fookgub

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately bursts and binding aren't options (don't like 'em). I'm going to try to work a bit more glue into the gap and reclamp. Maybe I can salvage this thing yet. I wanted to use more clamps when I was gluing it, but I only had 11. I'm going to buy a few more before I try this sort of thing again. I was really annoyed to find the gaps this morning. The rest of the build as been going quite well, and I was proud of getting this far without any major eff-ups. Oh well... this is only my third body from scratch, so I guess I'll have plenty more chances to get it right.

I glued a 1/4" maple top on a semi-hollow I've been working on last night, and I ended up with a couple gaps. The gaps are about 2-3" long and maybe 1/32" wide. I think this is from lack of clamping pressure, as both pieces were flat. I used titebond. What are my options to fix this? I might be able to heat and re-clamp in a few places, but I've been told that the glue will lose strength once it's heated. I could just fill the gaps with sawdust and glue, but the would be more noticable than I'd like. How would you guys fix this?

How big are the Wenge boards? I'm still interested in a long (31"+) board if you've got one.

Set screws aren't meant to go in holes. They just ride up against the shaft. You can cut the shaft to length easy with a hacksaw. Put the end of the shaft you're about to cut off in a vice (ie: don't put the body of the pot in the vice), and saw away!

How long is the shaft on the Shopfox. The Stewmac buffer has a 27" shaft, but it looks virtually identical to the Shopfox, except for the larger pully. I'm not giving up on building a buffer just yet. That link from SwedishLuthier was very informative. The most expensive part seems to be the pillow block bearings. Purpose-built shafts from places like McMaster are expensive, but is there anything preventing me from just using a straight piece of threaded rod from the hardware store as a shaft? I could use the machine tools at work to make a real shaft, but at some point it makes more sense to simply buy the buffer.

I picked up a nice heavy-duty motor off craigslist last week, and I'm planning to use it to power a buffer. I was originally hoping to find a knock-off of the Stewmac buffing arbor, but the only other one I've found is the Shopfox, and it's the same price. For the life of me, I can't understand why these things are so expensive. So now I'm thinking of DIYing it. Buying all the parts new would be expensive, but I think with proper scrounging of materials, I can beat Stewmac's price. I'm not looking for plans specifically (I can figure out how to build it myself), mostly just inspiration. So if you've built one, show it off!

I think this falls under the mantra of "if everyone did it, the whole system would fall apart, so you shouldn't do it" (which, I believe, was said much more eloquently by a famous philosopher-type guy). A lot of engineers get protective about sample programs because we need them sometimes, and we don't want to see them go away because of misuse. For example, say you get 5 high performance opamps sampled to you for some equalizer pedal you're building. You may have saved yourself $15, but you've probably cost the manufacturer over $100. They're set up to ship large orders, and yours is a special request. Someone has to take the order, someone else fills and packages it, someone else ships it. They usually do follow-up calls later, too. All of that costs money, which the company won't see a return on. Many engineers turn to the sample programs when they're prototyping a design that may go into production. Maybe you want some fancy chip that the big distributors aren't stocking -- they would be happy to get it for you if you wanted 1000, but they won't get you a handful. So you get a few samples from the manufacturer. If the chip works and your design gets approved for production, you order 1000 from the distributor and everybody wins. If the chip doesn't work in your design, tell the manufacturer why when they do the follow-up call -- they will appreciate the feedback. If your project gets canned, well, that's just one of the risks of doing business. Manufacturers know about this, and they're will to take the risk. Sampling chips to cheap hobbyists, on the other hand, is not a risk -- it's just a loss. EDIT: Re-reading this post, it sounds a little high-and-mighty. I'm going to leave it anyway because it took a while to write, but a better response might have been simply, "use your judgement when ordering samples." E.g. Can you order the device from a distributor? If so, then you probably should. Otherwise, call the company and tell them honestly what you're doing. Basically, follow jnewman's advice.

Third hit on google for "ibanez mc400" That circuit is a pretty standard affair... nothing magical about it. I suspect that any wonderful overdrive you're getting out of the preamp is due more to the specific opamp in the circuit than anything else. It's probably worthwhile to build the circuit with a socket for the IC, then swap chips until you find one you really like. Also, you could open up your Ibanez and see what chip they're using.

Schematic for the MC400: http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/discus/messages/12/5874.jpg

I suppose it's time to wrap this one up. I've been playing the guitar for over a month now. The locking nut I bought fixed my nut problems, and it's going to be pretty much permenant (I accidentally used a little more superglue that I wanted when I installed it). The spacing is fine, and the height is (suprisingly) perfect, so I don't have any desire to change it anyway. It looks a bit funny to have a locking nut on a hardtail guitar, but no worse than the brass nut did. I still haven't really figured out the EMGs. I have them pretty close to the strings, and they're not as hot as the DiMarzios in my other guitar. I'm not sold on the solo tone, but it sounds great with the band, and that's what's really important. I had a lot of trouble keeping the guitar in tune when I first put it together, but it seems to have settled in now. I guess the neck was just getting used to being under tension again, after being off the guitar for 6 months (that I know of... probably a lot longer). Anyway, I think those are the only outstanding issues from last time. No new pictures right now since nothing has really changed. My housemate (the photography student) said he'd take some nice pictures with pro lighting and all that stuff, but he won't get off his butt. Maybe someday...

1. Looks fine to me. 2. Depends on your bridge height. Most guitars require some angle, even Fenders (that's why they are often shimmed). If you build with no angle, you may have to elevate the neck slightly. All this stuff is in Hiscock's book, which I highly recommend. 3. MDF 4. It won't cause hum, but it may be more susceptible to hum.

Just a note on pickups: generally the "hotter" overwound pickups have more mids and less highs, which is probably not what you want for this bass. I would look for ceramic magnet pickups that aren't significantly overwound if it was my build. I used to have a ceramic MM pickup by Carvin, and it was very bright. Also, if you haven't tried the P/MM combo yet, you're in for a treat... it's awesome! The P and MM pickups overlap slightly in their traditional positions, but there are a couple ways around that. My favorite is the "reverse P" configuration, but moving the MM pickup towards the bridge works, too. Good luck with the build!

Wow, those ash body blanks are beautiful. Too bad they're too small for my current projects. I've got you on my favorite sellers list now, though, so the second a bigger blank comes up, it's mine.

I've got Planet Waves tuners on two of my guitars and I'm quite happy with them. They really shine when combined with a top-loading bridge. I can change a broken string in 10 seconds flat while standing with the guitar in playing position. This helped during setup, too. I can remove the neck, shim it, and reattach it all with the strings locked to the tuners. Aside from the string cutting feature, they're pretty much like any name brand locking tuner: solid and smooth. The only con I can think of verses normal locking tuners is the fact that the cutting edges could wear out. I doubt this would be a problem on the high strings, but it takes a decent amount of force to cut a low E, and even more to cut a low B. Anyway, I'm not trying to push Planet Waves tuners. Use what you want. When I first heard of the brand, I figured it would be second-rate Chinese crap. But I decided to try them anyway, and I'm glad I did.

This has been asked before, but there wasn't much response. You can read my original reply here: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=29231. I suspect brass is used simply for convenience. It's easy to machine, attractive, ages nicely, and it's fairly cheap and easy to obtain. The dimensions of the block wouldn't be critical as long as it's big enough to accept the posts. I doubt you would notice much difference in sustain, but I guess you never know until you try...

Out of curiosity, what size inserts and drill bits are you using? I couldn't get the size right with 1/16" bits for the 10-24 inserts. One size was so small that the insert was impossible to drive, whereas the next size up was obviously too loose. I've ended up epoxying all the inserts I've installed, which is why I said they can't be dowelled and re-drilled. I suppose one could still remove the insert with heat, but it would take some dedication. Anyway, everyone has their own methods, and I'm not trying to challenge that. Myself, I haven't noticed any difference with the inserts, and I don't take necks off often enough to make them worthwhile... I'm going back to wood screws. I am curious about the size also and what brand you are using. Not sure if this is directed at me, but I've used the EZ-LOK brass inserts in 10-24, same as pictured in your link. I tried 3/8", 13/32", and 7/16" drill bits. It's been a while, but if memory serves, the insert was basically impossible to drive into the 13/32" hole, but felt a little too loose in the 7/16" hole. I used the drill press for driving the inserts, same as others have mentioned. Also, I can attest to the fact that the bolt can be very difficult to remove from the insert when you're done driving it if you don't use a spacer nut. That's just me, though... other people seem to have better luck with the inserts.

Out of curiosity, what size inserts and drill bits are you using? I couldn't get the size right with 1/16" bits for the 10-24 inserts. One size was so small that the insert was impossible to drive, whereas the next size up was obviously too loose. I've ended up epoxying all the inserts I've installed, which is why I said they can't be dowelled and re-drilled. I suppose one could still remove the insert with heat, but it would take some dedication. Anyway, everyone has their own methods, and I'm not trying to challenge that. Myself, I haven't noticed any difference with the inserts, and I don't take necks off often enough to make them worthwhile... I'm going back to wood screws.

I've used those a couple times, both for bass and guitar. My RG has 'em. The 10-24 size seems to work well, since the screws are small enough to work with most neck plates and ferrules. They can be a pain to install though. I've had trouble finding the right size drill bit, so I drill them slightly oversize, then epoxy the inserts in. I doubt I'll be using them again though... I don't like the fact that they can't be dowelled and redrilled if you want to swap the neck onto another guitar.

I'm interested, though I would be looking for an unslotted bass board. Got any more of that awesome flamed maple?

Awesome boards! Do you have any long enough for a bass?

What, no Kerry King? I thought I knew you better...

Man, that thing is too cool! What's the switch at the bottom do? Toggle the eq? I'm really digging it... surf vibe but with more sounds and cool looks. Very clean and classy... looks like it has everything it needs and nothing it doesn't. Awesome looking bridge pickup, too... what is it?

hmm, didnt know that! ill see what i can do to get some good prices. only if they fix my cab though! That's an Austin thing... other cities may have it, too, but I don't know. Edited my previous post to make that clear. Sorry for the Austin-centric derail. Warranty issues can be a real pain at the big box stores. Maybe you could try bringing the whole cab back and demanding a full refund.

Lamar and Riverside. We're pretty lucky to have a number of good shops in Austin. Guitar Rez has always treated me right, and the people at South Austin Music are way too cool. The people at Bass Emporium are also awesome, but I feel bad going in there a lot because I'm only there to kick tires. Their stuff is mostly very high end/expensive. A lot of folks have good things to say about Heart of Texas, but I've never felt very welcome in there... maybe I just keep catching them on bad days. FYI, all the times I've been in the south Guitar Center, they've been very friendly and willing to just about bend over backwards. I think they're hurting for business there, which makes them much more responsive than the GC at Northcross. Also, I've never liked Strait too much. Nice people, but their guitar business seems secondary to their band instrument stuff. Also (for Austinites), if you make any money whatsoever playing, you can call yourself a professional musician and buy your gear tax free at GC (and maybe other stores... I'm not really sure).

81-7. It's a seven string pickup. I special ordered it from EMG through Guitar Parts Depot. I still don't understand why the output is so low. Everything I've read claims this is a hot pickup, but it's noticably quieter than the Tone Zone in my 6-string. It can't balance out the 707 in the neck, either. Must be because it's too far from the strings.