Guitar Surgery

Inventor

Today I finally got off my butt and started modifying the mods on my guitar according to the new stuff that DJ and I have learned about it. It is *so* nice to have a free table now to do the surgery on. You can see in the photo below that the tuning pegs are removed and I'm creating the electrical connections that we need at the headstock. Can't talk much about what they are, but the good news is that they are simplified.

Have you done any guitar surgery? Got photos? Post away with reckless abandon, haha!

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Guitar Surgery in Progress

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seraph · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:21 am Post subject:

Les
I would paint the inside of the handle (the hole you made) black, like the guitar body. It would look much more professional and classy Wink

Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:28 am Post subject:

I'm with you Carlo, black inside the handle. first I need to finish sanding it (which you cannot tell from the photo but it is rough), then find a source of the paint. Should I email Fender or something?

Wout Blommers · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:06 am Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:16 am Post subject:

This morning I took a hacksaw and sawed a round stick into about 1 foot length (0.3 meter). Then I started sanding the handle hole. This will take some time as it is rough. Kewl, however, I am on my way to a black handle hole Very Happy

Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:20 am Post subject:

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

I durstn't take sharp tools to my axes, all I'm prepared to do is adjust intonation, neck curve and that style of kidney. Tighten tuners.

I'm chicken, I guess.

jksuperstar · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:12 am Post subject:

I just won one of these on ebay, 25% off the usual price. Once it's on my steinberger, I need to figure a few other things out. I might need to make a pitch detector on my Analog Devices Blackfin board, or a 13-pin breakout box for access to all these individual string info. Hmmm...

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Roland GK-3B - Adjustable 6-element Pickup for Bass Guitars

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Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:22 am Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:24 am Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:35 pm Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:44 pm Post subject:

More forward thinking independent guitar builders:

David Myka. Lovely custom job with Stetsbar trem, hex pickup system:

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Scott French, who specializes in lightweight guitars.

Tried linking up a couple of pics of his equally lovely custom axes but they didn't show up, so check out the gallery here - my faves are the Roland-equipped headless and the Bowable Guitar: http://www.scottfrench.com/s/Gallery/Finished%20Customs

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject:

I forgot about Hugh Manson, who made Matt Bellamy's now infamous Kaoss Pad guitars:

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Inventor · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:42 pm Post subject:

I've heard the sounds of Matt Bellamy's guitars, awesome stuff. How do the Kaoss pads work? What do they do?

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:26 pm Post subject:

Korg makes several Kaoss models, which vary in functionality - the one thing they all have in common is an X-Y pad interface. The KP2 and KP3 have a selection of digital effects controllable from the pad, made famous of course by Muse and Radiohead. The quality of individual effects are not going to compete with the likes of Eventide's Eclipse (and even higher end boxes), Lexicon's PCM series, etc. but they're usable enough for rock 'n roll.

I figured this would interest you. Cool

Here's a page on someone's Kaoss mod to his own guitar, with video demos:

http://www.unmaintained.com/forums/ShowThread.aspx?PostID=43#43

jksuperstar · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject:

As for pitch detection on bass signals, I'm pretty skeptical. Low frequencies, with lots of early distortion makes for either inaccurate pitch detection, or long-latencies. Neither sounds good. But re-synthesis, I think, is where it's at. Hardsync of the bass signals to oscillators is my current play-ground, and that's where I'm getting the excitement for a hexaphonic pick-up...cleaner transitions between strings, and faster response because of it. Not to mention all the extra blurb about different sounds on different strings, etc. Though that's not as important to me, at least not on bass.

GovernorSilver · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:17 pm Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:09 am Post subject:

Tonight I tried out the guitar surgery results and bahahaybeee sweeet tones ensued! I still gotta tune the geetar, but it's a werk of art now! The tone is so pure, so evocative! Yeheheheagh! Geetar surgery is a success!

DJ, you reading this? Yeah dude!

Antimon · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:18 am Post subject:

blue hell · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:23 am Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:32 am Post subject:

LoL, Jan, you read almost Everything on the foum. You are not the egg man, you are the everywhereman!

DrJustice · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:40 am Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 4:42 pm Post subject:

The latest news on the Guitar Surgery is that I set up a temporary wiring catastrophe between my geetar and my amp with a transformer in-between and guess what? It works like a charm! DJ and I are well on our way to becoming geetar inventors, how's them apples for ya?

Les

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway