Making an Electric acoustic: Code Name: Alien - Complete

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:31 am

Hey folks,
so i'm sure you've read that my acoustics died a miserable death in the last two days
Al has hooked me up with a 12 string, and one of my friends who plays in the band Diehatzu Hijets (check them out they are really gnar + dinosaur jr) http://diehatzuhijets.bandcamp.com/

So ... yeah.
here's my dead guitars.

► Show Spoiler

here's the one i'll be modding.

I'll be doing pretty much the same thing that i did to the S&P where i just cut a hole and drop in a humbucker.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:37 pm

dude, that drawing on the new one is mazin

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:11 pm

yeah that was done by Layne of Diehatzu Hijets, he does all their album cover art as well.. the dude is talented, and prolific for 23.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:30 pm

man this band is really good. like dino jr and pavement mixed togather

Zack · Post by **Zack** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:41 pm

plus they're named after one of the coolest microvans ever. I remember that acoustic from awhile back, good to see it again. Are you planning on reusing the humbucker for this one or trying something new?

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:14 am

Goots. wrote:Are you planning on reusing the humbucker for this one or trying something new?

i have a spare split coil from GFS kicking around i was thinking of using that, as i'm not up for taking to pickup out f the destroyed one yet.. i'm sure i will eventually..
i also have a humbucker that James set me in the shortscale secret santa that i don't have a use or yet, i haven't checked the rating, but it could work nicely as well..

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:41 am

so i was thinking of putting a jazzmaster pickup in this.. i'd have to figure out a way to mount it though.. as the cover obviously doesn't do what i'd like to to in an acoustic..
and to surface mount it would be impossible.
i've got a PAF as well so i'm not sure how well that would sound..
or a jaguar pickup..

so many decisions, and i need to make one before i do anything to the body.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:12 pm

just put a block of wood on the underside, and screw it through the body, into the wood. boom.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:25 am

i thought about that.. but what i may do instead is make a small metal mount so that it has a ground.. out of spare sheet metal or something, i need to see what is kicking around.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:51 pm

i got the hole cut for the humbucker today..
opted to go with the PAF that James sent me in the ss.o christmas thing..
i need to make a trip out to an electronics store and pickup a 500Kohm volume pentometer, and a phone jack..
if i want to get this finished in the next couple days.

i've taken photos, but i'll wait till it is more complete to upload them.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:57 am

Alright, this guitar is DONE!

all it took was a couple hours with the right tools and a workshop with zero distractions.
oh, and an upcoming gig to force my hand.

Pics

► Show Spoiler

audio demo
http://soundcloud.com/jim-nowhere/alien-demo

later nailers.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:27 am

nice dude. glad to see it finished. were you trying something new with the pickup further from the bridge?

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:20 am

Goots. wrote:nice dude. glad to see it finished. were you trying something new with the pickup further from the bridge?

kinda, kinda not.. by moving the pickup closer to the sound hole i was hoping to
a:\ keep more of the bracing of the acoustic in tact (this did not pan out actually and turned out to be worse)
b:\ i was hoping for more of the sound one gets out of a middle position pickup then the bridge pickup (i kind of succeeded)
c:\ I wanted a bit more space behind the pickup for when i palm muse so that i wouldn't be strumming right over the humbucker, as when i'm not palm musting i usually strum over the sound hole. (this worked out well)

i do happen to have my camcorder with me, so if i get a chance i'll try and shoot a video "AN DEMO" to go with the audio demo..

plus i'm going to try and get my other 3 projects finished this weekend (Mig mk II, Jagstang, Cyclone II)

i contemplated a single coil mounted in the sound hole, but i've never been fond of that sound, even though i did enjoy how they had set it up on my ibanez, but it had a rails pickup of some sort (i don't really recall because i bought the pup back in 1997) and it sounded really nice, however, i find that in the neck positino i don't get the twang out of the guitar that i like.

Same with the piezio (Sp?) pickups that sit under the bridge, though that is what the 12-string i got from Al_ has, and i have no plans on doing this modification to that guitar any time soon. though it will probably be getting a volume and tone control, with a 22pf cap (aka the sort of cap one would use when wiring a mustang)

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Further documentation on "Alien"
Guitar: 1979 Fender F-35
Serial #79315**
Pickup: Kent Armstrong HPAC-1, ALNICO / D.C. =8.9K- Sweet and soulful classic PAF tones with a warm bass, punchy mids, and a smooth treble response. Wax potted
Volume: 500K (A) Liner pot
Tone: 500K (B) Liner pot
Tone Cap: 47pf
Mono switchcraft phone jack
standard wire for guitar: 18-20 gauge stranded wire
new pearloid pickguard