGH * D~s

I think those last two posts were the best advice in this thread. I've certainly taken it to heart. D~s

Thanks. I don't know how much resonance I will get, but I'm working on the theory that box-shaped studios have a lot of "bounce" because of all of the parallel planes. I know that doesn't exactly translate, because the length/width/height is so limited, but I figured I would try... some day. If nothing else, the headless neck and routed body will decrease the weight. Back to the "acoustic" bodied V, the one thing that's on my mind is the bridge placement. If you really want to get a lot out of the hollow-body, then (from what I've read) the bridge needs to be far enough from the end so that it can transfer resonance through the top. On my AB-20, the base of the bridge is 4¼" from the tail, and the saddle is 5¾" from the tail... just in case that helps. D~s

Umm... do you realize what's in my avatar? Here's a better picture, just in case. Yes, it does have a piezo pickup, but I also play it unplugged... but not in a mariachi band... mostly because I hate the hats that they have to wear. But I digress. Back to the original theory. Did you see the pickup in my drawing? I don't think that either one of us want an unplugged bass; we're just curious about what can be developed. And what happens if we try? Will the world implode? I doubt it. D~s

I say you should start designing your next guitar(s) NOW... regardless of how many guitars you have (or have not) built. That's how you learn; as you come up with ideas for your design, you look up information that will support that idea. If you find out it won't work for a specific reason, then you alter your plan... and you learn in the process. I'm still working on my first project, too, but I'm already working on numerous other ideas and finding out why they will/won't work. By the way: I had a similar idea. (I call it the "Flying A" because of the strap horn.) It has two long chambers, which are connected by one channel. The channel has a rise in the center to 1) provide more strength, and 2) divert more sound energy in/out of the chambers. That's version #3, with just one pickup... and I'm sure that I'll make more changes. And when I do finally build it, I'll have something that doesn't look like AFS. D~s

In order to keep the Send from "cooking" any equipment, it has to be line level, or less. If you're using a Sound Blaster, try the stereo (line) input. If you just use a mono 1/4" to an 1/8" adapter, then you'll probably get audio through only one channel... however, most recording software will allow you to choose whether you want to record from both channels or one of the channels. (Since the Send on your amp is probably mono, this won't be a limitation.) When you first try out any new system, you should always start out with the levels as low as possible, and then slowly increase them... to avoid "cooking" the gear. So start with the amp set to zero, then strike a chord and hold it while you slowly turn up the level. The whole time you should be watching the on-screen meters to see what they are doing. If you really want to get into home recording, I would recommend buying something better than a Sound Blaster. There are a lot of good sound cards out there that are better than the SB... starting at $100. But if you just want to have some fun, the SB will work. D~s

Just heard that you can download Cakewalk's new Sonar x64 software. Here's the link: http://www.cakewalk.com/x64/ And, no, it will not run on a 32-bit computer. (I just upgraded to Sonar 4, so I'm sticking with what I have... for now.) D~s

I remember when the single (yes, I mean 45 record) came out for "Radio GaGa" came out. The Program Director for our station (a devout Baptist) went into a fit because Freddy Mecury was pictured on the record sleeve wearing a t-shirt that said "I love my Peterbuilt" I don't know what was funnier: Mercury wearing that t-shirt, or the PD's reaction. D~s

I can relate to that sooo much! I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never be a great player, and may never be a good player... but I love electric guitars, so it would be great if I could at least build a few great guitars. D~s

I've been trying to learn how to play chords on six-string guitars for years, and I simply cannot master it. I am a little better at playing chords on pianos/keyboards, but still not very good... which is very depressing because I started playing 38 years ago. But it seems to be a finger coordination thing; I also have trouble typing. So, my personal experience tells me that not all guitar players are created equal. And I think that probably applies to every skill. There are a lot of people who can't do some of the things that I've learned to do... things that I learned quickly because they "came naturally" to me. Why would guitar playing be any different? D~s

"Statistics are like lamposts for drunks; most are used for support, not illumination." D~s

I was an alcoholic... and I still struggle with that monster. It totally screwed up my life. I smoked pot, kicked back, and was happy. No problem. Until kids started shooting each other over something as small as a Nickel bag. Of course, back when I started, a Nickel only cost $5, hence the name... and the lack of concern. When I stopped, the prices were rising, and it is now to the point where a Nickel bag is worth so much that people would rather loose their wallet... hence the sometimes violent confrontations over dope deals. If it could be like it was oh so many years ago, I would vote to legalize it. But then again, maybe legalization would increase the supply, driving the resale price down to the point where people just kicked back with a joint and some good friends and worried about more important things... like where they lost their wallet. On a somewhat related note, a 20-something rich-kid in a Porsche SUV-thing tried to cut me off the other day. (I drive an old Volvo... built like a tank.) I hit the gas and threatened to ram his ride. He backed off for a little while, but pulled up beside me later at a stoplight. He rolled down his window and cursed at me... then he called me a hippie. I said "Yeah... so what's your point?" D~s

If I'm working with extremely straight-grained wood, I will usually use hand tools. However, I tend to gravitate towards the "odd" wood grains, which usually want to take the tools in a direction that I DON'T want to go. Dremel tools seem less prone to following wood grain. My favorite Dremel "bits" are the small sanding drums, fitted with aluminum-oxide sleeves. Team that up with the extension cable, and I can remove wood with the motions that are similar to what I would use for painting with an artist's brush. When I get into small spaces, I sometimes use the "engraving" bits, which have a very small ball on the end. I would say that I use those with a motion that is more like drawing a sketch with a pencil. D~s

Well... let me share my related experience. I've removed a lot of wood with my Dremel. Granted, it doesn't have the power of my 2hp router, but that's the whole point; the Dremel removes wood slower than a router, but faster than chisels and knives. I use one of the cable-like extensions on my Dremel, and the Dremel hangs over head, from a piece of conduit that was put there just for that purpose. That allows me to reach anything on the workbench without having to hold the weight of the Dremel motor. And I use my Dremel when I need to remove a fair amount of wood with precision. I've found that a lot of the flat wheels will burn wood. Well designed router bits and saw blades only contact the wood with the cutting edge, and this keeps the rest of the metal from rubbing against the wood. However, the flat discs (like the one pictured) continue to make contact with the wood. The resulting friction 1) burns the wood, 2) slows the Dremel motor, and 3) usually causes the wheels (especially the ceramic ones) to shatter. (ALWAYS wear a face shield when you use the ceramic discs!) Also, these wheels aren't sharp enough to leave a really fine edge; most of them cause fuzzing, feathering, and sometimes splintering. Since they don't leave a "perfect" edge, you have to go over it with a very sharp knife or a good scraper and finish the job. So, you can use one of these wheels to do a lot of your work... but honed steel is still essential. Personally, I wear out the cheap rotary bits until I get to a certain point, then I pull out really sharp tools (that stay sharp longer because I use them less) to do the fine work. D~s

There's the key. Excessive heat, regardless of whether it's generated by controlled electrical resistance or an open flame, can cause a wide variety of bad situations. And in some ways, the open flame can be safer; it burns off fumes before they accumulate. A fool who uses a heat gun the wrong way can create a nice little cloud of potentially volitile fumes that don't ignite until they're thick enough to turn their t-shirt into a crusty film that is burned onto their skin. However, when used properly, they can be used safely to heat certain types of finish until it is soft enough to be scraped off... without dangerous side effects. But the user has to be smarter than the heat gun. D~s

Here are links to the only schematics that Washburn sent to me: Equis II jack wiring diagram Equis II pre-amp wiring diagram Like I said before, they suck... but Washburn tech-support says this is all they have. By the way... thanks for your time. I really appreciate it. D~s

That's correct, however, a TS plug in the TRS jack does complete the circuit. I'm not really sure why they put an XLR on it; the "ground" is wired to the 1 and 2 pins. (Their schematics look like they were drawn by a five year old, so maybe that's "why".) D~s