neepheid Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 You may recall a while ago that I added a string hold down bar to my OLP MM3. Well, it pinged out under the stress of the strings. Oops. Never mind, it spurred me on to make more improvements! 1. Accursed break angle at the nut, remixed: got myself a Hipshot 3 string retainer. Covered up the mess left by the failed string hold down bar. Looks really neat too 2. Active 2 band EQ: Hated the standard wiring (2 volume (1 for each coil of the humbucker) and 1 passive tone) so installed an Artec SE-2A. New config: 1 blend pot (all rear coil > both full > all front coil), master volume, stacked treble/bass. 3. Battery box: for testing I found a space underneath the pickguard and wedged the battery in with foam, but for the permanent fixture I had to get the router out. It's a much more useful instrument now. Incidentally, I discovered that OLP used linear pots for that wonderful "all or nothing" feel. Joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 *Tim Westwood voice* dammmm! jus' killin' it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 [quote name='neepheid' post='145216' date='Feb 22 2008, 05:52 PM']2. Active 2 band EQ: Hated the standard wiring (2 volume (1 for each coil of the humbucker) and 1 passive tone) so installed an Artec SE-2A. New config: 1 blend pot (all rear coil > both full > all front coil), master volume, stacked treble/bass.[/quote] Very neat job. Where did you get your Artec and the stacked pot from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) [quote name='pete.young' post='145389' date='Feb 22 2008, 10:54 PM']Very neat job. Where did you get your Artec and the stacked pot from?[/quote] Thanks for the kind words. I got my Artec from an eBay seller in Singapore, and the knob came from axesrus. Edit: I misread you - the stacked pot comes with the SE-2A - it's attached to a small circuit board. Also you can get Artec gear from Thomann. Edited February 25, 2008 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcgiver69 Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hey how do those Artec SE2A sound? I'm really tempted to buy one for a project I putting together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 [quote name='Mcgiver69' post='145696' date='Feb 23 2008, 06:54 PM']Hey how do those Artec SE2A sound? I'm really tempted to buy one for a project I putting together.[/quote] Pretty good range of sounds available, depending of course on what kind of pickups you're using. I used an Artec SE-2 in my first self build in conjunction with an MM humbucker and a Jazz single coil. That can do anything from mud to twang. I'll try and put some sound clips together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 That looks great .. I've just got an Artec SE2A for my Project SX P bass. No room for the battery so I need to fit a rear battery box. Is it hard to do with a basic hand router? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='146594' date='Feb 25 2008, 02:15 PM']That looks great .. I've just got an Artec SE2A for my Project SX P bass. No room for the battery so I need to fit a rear battery box. Is it hard to do with a basic hand router?[/quote] Virtually foolproof if you make a template first. It's all in the template. Get a piece of MDF most of the size of the body. The trick is to make sure that you've got template material over the neck pocket and the control cavity for easy clamping points that won't mar the finish in any way. Measure your battery box. Now comes the maths. Decide what router bit you're using. Needs to be deep (I used a 50mm deep cutter) and you're unlikely to get one thinner than 12mm at that length. Most routers come with a guide bush that screws into the router base. It's usually 30mm wide. Assuming you use these figures (12mm cutter, 30mm guide bush), then you'll need to make your template 9mm bigger all round (from the centre of the cutter, the bush is 15mm away and half the cutter's diameter is 6mm, so 15-6 = 9mm difference). Cut out your template. I use the router to do this too. Measure from the extremity of the cutter you're using to the flat edge of the base plate. Clamp a straight edge the required distance away from your template hole and use this to guide the router along the edge of the hole, one side at a time. Do a test first! Fit the guide bush to the router. Clamp the template to some scrap wood block and do a test rout. Let the guide bush ride along the edge of the template. Check that your battery box will fit. Also, don't strain the router or the bit by trying to be a hero and doing the hole all in one. I do it in 10mm steps using the depth gauge on the router. For a battery box like the one above, you have to go down about 33mm if memory serves, the side on boxes are shallower, but require a bigger template. Your other option is to make the template the exact size you need and use a router bit with a roller guide at the top of the cutter. The roller will follow the edge of the guide. As you plunge further down the roller will follow the hole itself. Practice makes perfect. I remember the first rout I did took hours, I was so nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 (edited) [quote name='neepheid' post='146642' date='Feb 25 2008, 03:18 PM']Virtually foolproof if you make a template first. It's all in the template. Get a piece of MDF most of the size of the body. The trick is to make sure that you've got template material over the neck pocket and the control cavity for easy clamping points that won't mar the finish in any way. Measure your battery box. Now comes the maths. Decide what router bit you're using. Needs to be deep (I used a 50mm deep cutter) and you're unlikely to get one thinner than 12mm at that length. Most routers come with a guide bush that screws into the router base. It's usually 30mm wide. Assuming you use these figures (12mm cutter, 30mm guide bush), then you'll need to make your template 9mm bigger all round (from the centre of the cutter, the bush is 15mm away and half the cutter's diameter is 6mm, so 15-6 = 9mm difference). Cut out your template. I use the router to do this too. Measure from the extremity of the cutter you're using to the flat edge of the base plate. Clamp a straight edge the required distance away from your template hole and use this to guide the router along the edge of the hole, one side at a time. Do a test first! Fit the guide bush to the router. Clamp the template to some scrap wood block and do a test rout. Let the guide bush ride along the edge of the template. Check that your battery box will fit. Also, don't strain the router or the bit by trying to be a hero and doing the hole all in one. I do it in 10mm steps using the depth gauge on the router. For a battery box like the one above, you have to go down about 33mm if memory serves, the side on boxes are shallower, but require a bigger template. Your other option is to make the template the exact size you need and use a router bit with a roller guide at the top of the cutter. The roller will follow the edge of the guide. As you plunge further down the roller will follow the hole itself. Practice makes perfect. I remember the first rout I did took hours, I was so nervous.[/quote] Hummmmmm Just spoke with local hero luthier Dave Dearnley and he'll rout and fit it for £20 No contest for a woodworking numpty like me I'd almost certainly mess it up... Thanks though... if I ever get more courage I may take a router to a bass and I'll keep this advice .. OG Edited February 25, 2008 by OldGit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I ordered an Artec SE3P-A... vol, pan, stacked bass/treb and stacked mid/sweep. The plan is to fit it into my SX Jazzebel project . I'm also thinking of reviewing it for the, errm, Reviews section. 28 quid for a 3 band EQ is definitely worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 [quote name='Rich' post='147431' date='Feb 26 2008, 08:55 PM']I ordered an Artec SE3P-A... vol, pan, stacked bass/treb and stacked mid/sweep. The plan is to fit it into my SX Jazzebel project . I'm also thinking of reviewing it for the, errm, Reviews section. 28 quid for a 3 band EQ is definitely worth checking out.[/quote] I'm feeling a stirring of interest in an Artec. One question - do they come with knobs (they don't seem to)? If not (er, two questions), does anyone know any suppliers of reasonable cheap metal knobs to suit them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 [quote name='tauzero' post='147616' date='Feb 27 2008, 09:20 AM']I'm feeling a stirring of interest in an Artec. One question - do they come with knobs (they don't seem to)? If not (er, two questions), does anyone know any suppliers of reasonable cheap metal knobs to suit them?[/quote] No knobs. They use split shaft knobs for single pots and concentric pots are solid shaft (by design/necessity anyway?). Axesrus are good for random little things, and no postage. [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axenob.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axenob.htm[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Ooo OOoo OOooo, i'll go take pictures of my pimped OLP, surprisingly similar! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 [quote name='neepheid' post='147653' date='Feb 27 2008, 10:07 AM']No knobs. They use split shaft knobs for single pots and concentric pots are solid shaft (by design/necessity anyway?). Axesrus are good for random little things, and no postage. [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axenob.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axenob.htm[/url][/quote] The Artec ebay guy will sell you knobs - but they are P bass chrome copies, no concentrics .. however they are just £1 each if you get them at the same time. +1 for AxesRUs for concentrics .. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 [url="http://imageshack.us"][/url] 2 band East Preamp, Series/Parallel switch, Push/Pull active/passive volume knob, Bartolini P'up [url="http://imageshack.us"][/url] 18 volts [url="http://imageshack.us"][/url] Schallers [url="http://imageshack.us"][/url] Tis a good solid bass, I have it in Drop C Standard tuning, so C F Bb Eb Some random nice flame in the fingerboard to! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 [quote name='Sibob' post='147894' date='Feb 27 2008, 03:32 PM']18 volts [url="http://imageshack.us"][/url][/quote] *grumbles something about "it's what you do with it that counts"* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 (edited) Headroom my friend...nothing like it for low tunings Si Edited February 27, 2008 by Sibob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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