daveq

I'm wondering if anyone knows how accurate the fret levelling needs to be (what the tolerance is for reducing buzzing)? One reason for this question is the process of crowning and polishing. If I needed to take off a decent amount of fret wire (say, frets 3 to 6) and by result, needed to do some significant crowning in that area as opposed to the other frets which might need less crowning work - would the crowning result in lowering the frets even more? I guess what I'm trying to ask is - once you have sanded the frets level and you do need to do some significant crowning, will that result in additional error since each crowning could end up taking a tiny bit more fret wire away? Or is that usually not worth worrying about? When I do my crowning, I try to stop just when I notice the sanding marks changing direction on the top of the fret (trying not to go deeper than the levelling) - but during the finer sanding and polishing, there will always be some material taken away. I'm just wondering how much that affects the levelling? I should also mention that it is very rare that I need to do much levelling/crowning since I build new (no repairs) but I did have one neck that gave me a lot of trouble and I was wondering if my crowning was throwing off the levelling.

Does anyone know if the pics of his work are still around somewhere? I think most of them are gone from the threads on PG. I really want another look at that V. Seriously - I do.

Is this the same Jeff Litchfield that we know (search the page - it's down pretty far): Ed Roman's site I didn't know he was a fan of the Quicksilver or Ed (if that was the same Jeff Litchfield)? BTW - is it true that PRS does not bookmatch their tops? I've never looked that closely at one. Is the finish really as bad as it is stated there? I always thought PRS was known for their finishing? I'm so confused.

I was looking around on the web for some reviews on the PRS 513 recently. I don't plan on selling the house to buy one but I was interested in finding out how the all rosewood construction sounds/plays. I ran across a review at hamonycentral that I thought was interesting - here's a quote: Did he really get a figured rosewood neck and fretboard or does this person just have a warped view of what "figured" wood really is? If he got a figured rosewood neck and fretboard, I would love to see it. To sum up what I have read, nobody seems too blown away by the sound of the 513 (at least from what I have read). Maybe it's the pickups/electronics or maybe it's the rosewood - I don't know. Has anyone here played one?

I just noticed your comment about the paint/NY thing. What's going on that will pevent you from getting paint? I live in NY also but have been out of the loop on this stuff for quite a while. Sweet looking guitar BTW.

Matt, Can you directly browse and see those pics? Right click to see the url and try to go there using IE or whatever you are using. Maybe it's the browser? I can't imagine what else it would be unless you've got a firewall blocking pics from my site? I'm no web expert - that's for sure.

Does anyone else have trouble seeing the pics in the tutorial? Someone here mentioned that he was having trouble but I can see them just fine. LED Tutorial

I love it! This reminds me of my search for copper hardware (floyd, tuners, ...) - never could find them. I have a lot of respect for people who are able to finish so cleanly. That is very difficult work. Great job!

This one definitely does not have a roller nut - it's the standard white nut. As for the string tree - I wouldn't know the difference between a butterfly or others - it has two cylinder-ish looking arms. I don't think it's caught there because there's really nothing for the string to catch on (the arms are rounded). I guess it's gotta be the nut. The nut groove/slot is supposed to have a U shape? I'll check on that tonight. I'll probably grab some locking tuners also just in case that's also causing trouble. Overall, I like the sound (especially after switching to the EMG Gilmour electronics) and look of the guitar. I'm having some trouble getting used to the volume knob being sooooo close. If I can get this tuning issue solved, I'll be happy. Thanks for the info.

OK, I bought a new Strat a couple of weeks ago (50th anniversary with Trem, ...). I have changed out the pickups for EMG's (with the EXG and SPC) and I now LOVE the sound of it. It's no good for metal but I can get amazingly close to Pink Floyd and others - I really love it. Here's the part that I don't love - if I even look at that thing wrong, PING! - out of tune it goes and in a fairly big way. It's usually the higher 3 strings that get all whacked out. Now, I have heard a lot of knocks against Floyd users for this type of thing but I can tell you for sure that my Floyds are nearly perfect in comparison to this Strat. I can go nuts on the Floyds and only have to make very slight adjustments afterwards - not true with the Strat. I can play one piece of a solo and need to retune the bastard. So, has anyone else had this problem? Do I need locking tuners, a new nut, do I need to do something to the nut? I can actually hear that pinging sound when bending the strings (not with the bar - just bending with my fretting hand). Does that mean that the nut is too tight against the string? I'd really appreciate any help you might be able to provide. I want to love this thing but it keeps pissing me off!! PS - I miss my fine tuners that I have on my Floyds too (wah, wah, ...).

Oh, yeah!!! SWEEEET!! I never even considered green LEDs before - I like everything I see there. Great job!

I agree with Dangerouso in that there does seem to be a misconception that a small business always produces better products than a large company. I've seen too many comments from people over the years that leads me to believe that some people blindly follow that track. From what I have read about the BL pickups, I'd expect that they do actually pay close attention to details and produce great products - I just don't agree with the attitude that some people have towards the larger companies. Maybe what bugs me the most here is that the Dimebucker is viewed as a copy of the BL 500. I don't see it that way (and maybe that's where I'm wrong here) - it's a pickup that Dime endorsed made by SD. If it were meant to be a "copy", and SD priced it so far above the original - what sense would that make? I have a feeling that it is not meant to be a direct copy/replacement but just another pickup that Dime liked to use. I have no doubt that it probably was based on the BL pickup but I don't know if it's really meant to be SD's best shot at re-creating it Am I wrong? Shouldn't you be buying what you think sounds best? If you can afford it, what's the problem in buying a pickup that you think sounds great at 3 or 4 times the price of another? The more I think about it, the more the whole debate seems pointless. Maybe the loyal BL fans are just using the Dimebucker as a way to feel good about BL by putting down SD? Who knows, who cares? Man, I'm in a crappy mood today.

Jivin - I think you are absolutely correct. People do seem to want to hitch their wagon to a bashing when it seems like the "cool" thing to do. I'm definitely not saying that anyone here is doing that but that is the impression that I get from reading other forums. I also don't really know why it is so important to know which pickup he used at which point in time - it's not like you're going to duplicate his exact sound just by using the same pickup. Just try some pickups and see what you like and what works best with your rig. There should be no shame in using any particular model or brand pickup as long as it sounds good to you. It doesn't matter who made it or how it was made or what it was supposed to be a copy of (if that's even the case here).

What type of music are planning on playing?

I don't know for sure but I think one thing Perry may have been concerened with was that beginners may see this thread and think that avoiding Stewmac (and others) tools is the "right" thing to do. Building your own tools/jigs is the proper way for a true hand-crafted instrument to be built. I see it too often at work - people spend so much energy in finding a way to do something, they don't take the time to think if they even should be doing it in the first place. The challenge of finding the solution blinds them from seeing that it won't be worth doing in the end. Maybe not - but I can see how someone who is just starting out might see it this way. I'm one of those guys who really enjoys the challenge of solving problems and creating my own stuff but after building several guitars, I have found that I prefer spending the extra money on things like sanding blocks, fret levelers, ... The precision of Stewmac's tools ends up saving me a lot of headaches in the end. Having said that, I can certainly understand and appreciate finding alternate sources for things like router bits and sanding supplies. I think there was another thread that someone started on this a while ago though - wasn't there? I know Derek found a real nice pattern bit somewhere for a much lower price than stewmac - I'd like to add it to your list but I can't remember right now where the heck he found them.

Don't be so quick to put down SD's version of it. Like I said - I have one installed and think it's pretty damn good. I also don't understand the notion of machine-made pickups being something to avoid - Seymour Duncan makes some killer pickups. It is possible for both pickups to be worth checking out - especially since SD will let you turn it back in within 30 days (I think for credit towards another pickup - but maybe a full refund?). I'll say it again though - I have no doubt that the BL version is a great pickup and I do intend to check it out some day.

1. Growling power chords 2. Frantic Whamy Bar usage 3. Screaming pinch harmonics 4. Lightning fast diminished runs 5. Ear piercing feedback and amp destruction 6. Proper form for throwing the guitar over the shoulder (ala Yngwie) 7. 80's hair in general I love that stuff but seriously - I have taught a few people in my time (not as a paid instructor) and noticed a few things: 1. Try not to frustrate a beginner by throwing too much techincal/theoretical material at them right away. Example: instead of going through the theory of building scales and chord naming - show them a few shapes (scales/modes) and let them build an interest in why they exist. For the people that I taught - learning to create something that sounded good to them without needing to know music theory was pretty key in keeping them into it. 2. Let them pick a part of a song that they want to learn and show them how to play it. I think it's OK to show them even if it's beyond their capabilities but I can see why some people may not. This helps keep their interest and makes it all a bit more personal for them. 3. Keep the lessons to about 30 to 45 minutes. Beyond that, things seemed to get lost pretty easily. Make sure they keep a notebook! You probably already know much of this but I just wanted to share what I experienced when I was doing this. I am no Juliard candidate- so if that's the type of student you are teaching - I'll quitely crawl back under my rock now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a great feeling to be able to open doors to a new guitarist and see them enjoy it.

I'd like to hear what others have to say about this but I've always thought of that 24th fret node as being a bit of a myth. I mean - I know it's definitely there but pickups don't lock in on just that one place on the strings. The other thing is, when you start fretting other notes (other than the open note), the placement of the nodes start moving around. I guess in general, there probably is a spot where people tend to like the pickup to be placed but I have a feeling that too many people assume it's because of that 24th fret node. BTW - nodes (as I understand them) are the places on the string where the vibration is minimal.

I don't mean to sound like a pain but I'm confused - are you dropping the Floyd business then or just the guitar building? Do you have a separate Floyd site? I hope you're staying in the Floyd business - it's been great having someone dependable and who knows what the heck he is doing (not to mention great pricing ). If not, I wish you all the best in your new plans for life. I'm glad things are going well for you in your full time job.

I'd be surprised if the switch went bad all of a sudden. I'd also be surprised if your pickups did the same. Do you have a meter that you can measure ohm's with? (multi-meter or ohm-meter?). If you do, you can check your pickups and the switch pretty easily. If you really want to be sure about your pickups, just temporarily wire them directly to the tip of your output jack (bypass everything else - no volume pot, no switch, ...). That will tell you if your pickups are good. Don't forget to connect the ground wires on the pickups to the ground in your control cavity and/or jack. Once you know this, you can take a look at your switch. You can use your meter to map out the switch connections and easily determine how to wire the pickups to it once you know which pins get connected in each selected position. Another possible short-cut would be to assume your 5 way switch is a standard strat style and use a diagram off of a site such as guitarelectronics.com. It's a shot in the dark but could be another option for you if you don't have a meter.

At first, I was really interested and had my wallet ready to go but then, after seeing what they looked like - eh - too bland. (just kidding - POST THE PICS!! )

I have not heard the BL (original version) pickup myself but have heard so many great things about it, I don't doubt that it's worth looking into. I do have one SD Dimebucker installed in a guitar and love it. To me, it sounds fairly bright and doesn't get muddy on the low end palm mutes. I plan to get one of the originals some day soon (from BL). Until then, the mass produced factory made pickups seem to be more than adequate for my playing . BTW - It may be hard to let yourself open up to something you have never heard of before and have not seen advertised with the big boys but there really are some great products out there with little name recognition.

I thought Dave M. used the newer rocktron preamp (the one with the mutli-effects built in)? I actually like Groove Tubes but I guess everyone has their own tastes. I just don't think that will do what I'm after though. I wouldn't want to go with those "cleaner" tubes either since I'm really after a mean distortion. If you ever get that thing hooked up, let me know what you think of it. Didn't you drive through a snow storm to get that stuff or am I thinking of something else?

I'm sure Lovekraft's diagram will clear everything up for you but here's a summary of EMG wiring: The red wires are always tied to the +9V (or +18V ideally). The white wires carry the "hot" signal along with the ground/shield. The only pickup that is different from this scheme (that I know of) is the EMG-89 which does let you split coils. So, for most EMG's it's pretty simple - white is "hot" and red goes to the +9/+18V. Just don't forget to connect the ground/shields also. I love the SA's BTW.