The week has ended better than it started.
I got all the crap for the truck done. Paper work filed and parts are on order. I'll put it back together myself.
I got to meet W Jeffery Jones this week. What a treat that was but I'll talk more about that later.
I got the cover for the 12 string bass pickup almost done. I still need to do a little more sanding and fill a few voids and round the edges over but then it's time to stuff it full of coils and magnets and let it roll.
Have you ever noticed that just when you think you have things rolling right along and the world has returned to normal fate likes to kick you square in the ass...?
Well, things are no different around here. I still have some back orders in the shop. I have some pending new orders and one repair to do. I have some business meetings later this week with former and future clients and I'm pressed for time. So it's only right that while I'm running some shop errands a redneck, moron, jack ass from hell would decide he needed my lane more than I did and smashed the Searcy String Works Pickup Truck like a beer can... The whole driver side is waded up. The door won't open, mirror is gone, lights are no more, AC stopped working...
Lot's of phone calls to insurance companies, waiting for police reports, waiting around for adjusters, more phone calls to make... I really don't have time for this crap...
Have I ever told you guys that I have done a lot of work with Six String Bliss ,the longest running guitar podcast on Earth? Well, I have now. My first dealing with co-hosts Pipes and P.T. was a few years back when I did an interview with them for episode 20 . Later I did a short segment for them in episode 57 . When they reached show 100 Alicia and I both talked to them about how crazy a trip it's been so far and we talked about bands we thought were over rated.
Recently I helped them produce a show with Vintage Guitar expert George Gruhn and as soon as I get all my back orders out the door I may work on another show for them.
If you're looking for something laid back and guitar related to crank in your i-Pod then tune in every Monday for a blast of Guitar News, Guitarist Of the Week, The Center Song, Gear Reviews, Interviews, Guitar Stories and more with your most excellent hosts Pipes and P.T.
Doing a little work on the ebony cover today. Once the holes are drilled and I have rough cut the cover on the band saw it's time to do some routing. One of the newer additions to the Searcy String Works shop is the Micro Mill. Its slow tool speed and X, Y axis table make it a lot easier to rout out the Ebony covers without blowing out the tops of the covers like a router table can do. But it does make the work go a lot slower. I'm thinking of converting this to CNC soon.
I got the bobbins made up for the huge 12 string bass pickup. I wound them with 42 gauge wire to start with but was having trouble getting the resistance up where I wanted it and still keep the size manageable. So I worked my way up. After a few rewinds I ended up at 45ga poly coated wire. It's gold in color and is one of the smallest wire types I have. It did the job well.
I picked out some Ebony for the cover with a wicked white stripe in it. It should make a good visual statement. I have never understood these cats that want a hand made ebony cover then they want it dyed jet black and then polished to a mirror finish so that it looks like plastic. Why not just let me make one out of plastic? Oh well.... takes all kinds I guess.
This week I am working on the biggest pickup I have ever made. It is a monstrous bass pickup that is going on a 12 string bass guitar. It's gonna be like 2 of my Neo Jazz single coils but just a bit hotter than a stock Neo-Jazz pickup. It's going to have separate bass and treble out puts so that sound can be mixed properly. It will also have a nice Ebony cover. How do you play this thing? I have no idea!
The million Scarabs are almost done. They should be ready tomorrow when I get done putting the caps on them. Speaking of the caps. This batch will be the last batch of Scarabs for a long while. I have run out of some of the parts I use to make them and my supplier has stopped carrying them as well. That's ok with me because they were needing a redesign anyway. They are very hard to make and eat up a lot of time for the money they make. So this will be the end of the Scarabs for a little while. Maybe they will come back someday but not until I have reworked the process and design into something that's simpler to make.
Got some information back about those crazy blood spattered P-90s I made for EllieGuitars a little while back. Seems they made their way into this kick ass LP type guitar. These pickups are the closest thing I have made to a straight up P-90 copy. They were unpotted because Ellie wanted them to be a little microphonic and I know she is more than able to pot her own pickups if they turned out to be too microphonic. So I wound them good and tight and sent them on. She digs them a lot! I may have to rethink some of my old ideas on potted and unpotted pickups.
I have had a few folks asking when I would be taking orders again and the news is good. I will start taking new orders again at the end of this month. I know that's later then planned but then again things didn't really go as planned. I have about a million Scarabs setting up on the bench this week and I'm working to get them all sent out late this week or early next week. So if you have been waiting for Scarab Pickups you don't have much longer to wait!
Anyone remember those crazy 8 string Neo Jazz pickups I made a
while back? I killed a scroll saw making those monster ebony covers! No big deal though, I needed a new scroll saw anyway. Well those big single coils went out to JC Basses in Cali to be used in a wicked 8 string, quilted top bass. This thing is amazing to behold! I sooooooo... wish I could play it... Man.... now I'm depressed.....
The only thing I don't like now that I look at it is where I put the screw holes. I thought that would look cooler than it does. It's a small thing but it's room for improvement. Next time we do this I'll make them match better.So if you're looking for a monster, sky's the limit, custom bass give JC Basses a chance. You'll get to see your bass before he ever starts working because when it comes to CAD he has mad skills.
The week has ended better than it started. I got all the crap for the truck done. Paper work filed and parts are on order. I'll put it back together myself.
Doing a little work on the ebony cover today. Once the holes are drilled and I have rough cut the cover on the band saw it's time to do some routing. One of the newer additions to the Searcy String Works shop is the Micro Mill. Its slow tool speed and X, Y axis table make it a lot easier to rout out the Ebony covers without blowing out the tops of the covers like a router table can do. But it does make the work go a lot slower. I'm thinking of converting this to CNC soon.
while back? I killed a scroll saw making those monster ebony covers! No big deal though, I needed a new scroll saw anyway. Well those big single coils went out to JC Basses in Cali to be used in a wicked 8 string, quilted top bass. This thing is amazing to behold! I sooooooo... wish I could play it... Man.... now I'm depressed.....
