What Projects are you working on or planning?

SamBrugha

I would love to see what project people are working on or planning for the near future! Whether its new pick-ups in guitars or making a new bass!

Over the weekend i was doing some work on an old Harley Benton bass throwing in a new pick-up mainly to see if i could actually wire something successfully and i found out i could! ( ill through pics up tomorrow)! This inspired me and the next morning i woke up and decided i was going to build a one stringed guitar! then last minute i made it 2-stringed! The bad part about it all was that i rushed it because i had to be back in Dublin that day,but it could have turned out worst. If if i get more time off ill probably make one with more detail and love and stuff...

Last night i wired the pick-ups to it and got some sound which made me happy but if i have have time later ill change around the pick ups!

All i had was scrap timber, a drill, a sander, a hand plane, and spare parts from an old crappy Encore guitar! Anyway here are some pics of the diddley bow!

Mr. CooL ICE

That looks seasick-tastic


I have nothing planned, but I would love to get a massive chunk of heavy wood, such as a solid dinner table, and put bass strings and pickup on it, just to see what kind of tone you would get. My reason for this is my very first bass (a crappy Hohner j-bass) had a half-decent tone, but whenever I struck a string while it was resting against my wooden chest of drawers, it sounded massive

SamBrugha

LordChessington wrote: »

That looks seasick-tastic


I have nothing planned, but I would love to get a massive chunk of heavy wood, such as a solid dinner table, and put bass strings and pickup on it, just to see what kind of tone you would get. My reason for this is my very first bass (a crappy Hohner j-bass) had a half-decent tone, but whenever I struck a string while it was resting against my wooden chest of drawers, it sounded massive

I know exactly what you mean! i was playing that two string thing on the table its resting on in the picture there and it sounds amazing! You should just buy a table and put a guitar into it!

Gaspode

Isn't that just a piano then!

SamBrugha

Gaspode wrote: »

Isn't that just a piano then!

Ahh only if it has keys

ham_n_mustard

LordChessington wrote: »

That looks seasick-tastic


I have nothing planned, but I would love to get a massive chunk of heavy wood, such as a solid dinner table, and put bass strings and pickup on it

i cant wait until my missus comes in, finds a stingray neck bolted to our solid oak dining table, and the whole shebang being played through a trace elliott at serious volume.
let the divorce proceedings commence!

martinedwards

you'll do your back in trying to loft a solid oak table on a strap

SamBrugha

As the young folk would say... LOL!

I really want to see this now! I was thinking about putting a rickenbacker pickups in a mustang bass but this table idea sounds like a good'n!

KeithTS

I was here thinking about swapping out the pups on a guitar and adding a couple of pots here and there and I've been completely out done by aspirations of slapping strings onto oak tables.

Fcuk it, I'll pop the P-Rails onto the garden shed and see what happens when I plug it in!!!

SamBrugha

KeithTS wrote: »

I was here thinking about swapping out the pups on a guitar and adding a couple of pots here and there and I've been completely out done by aspirations of slapping strings onto oak tables.

Fcuk it, I'll pop the P-Rails onto the garden shed and see what happens when I plug it in!!!

Hahaha! Not trying to out do anyone! i just really wanna hear peoples ideas! but i want to see this crazy table guitar business now! imagine that in the window of music maker or waltons

wild turkey

I have 2 quite old solid mahogany bar table tops that eventually will become a few guitars
nothing wrong with an old table for wood !

You cuold also go down the gift box route
My son, with a little help built this as a school project
Bottle of JD was polished off by me of course !

SamBrugha

wild turkey wrote: »

I have 2 quite old solid mahogany bar table tops that eventually will become a few guitars
nothing wrong with an old table for wood !

You cuold also go down the gift box route
My son, with a little help built this as a school project
Bottle of JD was polished off by me of course !

that JD guitar looks class man! i wish i could makes guitars and stuff dor a living! This **** makes happy!

3wayswitch

I picked up this Variax 700 cheap in a Musicmaker sale round two years ago:



I love how it sounds but I hate everything else about it. I'm currently on the planning stages of transplanting the electronics from this into a Strat, just looking for a suitable body on Ebay.

SamBrugha

3wayswitch wrote: »

I picked up this Variax 700 cheap in a Musicmaker sale round two years ago:



I love how it sounds but I hate everything else about it. I'm currently on the planning stages of transplanting the electronics from this into a Strat, just looking for a suitable body on Ebay.

really looking forward to seeing that! when you get it done id love to see a video!

3wayswitch

SamBrugha wrote: »

really looking forward to seeing that! when you get it done id love to see a video!

It's going to be a while yet Just bought a router so I need to learn how to use it before routing out a body for the electronics.

ham_n_mustard

so I mentioned this thread to the missus, she thinks the "Dining Bass" is a cracking idea in theory, just not for our dining table though. if I can source a freebie table deep enough to accommodate a neck, i'll be doing this. I also have a cheapie strat neck that may make its way on there as well.... i'll keep ye posted

KeithTS

ham_n_mustard wrote: »

so I mentioned this thread to the missus, she thinks the "Dining Bass" is a cracking idea in theory, just not for our dining table though. if I can source a freebie table deep enough to accommodate a neck, i'll be doing this. I also have a cheapie strat neck that may make its way on there as well.... i'll keep ye posted

Just for the record, you're mad!
Keep us posted, I look forward to seeing it played live one day

Ravelleman

3wayswitch wrote: »

I love how it sounds but I hate everything else about it. I'm currently on the planning stages of transplanting the electronics from this into a Strat, just looking for a suitable body on Ebay.

I actually think it looks great!

SamBrugha

Ravelleman wrote: »

I actually think it looks great!

I really like those guitars aswell but they scare me for some reason! there's a shop on ebay called the stratosphere and they sell all sorts of bodies and parts mainly for fenders but they have others too.

Can't wait to see the table! Check out adverts or done deal!


I've been playing the diddly bow I made might have a video up in a few days! I want to make a bass version now!

rbanks1000

If your interested in getting a guitar/bass body thats a little different and guaranteed Irish, you could check out www.facebook.com/callanguitars . They are mostly Acrylic and can custom make any shape pretty much

SamBrugha

rbanks1000 wrote: »

If your interested in getting a guitar/bass body thats a little different and guaranteed Irish, you could check out www.facebook.com/callanguitars . They are mostly Acrylic and can custom make any shape pretty much

I used to have an acrylic strat! it was a heavy mofo! one down side

KeithTS

I'd love an acrylic guitar.
Ever since Dave Grohl started with the Dan Armstrong I've been fascinated with them. His was particularly cool mind.

On a side note I'm designing a series of treble/bass boosters and on board OD/distortion circuits.

The idea is to have a small module which could be connected directly to the guitar input and will clip onto a strap or something (haven't really thought out the details of that), the output of this will be sent to the pedal board or whatever from there. Looking at doing that wirelessly but that's a project for a later date.

Does anybody have any input on this kind of thing. I have the circuits designed and all that its more input regarding what you could see being actually useful. Would something like this have a purpose other than being a cool little thing to build?

SamBrugha

KeithTS wrote: »

I'd love an acrylic guitar.
Ever since Dave Grohl started with the Dan Armstrong I've been fascinated with them. His was particularly cool mind.

On a side note I'm designing a series of treble/bass boosters and on board OD/distortion circuits.

The idea is to have a small module which could be connected directly to the guitar input and will clip onto a strap or something (haven't really thought out the details of that), the output of this will be sent to the pedal board or whatever from there. Looking at doing that wirelessly but that's a project for a later date.

Does anybody have any input on this kind of thing. I have the circuits designed and all that its more input regarding what you could see being actually useful. Would something like this have a purpose other than being a cool little thing to build?

Wesley guitars used to make acrylic models! the electronics were bleh but the build was always nice! Pity he only does repairs now a'days! i have no idea about circuits though

KeithTS

SamBrugha wrote: »

Wesley guitars used to make acrylic models! the electronics were bleh but the build was always nice! Pity he only does repairs now a'days! i have no idea about circuits though

Yeah I noticed a while ago on his site he wasn't making new models, shame really.

Mr. CooL ICE

I have a 5-string Wesley bass. The tone was good for the price but I was never a fan of the build. It was so heavy it gave me shoulder pains and the nut was pretty big and sharp, making dropping down to the first fret a sometimes painful experience

SamBrugha

LordChessington wrote: »

I have a 5-string Wesley bass. The tone was good for the price but I was never a fan of the build. It was so heavy it gave me shoulder pains and the nut was pretty big and sharp, making dropping down to the first fret a sometimes painful experience

So heavy it digs into your shoulder! Heavy b***ards! i could never played my acrylic strat for too long standing up! was a sit down job!

wild turkey

Just putting the finishing touches to this one
Its a Nick Greer Sucker Punch ( high gain Marshall Lead) housed with an EP Booster





Made this one to bring on holidays

This is a 1 watt Noisy Cricket (amp in a coffee can)
Have a little speaker that fits into the can not in the pic

The bike headlight works when on

Ravelleman

More quality stuff from wild turkey!

I really need to learn how to solder etc.

KeithTS

Some class looking stuff there, tidy up your wiring for god's sake, it makes it impossible for us to try and steal your designs!

zafo

My latest custom build. Three fuzzes in one.





and something else I'm working on:

zafo

wild turkey wrote: »

Just putting the finishing touches to this one
Its a Nick Greer Sucker Punch ( high gain Marshall Lead) housed with an EP Booster





Made this one to bring on holidays

This is a 1 watt Noisy Cricket (amp in a coffee can)
Have a little speaker that fits into the can not in the pic

The bike headlight works when on

What changes did you make to the EP Booster?

roast

zafo wrote: »

My latest custom build. Three fuzzes in one.

:eek:
Your wiring is a work of art!

SamBrugha

roast wrote: »

:eek:
Your wiring is a work of art!

agreed!

wild turkey

zafo wrote: »

What changes did you make to the EP Booster?

My mistake !
Its actually a Madbean Fatpants
which is a take of the Echoplex preamp
with an added gain switch

3 fuzzes in 1 eh !
What fuzzes are you using ?

Was palnning on doing something similar as I have a DAM Meathead & Analogman Sunface Im tweaking at the minute
But was thinking of putting a Les Lius in with them
which sounds kind of mildly fuzzy to my ear

SamBrugha

Has anyone seen the Chinese copies of all the major brands? I have heard they are sh** as far as the electronics go but that the bodies and neck can be decent! Would it be wrong to buy one of these guitars if you were going to strip it down paint and all and rebuild it as a project? To be honest my morals are confused. all i want are the body/neck and ill make a perfect child

Also down the road i want to paint a few bits and pieces, could anyone tell me what goes into the clear coat/methods?

SamBrugha

Ravelleman wrote: »

More quality stuff from wild turkey!

I really need to learn how to solder etc.

i learned recently! it makes you want to find every old guitar and put new pick ups in them!

Ravelleman

SamBrugha wrote: »

I have heard they are sh** as far as the electronics go but that the bodies and neck can be decent! Would it be wrong to buy one of these guitars if you were going to strip it down paint and all and rebuild it as a project? To be honest my morals are confused. all i want are the body/neck and ill make a perfect child

I wouldn't feel worried about the morality of buying a copy of an established brand - it's not like you'd be attacking indigenous Irish industry. I'd be more worried about getting a seriously sub-par instrument.

There's no telling what they're made of or, indeed, how they treat their workers.

If you want a Gibson, save up or just buy an Epiphone. No one is going to judge you for it. Buying a plywood Fibson and spending hundreds of euros fixing it up would probably receive more scorn than buying an Epi or a Vintage.

There are so many reliable options for cheap Gibson-like guitars that it would be madness to buy a fake.

Should you want a Chinese Fender then you can get a 'real' one - the Modern Player Series. Fender has already cannibalised its product range for you.

SamBrugha

Ravelleman wrote: »

I wouldn't feel worried about the morality of buying a copy of an established brand - it's not like you'd be attacking indigenous Irish industry. I'd be more worried about getting a seriously sub-par instrument.

There's no telling what they're made of or, indeed, how they treat their workers.

If you want a Gibson, save up or just buy an Epiphone. No one is going to judge you for it. Buying a plywood Fibson and spending hundreds of euros fixing it up would probably receive more scorn than buying an Epi or a Vintage.

There are so many reliable options for cheap Gibson-like guitars that it would be madness to buy a fake.

Should you want a Chinese Fender then you can get a 'real' one - the Modern Player Series. Fender has already cannibalised its product range for you.

True, I wanted a Musicmaster bass though. I was originally looking for all the separate bits, I'm just trying to cost every which way before i make my mind up. I was going to get a bronco just for the body but that 199€ and then its next to impossible to get a 30" neck and if you can for a squire they can be 150€. for that so that's up to 350€, and for that i could buy a new Mikey Way mustang! which I already have and i Don't want to attack one of those because its pretty and the insides are amazing!

zafo

wild turkey wrote: »

My mistake !
Its actually a Madbean Fatpants
which is a take of the Echoplex preamp
with an added gain switch

3 fuzzes in 1 eh !
What fuzzes are you using ?

Was palnning on doing something similar as I have a DAM Meathead & Analogman Sunface Im tweaking at the minute
But was thinking of putting a Les Lius in with them
which sounds kind of mildly fuzzy to my ear

That one has a stripped down Ram's Head Muff first then my Antler fuzz which is a take on the One Knob Fuzz followed by a modded Ampeg Scrambler. Must build one of those Fat Pants.

roast

SamBrugha wrote: »

Has anyone seen the Chinese copies of all the major brands? I have heard they are sh** as far as the electronics go but that the bodies and neck can be decent! Would it be wrong to buy one of these guitars if you were going to strip it down paint and all and rebuild it as a project? To be honest my morals are confused. all i want are the body/neck and ill make a perfect child

Also down the road i want to paint a few bits and pieces, could anyone tell me what goes into the clear coat/methods?

I have a few friends who were stung with fake guitars (How they never copped before ordering, I don't know) and the majority of them turned out to be fairly dodgy.

One in particular was a fake Epiphone Zakk Wylde sig. The bullseye laminate peeled back in parts within a few weeks, revealing the plywood body underneath. The paint was so poorly applied that the ply leaves were visible on the side. Electronics were muck, (the two "tone" knobs were actually fake, there was just 1 vol, 1 tone) soldered poorly, and noisy as hell.
Fretwork was dodgy - three frets lifting towards the top of the fretboard. The fretboard wood definitely wasn't cured properly and was very brittle, so when we tried to tap in the frets, the wood started to crumble.
The neck was warped, and the truss rod was roaming free.

You get the idea... don't get me started on the Jem copy with the "inlays" which were actually acrylic stickers... :P

Honestly, I reckon if you're looking for a nice project to work on, Cash Convenience/similar shops are your best bet. I was in one in Cork over the weekend, there was a few nice old squier P-basses and a couple of random copies in there, all dirt cheap. Lots of guitars in there too, though I was only interested in the selection of basses so I didn't pay much heed.

If only I hadn't spent all my money on beers the night before.

SamBrugha

roast wrote: »

I have a few friends who were stung with fake guitars (How they never copped before ordering, I don't know) and the majority of them turned out to be fairly dodgy.

One in particular was a fake Epiphone Zakk Wylde sig. The bullseye laminate peeled back in parts within a few weeks, revealing the plywood body underneath. The paint was so poorly applied that the ply leaves were visible on the side. Electronics were muck, (the two "tone" knobs were actually fake, there was just 1 vol, 1 tone) soldered poorly, and noisy as hell.
Fretwork was dodgy - three frets lifting towards the top of the fretboard. The fretboard wood definitely wasn't cured properly and was very brittle, so when we tried to tap in the frets, the wood started to crumble.
The neck was warped, and the truss rod was roaming free.

You get the idea... don't get me started on the Jem copy with the "inlays" which were actually acrylic stickers... :P

Honestly, I reckon if you're looking for a nice project to work on, Cash Convenience/similar shops are your best bet. I was in one in Cork over the weekend, there was a few nice old squier P-basses and a couple of random copies in there, all dirt cheap. Lots of guitars in there too, though I was only interested in the selection of basses so I didn't pay much heed.

If only I hadn't spent all my money on beers the night before.

That's good to know, i've heard the electronics are dirt/muck/crap, i want to get rid of the insides anyway if i get one! yet I'm hearing mixed reviews about the necks/bodies on some of them. I'm going to do some more research and keeps yas updated with what i do.

Cheers lads

KeithTS

SamBrugha wrote: »

That's good to know, i've heard the electronics are dirt/muck/crap, i want to get rid of the insides anyway if i get one! yet I'm hearing mixed reviews about the necks/bodies on some of them. I'm going to do some more research and keeps yas updated with what i do.

Cheers lads

I've never heard of any of these with quality builds or materials.
Stay away from them, you get what you pay for!

SamBrugha

KeithTS wrote: »

I've never heard of any of these with quality builds or materials.
Stay away from them, you get what you pay for!

Well i'm going to research the crap out of every option!


On a side note! everyone check this out

wild turkey

SamBrugha wrote: »

Has anyone seen the Chinese copies of all the major brands? I have heard they are sh** as far as the electronics go but that the bodies and neck can be decent! Would it be wrong to buy one of these guitars if you were going to strip it down paint and all and rebuild it as a project? To be honest my morals are confused. all i want are the body/neck and ill make a perfect child

Also down the road i want to paint a few bits and pieces, could anyone tell me what goes into the clear coat/methods?

The best Chinese Fender copies

http://www.fender.com/squier/series/classic-vibe/

wild turkey

zafo wrote: »

That one has a stripped down Ram's Head Muff first then my Antler fuzz which is a take on the One Knob Fuzz followed by a modded Ampeg Scrambler. Must build one of those Fat Pants.

Very nice work !
Switchable caps on the one knob fuzz ?

endacl

I've an old ibanez pf200 that I picked up for 50 yoyos about three years ago that's spent a long time on the to do list. All original, except for a missing scratchplate, including the case. Some minor 'experience' marks to the body, and corroded metal fittings which i'll most likely leave alone. extensive wear to the fingerboard, but the frets are in good nick. dont know how he managed that... Previous owner had made sh1te of it. Roland pickup installed behind the bridge humbucker. Pickup surround hacked to make it fit. Horrible rewiring job, with cold joints and blobs of solder everywhere. Have made a start this week with a new surround fitted, and 3 ply scratchplate made. I'll be doing this one in fits and starts, but will keep the thread updated if anybody is interested.

zafo

wild turkey wrote: »

Very nice work !
Switchable caps on the one knob fuzz ?

For starters yeah switchable input cap, few other tweaks too.

SamBrugha

endacl wrote: »

I've an old ibanez pf200 that I picked up for 50 yoyos about three years ago that's spent a long time on the to do list. All original, except for a missing scratchplate, including the case. Some minor 'experience' marks to the body, and corroded metal fittings which i'll most likely leave alone. extensive wear to the fingerboard, but the frets are in good nick. dont know how he managed that... Previous owner had made sh1te of it. Roland pickup installed behind the bridge humbucker. Pickup surround hacked to make it fit. Horrible rewiring job, with cold joints and blobs of solder everywhere. Have made a start this week with a new surround fitted, and 3 ply scratchplate made. I'll be doing this one in fits and starts, but will keep the thread updated if anybody is interested.

I wouldnt mind seeing some pics of your progress man! I like those guitars!

endacl

SamBrugha wrote: »

I wouldnt mind seeing some pics of your progress man! I like those guitars!

No problem. I'll probably get stuck in sometime next week. Although I have been saying that for some time now...!

Maybe having somebody to monitor progress will light a bit of a fire under me. It's this model/spec we're dealing with.

il gatto

That's a pretty looking guitar. Reading your previous post I expected a monster. Nice.

endacl

il gatto wrote: »

That's a pretty looking guitar. Reading your previous post I expected a monster. Nice.

Oh, that's not my one... Just the same model.

Mine, not so pretty. Not a monster, but not as pretty. Pics to follow.