DarkAvenger

Maybe because strings are all made out of the same material and with only slight manufacturing differences.

Unless you use the DR Pure Blues strings I mentioned. They're wrapped in pure nickel. They really feel and sound better than about any strings I've used.

Or the blue steels I use that are dipped in liquid nitrogen and last forever(almost) I always seem to find that strings have a 'sweet spot' in their life where they sound great, usually after they break in just a bit. Blue steels seem to stay at the 'sweet spot' for a long time.

I hear your though! most strings seem pretty similar however there are a few that stand out as different. I'll have to try those DR's!

+1 shellac

Shellac uses alcohol rather than harsh volatile solvents and it sticks to about everything. HOWEVER, sharpie will generally begin to dissolve in alcohol so test and practice first. I liked the roll-on technique from the above link. It always helps to mix from flakes and use de-waxed or remove the wax yourself.

HA that video just made my day.

Now off to source some pre-famulated amulite for my base plates ; )

pete, maybe your right.... back to email, sorry guys.

Ok... so sustainer's are still a sensitive subject. Until I can get one built in January or February, let work towards something productive. OP has a driver, it doesn't work because of... oh, it was 'thrown together' without following the specs to the letter(to no fault of the OP btw just needed to obtain the right parts). SO even NOT built to specs and NOT following anyone's circuit, OP managed sustain on lower three strings using lights. How much does that tell you about the importance of the circuit vs coil specs? The HEART of the sustainer is the design pete has laid out, and he's made that clear. On the other hand, you need a circuit. Pete suggests a LM386, so let do it. This will start generic and can be modified as needed. Here is part one of the design, will this work?

Part two, will this work when connected to part one? (change 250uF to 100uF) gain=20x

I would please ask that further replies be restricted to design aspects from here on, or any other subjects not related to personal disputes. Topics such as sandy beaches, sustainer circuits, and puppies are OK.

opamp buffer

This or the F/R should work if you built the sustainer correctly. Col, aren't you fairly experienced with sustainers and their circuits? I wasn't around for the 'sustainer years' but I remembered you had some interesting designs(dual coil) and circuits, although I don't think I'd be confident in attempting to replicate those designs(yet). Anyway, this topic should remain focused on current issues regarding sustainers, like updates in progress from billm90 or design aspects.

irky, here is a good read about a DIY sustainer and the end result worked well Here

Edit: forgot to say, you don't need the pot in the first circuit.

Google turned up this simple LM386 design, I assume this is pete's circuit(more or less)

Original webpage with parts list

It's similar to F/R and will amplify by 200x

General consensus seems to be the sustainer thread is a bloated monster which cannot defined as 'user-friendly' in any way.

Pete, your work is amazing and the fact that you designed it to be (somewhat) easily recreatable is beyond me. Hopefully sustainers won't be as taboo around here as they have been in the past, I've seen some increased interest recently(including my own). I've also been interested in/following your new project, although you have a different username on GN2 so I wasn't even aware it was you till today! Good luck with your work, and thanks for all your contributions!

Hey pete, while on the subject, I've been wanting to build a center driver. I was wondering if you have a good working design and circuit. (I tried to read through the main thread, but I never managed to finish it)

Honestly, I understand a bit about sustainers, but reading through our sustainer thread gives me a headache! I think your problem is still a transfer issue. The light gauged strings on your guitar may be part of the problem since there is less metal mass for the coil to work on among other factors, and the 30 gauge wire probably doesn't help.

"As it is, you can adjust the circuits treble bias to get the strings moving more by lowering the output cap in the circuit. That schematic for the fetzer ruby suggests 220uF as does the "champ" but I use a 100uF for better high string and harmonic response..." -pws pete

I can try to help a little until someone who is more experienced chimes in(building a sustainer is still on my todo list). It would be helpful to know your whole setup for starters, what circuits are you using? Also, try fiddling with the pickup height a little to see if it helps. I'm unsure how much difference it makes, but I believe 32 gauge wire will help your problem with the high strings. 30 may be just a tad big.

It's an LED strobe so that it will run on batteries. I still need to get it mounted in the back though, and then construct a reflective casing to house the LEDs inside of.

Friend of a friend. 'Lit' seemed appropriate for what I'm planning. I was going to wait for it to be a surprise, but since it might be a bit longer til I can throw everything together, tah-duh!

Strobelight

I've tried quite a few things, CA as well as various 'pore fillers', but I like shellac(mixed from flakes) the best so far. It's very easy to work with, non-toxic, and I've gotten good results with it.

That's funny, I've been waiting too! ...for the shellac to harden. I managed to burn through the finish on the back once, then I didn't wait long enough for my patch to harden and got a little burn, so after correcting this, I finally got around to polishing everything this week.

The finish came out great! It looks more like water than glass. I'm still waiting for time to work on the final piece of the puzzle, but I've already tested it out a little, and wow. Unfortunately, I'm going to be moving again, which may result in a few more delays in progress. Despite the delays, this has been a great build, lots of fun and little frustration. I wish I had documented the process a bit more than I did, but it's been hard finding time and most of the work so far has been so spread out.

Im still not so sure about leaving the pickup routes shielded. Although the base plate is grounded, fully shielding the route will still affect the tone, I don't like the result although you may. Good catch with the aluminum tape, I use copper conductive and didn't even think about it.

I use Dean Markley blue steels, mostly.

+1 love the sound and last forever and a half

shielding the control cavity is fine - but i am not a fan of shielding pickup cavities.

+1 I usually leave a small lip instead of trimming the shielding flush so that it will make contact with the shielding on the back of the cavity cover. Also, make sure that you connect the shielding in the cavity to ground.

Wow! It looks great! I love what you did with the woods, can't wait to see it put together. As far as the finish goes, buffing machines will get you to a glass finish and a final hand buff never hurts. BUT the only time I've used nitro I used my cordless drill with a buffing pad and a liquid automotive buffing compound. You definitely have a lot of control with that setup. You also might let the lacquer cure a bit more. 3 weeks can be ok depending on weather, but longer is better. I remember having a slightly similar issues, so I just let the body cure another 2 weeks and it came out perfect.

Here's that guitar I finished, about 4 years later

Are you tuning the harmonic 12th to the 12th fret or to open(the nut)

Or for a whiter brighter finish, after you've built up a good base, carefully scrape the finish off just the binding and apply a thin final coat.

I made my first guitar with a premade neck, it certainly simplified everything. It was a good place to start for me just to get a feeling for everything. +1 on local wood sources

Cut it into a cool shape and put it on a body.

If you decide to rewire, there is an easy way to check which wires come from the coil without anything special. When you unsolder the two grounds, plug your amp into your guitar jack with low volume and the coil your working with on and touch each wire to ground. Whichever one pops when you touch it to ground is the one your looking for. The pop happens when you complete the circuit through the coil while the ground coming from the pickup's plate/housing isn't necessary for functionality. The whole wiring job would be easy, it's just a matter of what you prefer.

So it seems that both pots are 500k. I'm going to run to my electronics store to pick two up. But I just opened it up and it looks messy... is this okay or should I rewire it? I mean you guys are way more experienced in wiring circuitry I don't know much at all. Maybe it's volume dropping because of how it's set up??

Like my brain is hurting when I look at the on/off switches with all those wires. Also I'm used to pickups with only 1 or 2 wires coming out not 4.

First off, love the guitar, great steal. It looks and sounds like it's OoP. Are there 3 wires or am I missing one? I think that there is a wire for start/finish of the coil and a ground, just basic single coils. If your wanting to rewire and you like the sound of OoP(in addition to normal wiring), here an interesting topic http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=45518&st=0&p=491421&fromsearch=1&#entry491421