HSS Strat Completed
The build is completed.
When I last updated you on here the scratchplate was cut out in terms of the shape. So the next job was to cut out the pickup holes, control mounting holes and the screw holes.
So... I drilled into the corner of the pickup holes and then with a coping saw cut those out. Found various sized appropriate drills for the holes. Cutting out the pickup holes was a bit tricky but ok in the end with a bit of judicious help from appropriate files. One of the trickiest bits was to get the switch hole. For a typical Strat 5 way switch it is a long thin line. Digging in my tool chest which I so luckily inherited from my Dad in 1984. It has tools that date back to when he started as an apprentice shipwright in the dockyard in 1942. I always wonder what Dad is thinking looking down on my hamfisted efforts (ab)using his tools in the process. Anyway buried in there were some round file blades to be fitted into a saw. They looked about the right width. I found a fret saw I remember buying years ago for some job which has clamps to hold blades in place and was able to get one of these files to fit into it after a fashion. I drilled a slightly oversized hole at one end to get the blade through - they have little knob things at the end which are bigger than the rest of the file and then fitted it into the fretsaw. Bit Heath Robinson but it cut the slot surprisingly easily and well in the end. After a little manual adjustment after checking the switches actual travel - it needed slightly elongating I then marked the screw holes and drilled them. It all fitted!
So finished another afternoon. In all the scratchplate creation by hand took me a good 3 half days! I know I took my time but I could never make a living out of this!
I had bought some copper shielding so I fitted that to be back of the scratchplate then fitted the controls and tested that again on the body. I found that the bottom tone control and the vol control just fouled the sides. A bit of chieselling later and it was all good. I then screened the cavity with the copper foil - sorry I didn't get a photo of that but it's not that interesting anyway!
So we had the controls and pickups mounted but next to... the wiring up!
Well actually before that I decided to sort the frets out. I had been trying to keep the strings on it to test out but in all the fitting of the scratchplate on one retune the B snapped and I gave up. But I knew they needed levelling. Sorry folks again I forgot any pictures on this step mostly as I was concentrating so much. Process was for the record. Removed the neck from the body. Using the trussrod got it as level as I could using a notched straight edge. Covered the fretboard in masking tape. I then used a fret rocker to find any high frets. As my playing test had revealed the issues were mostly north of fret 14 with a couple of really high frets. I don't have a fretting hammer - if I had I may have gone for trying to bang these in again but they didn't look to be high seated. Anyway I marked the top of each fret with permanent marker. I then took the first cuts using a Crimson Guitars fret levelling file. I then swapped over to a fret levelling beam with 400 grit and finally on the other side of the 800 grit. I did try the above 12 fret fall away technique as well - two bits of masking tape to raise the end of the levelling beam. I remarked the top of the frets and ran over it all again with 800 grit in the beam. Then I crowned them with a traditional three sided crowning file, dressed the ends with a fret end dressing file and finally worked through several grits of fret rubbers to polish them up. Not the best fret job in the world but probably the best I've ever done!
So back to the next opportunity to work on it and back to wiring up. Now this has to be the bit that I find the most frustrating and completely under estimate! This again was two half days with a soldering iron and the fumes associated. It is just no doubt practice but I'm slow on this stuff it takes me ages to get wires sorted and then satisfactorily soldered. I carefully before started sorted out the connections on the switch - I'm using an old style one which are supposedly more reliable. Having done that and drawn a diagram for myself... I completely ignored that and wired it up wrong! Fool! Also adding in the coil tap and 7 sound switch added complication frankly as I was doing this I then regretted.
I'll digress to explain the set up I've gone for. The pickups are a set from Irongear - more on these in a separate review I'll post. It consists of a Steamhammer humbucker and two Texas Locos in the middle and neck. Plan was ( note that more on that later ) was for bridge tone, middle and neck tone and master volume. Coil tap on the humbucker is the first switch as you go down and the second is a 7 sound switch. I've fitted one of these before it gives you neck and bridge and all three on together sounds not normally available in a standard 5 way switch. Most people seem to wire this using the neck pickup. The switch effectively bypasses the switch and places whichever pickup you've put through it always on. Made famous by Dave Gilmour on his black strat that is how he has it installed. To me though then if I get to a solo I wack the switch to the bridge pickup and... I've still got the neck on so I' have to switch that off. Annoying - to me. So I do it with the bridge pickup. So when I flick to the bridge setting on the main switch that's all I get irrespective of the position of the 7 sound switch. Probably different folks playing styles - if you solo more on the neck pickup Gilmour/Trower like then the neck being always on would make more sense. I normally solo on the bridge - hence wanting an HSS in the first place.
So all wired up. Tap test. Totally confusion for yours truly. I was bamboozled for a while as I thought the neck pickup totally dead. Then I realised. I'd wired the switch up totally wrong ignoring my diagram! DOH! Plus the 7 sound switch then added to the confusion in trying to diagnose the fault.
I'll not show you a picture of the rats nest of wiring I end up with. But anyway. Screw it all down and - viola! Fini!
I'll do a "review" separately and talk about the set up in that.
When I last updated you on here the scratchplate was cut out in terms of the shape. So the next job was to cut out the pickup holes, control mounting holes and the screw holes.
So... I drilled into the corner of the pickup holes and then with a coping saw cut those out. Found various sized appropriate drills for the holes. Cutting out the pickup holes was a bit tricky but ok in the end with a bit of judicious help from appropriate files. One of the trickiest bits was to get the switch hole. For a typical Strat 5 way switch it is a long thin line. Digging in my tool chest which I so luckily inherited from my Dad in 1984. It has tools that date back to when he started as an apprentice shipwright in the dockyard in 1942. I always wonder what Dad is thinking looking down on my hamfisted efforts (ab)using his tools in the process. Anyway buried in there were some round file blades to be fitted into a saw. They looked about the right width. I found a fret saw I remember buying years ago for some job which has clamps to hold blades in place and was able to get one of these files to fit into it after a fashion. I drilled a slightly oversized hole at one end to get the blade through - they have little knob things at the end which are bigger than the rest of the file and then fitted it into the fretsaw. Bit Heath Robinson but it cut the slot surprisingly easily and well in the end. After a little manual adjustment after checking the switches actual travel - it needed slightly elongating I then marked the screw holes and drilled them. It all fitted!
I had bought some copper shielding so I fitted that to be back of the scratchplate then fitted the controls and tested that again on the body. I found that the bottom tone control and the vol control just fouled the sides. A bit of chieselling later and it was all good. I then screened the cavity with the copper foil - sorry I didn't get a photo of that but it's not that interesting anyway!
So we had the controls and pickups mounted but next to... the wiring up!
Well actually before that I decided to sort the frets out. I had been trying to keep the strings on it to test out but in all the fitting of the scratchplate on one retune the B snapped and I gave up. But I knew they needed levelling. Sorry folks again I forgot any pictures on this step mostly as I was concentrating so much. Process was for the record. Removed the neck from the body. Using the trussrod got it as level as I could using a notched straight edge. Covered the fretboard in masking tape. I then used a fret rocker to find any high frets. As my playing test had revealed the issues were mostly north of fret 14 with a couple of really high frets. I don't have a fretting hammer - if I had I may have gone for trying to bang these in again but they didn't look to be high seated. Anyway I marked the top of each fret with permanent marker. I then took the first cuts using a Crimson Guitars fret levelling file. I then swapped over to a fret levelling beam with 400 grit and finally on the other side of the 800 grit. I did try the above 12 fret fall away technique as well - two bits of masking tape to raise the end of the levelling beam. I remarked the top of the frets and ran over it all again with 800 grit in the beam. Then I crowned them with a traditional three sided crowning file, dressed the ends with a fret end dressing file and finally worked through several grits of fret rubbers to polish them up. Not the best fret job in the world but probably the best I've ever done!
So back to the next opportunity to work on it and back to wiring up. Now this has to be the bit that I find the most frustrating and completely under estimate! This again was two half days with a soldering iron and the fumes associated. It is just no doubt practice but I'm slow on this stuff it takes me ages to get wires sorted and then satisfactorily soldered. I carefully before started sorted out the connections on the switch - I'm using an old style one which are supposedly more reliable. Having done that and drawn a diagram for myself... I completely ignored that and wired it up wrong! Fool! Also adding in the coil tap and 7 sound switch added complication frankly as I was doing this I then regretted.
I'll digress to explain the set up I've gone for. The pickups are a set from Irongear - more on these in a separate review I'll post. It consists of a Steamhammer humbucker and two Texas Locos in the middle and neck. Plan was ( note that more on that later ) was for bridge tone, middle and neck tone and master volume. Coil tap on the humbucker is the first switch as you go down and the second is a 7 sound switch. I've fitted one of these before it gives you neck and bridge and all three on together sounds not normally available in a standard 5 way switch. Most people seem to wire this using the neck pickup. The switch effectively bypasses the switch and places whichever pickup you've put through it always on. Made famous by Dave Gilmour on his black strat that is how he has it installed. To me though then if I get to a solo I wack the switch to the bridge pickup and... I've still got the neck on so I' have to switch that off. Annoying - to me. So I do it with the bridge pickup. So when I flick to the bridge setting on the main switch that's all I get irrespective of the position of the 7 sound switch. Probably different folks playing styles - if you solo more on the neck pickup Gilmour/Trower like then the neck being always on would make more sense. I normally solo on the bridge - hence wanting an HSS in the first place.
So all wired up. Tap test. Totally confusion for yours truly. I was bamboozled for a while as I thought the neck pickup totally dead. Then I realised. I'd wired the switch up totally wrong ignoring my diagram! DOH! Plus the 7 sound switch then added to the confusion in trying to diagnose the fault.
I'll not show you a picture of the rats nest of wiring I end up with. But anyway. Screw it all down and - viola! Fini!
I'll do a "review" separately and talk about the set up in that.
Have you ever sold a guitar you made? Or are they too precious for you to part with?
ReplyDeleteNope - I made one for someone who weltched on the deal grrr - so I gave that one to my son who really likes it.
DeleteI would like to but I'd never make any money lol I spend too long on this stuff. I'd have to charge thousands!