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Topic: Mahogany Deluxe 8 "clone" - Video Up! |
Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2013 3:59 pm |
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Here's a video that goes through the tonal variation available. Sorry for the quality of my performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ljk3hEli8s
Just finished this. I promised to report on the sound of the pickups in this configuration. It is the circuit as drawn on the sheet that comes with the pickups. The pickups are 1" and 2.5" from the bridge as per Fender.
This guitar is 23" scale, with an aluminum bridge and nut, and a 1 piece mahogany body. The sustain is great, probably the best of any of the guitars I have built. The aluminum nut and bridge may tame the high end as compared to a Stringmaster, I don't know.
The pickup height needs to be carefully adjusted for best sound. I adjusted the neck pickup to be slightly closer to the strings than the bridge pickup, and both of them are around 1/8" from the strings.
I find the volume control good only for turning all the way down or all the way up. In between does nothing for me. The tone control is a 1M linear pot, so it does the boo-wah thing nicely, but is otherwise pretty useless.
The blend control, on the other hand, is a thing of beauty. It more than makes up for the tone control. You start out with the pure, thin tone from the bridge and then dial in as much warmth as you want from the neck pickup. It's additive, as opposed to the subtractive nature of a standard tone control.
That being said, this is not a "round" sounding guitar. It is angular and Fender-y, just as it should be. I will post some audio clips of it at some point as soon as I work up a few Don Helms licks.
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Iestyn
http://facebook.com/trcguitars
Last edited by Iestyn Lewis on 30 Apr 2013 9:37 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jim Rossen
From:
Iowa, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2013 4:20 pm
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Quite elegant!
Looking forward to some recordings.
Tell us about the control panel and tuner metal surround.
Jim |
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Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2013 4:37 pm
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Hi Jim, the plates are 0.063" aluminum sheet, cut on an improvised milling machine using an x-y vise and palm router mounted to a drill press. They've been buffed to a satin finish and then lacquered.
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Iestyn
http://facebook.com/trcguitars |
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Rick Barnhart
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2013 8:21 pm
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Looks nice, señor Lewis
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Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe. |
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Billy Mostyn
From:
Queensland, Australia
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Posted 27 Apr 2013 11:31 pm
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| Very nice looking guitar. Well done mate ! |
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Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 6:16 am
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If you want useful range out of your pots, change them to "log" taper. That's the way your ears want to hear it-
They will then have a more even feel throughout the range
Jay
Edited to add- That's a great looking guitar- please post sound samples! |
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Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 8:30 am
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Hi Jay - yeah, I thought the linear tone pot specified was strange. I guess it's for that boo-wah thing, it has a definite point at which it goes from dark to bright all at once. The other pots are log. I'm going to dig my tube amp out from storage and get some sound samples up soon. Thanks for all the kind words!
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Iestyn
http://facebook.com/trcguitars |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 12:04 pm
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Very nice! Did you take any pics of the under side of the pu and control plate before you put it together?Where did you get your pots?I'm thinking about using the pots from an old Peavey T-40 bass guitar,do you think they would work on a steel?I've got the blend pot from my Stringmesster,but it doesn't seem to do much blending.Any suggestions?
Good job.
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I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 1:10 pm
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Tom - I did not take any pictures, sorry. The drawing that came with the pickups is the best reference I found.
It's a drawing of the back of the plate in schematic form. I would think the pots from your T-40 would work OK.
Based on your previous posts, it really sounds like your guitar was not wired correctly - maybe you weren't getting any of the neck pickup at all if it was really thin? It is EXTREMELY thin sounding with no neck pickup, but you don't have to add a whole lot before it sounds nice.
If you haven't taken your old guitar apart, you could put up a picture of the wiring and I could maybe tell you if I see anything that's not right. The only thing not shown on the diagram is that all grounds are soldered to the back of the pots, and all of the pot backs have to be connected to eachother (though I think they are if you are using a metal plate, but safer to connect them with a wire anyway).
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Iestyn
http://facebook.com/trcguitars |
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 2:03 pm
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Actualy, my local guitar repair guy did my electroics for me,and it seems like I'm getting sound from both pu's simultaniously whether all the way clockwise or counterclockwise.Also I only have the supposed blend pot,no vol or tone.I just use my amp volume.I'd send a pic but don't know how?Pretty pathetic huh?I've got the same schematic as you have and hopefully will be able to do my wiring right,one way to find out.Thanks for your input.
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I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 2:28 pm
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It looks like the vol pot and blender pot on the schematic are the same,are they?
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I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Tom Snook
From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2013 4:49 pm
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My next door neighbor I'm sure knows how to attach pics to e mail,I'll see if she can show me how.Wish me luck!
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I wanna go back to my little grass shack........ |
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Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
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Posted 29 Apr 2013 7:42 am
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| Tom Pettingill wrote: |
Cool  ... the headstock cover is a nice touch too, great idea! |
I was thinking the same thing!
Nice looking guitar. |
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Iestyn Lewis
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2013 9:39 am
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Thank you, I like the headstock cover too. Aluminum is nice in that it cuts pretty much like wood. Sure isn't as pleasant to work, though - chips everywhere!
Here's a video that goes through the tonal variation available. Sorry for the quality of my performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ljk3hEli8s
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Iestyn
http://facebook.com/trcguitars |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 4 May 2013 5:56 pm
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Very nice looking instrument ! Great work & design.  |
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