Sporkaster Infinity

Sporky

Andertons have replied to say they can indeed get the complete G&L Dual Fulcrum tremolo assembly as a spare part, and it's a lot cheaper than a Hipshot Contour. I will be ordering shortly.

Wondering about tuners; I like locking and I like open gear for looks. I think that probably means Hipshot.

axisus

Sounds cool. I built my ideal guitar 10 years ago. Two years later my idea of my ideal guitar had changed totally!

Any reason for the slightly strange scale length? I wouldn't think that you would notice the difference from 25.5?

Sustainiac - didn't much enjoy wiring that in - a lot of wires!

Sporky

axisus said:

Sounds cool. I built my ideal guitar 10 years ago. Two years later my idea of my ideal guitar had changed totally!

Any reason for the slightly strange scale length? I wouldn't think that you would notice the difference from 25.5?

Yes! I like 25" and I like 25.5" and I like metric more than imperial, and 640mm is between the two.

Not necessarily a good reason, but a reason nevertheless. Particularly when the whole thing is going to be done in CAD first, and the bulk of the machining will be CNC.

Sporky

Lady BMcH has chosen timbers from the stockpile, so quartersawn maple neck, bocote fingerboard, alder body.

Now the work begins on finalising what toys go in; I'm interested in people's thoughts as they may help crystallise my own, but I might ignore everyone. 

Sustainiac - yay or nay? I've got one, but it compromises the neck pickup choice.
Pickups - without a Sustainiac I'd go P90-sized buckers, or P-rails, or lipstick neck/middle and a chrome bucker in the bridge. Maybe two lipsticks in the neck to leave the middle of the scratchplate clear. The Sustainiac has to be next to a humbucker in the neck position, and I don't really like how single-coil-sized buckers look.
Piezo - assuming there are saddles to fit the G&L trem - only downsides are needing a battery and some controls
Chambering - the Talman has a huge pool rout under the scratchplate, so I could do similar. 

Roland

Why don’t you do it without the sustainiac? Then you can have a mix of pickups. If you want sustain the you could get an e-Bow. As for batteries and controls, how about some LEDs. Then  you could use neodymium magnets instead of screws to hold them in place.

Sporky

Dropping the Sustainiac is a possibility, but ebows are rubbish and not at all the same thing.

I've worked out how to do the controls for if I have everything. 

1st push-push pot is normal volume when down. When up the piezo is added and the knob is a mag/piezo blend. Bourns make a push-push that'll do that.

2nd push-push is treble cut and Sustainiac on
3rd push-push is bass cut and Sustainiac mode

digitalscream

If you were feeling really clever, you could use a Bluetooth module and build a pedal as an alternate controller for the Sustainiac...

Sporky

digitalscream said:

If you were feeling really clever

That does not sound like me!

Though it occurs to me that I could use a Variax connection box as a phantom power supply for the piezos and Sustainiac... 

Sporky

Now I've decided I don't like my vol/blend/piezo idea.

Maybe two three-way toggles like the Nitefly M. But I'd need four pots - the extra one for the piezo level. 

Andyjr1515

Sporky said:

Now I've decided I don't like my vol/blend/piezo idea.

Maybe two three-way toggles like the Nitefly M. But I'd need four pots - the extra one for the piezo level. 

I think that's a good call to have the separate volume for the piezo @Sporky .  I've tried piezos with blends and separate vol in the past and the latter is much easier to get that subtle piezo element into the mix for the particular venue or arrangement you are in.

Ref the extra pot - you could always use a stacked pot and stick to three holes in the body?

Rocker

Looking forward to seeing your build posts @Sporky. ;

My one suggestion for consideration is to fit an Earvana nut. Technical and other info on this nut is available on the Feline Guitars website. 

Sporky

I don't use the volume pot a lot, so a stacked volume could work - I need to ask Graph tech if any of their saddles fit the G&L trem first.

I'll have a look at the Earvana thing. I'm aware of them, but not sure I've played a guitar thus equipped. 

Roland

FWIW I don’t like Graphtech piezo saddles. IMHO they are very sensitive to body noise, and the plastic takes the treble off the electric signal.

Sporky

Also that might be a complexity too far... 

Jalapeno

By stacked pots - do you mean concentric controls ?  Not sure how I feel about them but not having 4 pots a la LP is a good thing !

Sporky

I do mean concentrics. However, I am increasingly minded to have the Sustainiac but not piezos.

Now I need to find an appropriate neck pickup. Really I'd like some sort of single-coil-sized P-rails. 

Sporky

Kisekae still exists!

I think this sort of vibe. Maybe in metal flake though - slime burst. 

 
Amusingly I dug out the scratchplate from SP2. It had three push-pull pots and a Sustainiac, and I'm buggered if I can work out what the third one does. 

digitalscream

Blower switch?

Sporky

It connects to the Sustainiac board and some other places.

I have a history of over-complex wiring (and working it out on bits of paper I don't keep). It's not in a guitar so no easy way to find out - I need to trace the whole wiring setup to work it out... 

Roland

I have wondered about putting the wiring diagram into the cavity. Instead I keep a daybook. With the assembly date written in the neck cavity I can easily find the appropriate build details.