massive propagator

Ok, now i am finished for the summer i can actually get started again. I've slightly redesigned the headstock, does this look any better?

Your post doesnt make any sense, they do correspond, for each and every harmonic. Whether it is the fundamental or a higher harmonic does not matter.

I may need to clarify what I've said When you play a fretted note, the new string length will have its own set of harmonic series. The wavelengths that are reinforced are the ones which both sides have in common So when I put the cappo on really tightly, the string behind the fret is reinforcing a different wavelength which has different positions for nodes and antinodes, but they were always there Also, different wavelengths have different lengths but no matter which fret you play on, (as shown in the diagram I put up) there will be a wavelength that both sides have in common and they have a node or an antinode at the 24th fret Yes but I may have said "frequencies" when what I mean is 'wavelengths' or 'half-wavelengths' Everyone seems to agree that the pickup on the 2nd octave node works for the open string but not for fretted notes. What I'm showing is there are always nodes or antinodes over that point Btw thanks for that link, I'll have a look at it In the past few days I've kept researching this 2nd octave node thing and found some surprising outcomes. But when you look at it a different way its quite obvious First of all when playing the open string, if you take the 1st octave (12th fret) every harmonic has a node or an antinode over that point. Think about it, if you divide the string by an odd number you get an antinode over the 12th fret and if you divide it by an even number you get a node. And a string will only vibrate in whole numbers (so to speak) At the 2nd octave every harmonic has an node, antinode or half-way between node and antinode. So if you have a wavelength that is half way, then at double the frequency you get an antinode. When playing a fretted note, the "theory" I'm suggesting requires a wavelength that both sides have in common, so the rules for the open string will apply. Or in other words the fret is on a node Now here's the killer. What if you use a slide? and you're half way between frets? Does the tone suddenly sound crap? Of course not... Theoretically (mathematically) there is always a wavelength that both sides have in common. For example take 12mm of a 628.65mm scale (24 3/4") 12 divided by 628.65 = 80/4191 (btw I've got a scientific calculator which converts decimals to fractions) This means the whole string is vibrating in 4191 half-wavelengths. The 12mm takes up 80 of them and the remaining string has 4111 The half-wavelengths are .15mm long so how many fit into 1/4 of the scale? 628.65/4 divided by .15 = 1047.75 The number ends in .75 which is half-way between a node and an antinode. So if you double the frequency you will get an antinode over the 2nd octave node No matter which length you try, you end up with a whole number or one that ends in .25 .50 or .75 Now I don't know if its physically possible for a string to vibrate in such small increments but the in any case the theory is there Also btw I tried the experiment with the cappo on another of my guitars and had the same result. Its not a huge difference because its not really a nut and theres no fret exactly in the right place so it takes a bit to notice the change in tone. What it sounds like to me is when the cappo is on, the note "rings like a bell" When it is off there are unwanted overtones I am convinced about this idea and what it means is you can have a 24 fret guitar and still get a true neck pickup sound just by putting a cappo on in the right place. The way to do it is measure from the bridge to the pickup pole piece then multiply by 4 Then measure from the bridge to the closest fret to that length and put a cappo on, really tightly close behind the fret. You may need to re-tune though. And if you don't hear a difference then try it over and over again. Then try it the next day, the next week... One day I showed my new guitar to a friend of mine. He couldn't tell the difference between the neck pu and the bridge. But after I explained it he goes "Ah yea, I can hear it now" In other words you sometimes need to "train your ear" to notice differences in tone Frequencies and wavelengths are the same thing. None of what you are saying here is really relevant. Either the effect you are hearing is due to a node, in which case moving the capo would move the location of certain pinch harmonics, or it is not due to a node, in which case the relative position of the pickup makes no difference (other than how it would without the capo).

May be an obvious question, but have you tried different strings?

If the nodes dont change then there would be nothing special about the 24th fret position, this "reinforcement" of frequencies would have to happen everywhere on the string.

I dont really get what you are saying here, the vibrations ARE the sound. If the two effects i described above cannot be seen, then there is no physical way the vibrations from the two strings are interfering. Any other effects would be constant over the string, and so would not produce a 'special' pickup position (they would affect a pickup anywhere equally).

Its a weak analogy anyway, the multiple source points, full frequency range, reflection, cancellation and absorption (and probably other things only an acoustic architect understands) all play a part in sound acoustics, You may as well be comparing a skipping rope to the oceans currents....... I dunno, i think it works as an analogy for standing waves, he wasnt bringing any complexities into it.

Ok, here are two tests to show that frequencies from the 'dead string length' dont affect the 'active' length. To show that no new frequencies are added, take a string stopped from vibrating at a point between fret positions. The string length when fretted is the same as before, but the total length is no longer mathematically related to the fretted length, so the frequencies on this new string length will not be harmonically related to the fretted note. This would be heard as a new set of frequencies out of tune with the normal fretted note. You talk about the 'perfect spot' where the sounds add together or cancel out in an opera house. These are exactly the nodes we have discussed earlier. If what you say about vibrations from the dead string is true, then these nodes must move along the string. This is easily tested, as the nodes are where you touch the string to get a particular pinch harmonic. So if you capo at a fret behind where you are fretting (like in your test above) the place you touch for a pinch harmonic must move significantly (by a few frets difference. Its probably best to test this with a pinch harmonic over the fretboard, so you can judge exactly where you are touching easier. Obviously, make sure you are playing the same harmonic. If neither of these occur then the dead length has no effect relating to pickup position. Id be really interested if people could consistantly produce either result.

How would the pickup detect longitudinal waves? How would they cause the magnetic field to change?

What is the difference between a good and bad spokeshave? Is it mostly in the blade?

Has it ever occured to you that standard pickup positions sound best cause that is what the pickups are wound for? Its not like much effort was put into choosing those 'original' pickup positions, but a lot more effort has gone into optimising the pickups to fit those positions.

If the 'dead length' of string made a difference to nodes, the nodes wouldn't be under the 24th fret for every guitar, and the whole 'magic position' disappears again.

Well surely the same thing applies to a neck pickup shifted down by two frets for a 24 fret neck. When playing 2nd its at 1/4 of the scale, 1/3 at the 7th.... It is always near nodes too, wherever you are on the neck.

Its pretty simple to prove that the 'node sweet spot' idea is nonsense. Find a guitar where the distance between the neck pickup and the last fret is the same as the bridge pickup to the bridge. Fret any string here and play. Switching between the pickups should reveal they sound identical. The pickups need to be the same, obviously. Only positon along the vibrating string matters. (the string is symmetrical, so in which direction the distance from the midpoint is measured is irrelevant)

hmm, trying to resize the headstock, I i cant really get it to either look good or for the tuners to line up well, think i'll just keep it at this size wes, the strap button placement was just a relic of the original drawing i modified, i hadnt actually chosen it yet, i'll wait to see how it hangs before actually drilling for either position

I bought a hipshot 7 string bridge from wymore guitars, dunno if there are any better options, as importing from the US is far less favourable now.

Ok, been planning this for a while, must've read at least 1/3 of this forum by now! Bubinga neck, alder wings, sd blackouts, hipshot hardtail bridge, 27" scale. How does this headstock look? I've only got as far as glueing up the neck blank (and removing some waste) so i can still change this easily.

I dont have the experience to know for myself, but the general idea seems to be that it has a large effect on the attack portion of the sound.

How do i go about making an ultra-flat glass sanding surface? I know i need float glass, but i dont really know where to go looking for this (im in the uk), or what type specifically i need. Would buying a mirror be a good place to start? I assume even fairly thin glass will be ok mounted closely to a (very) flat piece of wood/metal? Also are there any cheap alternatives i should consider? I know its basic but i want to get it right.