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An upgrade of my LP


Valeriy

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Hello guys.

 

I started to an upgrade of my LP guitar, but before, I was watching a movie, TV series it seems, and the title is “24 hours”. Couple of days ago I even looked up to 7 am, probably at once 10 series, and not to come off in any way, action, thriller etc. , I slept only 3 hours, in the 10th mornings I woke up and again... [flapper] <_< Generally, I like when a bang-bang, action etc. :) And here Jack Bauer, the protagonist a good actor Kiefer Sutherland, he rescues the American president and Russian one too, I in general went nuts. Maybe someone else watched this movie, or am I the only one? As a matter of fact, I have to make a guitar now and here is this thriller [unsure] .

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Valeriy, I've done that before, stayed up all night either watching some marathon series on TV or reading short stories.

 

Anyway you may be delirious so be careful if you modify your LP!

 

I modded mine though and have been so happy with it.

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Well…so, I took apart my guitar, my LP from Japan, I decided to move rear switches to the front of the guitar body, they have wearied me behind.

 

At first when I bought the guitar I did not want to infringe the classical type of LP model with 4 pots and the pickup toggle and I installed my switches on the back side, on the plastic plate. But now I have understood that my switches must be still in front. The switches turn on and off an active electronics that I usually install into my electric guitars. The active electronics into a guitar is convenient to play and to record the guitar especially at home. In general, I think this can be a standard for electric guitars taking into account home studios computer-based.

 

Well.. here is how I made a shield into the volume-tone section and where the pickup toggle is. A bit rough, perhaps I will trim by scissors else.

Back_zpsf1269108.jpg

 

Maybe it's an excessive reassurance because both my pickups are HBs and wires will be in a shielding braid, but this shield is just in case. I did not want to go to the store to look for an aluminum tape, and the thin foil is easily torn, so, I made such shield from a can of Adrenaline energy drink (beer became too bad in Russia :) ).

It was made of three pieces, the pots will tight clamped to the shield and will make good contact.

VolumeToneSection_zps03b8e0ca.jpg

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As for aluminum sprays, liquid etc., their shielding properties are temporary, a few years, two or three, maybe.

 

And now, as it looks in front. Additional two toggles are for to ground one coil in a HB, i.e. to get a single pickup. It seems, it will be looked not bad.

 

InFront_zps6128eb8e.jpg

InFront2_zps82f130db.jpg

 

 

At the same time I will check out new capacitors in tone, will change wiring, will check out 50s and modern styles of wiring in tone, to know how it will work with the active mode.

I'll probably go on the way of Searcy and Rabs, Andy was still here earlier. Also, my HBs will be made of coils from single-coil pickups (with increased number of turns). As soon as I finish I will make record and will show here.

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He looks like hes saying...

 

If you don't buy my guitar, I know where you live!!!!! And I will find you and make you buy one by wiring your nipples up to the electric socket..

 

;)

 

kiefer_sutherland_zps7e4c74b2.jpg

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nice photo, surprisingly [biggrin] . Yep, I'll look on the actor and his film, I did not know he before.

He is the son of Donald Sutherland who is another great actor but I think Kiefer has more than earned his acting stripes..

 

the Lost Boys is one of the most famous films he has been in (the vampire one) and Flatliners is pretty cool.. hes dones LOADS of cool films actually and is one of those actors you always know will be good.

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I finished watching the movie with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), 8 seasons on 24 series in everyone. It’s cool :) .

In general, it is pleasant to look at the photo of Jack Bauer with guitar . Although, still interestingly, Rabs, what relation to guitars Kiefer has? I know there are actors who are also involved in music and produce their albums.

 

And here is a new look of my guitar body in front, i.e. with new switches and pots,I made as I could [cool] :

InFront_zpsa56f6a7d.jpg

 

A bit later I will tell about a new humbucker by means of some single-coil pickups intended for Strat guitars. All due to the fact that my guitar has one defect in the sound from a bridge pickup.

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Well…, even when selling the guitar a previous owner of it admitted that the sound of the bridge humbucker is too sharp, sometimes unpleasant and he even changed the humbucker, but this did not help. Indeed, I also did not use the bridge pickup due to the said sharp sound.

 

Sometimes this happens in electric guitars as for some unpleasant resonance in the sound because of a body affect. Here was one guitar player one year ago who was also speaking about similar problem in your guitar, http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/98670-p90s-that-sound-like-good-humbuckers/ (Jasper6120, page 1, Posted 02 March 2013 - 07:01 AM ), and he was advised that “he gets a 5% overwound front hum cancelling P90 with weaker magnets”. I don’t know how he solved his problem, but I decided to do more radically in my case.

 

I decided, as I said, to take coils from single-coil pickups where the number of turns in a coil substantially exceeds than that one in a conventional humbucker. My bridge humbucker was with 5 k of resistance in each coil, most likely with 5000 turns in a coil because its inductance was quite small. While a coil from a Strat single pickup may be since 6000 turns and more. So, I was determined to buy some cheap Strat singles to make humbuckers B) , besides, I have other two guitars where I want also to replace one of the pickups.

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So finally, I bought some cheap singles, China and Korea (it turned out as a deficiency [woot] ), I was forced to be in the 5-6 shops to buy these cheap. In all shops the cheapest single pup was the only one, but I have to buy at least a pair of identical or similar for a humbucker. I was always offered singles as Seymour Duncan type for $ 100 and more, but 5-6 such pickups I did not really want, different magnets I already have, I was only interested in Strat coils.

 

Finally, I got these single pups, 6 or 7, for 8-9 dollars each and I chose among them similar to combine into pairs with similar parameters (mainly in inductances).

I replaced the short steel pole pieces in Strat bobbins for longer steel pieces which I've made of the longer bolts, by the way, a good or new bolt M5 can be twisted like for the thread into Strat bobbin holes.

steelPolePieces_zps1fcbb124.jpg

 

Also, I had to spend some time to make a fastening as in humbucker bobbins, i.e. to make a screw-thread or bolt-thread in new coil bobbins which were not designed for HBs. And I cut protruding parts in strat-bobbins.

fastening_zps003e1cc9.jpg

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Thanks, Tman. [biggrin] Indeed, George had a similar guitar in gold tones on the cherry. Okey, Kiefer is as my some weakness to thrillers.

 

Further, when chosen two coils were installed on humbucker’s plate it is possible to fill emptiness by a sealant for additional stability and to avoid a microphone effect.

 

germetic_zps1c39e39a.jpg

 

And finally a new humbucker looks as:

 

HB_zps91242c44.jpg

HB2_zpse211c68d.jpg

 

Or maybe with covers:

 

Cover_zps53697e38.jpg

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I finished watching the movie with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), 8 seasons on 24 series in everyone. It’s cool :) .

In general, it is pleasant to look at the photo of Jack Bauer with guitar . Although, still interestingly, Rabs, what relation to guitars Kiefer has? I know there are actors who are also involved in music and produce their albums.

 

Yeah nothing special, hes just a guitarist like we all are (that just happens to be famous)... I believe that he got a signature model and the proceeds went to charity or something like that...

 

And yes ive seen all of the seasons of 24.. I really enjoy it, season 9 is now on... Jack Bauer must be the unluckiest man in the world... I feel so sorry for him... (yes I know hes not a real person ;))

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...And yes ive seen all of the seasons of 24.. I really enjoy it, season 9 is now on... Jack Bauer must be the unluckiest man in the world... I feel so sorry for him... (yes I know hes not a real person ;))

 

The main thing, the film is super and actor too [thumbup] . I'll wait for the 9th season :) .

 

And about the guitar, from my preliminary tests, even before I disassembled the guitar I tested similar humbucker with coils from single pups in the Neck position and I was impressed, a sound was cool, it was in active mode. I.e. I'll probably put this humbucker in the Neck position as well.

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Doing my upgrade I decided to replace former active electronics to a new. The former was as a trial (experimental) and quite large in size because with several different active circuits, half of which, in fact, was not used during some years of playing even despite a switch of the circuits, as I just realized now.

 

So, I made new active circuits, i.e. preamps built on differential amplifiers from OAs (operational amplifiers) and only those what were used during the said years of playing, now they are smaller than before. And I made at once for several guitars, as a reserve. Maybe some superfluous of them I will give to my friends :) . Recently I received an acknowledgment from USPTO (US Patent & Trademark Office) that my patent application is filed now, concerning my active humbucker pickup. And I hope to begin production of the humbucker.

 

Half year my patent attorney (in the US) was studying the question whether I can register my patent in the U.S. , the Russian laws are such confused and puzzle-headed about this. In turn, I could not understand why I cannot file my patent application in the US about electric guitars when production of them is absent in Russia or if this production do not suit me. The situation is as higgledy-piggledy. But it seems, it is possible, finally :) , but I'm still a little afraid that attorneys do not change the mind. Further, I will be examined by an expert by rules within a year.

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So, the preamps to the said humbucker, this is done, of course, as home-made :rolleyes: .

 

DifAmps1_zpsf479b4d4.jpg

 

Or here is nearer. The preamps are filled into a special composition on the basis of epoxy glue for longevity. And chips (OAs) aren't soldered, and inserted, thanks to this the preamps always work without breaking, the only, maybe, to replace a chip, another type etc.

 

DifAmps2_zpsaf50919f.jpg

 

The size of a preamp may be even less if to use a double chip.

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  • 4 months later...

Hello guys.

 

I was not here a long time. I am in Crimea now because of which now tensions have arisen between Russia and Ukraine, sanctions to Russia etc #-o .

Sometime I finished a school in Crimea , now I help my mother here after unexpected transforming Crimea from Ukraine to Russia. This transforming was too quick, many people could not take their money in time from Ukraine banks, which also quickly went away from Crimea. Though I was not a supporter for such transforming, however many people in Crimea really wanted that.

 

And as for my guitar with the humbuckers made of coils from single-coil pups (for Strat guitars). Before my travel to Crimea I have finished this guitar. And its sound is a Fantastic now. Only a small error, the sealant is better when it is black, the white is too noticeable. In November, 2-3 weeks later I'll be back to my home and I think I will make a record by means of this updated guitar to show here.

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Also, I tested different (unlike) types of caps for guitar tone.There had once said on this forum that a certain type of capacitor still affects the guitar sound, even disputes were. Though I had not, for example, paper in oil caps, but I had many other types. And indeed, among many caps that I had I have chosen only two types, with which it was pleasent to play on the guitar. Later I'll do photos of them. These are МБМ caps (metal and paper), - old Soviet caps, cylinders sealed at the ends, and the second type, I was surprised, ceramic caps КМ 5, also old type, green. With the second it was even a little better in sound.

 

Concerning the said disputes about tone caps, i.e. how they can affect the guitar sound, I think, a man, who only hears standing aside, he really maybe, does not hear a difference in sound from different cap types. But who is directly as a guitar player [thumbup] ..., for example, I have felt a certain difference. With the caps that I chose it was very comfortable, even easily in playing, it was easier to get a beautiful guitar sound etc than with other cap types. Though, as I said, another man hearing (non player), maybe, hears nothing difference.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello fellows!

Merry Christmas to all!

 

I am in my home finally. And finally I have made the first test-record of my guitar. My playing is a little uneven in tempo etc., sorry, I wasn't engaged with the guitar long ago. But this record was done to find out what kind of a new guitar sound. And this sound is from the humbucker (Neck position), which was described above, i.e. made using two coils from two single-coil pickups (a little from Pink Floyd):

 

https://soundcloud.com/valeriy-2/humbucker-in-the-neck

 

By the way, [rolleyes] conditions for recording were the worst: an integrated audio-card in my HP computer, also, the strings are very old (more than year), but anyway it was very pleasant and easy to play, the guitar sound - fantastic.

 

I have to disappear for a while again, it is necessary to establish my 2nd computer (specifically for recording). I was faced with too much noise from fans into this computer. Generally, even a new and silent computer starts making noise after a while. My computer, for example, started to do an additional noise already in 2 months after purchase. And that is very unpleasant in home studio and that is the whole problem because after even one hour of work with such computer it is possible to be tired quickly. There is one idea how to get rid of one fan, I've been wanting to check that. If successful, I'll create a topic here about silent computer and probably make a new record.

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Pozdravleniya Valeriy,

 

Have you thought iz maybe keeping oba humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions and maybe wiring the oba for obratnyy faza?

 

Eto budet still give you that sort iz utka sharlatan you want but with the glubina added to eti ot the neck humbucker. Da?

 

Don't go playing kuritsa with the wiring mate, eto easy to get wrong!

 

 

 

Pozhaluysta opravdaniye moy russkiy, eti yavlyayetsya rzhavyy ot neispol'zovaniye. Luchshiy iz udacha mate. Svidaniya.

 

 

 

 

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