A design in progress - Sporkaster 6

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Reposted from a repost... ;)

I had an idea to make something a bit different - Schecter did a range called the Celloblasters which had 5 strings, a slightly extended scale (26.5"?) and were tuned in fourths to give a range almost as wide as a 7er. I plan on making something along similar basic lines but with some changes where I think it'll either improve things or just be more interesting to build.

Here's the rough design so far, based on using the Graphtech Wilkinson saddles on a baseplate for the bridge (ta to Wez for the idea) and some lipstick pickups to get around the need for 5 polepieces - I might switch to rails instead, but the lipsticks also have the width needed with the fret fanning.

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/sp6-5/sp6-5 rev-c.png
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Comments

  • frankusfrankus Frets: 4719
    I think I'll think of you as Tony Spork from now on ...

    I am ironing... dada-dada-da-da ironing ;)
    A sig-nat-eur? What am I meant to use this for ffs?! Is this thing recording?
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  • EvilmagsEvilmags Frets: 5158
    Cool idea. I really like the fact you try and make non standard stuff. That probably needs someone quite specialized to play it. It would also be cool as fuck as a piccolo bass.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    Ta.

    Mostly I don't see the point in making the same things that hundreds or thousands of other people are making really well already. Also if I make things other people aren't, there's less scope for my version to look like the crap one. ;)
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  • holnrewholnrew Frets: 8207
    How do you calculate the fret locations?
    My V key is broken
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    Basically you pick a scale length for the top and bottom strings, calculate the fret positions for those scales and draw a straight line between each pair. It's simpler in practice than it is to explain!
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    Pretty sure Marc at Mojo will make you whatever you want pickup-wise.
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    I might have a go at it myself. How hard can it be? >:D<
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16546
    pretty easy to wind a pickup that works and sounds alright.    pretty hard to wind pickups consistently
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9984
    edited August 2013 tFB Trader
    To wind pickups that sound right you need very few tools and a small amount of knowledge. To wind pickups right consistently you have to invest a lot of time in building tools ... as mostly you can't buy them ... and devote a hell of a lot of time to building up knowledge by experiment.  If building guitars is like being like a chef ... winding pickups is like being a baker ...
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    It was a slightly flippant comment!

    Mr Weasel - how do you feel about another commission?
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9984
    tFB Trader
    Sounds interesting ... five string ... dat'll mean I ave to fink :( .................er dat's one less ;;)
    Never actually gotten around to trying a guitar with fanny frets ... they look fascinating.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    I can give you the essential dimensions, then whatever you come up with I can work around.
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9984
    tFB Trader
    Single coil? Buckers? Do you want them with the ability to disable with neutrino radiation at ten paces?
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    I am, as last time, happy to leave the real design to you. Probably humbuckers, probably assymetrically wound so that they work nicely split or wired parallel instead of series, but I don't want to get too corksniffy about it - you know better than me how to build the things.

    I'd like the neck pickup to have that nice glassy lipstick sort of sound, a bit of jangle but not too hollow. Plenty of top end, moderate mids and bass.

    The bridge should sound quite GRARGH. Not nasal and honky, but with more mids and bass than the neck pickup and lots more output - if I just put in a 3-way then the bridge position should be noticeably louder than the neck position. Something that'll survive ridiculous amounts of dirt.

    The neutrino thing sounds good.
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  • Hertz32Hertz32 Frets: 2248
    Depending on how much this costs to build would you consider building one for someone else? maybe a 6th string, and humbuckers, but fundamentally the same guitar? 'cos that is properly lush mate! can't wait to see it finished! How are you gonna build the bridge though? quite specialist isn't it?
    'Awibble'
    Vintage v400mh mahogany topped dreadnought acoustic FS - £100 
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    I'm not sure how it'd be fundamentally the same with a different number of strings, different tuning and different pickups. :|
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  • Hertz32Hertz32 Frets: 2248
    Same styling then, I wasn't that clear. sorry! :) 
    'Awibble'
    Vintage v400mh mahogany topped dreadnought acoustic FS - £100 
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I believe Sporky has a "Crazy shit only" policy on his builds. 
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9984
    tFB Trader
    Supply of lipstick tubes may be a problem if you want that form factor ... I'll do some digging.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27586
    On the design I went lipstick 'cos I had one on my desk to measure, and they don't IIRC have separate pole pieces. I am not wedded to the form factor, but they are shiny...
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