Okay, episode two in the saga of the manufacture a set of my
custom Strat™ pickups.
All eighteen magnets of the set are given tiny bevels to the
top edge … Fender used to do this to make it easier to fit the top flatwork to
the pickup. I do it simply for the look … and so the otherwise sharp edges of
the magnets don’t hack a finger while playing. Many makers bevel magnets to a
much greater degree than I do, but early fenders were seldom chamfered quite so extremely so
I err on the side of conservatism. A rechargeable keyless chuck drill and a sharpening stone do the job nicely here.
Now the bevelled magnets are united with the lower half of
the flatwork and gently tapped into place.
Once all the magnets are in place
A little jig is added that keeps everything straight while
the top flatwork is fitted. Yes I make quite a few of my small jigs from scrap
mahogany … it’s nice to work with and lasts well.
A bit of gentle tapping, and another little tool fits the
top flatwork
All fitted …
…and now to add a little ‘relic work’ to the poles with a
dab of my secret ingredient … and trial fit the covers.
Yes that’s an identical set under production in the
background … I never just make one of
anything, even a custom order! The reason for this is simple, somebody may well
say, pretty shortly after an order is delivered ‘I’ll have what he had …’ it
saves time and consulting records to just take an identical set out of stock.
Next step will be installing the soldering eyelets and
drilling the mounting holes.
Before … gasp … winding!
No comments:
Post a Comment