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Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
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Then the pickups need completed with their springs, and some decision needs to be made re the controls. I'm leaning to a dual concentric tone and volume and a selector switch ... dead simple.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Just for you @WezV I designed and laser cut a mock-up scratch plate in MDF (sprayed silver for shits and giggles) If I do this it will be clear with the reverse sprayed gold,
Bigsby mounted and alignment checked ... all tickety boo.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Personally I would go for a cabronita style guard, but i'm only really weighing in here because it will be another month or so before I can start doing the same for my Gretsch style baritone build, and it does look good as it is
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Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
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I decided to replace my 300mm wiring harness drill (broke the bugger last year) so I'm going to plug the current problematic wiring hole and re drill ... allowing me to use all four pickup mounting holes ... which has reminded me to CAD and laser up some rubber pickup gaskets. God knows what I did B.L. (Before Laser).
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The neck came from Guitar Necks UK on eBay, cost £80 ... and needed a serious fret levelling and crowning ... as well as fret end shaping ... par for the course with Chinese necks I've found.
Springs arrived yesterday ... and this morning I pootled down to the workshop. Installing the springs was easy ...and I used a fillet of Locktite CA to make sure they don't come loose.
Well I fully shielded the pickup compartments with copper tape ... then connected earth jumpers to the pickup surrounds, so hopefully the somewhat noisy reputation of Dynasonics won't be an issue.
Something that was an issue however was the fact I had to dowel the body under the bridge and shift the bridge back nearly 3/4 of an inch due to me fouling up on the initial bridge positioning! Hey ho ... nothing shows as the half bridge is large enough to cover my mistake! I will have to pop the bridge off again mind, as I need to trim down the little hoops of steel supporting the intonation screws by a bugs dick ... the top and bottom E strings may just touch them.
I fixed up the single Bourns 500k volume pot and selector switch ... plugged into the workshop amp ... and hey presto, life when tapping pickups ... and everything metering out as it should.
Monday I shall string up and do the nut ... but I may need grooved brass bridge saddles, as I really need to narrow the string spacing a tiny bit as the Dynasonics are 50mm spaced.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Insanely, I just cut the nut and no other adjustment was needed ... the action was perfect and the intonation near to spot on.
Sound wise it's astonishing., the long magnets and early style 44awg/12.7k DCR give exactly the tone you'd expect from a 50s Gretsch! Clear and clean on an amp with loads of headroom ... with the hint of a Tele like snarl in the bridge position. Into a an amp wound up a bit the snarl becomes more and more angry.
There's twang a plenty ... I caught myself playing 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' with a typical, deep Dynasonic rumble and twang, and you can even venture into ACDC rhythm tones. I'm glad I copper lined the pickup routs, as the 3/4 Faraday cage has made the pickups very quiet for single coils.
This may well end up as my number one Tele ...
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I didn't have to change the bridge saddles ... but I may get some compensated brass ones at some point. That will probably coincide with fitting an Earvana nut, and I probably need a Chet Atkins style wire trem arm to give a bit more body clearance at some stage.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I still am gobsmacked by the tone ... I haven't heard a modern (short magnet) Dynasonic with that power and authority ... I honestly think it must come down to pure mass of magnet material!
Oh yes ... the tuners will get changed to a locking set in nickel ... I used the spares from my 7 string to get the guitar up and running :-)
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message