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Topic: Fender Stringmaster T8 pickup cover reproductions |
Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 16 Oct 2018 12:32 pm |
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Replacement Fender Stringmaster D8/T8/Q8 pickup covers are notoriously hard to come by: https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=246071
I recently got into 3D printing and design and a bandmate and steel guitar master Lee Jeffriess asked me if I could make one of these, turns out... I can!
3D printing isn't always the cleanest look, but it's definitely functional. I don't have the most fancy printer in the world, but Lee gave them multiple coats of paint and wet sanding and they look pretty legit. See attached pictures for the various prototypes that came off my setup. (the far right is an original one I used to model the replacements)
More on the project below
http://paniquejazz.com/blog/project-stringmaster-t8-pickup-cover-reproduction/
They are up on shapeways (who can print things at much higher quality than I) now if anyone needs one. The look has a sandy texture, but I think most folks would be hard pressed to nitpick that. I suppose you could try painting them if you wanted. I have not tried. Shapeways is a bit pricey but if there's enough interest perhaps we can set up some kind of bulk order.
https://www.shapeways.com/product/7PWVDNHNQ/fender-stringmaster-t8-steel-guitar-pickup-cover
Last edited by Victor Wong on 18 Oct 2018 11:18 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 16 Oct 2018 1:34 pm
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| This is great! I've been pondering what to do about this for the past year. I will say that an original cover is a very tight fit over the Seymour Duncan repros. I don't know about the Lollar or Sentel pickups. I need three or four if someone does a bulk order. Otherwise, I may just order one to test out first. Thanks for this effort Victor. (Enjoying the music on your website as well.) |
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 16 Oct 2018 11:13 pm
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Hi Bill, I didn't consider that the reproduction pickups might have different sizing. If this turns out to be an issue, I could also adjust the size of the cover design.
I have a sample from shapeways I'm not using right now, if you want, maybe I could send it to you and you could confirm the fit before pulling the trigger on ordering more. Send me a private message if you'd like. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2018 4:53 am
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Victor,
That would be great. I'll send you a PM later this morning. Tolerances are pretty tight, it still has to fit through the pickup plate.
Jeff,
Yes, I admired your pickup covers and talked to Jim about a year ago. He no longer had access to a 3D printer or the time to do it right then. I intended to pester him again but if Victor's covers work, I'll go with them. I do think the diagonal lines on yours look pretty good. |
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2018 8:50 am
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If folks really don't mind the lines, I could probably match that quality on my own personal 3D printer and supply these for cheaper than Shapeways. But they do offer better quality and not sure I want to get into the production/fulfillment business. The lines can be oriented diagonally or horizontally as you can see in my pictures.
Also if anyone wants to send me the dimensions of the repro pickups, I can quickly confirm whether my design would fit them. Using calipers to measure would be most accurate. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2018 11:21 am
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The Japanese gave up when reissuing the Deluxe... those don’t have covers. I had to buy a pickup off eBay to get one.
_________________
New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2018 9:37 pm
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Just an update: Bill has tried several variations of my pickup cover and confirmed that the original sizing is slightly too small for Duncan reissue pickups. I heard from another source that the original sizing is fine for Lollars.
I uploaded a new model with thinner walls which should accommodate the duncans. If it works out, I will probably remove the other one since there's no sense in maintaining two if this model fits both.
Update: both sizes available here:
https://www.shapeways.com/product/edit/7PWVDNHNQ
Last edited by Victor Wong on 5 Nov 2018 3:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 24 Oct 2018 5:53 am
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I wonder if the Duncan reissues fit into original Stringmaster covers?
Last edited by Jeff Mead on 24 Oct 2018 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2018 6:39 am
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| Jeff Mead wrote: |
| I wonder if the Duncan reissues fir into original Stringmaster covers? |
Barely. It was very tight on all three Seymour Duncans that I have with both the original and Victor's replacement. His 1mm thick replacements slip nicely over an original Fender pickup though. The .8mm prototype he printed for me fit both very well. I just ordered one from Shapeways so I'll know if the production model works as nicely and report back. I like the matte finish but it would be pretty simple to put a glossier finish (vinyl upholstery paint?) on it as long as you don't build it up too thick for the pickup opening. |
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Jeff Spencer
From:
Queensland, Australia
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Posted 24 Oct 2018 12:31 pm
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| There is a process of dipping 3D printed products into a acetone to smooth out surface lines. It does depend on the filament material. Maybe worth investigating. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2018 5:12 am
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| Just reporting back on the Shapeways "thin wall" .8mm thickness pickup cover I ordered. It fits much better over the Seymour Duncan pickups than the original with no noticeable flaws in the structure or texture. It is noticeably flimsier than the 1 mm thickness though. Not a problem for me, once it's mounted I don't care, but I think most customers will like the thicker one better. Is it too much hassle to offer both, offering the .8mm specifically for the Duncan pickups? |
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2018 3:13 pm
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Thanks for the report.
I have updated the original shapeways product listing to include Medium (lollar, fender) and Large (seymour duncan) size options. Also the new price on shapeways is $17/ea
https://www.shapeways.com/product/7PWVDNHNQ
Last edited by Victor Wong on 5 Nov 2018 3:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2018 3:22 pm
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fixed |
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Cody Farwell
From:
Sunland, CA
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Posted 14 Nov 2018 3:25 pm
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These look great!
Is there anyway to add different color/material variations?
I'd love to see some options! |
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Victor Wong
From:
San Francisco, California, USA
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Posted 14 Nov 2018 4:23 pm
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Yes, as a matter of fact. Shapeways can offer more colors. I updated the listing and added all the plastic colors they offer, so go crazy.
There are also metals and other materials but it's insanely expensive. If there's something in particular you're looking for let me know and I can add it. But no guarantee it's going to actually be printable in those materials.
https://www.shapeways.com/materials |
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