The Dirty Secrets Of Electric Guitar Building… Part 13
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on March 12th, 2010
Ah, here we are at Part 13. Maybe I should bow to superstition and call it Part 14. Yeah, right! Besides, the number 13 fits today’s subject; Electric Guitar Wiring.
When it comes to wiring up an electric guitar, the possibilities are as varied as the styles of music one can play. For this reason, I highly recommend studying the basic principals of electricity and how it applies to guitar wiring. You can follow a wiring schematic, but it really helps to understand what’s happening in the circuit you create.
Some wiring schematics can get very complicated.
Instead of boring you with the details, which could fill a massive book, let me give you a brief explanation of what happens when you pluck the strings of your guitar.
When the strings vibrate over the pickup, they excite the magnetic field contained within the pole pieces. This, in turn, motivates the flow of electrons in the coil surrounding the magnet. The flow continues through a circuit made up of wire, switches, potentiometers and capacitors, all of which control and shape the signal before it heads out to the amplifier. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? However, it’s much more complicated than that.
The most important factors to understand are resistance and capacitance. Opposition the signal is resistance while capacitance refers to the ability of a component to store a portion of the signal. All of the components in your wiring scenario posses these two factors, which vary based on their individual designs. Some components are designed with resistance as the main influence while others are geared more toward capacitance. For example, a potentiometer is big, variable resistor while a capacitor is designed to soak up some of the signal.
To some, it may seem like resistance and capacitance are a bad thing–after all, don’t we want a strong signal to travel from the pickup straight to the amp? Sure, but then you wouldn’t be able to adjust the volume and tone at your guitar. When you turn down the volume knob, you’re actually increasing resistance which weakens the signal. And when you turn the tone knob, resistance increases and channels the signal into a capacitor, which absorbs the treble frequencies.
It would be easy to wire a guitar if there were only one type of potentiometer and capacitor, but that’s far from the case. There are hundreds to choose from, each with their own unique specs. That’s why it’s so important to learn what the values mean.
Sure you could follow a schematic without knowing the whys, but I’ve come across more than a few that simply don’t work. And if you’re on a budget–who isn’t these days–you’ll save yourself both time an money if you can make the right decisions based on a thorough understanding of how the values affect performance. Also, don’t assume a wiring schematic you found will do the trick. Most scenarios are based on personal preference.What worked for one person may not work for you. But if you don’t know this, you won’t find out until you’ve closed the control cavity and play through an amp.
Now, lets talk about soldering for a minute.
You can have a good schematic, wire and components, but still screw it all up with a bad soldering job. Use solder specifically for wiring, not the stuff plumbers use. A 15 to 30 watt soldering iron works fine for most tasks, but you may want a higher wattage when soldering several wires to the back of a potentiometer. Whatever you use, make sure your solder joints are SCS. Small, clean and shiny. If they’re splattered and dull, the electrons won’t flow through.
Follow a good schematic and do most of the work outside the guitar. I use a cardboard box lid to hold the controls while I work.
Before you start soldering, take a good look at your schematic and decide how much of the work can be done outside of the guitar’s control cavity. Try and do as much of the soldering as possible before you install the components. And lastly, DON”T FORGET TO RUN A GROUND WIRE TO THE BRIDGE! If you forget to do this, you’ll be reminded with a jolt the first time you touch an electrical component, such as a microphone, that isn’t properly grounded. With a tune-o-matic, the ground wire is fed into one of the post holes. With a tremolo bridge, there should be a provision to connect the ground to the bridge block. Regardless of the bridge type, the other end of the ground should be soldered to the back of a potentiometer along with the pickup grounds.
That’s it for Part 13. In Part 14, I’ll discuss applying finishes. Stay tuned!
The Finished Tomahawk Electric Guitar
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on March 5th, 2010
Here are photos of the finished Tomahawk neck through I just completed. This one is for sale at $900.00 US. If you’re interested, let me know by sending an email to cwmonck@eguitarplans.com.
Body: Honduran Mahogany. Neck: Canarywood. Fretboard: Rosewood
Finish: Crimson Red Stain with a water based lacquer topcoat.
Rickenbacker bridge.
Neck to body detail.
Steel string ferrules are covered by a decorative piece of Brazillian Rosewood.
Fretboard detail.
Grover Rotomatics.
Custom bone nut slotted and shaped by hand.
The business end.
Custom, hand wound humbucker pickups, made by me.
My Way To Inlay
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on March 3rd, 2010
Most guitar inlay is done using shell as the inlay material. My only reservation with this stuff is the toxicity of the dust generated when sawing. You absolutely MUST have good dust extraction and be willing to wear a respirator. If you don’t, a rather nasty form of lung cancer may be in your future. And don’t forget about the other people living in your realm.
I use a different approach suggested by furniture makers; epoxy inlay. Here are some step-by-step photos of the simple process.
Start by routing your design with a Dremel and some fine engraving bits.
Next, mix some quick set epoxy with a pinch or two of sawdust. I like to use saw dust that contrasts with the base wood.
After the epoxy has dried, I use a razor blade to scrape off the excess almost level with the surrounding wood.
Then, I sand it flush using 80 grit paper.
otice popped air bubbles and some uneven
At this stage, you may notice some air bubbles and uneven spots.
Before you fill the holes with more epoxy/sawdust, you can use this opportunity to reshape parts of your design.
After filling and sanding the pin holes and other spots, you'll be ready to sand up to 220 grit.
Apply your choice of finish, and you're good to go.
A Little Mid-Week Inspiration
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 24th, 2010
A Walnut neck thru Legato.
Finally, A New Electric Guitar Plan
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 23rd, 2010
It’s been a while since I added to my stack of plans, but here’s a new one called the Redondo.
I really like the shape of this one. Kind of makes me think of riding the waves back in California. Like around 1962. If you like it, it’s available at the top of the order page.
P.S. Special thanks to David F. for the idea and inspiration. Free plan for you!
The New Craftsmanship
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 19th, 2010
Who are today’s craftsmen? Are they the people pushing buttons on CNC routers? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I know it takes training and skill to properly operate today’s high tech machines, but are they craftsmen? I contend the craftsmen are the folks who design the products as well as the technicians who write the software controlling today’s computerized manufacturing. Unfortunately, their work work goes largely unnoticed by the consumer public.
If you own an electric guitar made in the late fifties or early sixties, take a close look at the quality of craftsmanship. No doubt you’ll see tool marks here and there that illustrate how the instrument was made largely by hand. Aside from the tone these guitars possess, handmade craftsmanship is one of the reasons we cherish instruments from that era so much.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at new guitars at a local Guitar Center. What struck me was the number of reliced guitars for sale. These were brand new instruments that had been made to look old. In fact, some of them had tool marks added to make them appear more authentic. The irony was obvious. The manufacturers make a guitar with a CNC router and finish it by faking some of the traits found on old, handmade guitars. How weird is that?
The reason I’m bringing this up is because, like so many other hand builders out there, I struggle to match the precision of robot made guitars. I simply can’t do it. I can carve a nice neck with a spokeshave, but if you analyzed it with laser beams, you’d probably find some inconsistencies. Of course the true test is how it feels in your hands. The problem is, there’s a whole new generation of buyers who expect precision only because it’s possible. Never mind the fact that their brains aren’t sophisticated enough to notice. They just want to know it’s perfect.
Personally, I admire craftsmen who whittle a guitar out of a hunk of wood with basic hand tools. I’d much rather pay for a guitar that took a master luthier six months to build rather than one from a robot that took six hours start to finish. But, that’s just me.
The Dirty Secrets Of Electric Guitar Building… Part 12
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 16th, 2010
Without a doubt, pickups are the single most controversial component on an electric guitar. Ask five players what they like and you’ll get five different opinions. And in some cases–depending on who the five players are–the discussion can get rather heated to say the least.
I try to keep an open mind regarding pickups. Since I always wind my own, I tend to try different methods in order to achieve varied tones. I know what I like, but that doesn’t matter if I’m building for some one else. However, when it comes to building your own guitar, there are a few dirty secrets you need to be aware of.
First, there’s the issue of pickup placement. How do builders decide where to locate each pickup? Some luthiers like to finish the guitar first so they can play it acoustically in order to determine optimum placement based on the maximum amplitude of string vibration. Others–myself included–try to best utilize the given space between the bridge and the fretboard’s heel. In other words, I locate the bridge pickup as close to the bridge as possible and the neck pickup right up against the fretboard’s heel. This approach maximizes the difference in tone between the two pickups.
If you try to place the pickups as close to the string’s maximum amplitude of vibration, the effort becomes futile. Why? Because the maximum amplitude of vibration–also known as the sweet spot–changes depending on where you pick and fret the strings while actually playing a song. In my opinion, the goal should be to maximize the difference in tone between the bridge and neck pickups rather than trying to pinpoint an ever shifting sweet spot.
Another approach would be to fill the space between the bridge and the heel of the fretboard with as many pickups as you can stuff in there. But, this method only works if the pickups are radically different from each other in design and tone. For example, you could use a high powered, ceramic or neo mag pickup in the bridge position, a medium powered alnico V mag pickup in the middle and a low power alnico II mag pickup in the neck position. Of course I’m talking about humbuckers here since millions of Stratocasters have shown that multiple single coils work very well this way. Regardless of the style pickups you select, keep in mind that should the pickups be too similar in design, the result will be almost monotone as you switch or blend them.
Next is the issue of installation. Single coil pickups are usually installed by routing the pockets into the front of the guitar and covering them up with a pickguard. This approach is a no-brainer since you can do a sloppy routing job and cover it up nicely. The problem is, if the pockets are crude and or oversized, there may be a detrimental impact on tone. So make those pockets smooth and just slightly larger than the pickup itself. The closer the wood is to the pickup, the greater the body’s contribution to the guitar’s tone.
With regards to humbuckers, make sure the pockets will be small enough to hold the pickup while still being covered by the pickup ring. There’s almost no room for error here so check your template by placing the ring on top of it. Carefully examine all sides of the ring to make sure it covers template’s pocket shape. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to either make a smaller template–though large enough to hold the pickup–or source a larger ring. Also, remember to account for the ring when positioning the neck pickup against the fretboard’s heel. If you rout the pocket too close to the fretboard’s heel, you may not have enough room for the ring.
The last issue is wiring. Before you even start building your guitar, have a wiring schematic at your side. Waiting until the last minute could be a real problem. The last thing you’ll want to deal with at this stage is a control cavity that’s too small for your plans or a wiring scenario that won’t do what you need it to do.
If you’re installing humbuckers, make sure you identify them by adding a piece of tape to the one of wire leads. I usually do this to the bridge pickup. If you’re installing more than two, tape two of the leads and mark them with a “B” for bridge and an “M” for middle. If you forget to do this, you might be able to gently tug the leads where they enter the control cavity and see which pickup moves in its ring. However, I don’t recommend doing this as it could damage your pickup. For single coils, this isn’t necessary since they are usually installed to the back of the pickguard.
That about covers the dirty secrets of pickup installation. If you have any questions or comments send them my way and I’ll try my best to answer them asap. In the next installment of this series, I’ll go a little deeper into wiring scenarios. Stay tuned!
The Latest From My Workbench
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 12th, 2010
The other day my trusty old Ryobi crapped out on me as I had expected it would. It was only a 1-3/4 horsepower unit which was barely up to the task needed for building electric guitars. I had hoped to step up to a 3hp model, but, boy are they expensive. Instead, I picked up a 2-1/4hp Makita with both a fixed and plunge base. The key is the motor. Makita make’s really good motors.
In the end, it came down to three routers; Bosch, Dewalt and the Makita. The Bosch and the Dewalt had nice features, but the reliability of the Makita’s motor sold me.
As soon as I got home from Tool King, I finished off routing my latest guitar, which is a prototype Legato I plan to sell. In fact, I plan to make several prototypes available for sale on my site very soon. Right now I have two guitars nearing completion. One is a Tomahawk neck-through I’ve talked about before and the other is a Legato neck-through that’s progressing quickly. I’m also going to build a single cutaway neck-through down the road.
My goal when I started eGuitar plans was to sell plans to anyone interested in building their own electric guitars. Over the past year, I sold a lot of plans, but as I expected, many aspiring builders quickly discovered what a massive challenge it is to actually finish a build. For that reason, I’ve decided to occasionally build a guitar and offer it up for sale as if you’d built it yourself.
I don’t plan on manufacturing guitars, but I would like to make them occasionally as a form of artistic expression and as a way to promote and educate budding luthiers. I also hope to start making and selling my own pickups in the near future, but more on that later.
In the meantime, here’s a photo from my workbench to inspire you:
That there's Rock Maple and Walnut
Lamenting A Dead Router
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 11th, 2010
My plunge router died yesterday. Very sad. It had been with me for 10 years, which is pretty good for a router. Guess I start shopping as I am now paralyzed without one.
As The Winder Turns…
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building on February 9th, 2010
Right now, good friend of mine in Houston, Texas is in the process of tooling up for an eventual foray into the market of affordable, custom, made-to-your-specifications electric guitars. Designs are done and templates are being made so all he needs is a little extra time to do the work.
Part of building and selling guitars involves sourcing the parts and perhaps the most important components are the pickups. With that in mind, he’s asked me to wind up some custom humbuckers and single coils, which will be installed on the guitars he plans to sell. The deal is, if he buys me a better winder, I make ten sets of pups for him free of charge.
This creates a potential opportunity for me to sell custom, hand-wound pickups. I would offer three different models of humbuckers, single coils and P90s. Each type would be available in three different levels of power output; low, medium or high. By matching the right magnet to the level of output would result in tailor-made tone. For example, the low power design would feature the clearest and widest range of tone, which would be perfect for the studio. The medium power would have slightly less tonal range, but would be great for the stage. And last, but not least, the high power would be for harder rock/any style of metal where tonal range takes a backseat to driving an amp instantly into distortion.
Of course, this is all just pie-in-the-sky thinking right now. There are a lot of custom winders out there already, but what they charge for pups seems a little out of line especially in this economy. Unfortunately, many builders have to cut corners on pickup selection in order to keep their projects within a preset budget. That’s a shame since the pickups can make or break a guitar’s tone.
Feel free to chime in and let me know your thoughts about doing this.