New project - Creature

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:35 pm

i never drill pilot holes. i always just use a plus punch, which is essentially a small screwdriver with a flat end to whack. it doesn't sink in too far, and gives the screw an indention to bore it's own hole.

get some bamboo skewers from the store and hammer them into your holes, and then re-screw. or try haze's golf tee trick.

looks great, anyways. hopefully nothing comes flying off/out when you get it strung up!

cur · Post by **cur** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:44 am

Not all phillips head screw drivers are the same. If you use the correct one for the screw head is hard to strip them. If you use one too small and not snug, it is very easy to strip the heads.

rps-10 · Post by **rps-10** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:25 am

cur wrote:Not all phillips head screw drivers are the same. If you use the correct one for the screw head is hard to strip them. If you use one too small and not snug, it is very easy to strip the heads.

Phillips & PoziDrive
Phillips is the plain cross head, the Pozidrive has the extra stary bits, if you use the wrong screwdriver on either type they strip out very easily.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 6:56 pm

i think you guys are missing what he said about stripping them. he didn't strip the heads out, he stripped out the screw holes (which was, coincidentally, my nickname in college).

it'd be pretty hard to strip a screw that you're screwing into wood. unless of course you put a layer of sheetmetal in the wood, but i don't think he has done this.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:15 pm

hotrodperlmutter wrote:it'd be pretty hard to strip a screw that you're screwing into wood.

I've done this before, its really easy to do with a screwdriver thats the wrong size.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:32 pm

like i said, it's pretty difficult. if you're using a screwdriver that's too big, it has to actually slip out several times (or you're using a gun), and once is understandable. if you don't put the big ass screwdriver down, and go get a smaller one, you need to just stop there.

rps-10 · Post by **rps-10** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:42 pm

Ahh right, been there done that too, stripped out pre threaded screw holes. Just screwed said scew back in with some added PVA/wood glue (cheap fix) Wood filler (fasten screw in while filler still soft) or blu-tac/chewing gum for bodge-tastic-ness.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:31 pm

hotrodperlmutter wrote:like i said, it's pretty difficult. if you're using a screwdriver that's too big, it has to actually slip out several times (or you're using a gun), and once is understandable. if you don't put the big ass screwdriver down, and go get a smaller one, you need to just stop there.

Aha true but when you get the red mist of frustration its hard to take a step back and make the more sensible choice

cur · Post by **cur** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:39 pm

Well if he was stripping the screw holes that easily maybe you were using too big of a bit to make your pilot holes. But the easy fix for the all but the screws is two dip a tooth pick or two in wood glue and then break off in the hole. Also for the small ones, you can put a couple drops of super glue in the holes to do the trick.

Sometimes if you don't pre drill it is very easy to snap the heads off of screws, as well as stripping the phillips heads. Some woods are worse than others.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:40 am

Disaster strikes again.

I spent all day wiring it up and I think I bit off more than I could chew... Currently the tone has no effect, the pickups are extremely quiet and the volume drops off completely halfway through the spin, the strangle switch does nothing, and I'm gettng pretty serious hum... the only thing that's working is that there is some (though very little) audible volume, the kill switch works and the pickup selection.

The oscillation circuit worked great although it causes a really really severe hum even when it's turned off, I need to get with aen about that so I just disconnected it for now.

I think I just wired too much at once for a really complicated setup like this.. what I think I'm going to have to do is wire it straight and then add in the strangle and kill switched separately so that I can troubleshoot each step separately.

sigh... In any event, it plays great. If I can work out the electronics this bitch'd be done.

FML

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:58 pm

Don't look at it as a disaster. Look at it as another opportunity to hone your
wiring and trouble shooting skills.
Wiring is my weakest point but I learn something new every time I wire one up.
Especially on the ones I have to wire up more than once. Which is pretty much
every one I wire.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:03 am

endsjustifymeans wrote:The oscillation circuit worked great although it causes a really really severe hum even when it's turned off, I need to get with aen about that so I just disconnected it for now.

What is that, swells up/down or on/off? Please elaborate.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:10 pm

There's essentially half of a Dwarfcraft Rot Yr Brain where the rhythm circuit should be.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:50 pm

cooterfinger wrote:Don't look at it as a disaster. Look at it as another opportunity to hone your
wiring and trouble shooting skills.
Wiring is my weakest point but I learn something new every time I wire one up.
Especially on the ones I have to wire up more than once. Which is pretty much
every one I wire.

I'm confident that I can work out the basic pickup/strangle/kill wiring if I take it step by step... but throwing the internal oscillation circuit into it may take it a step above my level. Aen agrees with me that the heavy buzz when the circuit is hooked up is likely a grounding a issue since the ciruit works perfectly, juts buzzes like a bitch even when turned off. The problem is... I have no idea where to even start troubleshooting it.

I think I have the guitar version of "eyes bigger than my stomach", I have "ideas bigger than my skill".

cooter · Post by **cooter** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:16 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:I think I have the guitar version of "eyes bigger than my stomach", I have "ideas bigger than my skill".

That's why I have so many Musicmasters. One pickup, a volume and a tone.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:28 pm

I think the BUZZ problem is solved... I didn't know the control plates needed to be grounded. Duh...

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:05 am

So... I worked out the loud buzz from the oscillation circuit... fixed.

I also worked out the volume issue, I had a bad pot. I probably broke it during the built. luckily I had a shit little mini-pot lying around I could slam in there until I get a new pot.

So... oscillation works, pickups work, strangle works, kill works.

Things that don't work... the fricken tone control doesn't work for some reason... probably broke that as well. I'll order another tone pot when I order the volume pot.

Also the bridge is much quieter than the neck, I think I accidentally reversed them. Can someone tell me how to check which one is the 10k and which one is the 12 k? PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It works though, I just played it for about 30 minutes. chunky neck will take some getting used to, but it's not a bad thing at all. Once I get the replacement pots installed, I'll give it a good setup... adjust the truss, intonate, etc. If I can't get the tone working I'm not even going to sweat it, I always keep my tone dimed anyway it seems.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:42 am

Volt meter will let you test the output of each pickup.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:55 am

taylornutt wrote:Volt meter will let you test the output of each pickup.

Just touch the red tip to the lead and the black to a ground? what do I set the volt meter to?

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:19 am

endsjustifymeans wrote:
taylornutt wrote:Volt meter will let you test the output of each pickup.
Just touch the red tip to the lead and the black to a ground? what do I set the volt meter to?

you want to set it to the 20 ohms setting.