Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: wisconsindeadd on November 10, 2019, 10:18:26 AM
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Here is my Guild Starfire with a new set of Alembic AXY Pickups in it. Will have Master Volume, Filter, 3 Way Q Switch and Pickup Blend controls. Next move is to have the backdoor installed. Will get pickup rings made later on.
The bridge was a knockoff that I bought used from Edwin Hurwitz.
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Nice! I'm working on one of my own. Parts just shipped out last week. Looking forward to seeing yours come together. :)
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Nice project!
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That is a really special bass. It is much more lively than most Starfires I've played and the fingerboard has some of the nicest figuring ever.
Can't wait to see how it comes out!
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Looks like it’s maple rather than mahogany, perhaps that contributes to it being more lively.
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The back door has been cut! Getting close to being ready to go. I think it will have done black rubber binding.
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[Topic moved from the Showcase board "Instruments modified by Alembic".]
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Cheesehead Dead - I am pretty sure I asked before, but where in the state do you hang?
I am back and forth between Milwaukee and Irma (Tomahawk area).
Paul (who is living a quasi-nomadic lifestyle because it offers so many challenges... :o)
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Cheesehead Dead - I am pretty sure I asked before, but where in the state do you hang?
I am back and forth between Milwaukee and Irma (Tomahawk area).
Paul (who is living a quasi-nomadic lifestyle because it offers so many challenges... :o)
Hey man,
I am in Milwaukee, Bay View area.
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Cool.
You play out at all?
Paul (who is currently working second shift and doesn’t get out much... and not playing in any bands at this time :-\ )
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original starfire or reissue?
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Cool.
You play out at all?
Paul (who is currently working second shift and doesn’t get out much... and not playing in any bands at this time :-\ )
Yea! I gig in a Madison, WI based Grateful Dead Tribute band called Seaside Zoo. We're playing tonight (11/15) at High Noon Saloon in Madison. We have a Milwaukee gig coming up, night before Thanksgiving (11/27) at Shank Hall. C'mon up if you can!
original starfire or reissue?
Original. #1319 from 1967/68
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Shank Hall is a great venue.
Pretty sure I will be in Irma that whole week. :-(
Did you start a thread in the Community section for when you are gigging? Would love to meet up sometime.
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Im curious, (if you don't mind the sharing) what was used to cut the hole in the back? Will you use the dropout piece to go back? I'm trying to decide on how to do this on mine, and haven't settled on a final plan yet.
Incidentally, I have Guild Starfire II BA-1407, a 1967. I'm doing the Alembic mods to a nearly identical Newark Street reissue though.
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I have BA-764, also a 1967 Starfire bass. I also have a newer Newark Street edition that is at Alembic being modified...hopefully it will be done soon :)
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Shank Hall is a great venue.
Pretty sure I will be in Irma that whole week. :-(
Did you start a thread in the Community section for when you are gigging? Would love to meet up sometime.
I will get around to it. Check out our facebook page for events updates too. Give me a heads up for when you'll be around.
Im curious, (if you don't mind the sharing) what was used to cut the hole in the back? Will you use the dropout piece to go back? I'm trying to decide on how to do this on mine, and haven't settled on a final plan yet.
Incidentally, I have Guild Starfire II BA-1407, a 1967. I'm doing the Alembic mods to a nearly identical Newark Street reissue though.
Awesome. He used a Dremel with a very small bit. It works well but can be difficult to get a template onto that arched back.
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Here is a shot of the pickup cavity with the threaded inserts and a shot of the preamp inside the body. The backplate still needs some binding or gasket of some type. We're still not sure what way to go. And I still need the pickup rings done. But I wanted to give it a spin for a recent gig and an upcoming one so I took it back for the time being.
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Binding is an interesting idea... I did something like that once before in a slightly different application. You should be able to source some that would match that three-layered style on the Starfire, or simply use a thick black boltaron strip. Good work. ;)
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Looking good - but you might want to shield those cavities.
Peter
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Looking good - but you might want to shield those cavities.
Peter
Yea I need to make that happen. Would shielding remove interference from things like my cellphone when it is near the pickups? There is definitely some base noise, but it isn't too bad as is.
Binding is an interesting idea... I did something like that once before in a slightly different application. You should be able to source some that would match that three-layered style on the Starfire, or simply use a thick black boltaron strip. Good work. ;)
Hmm, boltaron, never heard of it. I'm not sure what is the best material to use. Ideally some sort of oval shaped hollow rubber-ish material seems like it would be best. Something that will compress a bit and fill in the void well. Not sure exactly what fits that description though.
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Possibly something like the black spline that is used to hold window screens on the frame may work if you can find some that's flexible enough. Just an idea I've never tried it for this purpose. They sell different sizes at Home Depot and Lowe's.
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You're stuck with stupid cell phone pings - but you shouldn't be wearing your phone when you're playing anywho! Shielding will get rid of low frequency hum and also serves to ground the electronics by the rivets that hold the pots together contacting the shield.
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You're stuck with stupid cell phone pings - but you shouldn't be wearing your phone when you're playing anywho! Shielding will get rid of low frequency hum and also serves to ground the electronics by the rivets that hold the pots together contacting the shield.
Thanks Mica. I can't help but text and jam at the same time!! Just kidding...
Should I ground the bridge/strings to the shielding? Currently I just have the ground wire from the bridge hanging loose. It doesn't seem to be causing an issues thus far. I plan on painting the entire inside of the cavity.
Possibly something like the black spline that is used to hold window screens on the frame may work if you can find some that's flexible enough. Just an idea I've never tried it for this purpose. They sell different sizes at Home Depot and Lowe's.
Very interesting idea! I'm going to see if perhaps that could work.
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Here's a couple links for ya'...
https://www.lmii.com/plastic-binding/1427-binding-black-boltaron.html
https://www.lmii.com/33-bindings-purflings-backstrips
;)
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Here's a couple links for ya'...
https://www.lmii.com/plastic-binding/1427-binding-black-boltaron.html
https://www.lmii.com/33-bindings-purflings-backstrips
;)
Thanks Edward
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You should definitely shield the cavity. When we did mine, the f-hole was covered with a piece of black plastic so that there would be complete coverage.
Cellphones still get picked up when they are close, similarly computers and other electronics that emit a lot of noise. Not much to do about that.
Looking great!
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You should definitely shield the cavity. When we did mine, the f-hole was covered with a piece of black plastic so that there would be complete coverage.
Cellphones still get picked up when they are close, similarly computers and other electronics that emit a lot of noise. Not much to do about that.
Looking great!
Edwin, Do you have to ground that shielding to something? If so where do you ground it? I am unfamiliar with active electronics and grounding.
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You should definitely shield the cavity. When we did mine, the f-hole was covered with a piece of black plastic so that there would be complete coverage.
Cellphones still get picked up when they are close, similarly computers and other electronics that emit a lot of noise. Not much to do about that.
Looking great!
Edwin, Do you have to ground that shielding to something? If so where do you ground it? I am unfamiliar with active electronics and grounding.
It's grounded through the ground wire to the DS-5. I don't think it's wired to the strings.
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It's grounded through the ground wire to the DS-5. I don't think it's wired to the strings.
Currently I have the inside just shielded but the shielding is not grounded to anything. I also have a single wire going from the bridge that isn't connected to anything. Should I ground the strings and the shielding to something? If so, how?
Here are some pics. Did the same thing as Edwin, covered the F-hole with some black cardboard and closed off part of the inside because it currently is unoccupied. Figured same myself the hassle, kind of difficult to get in that upper horn.
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You need to shield your back door, as well, and extend the cavity foil up over the screw holes so it contacts the door foil. And connect the bridge ground to the foil, as well.
Peter
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You need to shield your back door, as well, and extend the cavity foil up over the screw holes so it contacts the door foil. And connect the bridge ground to the foil, as well.
Peter
Eventually this ground has to connect to the output jack (I think), where would that be?
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I have never done Alembic wiring, but on regular instruments the ground wire from the output hooks to rest of the grounding at the pots. I assume it would be likewise on an Alembic - if not in exact location, then in effect. I know for a fact there people reading this who have wired Alembics ( ;D ); I'm sure one of them will be kind enough to correct me if I err.
Peter
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You do not need to ground the bridge or strings with the Alembic electronics. As has been stated the back plate needs to be shielded and the cavity foil needs to cover the screw hole blocks for the back plate so they will complete the shielding box. The shield itself will be grounded through the pots when they are attached to the bass and contact the shield.
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Binding is an interesting idea... I did something like that once before in a slightly different application. You should be able to source some that would match that three-layered style on the Starfire, or simply use a thick black boltaron strip. Good work. ;)
Well we did end up using Boltaron for the binding. This was perfect!
However, the luthier that did the work used the wrong glue which interacted with the finish. Pretty amateur mistake. I guess that is what I get for going with a younger guy who is still building his business...