1. READY TO WIRE THIS BEAST UP
GOT EVERYTHING LAID OUT AND READY TO START GETTING IT WIRED UP....FINGERS CROSSED, I'M NOT A VERY GOOD SOLDERER, AND THERE IS LOTS TO SCREW UP!!
2. SCARY STUFF....
THE CIRCUIT BOARD DOESN'T FIT ANYWHERE, SO I NEED TO CUT OUT A PLACE FOR IT. NOT REAL EXCITED ABOUT THIS, SINCE THE GUITAR IS LOOKING SO GOOD. BUT IT IS ON THE INSIDE, AND NEEDS TO BE DONE. I PUT ALL THE ELECTRONICS IN A BAG AND DREMEL AWAY.....
OK.....MUCH BETTER. LETS MOVE ON
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WIRING UP PARTS AND PIECES.....
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GETTING PIECES IN PLACE AND ASSEMBLING....
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WITH THE ADDITION OF A SECOND SPEAKER...I NEEDED TO WIRE THEM TOGETHER IN PARALLEL....WORKED OUT FINE I THINK...
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GOT THE LED IN AND IT LIGHTS UP....I'M GUESSING THATS A GOOD SIGN.....
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HERE IT IS WIRED UP...PLAYING THROUGH A DIFFERENT GUITAR. SO ITS BASICALLY WORKING AS AN AMP HERE......
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HMMMMMMMM....THE LED WONT SWITCH OFF, NO MATTER WHAT POSITION I HAVE THE TOGGLE SWITCH. I TOOK OFF ONE OF THE WIRES AND WENT AROUND TOUCHING ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTS LOOKING FOR A PLACE THAT WOULD MAKE IT SWITCH OFF.....NO LUCK.....GRRRRRRRR
I ATTEMPTED TO PUT A SWITCH ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD....THINKING THIS WOULD BE A WAY TO SWITCH IT OFF AND ON.......NO LUCK..........
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I SAT DOWN AND MAPPED OUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO NEED FOR WIRING THIS UP AND TO GIVE ME SOMETHING TO START DOUBLE CHECKING.......KIND OF FRUSTRATING AT THIS POINT....
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OK, NEW DAY....TIME TO TAKE IT APART AND START TROUBLESHOOTING. ENTER THE INCREDIBLE MR RIGGS. THE MAN IS PURE GENIUS...AND HELPED ME WORK THROUGH SOME ISSUES WITH THE GUITAR. HE HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE GUITAR LOVED ME, BUT WASN'T IN LOVE WITH ME, WAIT WHAT.......
....AND THEN HE POINTED OUT THAT I HAD WIRED UP THE TOGGLE SWITCH INCORRECTLY!!!!!
AFTER FIXING THAT WE WORKED THROUGH THE SECOND PROBLEM, WHICH WAS GETTING THE TOGGLE TO WORK
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THE SOLUTION WAS TO CUT DIRECTLY INTO THE BATTERY WITH THE SECOND SWITCH. BINGO, NOW IT SWITCHES ON AND OFF!!!!
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NOW I GO AROUND AND CHECK ALL THE SOLDER JOINTS, AND CLEAN UP ANYTHING MESSY.......HOPEFULLY GET IT PUT BACK TOGETHER AND WIRED UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS TO SEE IF IT WORKS. BACK TO EXCITING TIMES!!!!!!
13. WHAT NOW................
SO IN THE LAST PIC I WAS GOING AROUND CLEANING UP SOLDER JOINTS AND TAPING UP STUFF, ALL IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT WORK BETTER. THE LED LIGHT WAS WORKING....SO I ASSUMED ALL WAS GOING WELL. I WAS WRONG! EVERY TIME I WOULD CUT AND SNIP AND SOLDER AND FIX...I WOULD CHECK THE LIGHT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS ON....AND IT WAS......BUT WHEN I GOT HOME TO TEST THE SOUND......NOTHING.
LUCKILY I TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES SO I CAN EXPLAIN WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. IN THE PIC BELOW, ALL WAS WORKING FINE (LIGHT AND SOUND). YOU'LL NOTICE THE YELLOW OVAL WITH A RED WIRE IN IT.....YOU KNOW, THE WIRE THAT IS GOING FROM THE POWER TO THE ENTIRE BOARD....THERE IT IS, RIGHT WHERE ITS SUPPOSED TO BE...
IN THIS PIC YOU WILL NOTICE ANOTHER YELLOW OVAL DOWN BY THE SCISSORS........THERES..........SOMETHING IN THAT YELLOW OVAL ISNT THERE........
AND THEN IN THE PIC I POSTED ABOVE WHERE I WAS "CLEANING AND SNIPPING" EVERYTHING, IT IS CONFIRMED......I CUT THE POWER TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD. WHY, YOU ASK.........I GUESS I LIKE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF......DOH
14. HOORAY
SO THE SIMPLE FIX WAS TO ADD A WIRE FROM THE POWER TO THIS LITTLE SPOT ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD.
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PLAYING THROUGH AN ELECTRIC/ACOUSTIC HERE. SOUNDS PRETTY SWEET!!!
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SOMEBODY ASKED ME HOW MUCH IT WEIGHED. I'M SURE THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS, BUT I KNOW MR DYKES WILL BE PROUD OF ME FOR FINALLY USING MY FISH SCALE. NOT SURE HOW MUCH "NORMAL" GUITARS WEIGH, BUT WHEN I GET A CHANCE I'LL WEIGH ONE THE SAME WAY AND POST IT HERE!
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THERE SHE IS, READY FOR A STRING TEST!!!!!!
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WHY WOULDN'T I USE DAVID GILMOUR STRINGS!!!!!!!
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.....NOTHING.....TIME TO START TROUBLESHOOTING AGAIN.........ITS NOT THE PICKUP
AFTER QUITE A BIT OF CHOPPING AND PROBLEM SOLVING....I DECIDED TO START OVER. I POSTED A QUESTION ON A GUITAR FORUM ASKING FOR HELP....SOMEONE CAME BACK WITH A SUGGESTION....I'LL GIVE IT A TRY
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HERE IS THE DIAGRAM, AND THE NEW JACK THAT I AM GOING TO TRY. IN THEORY IT IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SWITCH ON THE INSIDE AND WILL BYPASS WHEN PLUGGED IN
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HERE IS THE WORKSTATION.....AND PLENTY OF MT. DEW!!
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NEED TO MAKE A SLIGHT MODIFICATION TO GET THE NEW JACK TO FIT.....KIND OF SCARY DRILLING LIKE THIS BUT IT WORKED.....
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TEST FITTING THE NEW JACK.....LOOKS FINE
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STARTING TO GET THE PIECES BACK ON.......
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TIME FOR A SOUND CHECK.....WITHOUT THE NECK ON I JUST HAD ERICK TAP THE MAGNETS ON THE PICKUP WITH A NAIL.....SEEMS TO WORK JUST FINE.....
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HAD A COUPLE OF ISSUES PUTTING THE NECK BACK ON.......AS YOU CAN ALMOST SEE IN THE SMALL PICTURES THE NECK IS OFF TO ONE SIDE A LITTLE BIT. YOU CAN TELL BECAUSE THE STRINGS ARE NOT CENTERED. THE SECOND PIC SHOWS A BIG GAP UNDERNEATH.....NOT SURE IF ONE OF THE SCREWS IS PUSHING IT UP OR IF ITS SOMETHING ELSE......ADD IT TO THE LIST..........
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BECAUSE I'M IMPATIENT....I WENT AHEAD AND STRUNG IT UP..HERE ARE A COUPLE SOUND CLIPS. THE FIRST IS JUST CHECKING TO SEE IF IT MAKES A SOUND, THE SECOND IS WITH IT KIND OF IN TUNE......THE STRINGS ARE WAY TOO HIGH AND SOMETHING WILL NEED TO BE DONE TO BRING THEM DOWN A BIT.......
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WHILE TAKING ALL OF THESE STEPS FORWARD AND BACKWARD.....I HAVE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT A CUSTOM STRAP FOR THIS GUITAR...........HMMMMMMMMMMMM
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OK.....THE FIRST BRIDGE WAS A LITTLE OFF, AND NEEDED A LITTLE TUNE UP. I HAVE THIS PIECE OF BRASS LEFT OVER AND I REALLY LIKE THE LOOK OF IT WITH THIS GUITAR...SO I TRY TO DRILL SOME HOLES IN IT........
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THEN CUT THE SCREWS DOWN A LITTLE BIT
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TURNED OUT GREAT.....I REALLY LIKE THE LOOK. THOSE 2 TALL SCREWS WILL GET CUT DOWN ONCE I GET MY HEIGHT SET ON THE STRINGS......
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NOW I NEED TO WORK ON THE NUT A LITTLE BIT. NOT ONLY IS IT TOO HIGH BUT THE SLOTS ARE NOT CUT DEEP ENOUGH
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BUT I DECIDED TO STRING IT UP AGAIN TO SEE WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE. MUCH BETTER. IT STAYS IN TUNE BETTER AND THE STRINGS ARE LOWER. STILL A BIT OF OVERALL FINE TUNING NEEDED.....
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A MUCH NEEDED BEAUTY SHOT.....PSYCHING MYSELF UP FOR ELECTRONIC WORK...UGH
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WELL....AFTER 3 STRAIGHT HOURS OF TROUBLESHOOTING.....I GOT NOTHING. I TAKE THAT BACK....MY LED BURNT OUT AND I EXPIRED A 9 VOLT BATTERY. IT STILL WORKS WHEN PLUGGED INTO AN EXTERNAL AMP, BUT THE INTERNAL AMP IS NOT. I HAVE SOME DIFFERENT PARTS ORDERED.....I'LL BE BACK IN A FEW DAYS. GO SEE THE LAST JEDI....ITS AWESOME!!!!
38. GOOD NEWS
OK...AFTER A LOT OF SEARCHING....I THINK I MAY HAVE FOUND SOMETHING. I WENT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL JACK, AND FIGURED OUT THAT I NEEDED TO SPLIT THE PICKUP WIRE AND SEND IT TO THE AMP BOARD. YOU CAN KIND OF SEE IN THE FIRST PICK THE IDEA...
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YET ANOTHER SOUND CHECK.....
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HOORAY...WE HAVE SOUND LIKE WE ARE SUPPOSED TOO!! I NEED TO CLEAN THE BRIDGE AND NUT UP A LITTLE.....I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THE LOOK OF THE NEW BRIDGE!!!!!
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THROUGH ALL OF MY TESTING....I BURNED UP MY RED LED....I COULD ONLY FIND THIS YELLOW/ORANGE ONE, BUT IT HAD A RESISTOR BUILT IN! SO I SWAPPED IT OUT REAL QUICK AND GAVE IT A TEST......LOOKS GOOD!!!!
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LADIES AND GENTLEMAN.....IN JUST OVER A YEAR AND A MONTH.....I PRESENT TO YOU.....THE ALUMINUM FALCON!!!!!!! FOR THE MOST PART THIS IS WHAT I HAD IN MIND WHEN I STARTED OUT.....I COULD NOT BE MORE PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME!!!!! STILL SOME LITTLE DETAIL WORK TO DO.....BUT HERE SHE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!11