Walnut Hollowbody Build
- Thread starter Elias Graves
- Start date
Flatspotter
What?
I'd put the wire on the inside.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Darn. I'm liking the hillbilly look.
Anyway, here are the results of some quick testing.
The tele neck pickup sounds good here, particularly at the neck position. You definitely get more harmonics coming through at the bridge but this pickup is thin and nasally sounding back there. A little better when angled but still not great.
Truth is, there aren't too many bridge pickups I actually like, though. The tele bridge is one of the few I like at all and that's mainly because it's unique sounding.
The other things I learned:
It matters whether the top is attached or not. With a few clamps around the top, the acoustic volume goes way up and bass response through the pickup improves. I'm going to tack the top down with a few dabs of glue.
I think my top is too thick. There's not as much "hollowbody" as I'd like. I'm theorizing the top needs to move more, so I'm going to thin parts from the inside a bit and see what happens.
Anyway, here are the results of some quick testing.
The tele neck pickup sounds good here, particularly at the neck position. You definitely get more harmonics coming through at the bridge but this pickup is thin and nasally sounding back there. A little better when angled but still not great.
Truth is, there aren't too many bridge pickups I actually like, though. The tele bridge is one of the few I like at all and that's mainly because it's unique sounding.
The other things I learned:
It matters whether the top is attached or not. With a few clamps around the top, the acoustic volume goes way up and bass response through the pickup improves. I'm going to tack the top down with a few dabs of glue.
I think my top is too thick. There's not as much "hollowbody" as I'd like. I'm theorizing the top needs to move more, so I'm going to thin parts from the inside a bit and see what happens.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Elias Graves
Common misfit
It does.
And now it sounds like one, too. Holy crap, I tacked the top down with like four dots of glue and everything changed.
It sounds really good now unplugged. Mrs G came out to the garage to see what I was playing.
I need to see if I can record it. The sound is...not sure how to describe it. There's some kinda weird chorus effect or something. It's strange.
And now it sounds like one, too. Holy crap, I tacked the top down with like four dots of glue and everything changed.
It sounds really good now unplugged. Mrs G came out to the garage to see what I was playing.
I need to see if I can record it. The sound is...not sure how to describe it. There's some kinda weird chorus effect or something. It's strange.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Well, Ferro Kings is having delays. Back to no pickups.
The boy wants me to use GFS NYII P90/Dynasonic hybrid. Not bad for $40 apiece.
Cash is tight right now. I may need to find a temp solution for cheap.
Other consideration is pole spacing, though. My strings don't spread a lot between nut and bridge. Spacing at the neck pickup spot is 46mm and 48mm at the bridge pickup. Most pickups are around a 50mm spacing. Even the tele neck pickup doesn't line up well at all. Perhaps I should use a blade style? Lipstick? Mini humbucker? Charlie Christian? (No cheap options there)
Or, does anyone have anything laying around collectin dust they want to unload?
The boy wants me to use GFS NYII P90/Dynasonic hybrid. Not bad for $40 apiece.
Cash is tight right now. I may need to find a temp solution for cheap.
Other consideration is pole spacing, though. My strings don't spread a lot between nut and bridge. Spacing at the neck pickup spot is 46mm and 48mm at the bridge pickup. Most pickups are around a 50mm spacing. Even the tele neck pickup doesn't line up well at all. Perhaps I should use a blade style? Lipstick? Mini humbucker? Charlie Christian? (No cheap options there)
Or, does anyone have anything laying around collectin dust they want to unload?
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telecaster911
Kick Henry Jackassowski
Now this might be a little out there, but how about a woody at the neck? Then maybe a strat pickup at the bridge? Just rotate it till the pole pieces line up.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
What's a woody?
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Kinda why I was thinking lipsticks but they have no pole pieces to line up. Blades.
telecaster911
Kick Henry Jackassowski
Seymour Duncan woody
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Oh. Gotcha.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Me too!A couple of glamour shots.
Ok, moving on. This needs a little work.
First, I have two holes to fill from the original, incorrect tailpiece placement.
Second, why I hate cheap hardware. Well, actually, the tailpiece itself is ok but it came with cheap Chinese screws. One broke off in the hole. Now I gotta drill it, dowel it and find some new screws, as I'm not liking the look of the two random, mismatched jobs I used for substitute.
And I need to do some fill around the jack plate.
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Elias Graves
Common misfit
The offending screw.
Plugged.
The other big countersunk hole is for the ground wire. The carved opening is there to allow space for the solder joint. Without that, I'd have a solder toe on my tailpiece.
Plugged.
The other big countersunk hole is for the ground wire. The carved opening is there to allow space for the solder joint. Without that, I'd have a solder toe on my tailpiece.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
Much better.
See all these diagonal lines and crap? That's why I don't like palm sanders. They leave tracks everywhere that'll take forever to sand out.
Elias Graves
Common misfit
What do you guys think? Should I leave the heel/cutaway area more formal with just a soft round over like this or should I go more contoured?
