Ou7shined

Just a quick update. A couple of Pangborn buffs advised me to do as they did and rip out the dodgy original pre and replace with something better. So after discussing our options (the restrictive size of the control cavity being a factor) the owner and I decided to go for an Aguilar pre. That out of the way, I decided to dissect the original Pangborn preamp. Those of a nervous disposition please look away.... Trust me the picture makes it look much better than it actually is. Real amateur hour stuff. How it was felt appropriate to put work of this quality out in a finished instrument is beyond me.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1394592068' post='2393140'] If it works for you, and gets the result that you want, then it is the right solution for you - If we all did things the same then the world would be a pretty boring place. [/quote] Absolutely. I'm just going on gut feeling and a teeny bit of science. Let's hope it pays off.

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1394320067' post='2390364'] Will that be the purple one. [/quote] Yep as far as I know

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1394586970' post='2393130'] IMHO (and tastes may vary) bridge position is often the best option for guitar parts that are distorted, especially if you like to play with strong rhythmic component to your guitar parts, neck position can work really well for some clean tone rhythm parts, but it can get quite muddy and flubby and turn everything to a horrible mush when you add distortion(which then disappears in the band and can lead to retarded volume wars). If you took away the option to have more than one 6 string guitar and limited layout to 2 pickups only, I would choose a single coil in the (strat) neck position and a humbucker(hopefully with series/parallel or coil tap option) at the bridge as this layout really plays to the strengths of the individual pickup types, and provides the most useful(IMHO) tones to use for building guitar sounds. [/quote] Thanks for your reply. Strangely enough though I feel almost the opposite about neck pups and distortion and even stranger still have gone for the exact reverse configuration of what you suggested here. I'll hopefully get pics up tomorrow. I'm not saying I'm right and your wrong though. Probably an important thing to consider is the style of music. I'm looking to specifically play something dark and heavy with this guitar.

Another vote for Ash here. (Although I do so with a degree of reticence in a thread where the tone of the wood is considered a deciding factor )

[quote name='Dolando' timestamp='1394529545' post='2392159'] I'd feel comfortable with either to be honest, its just I could get a decent Jigsaw, but could only really afford a used Hobby bandsaw like an Axminster. So basically, with a jigsaw, 'slow and steady wins the race'. Yea, I've been looking at the Bosch GST 100, which seems to get good reviews etc. and they're not too expensive used. [/quote] Just about the best piece of advice a well known luthier (Hi Alan ) ever gave me was to not scrimp on tools. Always go for the best you can afford. You generally get what you pay for. If you plan on using using the jigsaw a fair bit after then I'd spend £100+ easy... but for occasional use a sub £100 or even second hand will be fine. Btw a cheap band saw correctly setup can work amazingly well (and quietly in comparison)... the problem for us though is finding one with a deep enough table to accept a guitar body comfortably.

Some good advice here but to be perfectly honest you'll be just fine with a jigsaw if that's what you feel comfortable with. They are ok for trimming a few rough cutouts that you finish off with a template and router. The first couple of bodies that I cut were done this way. It can seem to take for bloody ever though because of the density and thickness of the wood and if you start to rush the job then you will definitely begin to lose your vertical cut. Just remember to take your time and let the saw do the cutting, don't force it.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394460820' post='2391542'] Livery designed by my ex-boss in the days when he worked in Player's graphics department. [/quote] Now etched into the psyche of a generation.

Hahahaha

[quote name='Joeyfivebags' timestamp='1394114106' post='2388053'] Just curious about why only neck pickup on the 6? [/quote] Very good question. Well, this guitar is being made with a particular application and style of music in mind and I believe a treble pickup on the guitar would rarely if ever be utilised in a live situation. However, I have had my physical mock-up sat in front of me since day one to inspire me and to keep me continually thinking up new ideas for the end result - and the aesthetic disparity between the bass' mini bucker and the empty space at the guitar bridge has been playing on my mind. So a couple of days ago partly due to the idea that I think a treble pickup might occasionally come in handy for recording and partly due to my ocd, I decided to strongly consider including a treble pup for the 6 stringer. I have a Carvin H60-T knocking about which is basically a stacked rail humbucker in wolf's clothes (in that it looks like a strat pup). I think it could make a worthy inclusion in this project... especially as it will be driving an on-board fuzz circuit. Similarly with the bass - even though most of my basses have bridge pups, personally I rarely find a use for them so including one in this design is extravagant if not entirely spurious - the truth behind the decision to (maybe) include it is that I've had this EB mini-bucker for a while and have never found a deserving application for it yet. But I'm putting in a phat neckbucker and it has been proven that these two pups compliment each other so maybe this is it's chance. I'm still compelled by the idea and the "purity" of building a neckbucker only machine so until the router hits the wood (as they [i]probably[/i] say) I'm still completely undecided as to whether or not bridge pups will make it onto this project. Now here's the thing. Apart from a few one-offs here and there, it's been a good 20 years since I played a 6 stringer live (it's definitely all about the bass now). Nowadays for me a 6 stringer is basically a tool to occasionally write music on and record with. Even with the project that this guitar is intended for the 6 stringer will literally play second fiddle to the bass. So given my comparative lack of familiarity with 6 stringers these days I'll bounce the question back to you guys. Is there a compelling reason against me excluding a treble guitar pup?

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1393880239' post='2385485'] It would be good to see you back at the bash. I will tell Dave next time I talk to him. [/quote] Yep I'll get me arse down to the next een. I'm fairly sure that Osprey Guitars is being represented there this year though.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1394060270' post='2387620'] Gold looks great on some basses and not so good on others. [b]Chrome looks great on some basses [size=5]and not so good on others.[/size][/b] Black looks great on some basses and not so good on others. Are there other colours? If so they look great on some basses and not so good on others. . . [/quote] Hmmm, pics please.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394024966' post='2387015'] Not had a chance to play Classic Pro yet, but the Pro I tried a few years ago was IMO massively underwhelming. Just another budget Korean active bass with a massively over-inflated price tag due to the body shape and name on the TRC. [/quote] Awkwrrrrrrd

What a guy. Traded some bits and bobs.

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1394015677' post='2386858'] .... I know AP hated paying a lot of money for electronics and a lot were made for him by someone he met in Radio Shack one day! Mines had a home made cicuit built on vari-board (i think it's called) .... [/quote] That would explain a lot. I suspect the one I have here will be a similar construction under the layers of copper shielding and masking tape.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1394010353' post='2386772'] .... I thought the circuit in mine sounded pretty good, all things considered. But it did seem to be built in someone's garage somewhere. The main thing to be careful about is frying the preamp chip. Easily done if there's a short circuit. [/quote] Yup same here jerry-built in appearance but sounds great.... despite there being no real control over it at the moment. My greatest fear is that the chip (or some other part of the pre) has already expired.

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1393985071' post='2386679'] I'll give it a crack, though a whole bunch of those wires seem to disappear into the preamp. I'll take a poke about and let you know what I find. [/quote] Cheers again mate. Just draw what you see I should be able to second guess the wires coming from the pre.

Here's the bass in question.

[quote name='Samashton12' timestamp='1394019256' post='2386916'] ..... I favour the bridge on the Pro more than the 3 point bridge on the Classic. ..... [/quote] Agreed

Nice score. I have the same in a natural finish. Lovely bass, delivering waaaaay more than it's paltry market value suggests in both playability and tone.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-Vintage-1960s-Ibanez-Model-5902-Bison-Bass-Handcrafted-by-Goldentone-/161222244364"]This link[/url] should work better.

I think it's a Warlord. Although I can't find one that looks quite like it online. It's a very basic single bucker version. I'll put a pic up tomorrow. Cheers for the tip. I'll see what he has to say.